This Week in the Auto Industry Dec. 1-5

Newly Approved Female Crash Test Dummy

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the National Highway Traffic Administration has approved new specifications for a female crash test dummy — its first update in over 20 years. Despite this "progress," NHSTA likely won't begin using her until 2027 or 2028. And a spokesperson for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told the New York Times that their group doesn't have any plans to adopt her. One lingering concern: the dummy represents a female driver who stands 4-foot-11 and 108 pounds, which are measurements that don't reflect many women and fall well below the average. 

All-New Mercedes-Benz Electric CLA Starts at $48,500

Mercedes-Benz announced pricing for its all-electric CLA, which will start at $48,500, including destination charges. The compact sedan is rated at 374 miles of range and supports DC fast-charging of up to 320 kilowatts, enough to add about 100 miles in five minutes. A press launch is scheduled for later this month, with customer deliveries to follow. 

First Look at Mercedes-Benz G-Class Cabriolet

Mercedes-Benz recently shared the first photos of its upcoming G-Class Cabriolet, shown in camouflage. The brand said it's currently testing the open-top G-wagon on roads in Austria and plans to conduct winter testing in Sweden. No timeline or powertrain details have been announced yet. 

Trump Admin Rolls Back Fuel Economy Standards

The Trump Administration continues to dominate auto industry headlines. On Wednesday, President Trump said the federal government would be "officially terminating" former President Biden's Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules (often referred to as CARE standards). Those standards required automakers to improve fleetwide efficiency by 2% per year; companies that missed the target had to pay fines or purchase credits from manufacturers who overperformed on efficiency, like Tesla. The new policy lowers the requirement to 0.5% a year. Trump says the change will make cars more affordable, though Consumer Reports has challenged this claim. 

At the same event, Trump also expressed interest in kei cars — the tiny vehicles popular in Japan — and suggested he plans to allow them to be built and sold in the U.S. He called them "really cute," which might be the first time I've agreed with him. Still, making this a reality would require major regulatory upheavals, and American automakers would likely have little interest. 

Toyota Unveils New Supercar

Toyota unveiled the GR GT this week, a "road-legal supercar" developed with a "driver-first" philosophy. It will feature a hybrid system pairing a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 with an electric motor. Toyota wants to target a total system output of over 650 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque. Engineers focused heavily on three key elements during development: a lower center of gravity, low weight with high rigidity, and aerodynamic performance. 

Subaru Trailseeker Starts At $41,445

Subaru announced pricing for its new all-electric Trailseeker SUV this week, which starts at $41,445 including destination charges. The EV will have 375 horsepower, a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds, and 280 miles of range. It's one of two new EVs the brand announced this year — read Telemetry's Sam Abuelsamid's take on the other model, the Uncharted, on GreenCars.com.