Welcome in, today is Thursday, October first, and we begin with the final text of the revised federal fuel economy rules. Following our earlier report on the rollback of the Biden-era mandates, the rule text is now final. Per Just Auto, the revised standards are projected to cut the average cost of a new vehicle by about one thousand three hundred dollars. CarBuzz reports the new NHTSA rules lower required corporate average fuel economy from fifty point four miles per gallon by twenty thirty-one to thirty-four point nine. That account, citing Reuters on Department of Transportation figures, puts industry technology savings above one hundred billion dollars by twenty thirty-one, with General Motors at twenty point four billion, Stellantis at six point six, and Ford at five point eight. The same reporting says the rules also end the sale and trading of compliance credits, a revenue line electric-vehicle makers have leaned on. Industry reaction cautions that the headline mileage figure describes a projected fleet average under footprint-based formulas, not a target any single vehicle must meet. Also today, BMW. Automotive News reports the automaker has set out a restructuring plan built on artificial intelligence, management cuts and two new model launches, after a run of profit warnings and a steep slide in its share price. That report puts the target at a three to five percent automotive margin in twenty twenty-eight, with fewer models in the range. Automotive World reports the cut to management roles at twenty percent, with the bet being that faster decisions offset tougher competition in core markets. The product half splits by region: an entry-level electric vehicle for Europe, a large SUV flagship for the United States. That gives peers under the same margin pressure a public reference point for how portfolio decisions get sequenced. Analytical reaction leans toward treating the cost programme as necessary but not sufficient, with a recurring concern that it leaves China exposure and European structural pressure unresolved. Separately, Mexico. Automotive News, citing Bloomberg and multiple Mexican officials, reports the government is increasingly confident of a trade deal with the United States that would cut tariffs on light vehicles to fifteen percent and lower steel and aluminum levies. Officials say they are pressing for better terms than Canada secured in August. Nothing is final, and talks continue. Settled, those terms would reset cross-border input costs and sourcing decisions across North American manufacturing. Some trade practitioners read the proposed rate as an underperformance rather than a win, noting that even a content-adjusted effective rate in the single digits would sit above what Japan, South Korea and the European Union already have. A recurring view is that the unresolved rules are themselves a cost, because sourcing and investment calls cannot wait for final terms. Now to batteries, and a cost path for cheaper electric vehicles. Ultium Cells, General Motors' joint venture with LG Energy Solution, says it will be the first in the world to mass-produce lithium-manganese-rich cells, targeted at electric trucks among other applications. That is per WardsAuto, and the first-in-the-world framing is the venture's own. Per that reporting, the cells are intended for GM's more affordable electric models. Just Auto reports that combined investment in the lithium-manganese-rich programme, lithium-iron-phosphate energy storage production and facility upgrades will reach one billion dollars by twenty thirty. If the venture holds that schedule, cell buyers and rival suppliers get a new benchmark to price against, which is why the chemistry claim matters more than the headline figure. Now, a few more headlines moving the trade today. Nissan's global sales fell seventeen point five percent in August, per Just Auto, with sharply lower overseas volume outweighing higher sales at home. Automotive News reports Volkswagen Group has begun exporting China-built vehicles to North America for the first time, shipping gasoline sedans to Mexico as Chinese sales fall. Ford, JPMorganChase and the state of Michigan have set up a three billion dollar manufacturing initiative, per WardsAuto, targeting robotics scaling, critical-minerals processing and other priority areas. Following our earlier coverage of Brussels' Made in Europe law, Automotive News reports UK vehicle output rose five point seven percent in August, even as the SMMT warns those proposals threaten long-term viability. And finally, Ionna says its automaker-backed network has more than doubled this year, past one hundred eighty live sites, and claims the largest four hundred kilowatt fast-charging footprint in the United States. That is per WardsAuto and CNET.