An automotive reporter from Detroit says not only are we ending the year with some uncertainty around an incoming U.S. administration, there's also uncertainty surrounding the electric vehicle market.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides, Jeff Gilbert with WWJ Newsradio 950 says Stellantis has a lot riding on their investments at the Windsor Assembly Plant and NextStar Energy EV battery plant.
"We don't know where the market is, we don't know whether we will still have incentives, we don't know what manufacturing incentives there are, in fact, we don't even know if there are going to be different quotas and tariffs on parts crossing the border, so we're heading into 2025 with a lot of uncertainty."
He says the automotive industry has boom and bust cycles, and there's been a boom since coming out of COVID.
"With a new administration, that tends to give a boost to things. We'll likely see a boost in EV sales to begin with because people don't know where EV incentives are going. We could see a boost because we know who the new president is for the short term, but then we'll see how do his policies impact the economy."
He says he recently test drove the Windsor-built 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona, giving it a glowing endorsement.
"The vehicle drives like a dream. It's smooth, it has a great interior, it can really move 600-700 horse-power for the scat pack version, even the base version is pretty powerful, but the question being, will people who drive vehicles like the Dodge Charger want an electric vehicle?"
Gilbert says he's looking forward to the return of the Detroit Auto Show being held next month at Huntington Place in downtown.
Organizers moved the show to September for 2022 and 2023.