80% Of Car Shoppers Say They're Open To Using AI Because Nobody Can Do Anything Anymore

Good morning! It's Thursday, January 8, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you'll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.

In this morning's edition, car shoppers are becoming increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence, Ford plans to launch an eyes-off hands-free driving system on its next-gen EV platform in 2028, EV truck maker Bollinger re-enters receivership after 20 of its vehicles are seized and Ford had a banner 2025 despite everything.

I'm not sure if you were aware, but we seem to live at the threshold of Hell, and that's why a new survey says that 80% of car shoppers are open to using artificial intelligence during their next purchase. No, I'm not kidding.

The CarGurus' 2025 Consumer Insight Study, conducted by them and NielsenIQ, talked to 3,030 customers who bought and sold vehicles in the four months before the study was conducted in May and June of last year. It found that 80% of them were open to using AI as part of the car-buying process in the future and 26% of them were already using it. I swear to God, nobody can do anything anymore.

Here's what respondents said they'd use AI for, according to Automotive News:

• Comparing vehicles – 44%
• Finding specific car listings – 40%
• Summarizing vehicle reviews and ratings – 39%
• Summarizing dealership reviews and ratings – 36%
• Summarizing likely financing rates and options – 35%
• Negotiating tips and advice – 30%
• Exploring warranty or protection plan information – 29%
• Chatbot on a dealership website – 24%
• Scheduling dealership appointments – 23%

I'll tell you what, folks. This has me quite worried. As we've talked about in the past, AI is often wrong — especially when it comes to vehicle information. I know buying a car is a difficult and daunting task, but going in with faulty and misleading information is just going to make the issue all the worse. Plus, is it really that goddamn hard to compare a few vehicle specs on a website, read a few reviews and learn how to talk to a salesperson without peeing yourself? I don't think so.

Ford has some big plans for its advanced driver assistance software, and it's saying that in 2028, drivers will be able to take their eyes off the road thanks to a new system. The eyes-off driving system is set to debut on Ford's Universal EV Platform, according to Doug Field, the automaker's chief EV, digital and design officer. The platform is meant to underpin up to eight low-cost EV models, including a mid-size pickup that may cost around $30,000. 

Right now, Ford offers BlueCruise. Overall, it's a very good hands-off driving system that works over long stretches of highway, but it does require drivers to keep their eyes on the road. This new system would be a step above. From Automotive News:

The system is part of a broader push by the automaker to "democratize technology" by rolling it out in mass-market vehicles, not just high-end models, Field said at CES.

[...]

Ford plans to roll out new hardware and software for advanced eyes-on, hands-free driver assistance beginning in 2027, also on its Universal EV Platform, the company said today.

Ford developed its driver assistance systems in-house, eschewing offerings it could buy from suppliers. By vertically integrating, Ford is better able to ensure high quality and bring costs down by 30 percent compared with what it could get on the market, Field said.

"Too many companies have outsourced the whole soul of their machines in an attempt to keep up," Field said. "So we chose a more difficult task, one that primarily relies on building fantastic teams."

It's not 100% clear how the system will operate just yet. Field did say the company is "likely to use" lidar, adding that the company is going to be "very specific" about what it uses it for. He also said the Blue Oval would be "very prescriptive" about the specs it needs out of it because Ford would own the full stack and all of the sensors that come with it.

BlueCruise is one of the best hands-free highway driving systems in the industry right now, lagging just behind GM's SuperCruise, so I do have a lot of faith Ford can pull this off.

Oh, Bollinger. When will it all be over? The assets of the failed electric truck maker are back in receivership as dozens of former employees, several parts suppliers and even a Michigan state agency say they are owed money by the company that officially shut its doors in November of 2025.

For those who have been playing along at home, this is Bollinger's second count-ordered receivership. Its first came about last spring when it was running low on cash and faced a $10 million lawsuit from its founder and namesake, Robert Bollinger. That's when its parent company, Mullen Automotive, settled up with the founder and provided an infusion of cash. Its CEO, David Michery, promised to revive the startup and pay off its debts. Well, as you can see, that didn't happen. From the Detroit News:

Last month, court records show an Ohio judge ordered the truck maker back into receivership as part of a lawsuit filed by Dana Inc. over $6.2 million the supplier says it's owed. "Dana has demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that Bollinger is insolvent or is in imminent danger of insolvency," Judge Joseph McNamara of Lucas County Common Pleas Court wrote in the Dec. 19 order.

Gene Kohut, after briefly serving as the company's receiver last year, will again oversee the company's assets for the "protection of Dana, Bollinger, and Bollinger's other creditors and stakeholders," the judge said.

