The automotive world had a busy week, and if you blinked, you might have missed some major developments. Between regulatory changes, production milestones, and some surprisingly candid executive commentary, there's a lot to unpack. Let's walk through what happened.

Ford's CEO Celebrates Regulatory Relief

Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, came out swinging in support of President Donald Trump's decision to roll back Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Farley's argument is straightforward: relaxing these rules gives Ford more flexibility to invest in affordable vehicles and strengthen its position in the American-made car market. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy backed up this enthusiasm with some numbers, claiming the rollback will save Americans an average of $1,000 per vehicle. Whether that math holds up in practice remains to be seen, but Ford is clearly viewing this as a win.

BYD Hits Another Million-Unit Mark

Chinese automaker BYD continues its impressive run, with another of its electric vehicles crossing the one million unit sales threshold. This isn't just a feel-good milestone—it's another data point in the increasingly competitive rivalry between BYD and Tesla Inc. (TSLA). BYD has been dominating the Chinese EV market and is steadily expanding its footprint across Asia and Europe. For Tesla, which has long been the face of electric vehicles globally, BYD's growth represents a serious challenge that isn't going away anytime soon.

Ford's EV Sales Take a Hit

November wasn't kind to Ford's electric vehicle division. Sales plunged 60.8% year-over-year, a dramatic drop attributed to a combination of factors including a fire at a critical supplier and the rollback of the Federal EV Credit under President Trump. It's a tough pill to swallow, especially as the broader EV market continues to grow. That said, there was a silver lining: the Mustang Mach-E managed to post 6.7% growth in year-to-date sales, suggesting that at least some of Ford's electric lineup is finding traction with buyers.

Waymo Puts Pressure on Uber

Ross Gerber, co-founder of investment firm Gerber Kawasaki, isn't pulling punches about Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER)'s competitive position. He pointed to the expansion of Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)-backed self-driving company Waymo in San Francisco as a significant threat. According to Gerber, Waymo has already captured about 10% of the market share in the region, which is no small feat. For Uber, which has bet heavily on eventually transitioning to autonomous vehicles but isn't there yet, this is the kind of challenge that could reshape the ride-hailing landscape faster than expected.

Mary Barra Gives Credit Where It's Due

In one of the more surprising moments of the week, General Motors Co. (GM) CEO Mary Barra credited Elon Musk and Tesla for the growth of the EV market in the United States. This came up during a conversation with former President Joe Biden, who had apparently been ready to give Barra herself the credit. But Barra redirected, making it clear that Musk and Tesla deserve recognition for jumpstarting the domestic electric vehicle sector. It's a refreshingly honest take in an industry where executives don't always acknowledge their competitors' contributions. Whether you're a Tesla fan or not, it's hard to argue with Barra's assessment—Tesla's early bet on EVs created the market that companies like GM are now racing to compete in.