20217 Ram 1500 TRX SRT - RamGood morning! It's Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 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, Ram is helping it break a seven-year sales downturn at Stellantis, GM's Chinese sales are in free fall, Washington state car dealers are suing over Scout's direct sales model and Honda is recalling over 325,000 Odyssey because the damn rearview cameras aren't working — proving your boomer uncle right.Oh, and if you want a recap of the latest auto news delivered to your inbox each weekday morning because life is busy and you can't always head to our website, you can sign up for Jalopnik's free The Morning Shift newsletter right here.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: 11 Of The Biggest V8 Engines Ever Put In Production Cars1st Gear: Ram is the savior Stellantis needs2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bees - RamThe Ram 1500 is so hot right now — pulling Stellantis to its fourth quarterly sales gain despite the fact that many of its other key nameplates are going through a bit of a shaky stretch. The Jeep Grand Cherokee, Compass, Wrangler, Gladiator and Dodge Durango all posted lower sales in the second quarter of 2026. Hell, the Ford Bronco even outsold the Jeep Wrangler for the first time in a quarter since its reintroduction, but the Ram 1500 sold so well that it didn't matter.Sales of the flagship light-duty pickup truck rose 27% in the second quarter, keeping the automaker on pace to reverse a streak of seven consecutive years of sales declines. Total deliveries for Stellantis actually managed to rise 6% overall in the first half of the year. To keep the good times rolling, the company is throwing cash on the hood like its going out of style. Buyers can apparently save up to $20,000 on a loaded Ram 1500 if they play their cards right. From Automotive News:In the pickup-heavy Texas market, Payne Edinburg Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram is moving Rams at a fast clip.The dealership already was close to surpassing its June Ram sales in the first week of July, said Adrian Gonzalez, the general manager.Gonzalez attributed the sales rush to rebates that began July 1 and increase as a truck's price tag rises.The line-topping Tungsten trim, which starts at nearly $92,000 including shipping, is available with a 15 percent rebate, Gonzalez said. Packaged with other dealer discounts, consumers can get about $20,000 off of Ram's most luxurious pickup, he said."That fixes a big issue," Gonzalez said. "Now you bring a vehicle that's $90,000 to a little bit more of an affordable price range, which is going to incentivize a lot of people to jump into these higher trim vehicles."[...]Wrangler sales slipped 12 percent in the second quarter, to 41,793, while the Bronco rose 16 percent, to 45,739.Enhanced Wrangler incentives should make that a temporary reordering of the off-road utility space, Hogan said.Theoretically, there's a lot of exciting stuff on the way from Stellantis in the coming few years. The automaker recently laid out its ambitious five-year plan that called for 35% higher sales in North America and 25% more revenue. To do so, it would introduce 11 all-new vehicles by 2030, and many of them would cost under $40,000.2nd Gear: GM and China go together like oil and waterVisitors view vehicles at the Buick exhibition booth during the 30th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Auto Show on June 3, 2026, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. - Cheng Xin/Getty ImagesGeneral Motors can't seem to get anything going in China. It just extended its sales slide in China to a second-straight quarter, falling 20% to 357,000 vehicles as the automaker struggles to turn its fortunes around in the world's largest automotive market. The misfortune comes despite the fact its launched new electrified models for the country that we don't even get over here thatnks to a couple of partnerships it has with SAIC Motor Corp.AdvertisementAdvertisementGM's sales in China have now contracted year-on-year for three consecutive quarter. In the last quarter of 2025, GM's China deliveries dropped 3.6% to 540,000 vehicles. In the first quarter of 2026, the number collapsed 21% to 350,000 vehicles. From Automotive News:SAIC-GM produces Cadillac, Chevrolet and Buick cars and light trucks, while SAIC-GM-Wuling builds Wuling-brand subcompact sedans, minibuses and compact pickups as well as Baojun-badged sedans and crossovers.GM didn't break down its Q2 China sales by joint venture or brand.Slumping sales forced GM to restructure production in China and take a charge of more than $1 billion that dented earnings in the fourth quarter. With EVs based on GM's U.S.-developed Ultium platform failing to gain traction in China, the American carmaker unveiled a new platform developed with SAIC in April 2025.Although GM's April-June sales were down from the year before, the decline was in line with the overall fallback in China's domestic market. GM deliveries also increased from the quarter before.GM attributed that quarter-on-quarter improvement to demand for two newly launched electrified models, the Buick Electra E7 plug-in hybrid crossover and the Baojun Huajing S six-seat extended-range SUV.The E7 is the third product under Buick's China-only electrified-vehicle subbrand Electra, following the L7 extended-range sedan and the Encasa, a multi-purpose vehicle available in plug-in hybrid and full electric variants.The E7 became Buick's top-selling model in China one month after going on sale April 22 with a starting price of 154,900 yuan ($22,810), GM China said, without revealing the model's second-quarter sales.The Huajing S hit the market May 8, priced from 149,800 yuan ($22,060). GM sold more than 9,100 units in the second quarter.At the very least, GM can take some solace in knowing that not everything is its fault. China's overall new-car market shrank for the ninth consecutive month in June, dropping 21% YOY to 1.65 million sales. After the market pivoted to primarily electric vehicles, GM's sales in the country dropped to 1.8 million in 2024 from a record high 4.04 million in 2017.Just about