Average Regular Gas Price Hits $4 Nationwide

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Happy Tuesday! It's March 31, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift — your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, we're looking astatine state prices cracking nan $4 mark, arsenic good arsenic GM idling Factory Zero. We'll besides look astatine nan Trump administration's stance connected Chinese EVs, and a NHTSA investigation into Nissan. 

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It's happening! We've been watching state prices successful The Fuel Up each day, expecting each greeting to aftermath up to mean prices supra nan four-dollar mark. Today, finally, we crossed nan threshold. Crude lipid is up complete $102/barrel, arsenic I constitute this, and it's yet dragged prices supra $4. According to AAA, nan mean value for regular successful nan U.S. is now $4.018, while mid-grade will tally you $4.541 and premium will travel successful astatine $4.904. 

One period ago, those numbers stood astatine $2.982, $3.489, and $3.857 respectively. That's complete a dollar jump connected each 1 successful 1 month, and regular managed to alteration that frontmost number doubly — that'll person an outsized effect connected user perception. Will Trump's repeated declarations that nan warfare is over, aliases almost over, aliases really Joe Biden's fault, person immoderate effect here? 

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General Motors makes 1 of nan champion EVs for nan money coming successful nan Bolt, and immoderate of nan least-desirable successful nan Silverado, Sierra, and Hummer EVs. The works that makes nan second is, accordingly, being idled while GM pivots backmost to high-profit state cars. From Reuters: 

General Motors is idling a Detroit electrical conveyance works until April 13, extending downtime ​that began connected March 16, nan ​company said connected Monday.

"Factory ZERO will temporarily ⁠adjust accumulation to align EV accumulation pinch ​market demand," a GM spokesperson said. The impermanent ​layoff affects 1,300 workers.

The plant, which produces vehicles including nan Chevrolet Silverado EV and Hummer EV, has ​had choppy accumulation complete nan past twelvemonth ​as GM confronts waning request for battery-powered models. The automaker ‌cut ⁠output astatine nan works by astir 50% successful January.

Factory Zero besides makes an really desirable EV successful nan Cadillac Escalade IQ, which whitethorn beryllium nan only existent nonaccomplishment from this idling. Imagine if GM had dedicated Factory Zero to making reasonably-sized, reasonably-priced EVs instead. Maybe nan workers astatine nan works wouldn't beryllium connected a break. 

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The Trump management doesn't want Chinese cars successful nan U.S. — unless of people they're built present by Chinese manufacturers, successful which lawsuit it's fine. Now that Canada is allowing imports, though, nan Trump management has decided to harden its stance: Chinese cars  are "not going to transverse nan border" according to Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. From Automotive News: 

The U.S. won't let Chinese electrical cars from Canada to participate its market, President Donald Trump's ambassador successful Ottawa said, aft a January woody successful which Prime Minister Mark Carney lowered tariffs connected those vehicles.

"Those cars tin travel successful from China, travel into Canada, but they're not going to transverse nan separator into nan U.S.," Pete Hoekstra said successful an question and reply pinch Canada's Rebel News. "That ain't gonna happen."

"We're not going to unfastened nan floodgates to Chinese cars entering nan U.S. from Canada," he said, citing information concerns related to information collected and transmitted by modern vehicles.

Does that mean cars can't beryllium imported from Canada, aliases that they can't beryllium driven complete nan border? Does it mean either of them astatine all, aliases is nan Trump management conscionable saying things it'll hide astir 20 minutes from now?

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For once, a NHTSA investigation communicative that isn't astir brand-new Fords! This clip Nissan is successful nan crosshairs, but 1 Nissan specifically: The 20-year-old Frontier. From Reuters: 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration connected Tuesday launched ​a probe into astir ‌75,300 model-year 2006 Nissan Frontier pickup trucks owed to concerns ​about imaginable substance leaks.

The ​agency said nan vehicles whitethorn ⁠pose an imminent occurrence ​hazard owed to a strong, ​persistent odor of earthy gasoline and abrupt motor stalling during startup ​and operation, citing a ​petitioner.

Nissan antecedently recalled definite nan 2006 ‌Frontier ⁠pickup trucks successful 2007 to switch substance filler conduit assemblies that could ace ​and origin ​fuel ⁠leaks.

If you ain a 20-year-old Nissan Frontier and you're concerned astir substance leakage, I'll gladly return specified a vulnerable conveyance disconnected your hands. You won't moreover person to salary maine for it, I'll do it for free. 

I didn't really cognize "The Matrix" came retired connected TDOV, but it surely fits. 

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