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Oct. 16, 2025, 6:59 AM EDTBy Rob WileU.S. automakers are trimming their outlook for electric vehicles amid lingering consumer doubts, a pullback in federal support and a challenging economic landscape that is affecting all auto sales. On Tuesday, General Motors reported it was taking losses totaling $1.6 billion related to planned changes to its EV rollout. The company attributed some of the change to President Donald Trump’s elimination of the $7,500 in EV purchasing incentives enacted by President Joe Biden. The credit officially expired Sept. 30. “Following recent U.S. government policy changes, including the termination of certain consumer tax incentives for EV purchases and the reduction in the stringency of emissions regulations, we expect the adoption rate of EVs to slow,” GM said in a filing.Rival Ford has delayed plans to build out an EV plant in Tennessee. It told Reuters last week it would be “nimble in adjusting our product launch timing to meet market needs and customer demand while targeting improved profitability.”Plunging sales at Tesla — still the U.S. leader in EV sales — are also contributing to the weakening outlook. Its second-quarter sales dropped almost 13%, and CEO Elon Musk has warned of some “rough quarters” ahead for the company. The changes threaten to leave the United States behind in what many still consider the future of automobiles. In July 2024, EV sales officially overtook sales of conventional autos in China. There and in nearby countries, the cost of an electric vehicle has been falling more rapidly than in the United States, thanks largely to increased competition from the Chinese manufacturers that now dominate the global EV market. However, other Western countries are also rethinking previous EV commitments, including Canada and the United Kingdom, both of which have signaled relaxing electrification targets, partly in response to new pressures sparked by Trump’s trade war. Inside GMC’s design center where the future of its automobiles takes shape03:03The retreats are a turnabout from the heady ambitions for EVs that U.S. automakers signaled less than a decade ago. The highest-profile push came from General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who committed the storied automaker to a “zero emissions” future in 2017.“No more gas. No more diesel. No more carbon emissions,” she wrote at the time. But a series of challenges — cost concerns, sluggish adoption and the reversal in support in Washington — has left the U.S. auto industry with greater uncertainty about its EV future. “Penetration has stalled,” said David Whiston, a senior analyst at Morningstar investment research company who covers autos.Even before Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” ended the tax credit, signs of resistance to EVs among U.S. consumers had begun to show. A survey published in August 2024 by Edmunds automotive information group showed concerns about finding charging stations and charging times, availability and reliability as the top reasons consumers would not purchase EVs.“They said they don’t want the hassle or don’t feel like learning something new,” said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds. In the second quarter of 2025, new EV sales declined by 6.3% year on year, according to Cox Automotive, which said the growth trajectory for EVs “has been curbed.” EV sales got a boost in the third quarter, but analysts said that was most likely the result of the looming expiration of the tax credit. “The federal tax credit was a key catalyst for EV adoption, and its expiration marks a pivotal moment,” Cox Automotive’s director of industry insights, Stephanie Valdez Streaty, said in a release. “This shift will test whether the electric vehicle market is mature enough to thrive on its own fundamentals or still needs support to expand further.”For a time, EVs seemed poised to take over the U.S. market. Following the lead of Barra of GM, Ford announced in 2018 that it planned to nearly triple its investments in electric and hybrid vehicles by 2022, with plans for 40 new such models. Barra also called for a National Zero Emission Vehicle program to help electrify the entire U.S. auto fleet. Electric vehicle industry faces challenges amid Trump administration policies04:28Meanwhile, sales at Tesla, which exclusively manufactures EVs, began to accelerate, turning the groundbreaking automaker into one of the most valuable companies in the world and giving it a dominant position in the electric market. The EV push was supercharged during the Biden administration, which introduced tough new emissions standards designed to boost EV sales alongside the EV purchasing tax credit. But last year, Barra told NBC News that GM’s all-electric future would now play out “over decades,” though the company said it continued to target 2035 to fully electrify its fleet. In its latest filing, GM said the review of its future EV output is “ongoing” and signaled additional charges could be announced in future quarters. A GM spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that GM had spent more to lobby the federal government in 2025 to fight clean air and fuel economy rules than any company other than Facebook parent Meta. “What we’re committed to is the customer,” Barra said about the shift away from EVs at a Wall Street Journal event in May, the paper reported. “The customer was telling us they weren’t ready.”Ford CEO Jim Farley said this month that EV sales could fall by around 50% after the EV tax credits expire. A Ford spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The entire U.S. auto market also remains challenged by affordability issues. The average price of a new car surpassed $50,000 for the first time last month, Kelley Blue Book reported Tuesday. The average monthly auto payment in the United States is now $749 for new vehicles and $529 for used vehicles, according to the credit reporting agency Experian. U.S. households in general continue to struggle with stubborn inflation and an increasingly shaky jobs market, which has left the pace of overall monthly auto sales below pre-pandemic levels. EVs currently cost about $7,000 more, according to Kelley Blue Book data.Anna Vanderspek, electric vehicle program director at the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, an environmental advocacy group, said she is hopeful that the global shift toward EVs will eventually rebound to U.S. automakers as they look to stay competitive and thus filter down to U.S. consumers. But she acknowledged the timetable for adoption has shifted. “There’s good reason to think that this transition will continue to happen,” she said. “But now it will just happen more slowly.”Rob WileRob Wile is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering breaking business stories for NBCNews.com.

