With the Trump administration effectively repealing auto emissions regulations, there may be some changes coming to cars at dealerships. Your next car may be larger and have fewer all-electric options, but it may also be a hybrid.
The repeal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 hazard findings effectively ended greenhouse gas standards that had governed automakers for more than fifteen years.
The law was repealed after Congress zeroed out penalties for violating Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets as part of the Beauty Act Act.
The results of this massive shift fall into two main categories: affecting the types of vehicles offered and the technology inside them.
Changes in dealer batches
“I definitely think things like start-stop technology are probably going away,” said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of automotive industry insights at Cox, referring to technology that shuts off the engine when idling in traffic and restarts it when it’s time to drive.
Other technologies that may be on the way include waste heat recovery systems that draw heat from a car’s engine into the interior, solar-reflective surface coatings and high-efficiency exterior lights.
An “Engine Start Stop” button on a car in Ankara, Turkey, on February 13, 2026. -Arman Onal/Anadolu/Getty Images
But these technologies aren’t going away anytime soon.
Stellantis spokesperson Ann Marie Fortunate told CNN that technologies such as start-stop systems “will continue to vary by vehicle and market as the company evaluates consumer preferences, regulatory requirements and vehicle design.”
Americans may also see a shift in priorities for dealership lots. Automakers can not only produce cars that meet demand, but also vehicles with the highest profit margins, such as large SUVs.
“(Deregulation) gives manufacturers some breathing room to really produce more vehicles that are more profitable.” Valdez Streaty pointed to higher-margin internal combustion and hybrid models, as well as the larger trucks and SUVs historically favored by Americans. “I think we’ll start to see more of these at dealers.”
Tesla Supercharger station in Pasadena, California on September 23, 2024. -Mario Tama/Getty Images
According to data from Cox Automotive, full-size trucks grew 14% year-over-year, full-size SUVs grew 23.9% year-over-year, and mid-size trucks grew 21.2% year-over-year.
Even before the repeal, many automakers had scaled back their hybrid and electric vehicle ambitions over the past few years. Stellantis canceled its Jeep plug-in hybrid lineup earlier this year, and companies like Nissan and Tesla have discontinued or discontinued some EV models entirely.
But regulatory changes don’t mean a wave of completely different vehicles will hit dealers overnight.
The long-term effects are likely to be felt over time in the types of vehicles that will be produced, rather than abandoning voluntary emissions standards entirely and redesigning them.
Traffic jam on Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, California. – Kevin Carter/Getty Images
“The reality is that politics can move much faster than the auto industry. Policy changes tend to affect vehicle production gradually over multiple model years rather than triggering a sudden price reset,” Valdez-Stretti said.
When policies change, car companies need time to think about future product plans.
“Ford is still evaluating the impact (of repealing the EPA’s hazard finding) on our business,” Ford spokesman Benjamin Khoshbin told CNN.
Electric cars won’t completely disappear
Electric vehicle sales have disappointed after the Trump administration eliminated federal tax credits for zero-emission vehicles, and automakers have become wary of diving headfirst into major product line shifts.
Detroit’s Big Three automakers – Stellantis, Ford and General Motors – revealed they have taken billions of dollars’ worth of EV-related writedowns in recent quarters.
But electrification isn’t going away.
Electric vehicles park at a charging station in Corte Madera, California on May 19, 2025. – Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Ford recently announced the development of the next-generation F-150 Lightning EREV, as well as an affordable mid-size electric truck EV series launching in 2027. The series, which starts at $30,000, makes huge strides in efficiency with a streamlined battery that increases driving range by nearly 50 miles.
Toyota is also committed to its electric goals. Toyota spokesperson Leigh Anne Sessions told CNN in a statement that “TMNA’s (Toyota Motor North America) entire electrified product portfolio, including all-electric vehicles, will account for 70% of U.S. sales by 2030.”
Automakers aren’t giving up on hybrids. Companies like Toyota are offering more than a dozen hybrid options for their 2026 vehicles, options that appeal to consumers who want improved fuel economy but are worried about range and charging infrastructure.
For consumers, this makes the shift in the auto market likely to be more gradual, with an increase in the number of trucks and SUVs, a greater emphasis on hybrids, and the potential for slower EV capacity growth as automakers take time to readjust.
The exhaust pipe of a car with a combustible engine in Berlin on December 16, 2025. – John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
global competitive landscape
Even as U.S. regulations ease, automakers still recognize pressure from global markets that continue to push for more affordable electrification.
“There’s no question that the U.S. is at risk of becoming an outlier market—building the capacity to design and build cars that are virtually unavailable anywhere else in the world,” said Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie.
U.S. automakers sell cars in Europe and other markets where emissions standards remain strict, and moving away from electrification could undermine global competitiveness.
“If you talk to car companies around the world … they’re very convinced that the transition to electric is inevitable. They think the U.S. is going to lag behind in that adoption,” McDuffie said.
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