Among those stakeholders are about 70 employees with open claims against Bollinger over unpaid wages or benefits. Former employees told The Detroit News this week they have still have not been paid for three weeks of work before the company abruptly shut its doors in November. Some are also seeking promised bonuses and retirement benefits.

The former employees' wage claims filed with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity remain open, spokesperson Keely Lovern said this week. She noted the recent receiver appointment and said that if Bollinger ultimately files for bankruptcy, the agency will "have to close the files and refer the claimants to file as a creditor in bankruptcy court."

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. confirmed this week it's still trying to claw back nearly $1 million it paid out to Bollinger as part of what was supposed to be a $3 million state grant approved in 2023.

Meanwhile, multiple parts suppliers and other vendors have also filed lawsuits in Oakland County claiming Bollinger never paid them for their products or services, in addition to the Dana case in Ohio.

Court records indicate that Bollinger still owes suppliers of electronics, wheel parts, suspension systems and axles, among other components, at least $14 million. At least three of those suppliers have sought compensation directly from Bollinger's bank through a court-ordered process. Good luck, fellas.

Last month, a court officer seized 20 of Bollinger's new B4 electric trucks, a 2021 Chevy van, a 2023 Ford F-450 and two trailers. I suppose every little bit helps when you're trying to settle up with a company that has no money.

Part of me hopes this is the last time I'll have to write about this dumbass company, but a far bigger part of me knows it's not.

I gotta hand it to Ford, despite the record number of recalls and massive electric vehicle writedown, the Blue Oval had a fantastic 2025. In fact, its fourth quarter — and 2025 as a whole — represented its best quarterly and yearly result since 2019. Remember 2019? I don't.

In Q4 alone, Ford sold 545,216 vehicles — a 2.7% gain over 2024's Q4. And, for all of 2025, sales rose 6% to 2.2 million vehicles. Just to make everything a bit sweeter, its U.S. market share for the year increased 0.6% to 13%. Not bad guys, not bad. From the Detroit Free Press:

To break it out, the Ford brand sold 2.1 million vehicles for the year, a 6.2% gain over 2024 and its luxury brand Lincoln also inched up 2% to 106,868 units sold, lead by sales of the all new Navigator SUV. Navigator ended 2025 with sales up 42.8%, its best since 2007 on total sales of 22,185 SUVs.

[...]

Ford reported its sales of EVs for the year were 84,113, down 14% from 2024. For the quarter, EV sales plummeted 52% to 14,513 sold after the end of the federal tax incentive on Sept. 30. But sales of hybrid powertrain vehicles rose 22% to 228,072 for the full year, and increased 18% to 55,374 sold in the quarter.

[...]

Ford's sales were largely supported by strong growth with its Maverick compact pickup and the ever-popular F-Series full-sized pickup lineup. Frick calls the Maverick, "America's most affordable pickup," saying Ford saw record Maverick sales last year. The 2025 Maverick starts at $28,145.

In the fourth-quarter, Maverick sales were up 54.2% to 34,147 and for the full year up 18.2% to 155,051 sold. Frick said the success Ford has had with Maverick and some other vehicles is due to offering expanded trim levels, a recipe to address the affordability constraints.

[...]

Ford experienced some hit to sales of its F-Series in the fourth quarter after two separate fires took down some production at aluminum supplier Novelis's plant in Oswego, New York, late last year. Ford is its largest customer using the aluminum in the bodies of its trucks. Ford said in October that it will boost its F-Series production volume by more than 50,000 trucks in 2026, ramping up from the first quarter on, to make up for down time caused by an inability to get aluminum. It would do so by adding a third shift of employees at its Dearborn Truck Plant where Ford makes its gasoline- and hybrid-powered F-150.

In the fourth quarter, F-Series sales dipped 3.1% to 208,252 units sold compared to the previous year's quarter. For the full year, sales rose 8% to 828,832 sold. Frick said Ford is on schedule to start backfilling some lost pickup production from 2025.

Ford ended up selling nearly 1.3 million trucks and vans in 2025, with F-Series volume up 8.3%, taking sales over 828,000 units. That is almost unfathomably high. Hell, even Ford's vans were up 5.9% to 161,797 sales.

Of course, it wasn't all peachy. Ford still managed to set a record for the number of recalls sent out in a single year with 153 (beating second Stellantis place by 100 recalls) and it took on a $19.5 billion write down for its EV business. I suppose you win some, you lose some.

History.com

If you've never seen the video of Papa Bush barfing in the middle of a state dinner, stop what you're doing and watch it right now. It's equal parts bizarre and hilarious. If you'd like to learn more about it from a historical standpoint, I do suggest you head over to History.com.

The world is not a kind place today. It might be hard to find a balance between not getting bogged down by the terrible, awful, tragic news out of Minneapolis while also keeping its people in your thoughts, but I think that's what we've got to do. Stay strong, friends.