Good morning! It's Wednesday, December 4, and we're here with The Morning Shift. This is your one-stop destination for the top automotive headlines from around the world. Let's dive in and explore the important stories you need to know.

Stay Informed with the Latest Automotive News

1st Gear: Hybrid Demand Sets Records

The past few months have been tough for car sales. Tesla's deliveries have been tumbling, Toyota has seen consecutive monthly declines, and Aston Martin has fallen short of its targets. However, the latest delivery figures reveal a thriving sector: hybrids. Hyundai and Kia have seen gains across their hybrid lineups, and Honda's electrified model deliveries hit an all-time record. Despite stop-sale orders and months of decline, hybrid demand even helped Toyota turn its fortunes around in November. The Toyota brand saw a 4% volume increase, ending five consecutive monthly declines, and Lexus saw a 9.3% increase. The top sellers at Toyota had a mixed month: the RAV4 was down 3.9%, the Camry was up 25%, the Corolla was down 4.1%, and the Tacoma was up 29%. The company's sales of electrified vehicles, dominated by gasoline-electric hybrids, jumped 49% to just shy of 100,000 last month. Honda Motor Co. also saw an 15% sales increase, with the Honda division up 16% and Acura up 2.6%. At Kia and Hyundai, the automakers witnessed double-digit gains for hybrids and electric vehicles, and Hyundai's hybrid car sales more than doubled compared to the same period last year.

2nd Gear: Three Quarters of All EVs Sold Are In China

China is leading the way in electric car sales, accounting for more than three quarters of the world's EV sales in October. Over 1.2 million electric cars were purchased in China during that month. This boost means that the country is on track to increase its share of the total EV market in 2024. Between January and October, 69% of EV sales were in China. Chinese EVs are almost blocked from the US market, with Joe Biden increasing the levy on Chinese electric cars from 25% to 100% and Donald Trump promising an additional 10% levy on all imports from China. The EU has also imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs. Despite these tariffs, car buyers in China are eager to purchase battery-powered cars. Lawmakers recently doubled the incentives for consumers trading in their conventional cars for EVs to up to 20,000 yuan ($2,700). Considering the average cost of a new electric car in China is $34,000 compared to $55,000 in the US, it's easy to see why the switch has been popular.

3rd Gear: GM Recalls 132,000 Trucks With Faulty Tailgates

After Hyundai's massive recall earlier this week, General Motors has also uncovered an issue. The American automaker is recalling more than 132,000 trucks with faulty tailgates. The recall impacts certain Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks with power-unlatching tailgates. The recall is due to the tailgate's electronic gate-release switch potentially short-circuiting due to water intrusion, which can cause the tailgate to inadvertently unlatch while the vehicle is in park. Owners are advised to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before driving. Dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies free of charge, and owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on January 13. Owners can contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782.

4th Gear: More People Are Riding The Train Than Ever Before

In a rarity for the US, there is some good news about trains. Railroad operator Amtrak has revealed that ridership across its services is up on pre-pandemic levels and has reached record-breaking highs in 2024. Despite lower capacity across its services, more than 32 million Americans rode the train in 2024. Ridership figures are up compared to the operator's last record year in 2019 and show impressive increases over the past two decades. Ridership increased 15% over 2023 to a record 32.8 million customer trips, with passenger revenue hitting $2.5 billion, up 9% over the prior year. Total operating revenue was $3.6 billion, up 7%. Amtrak reported an adjusted operating loss of $705 million for the 12 months ending September 30, down 9% over 2023. Amtrak's prior record was 32.3 million passengers in 2019, which was up 45% from 2003. Delays to new services and a shortage of train cars have led to a decrease in capacity in 2024, but government funding could soon correct this. Amtrak is working on more than $20 billion in funding to modernize its services, which could bring new trains, new routes, and even more passengers.