- Latest News - October 16, 2025

U.S. automakers are trimming their outlook for electric vehicles amid lingering consumer doubts, a pullback in federal support and a challenging economic landscape that is affecting all auto sales.

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Oct. 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EDTBy Bridget BowmanFormer President Barack Obama is endorsing Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the Virginia governor’s race and starring in two new digital ads for her campaign. “Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year,” Obama says in both ads, shared first with NBC News, which focus on the economy and abortion rights. He also says in both ads, “Every vote counts.” Virginia is one of two states, along with New Jersey, holding governor’s races this year. One year after the 2024 election, both races will be closely watched as indicators of how voters are responding to President Donald Trump and where the political winds are blowing ahead of the 2026 midterms elections.Trump has not yet stepped into the race with his own endorsement. Spanberger is running against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.Spanberger has consistently led Earle-Sears in public polling and outspent her on the airwaves. She also has history on her side, with the party in control of the White House having lost 11 of the last 12 elections.The lone exception came in Obama’s second term, when Democrat Terry McAuliffe prevailed in 2013 amid a government shutdown, which adversely affects Virginians who work for the federal government. Even with those advantages, turning out voters can be difficult in an off-year election, and Obama is working to remind voters of the stakes of the race. “We know Republicans will keep attacking abortion rights and the rights of women. That’s why having the right governor matters, and I’m proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger,” he says in one of the ads. The other spot highlights the cost of living, an issue Spanberger has focused on throughout the race.”Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts,” Obama says. “As governor, Abigail will stand up for Virginia families. She’ll work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just big corporations and the wealthy. But it won’t happen without you.”Obama won Virginia twice, first by 6 percentage points in 2008 and then by 4 points in 2012.GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits, won his race in the state by 2 points in 2021. Obama is also starring in a TV ad in California, where voters will cast their ballots in November on a proposal to allow the state to redraw its congressional lines. Gov. Gavin Newsom led the mid-decade redistricting effort to draw more Democratic-leaning districts after Texas legislators redrew their congressional boundaries to benefit the GOP. Obama has been more vocal about his criticisms of Trump amid the Democratic Party’s leadership vacuum following Trump’s win last year. Other high-profile Democrats — and potential future presidential hopefuls — are heading to Virginia and New Jersey ahead of Election Day. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will campaign with Spanberger next week, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was also in Virginia recently to boost her bid. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and his wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, recently campaigned for Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor in New Jersey. And Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are also expected to campaign with Sherrill this weekend. Bridget BowmanBridget Bowman is a national political reporter for NBC News.

- Latest News - October 16, 2025

Former President Barack Obama is endorsing Democratic former Rep.

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 16, 2025, 4:20 AM EDTBy Doha MadaniDiane Keaton, the cherished Oscar-winning actor known for her charming presence on and off the screen, died of pneumonia, her family has said. A statement from the family released to People Magazine on Wednesday said: “The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11.”The statement continued: “She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her.”The 79-year-old’s family confirmed her death to NBC News last week but did not offer additional details, requesting privacy at the time. Keaton, a Los Angeles native, dropped out of drama school in California and moved to New York to pursue her acting career. It was there she earned her first breakout role on Broadway, starring in Woody Allen’s “Play it Again, Sam.” She’d take her role in the 1968 theatrical production to the big screen just a few years later. Keaton played opposite Al Pacino in the 1974 hit “The Godfather,” quickly cementing herself as a rising Hollywood star. Diane Keaton and Woody Allen in the film “Annie Hall.”Bettmann Archive / Getty Images fileKeaton won her sole Academy Award in 1977, reuniting with Allen to play his love interest in “Annie Hall.” She’d later earn nominations for other works, including “Marvin’s Room,” which co-starred Meryl Streep and a young Leonardo DiCaprio. While Keaton had an undoubtedly prolific career both as an actor and director, it seems her uniqueness and humble personality are what her loved ones remembered her for after her death. Jane Fonda, who acted alongside Keaton in the 2018 movie “Book Club,” wrote that it was hard to believe her friend had died. “She was always a spark of life and light, constantly giggling at her own foibles, being limitlessly creative … in her acting, her wardrobe, her books, her friends, her homes, her library, her worldview,” Fonda wrote in a post on Instagram. Diane Keaton in Hollywood, Calif., in 2022.Jerod Harris / Getty Images fileIn an appearance over the weekend, Reese Witherspoon recalled first meeting Keaton as a 15-year-old early in her career. Witherspoon auditioned for a role in the Keaton-directed film “Wildflower” and described Keaton as one of her first mentors.”She is just incredible and indelible and just a truly original person,” Witherspoon said. Keaton is survived by her daughter, Dexter, and son, Duke, whom she adopted when she was in her 50s. Doha MadaniDoha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

- Latest News - October 16, 2025

Diane Keaton, the cherished Oscar-winning actor known for her charming presence on and off the screen, died of pneumonia, her family has said.

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