These Are the 5 Most Important Automotive Stories of 2023

Didn't 2023 feel like it went by too fast? Maybe that's what happens when you're getting older. The days seem shorter, and months start feeling like weeks. Science argues that our brains focus on fewer things, and their processing power slows down as we age. Another explanation is that we have a lot of memories and know our environments too well. Routines can destroy our perception of how fast time goes by.

Fortunately, vacations are a thing. Disconnecting from day-to-day life may help us obtain a new perspective and slow down time's perceived high speed. We could even argue in favor of buying an interesting car. Having a ride that gives you the thrills by just hearing it roar to life is poised to make your commute more interesting and allow your brain to focus on new experiences. Granted, a more cost-effective solution would be to start a hobby that doesn't incur the high costs of car ownership.

But if we're anything alike, fast gas-, diesel-, or battery-powered vehicles are the obvious choice to break routines. They can add a bit of spice to an otherwise boring Monday-to-Friday lifestyle where the weekend is the only escape from the burden of adult responsibilities.

Before we start budgeting to add a new machine to our garage, let's take a stroll down memory lane and see what's worth remembering about cars in 2023.

Selling brand-new Hyundais on Amazon

In news that came out of nowhere unexpectedly, South Korean automaker Hyundai and e-commerce giant Amazon announced they would collaborate to give customers the opportunity to shop for new cars online.

The direct sales model Tesla championed quickly became a favorite with shoppers, and it's not hard to understand why. The last couple of years proved that middlemen can artificially inflate the price of popular rides. Besides that, some salespeople turn negotiations into such an agonizing process that people simply agree with extras they don't want or need just to leave the premises faster.

The fact that industry newcomers like Rivian, Lucid, or Fisker followed in Tesla's footsteps confirmed that consumer preference was shifting – fast. Legacy automakers still have some catch-up to do. Ford tried, but its efforts were met with resistance.

However, Hyundai's idea might be the ideal compromise. When the news broke, many believed this would be the end of dealerships as we know them. But the brand wasn't going to cut its ties with so many partners out of the blue.

Amazon is simply providing leads to dealers who want to sell more cars. They have to follow a couple of new rules, but the participating middlemen won't lose a dime. It's an interesting experiment. How it will unfold and whether the business model will expand remains to be seen.

UAW's resounding success

Arguably America's most important union, the UAW fought elegantly and obtained a very important win for the people who make our cars. Even though quite a few prospective buyers worried that the temporary factory shutdowns would lead to pricier vehicles and tried to diminish the union's efforts, the employees pushed forward. They didn't stop, not even when the Detroit Three announced layoffs.

There was a weird moment when UAW President Shawn Fain held a press conference while wearing a t-shirt with the "Eat the Rich" message. Maybe he just wanted to double down on the initial requests, which were borderline absurd. Apart from that, things went unexpectedly well. All the parties involved maintained a respectful tone until the matter was resolved.

The negotiations for new labor deals started in the summer. The bargaining didn't work out, so the UAW gave the brands a clear ultimatum. The automakers didn't budge, so the union acted. The strikes started according to a clear schedule, and everyone stood by it.

Ford was the first to show some willingness and tried to appease the union's representatives. That didn't do much to stop workers from striking, but it gave the Blue Oval enough time to think about doing better. That was possible because the UAW expanded strikes at General Motors and Stellantis while it kept things as they were at Ford.

After a month and a half of strategic strikes that gradually disrupted auto manufacturing activity, the Big Three and UAW reached deals for new contracts to almost everyone's liking.

Besides giving workers the rights and benefits they renounced in 2009, the labor deal added pay increases and rectified a couple of unjust provisions.

But the best thing about this earned UAW success is that it showed you can fight against extremely generous stock buybacks and very unfair wages. The win sparked a global movement that put employees in the spotlight and showed that sticking together pays off.

Slowing down the expansion of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)

Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of robotaxis or automated driving. Still, I believe that technology can make our roads safer and our driving less stressful.

A good example in this regard is adaptive cruise control. Spending hours upon hours on lengthy highways can be boring, which might become a hazard more quickly than you can imagine. A suite of sensors, cameras, processors, and actuators can help you unwind and continue your route without worrying about experiencing the condition known as the driver's foot.

Moreover, newer cars can also sense when you're tired and suggest a break before you realize you might need one. That's good technology.

I feel like a grumpy old man saying this, but rendering the driver useless is not good technology. Not for now, at least. I can't see it happening without some people losing their lives in freaky or avoidable accidents. It might work if we give up on cars with a steering wheel everywhere at once, but that's impossible. You don't have to believe me. Take the transition to EVs as an example. It's happening, but it's a painstakingly slow process.

So, you'll still have a mix of humans and computers on the road. Chances are one side will be more unpredictable than the other. Besides that, putting robocars and robotrucks on the same roads we use today will only lead to more traffic congestion. San Francisco residents already know it. Computers might not be able to experience frustration (yet, at least), but humans can!

This whole robotaxi thing took an even uglier turn when Cruise decided to run ads saying that "humans are terrible drivers." Whether that's true or not, it's certainly up for debate. But one thing we know to be true now is that robots aren't better at driving. Cruise was forced to pull its zero-emission rides after a serious incident, which finally sparked some regulatory interest. That forced other entities to take everything more seriously and to take a healthy step back.

Another thing that showed driving automation isn't a piece of cake is TuSimple's US exit. Many companies are still keen on bringing self-driving cars, robotaxis, and robotrucks to market. As such, the journey doesn't stop here. But it's refreshing to know that a brake pedal exists and that someone pressed it a bit. Let's hope that this lesson will help companies and regulators work more closely together.

The (somewhat surprising) adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS)

In November of 2022, although nobody asked, Tesla decided to share the design of its connector with anyone. Right then, only little-known Aptera advocated for adopting the Tesla charging port (and plug), now widely known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Mind you, all the other EV makers were using the Combined Charging System Combo 1 (CCS Combo 1) connector.

About six months later, Ford came out of nowhere and said it would migrate its fleet of two EVs (F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E) to NACS. It was a surprising move because Ford previously tried to launch its own charging network. Its blue pedestals looked a lot like Tesla's Superchargers, but nothing came of that initiative. Maybe Ford was planning to go with the disruptor all along.

Only two weeks after the Blue Oval's announcement, General Motors came out saying the same thing. Something was brewing for quite a while, and we were let in on the plan in the packaging phase.

Gradually, most automakers followed the same path. Even Lucid, which is run by former Model S chief engineer Peter Rawlinson, confirmed that its customers would eventually get access to American and Canadian Superchargers.

When writing, the only auto group left standing is Stellantis. Even VW, who owns Dieselgate-born Electrify America, confirmed it would move to NACS.

It's easy to consider this whole saga as something that simply happened. But it's a lot more than a simple connector switch. It's the second major proof that confirms Tesla was right to risk it all on battery-electric vehicles. The marque became the world's most valuable automaker, and is now the entity that will make bank by offering fast-charging options to millions of paying customers.

Many ridiculed Tesla and its early adopters for going on the zero-emission route before everybody else. Who's laughing now, eh?

John Deere buyers winning the right to repair their farm equipment / Tesla Cybertruck

The fifth most important automotive story of 2023 was hard to pick, so I decided to remind you of two that are worthy of being stored in your hippocampus.

The John Deere piece was the easiest to forget because it happened in early January. However, it was a landmark win for farmers and all those interested in actually owning the machine they were buying. Farming equipment is pricey. The smallest costs about $30,000, while the most impressive ones can comfortably reach the half-a-million-dollars threshold. Customize it, and the sky's the limit!

Working the land is a tedious and costly job. Fortunately, technology has made things a bit easier. However, the world's largest distributor of agricultural machinery decided to stop customers from fixing their rigs outside of the brand's network. It blocked access to repair manuals and created special tools people needed to fix the branded farm equipment. Besides that, it didn't want to share proprietary data with independent technicians.

In January, two years after President Biden told the Federal Trade Commission to come up with serious rules regarding the right-to-repair, John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation signed a memorandum that finally lifted the ban on having other skilled technicians fix farm equipment.

The agreement was a major step forward. But it still stops third parties from being creative. They are not allowed to "override safety features or emissions controls or to adjust Agricultural Equipment power levels."

The last (but not least!) memorable car story of 2023 is the debut of Tesla's Cybertruck. It finally happened. The angular all-electric vehicle, which looks like it was designed by a kid who wanted a Lunar rover with a bed as a dedicated space for samples, reached a few lucky customers. Deliveries continue, so we should start seeing more on the road and in mall parking lots soon.

Despite what anyone might think of it, the EV brings a breath of fresh air into the automotive world. It may look like a wild experiment, but at least it's different than what we're used to. It remains to be seen if it'll be a workhorse.

I bet that it will become a status symbol. But it does have the potential to serve as a patrol unit for Police working in dangerous areas. There's that, at least.

That's it. Now's the time to get ready for a new chapter.

If we were to describe 2023 in a single word, that would be "expensive." But it was also interesting and filled with many, many stories. Let's hope 2024 will bring us some sweet deals and lower prices. Thanks for visiting us every once in a while. We can only hope that we were worth it.

Happy New Year!