every Western automaker is struggling in China right now. Don't feel too bad, you guys.3rd Gear: Washington state dealers are none too pleased with ScoutThe Scout Motors Terra and Traveler are on display during the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on November 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. - Josh Lefkowitz/Getty ImagesWould you look at that, dealers are whining about someone stepping on their precious turf and trying to sell cars directly to customers rather than going through them. We've seen this many times before, and now it's happening again. This time, the Washington State Auto Dealers Association is suing Scout Motors over their plan to implement direct-to-customer sales. From Automotive News:The complaint, filed June 29 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, said all franchised new-vehicle dealership members in the state ― in addition to VW Group brands Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche ― are negatively impacted by Scout's direct-to-consumer sales.There are 18 VW dealerships, seven Audi dealerships and four Porsche dealerships in Washington, according to the complaint.Washington state allows for electric vehicle-only brands Tesla, Rivian and Lucid to sell directly to consumers. A new state law, passed after Rivian threatened to fund a ballot initiative in support of direct sales, exempted Rivian and Lucid from the ban on direct sales.[...]As with lawsuits filed in California, Florida and Virginia, Scout's ties to Volkswagen AG are the paramount concern in the Washington complaint. Those lawsuits remain ongoing.The Washington state lawsuit claims Scout is an affiliated entity of VW AG, VW Group of America, VW of America, Audi of America and Porsche Cars North America.VW of America, VW Group and Scout each maintain the upstart brand is independent, a claim questioned and opposed by dealers since Scout was revived with plans to sell only directly to U.S. consumers.Washington state prohibits manufacturers, whether a wholly or partially owned subsidiary, affiliated entity or under common control with a manufacturer, from competing "with a new motor vehicle dealer of any make or line by acting in the capacity of a new motor vehicle dealer," the complaint said.[...]The suit says Scout does not have a vehicle dealer license as required by Washington and claims the brand couldn't qualify for or obtain one because of its direct ties to VW.Of course, this all hinges on the idea that Scout will actually sell cars. So far, I'm not totally sold on that idea. As we reported earlier this year, the Scout Traveler SUV is delayed until September of 2028 at the earliest, and the Terra pickup is now being pushed until March of 2030. That is an awful long time from now, and a lot could change between now and then.4th Gear: Honda recalls over 325,000 Odysseys for busted rearview camerasThe 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan is shown at its reveal at the 2017 North American International Auto Show on January 9, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. - Bill Pugliano/Getty ImagesAdvertisementAdvertisementHonda is recalling a whopping 325,588 Odysseys because the rearview camera might not display when the minivan is shifted into reverse, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I don't know if you were aware, but that is sort of the whole point — especially in a vehicle as long as the Odyssey. From Reuters:The recall affects certain 2018-2020 model Odyssey vehicles.Risks that water might enter the rearview camera and cause failure to display image when the vehicle is in reverse, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.As part of the recall remedy, dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge.Unfortunately, this is a big win for your boomer uncle who always talks about how technology is ruining cars and everything inside of new vehicles is going to break. It's a big moment for him, specifically. Reverse: Happy birthday Paris and Kevin BaconHistory.comToday, two things I deeply love are celebrating birthdays: the city of Paris and actor Kevin Bacon. Both hold similar places in my heart. One is possibly the second greatest city in the world, and the other is a brilliant actor with a fun last name. Which one is better? It's impossible to say, but I can declare with certainty that July 8 is blessed because of both of them.The Fuel UpA customer washes their windshield near gas prices displayed at a gas station on July 7, 2026 in Pasadena, California. - Mario Tama/Getty ImagesWell folks, everything is a goddamn mess. Gas prices ticked up overnight, and that's really the least of our worries right now. President Trump just said the ceasefire with Iran is "over" after declaring the country's leader's "sick" and saying it was "a waste of time dealing with them," according to CBS News. Obviously, there are much more dire implications to this than higher gas prices, but I'm sure we'll see those come back nevertheless. WTI Crude Oil futures and Brent Crude prices are already up this morning, sitting at $73 and $77, respectively, at the time of publication.AdvertisementAdvertisementHere's where national average prices stand right now, according to AAA:AAAThis all shakes out to the average price of a gallon of gas ticking up a cent overnight to $3.80, according to AAA. I've got a real feeling we're going to look back on today and think about when gas was "only" $3.80. It's a shame, too, because we were really moving in the right direction when it came to gas prices. I mean, we're currently down 76 cents from the 2026 high we saw on May 21, but that's all about to go out the window. A shame.On the radio: Steely Dan - Do It AgainMaybe a little Dan will lift our spirits this morning. I sort of doubt it, but it's worth a shot, no? Let the groove carry you through this Wednesday. The weekend is coming. We can do this, my friends. That is, unless you are a New York City contractor tasked with turning an office building into residential space. If that's you, then you very much cannot do it.Oh, if you need a pick-me-up, read the comments on this YouTube video. They're so silly.AdvertisementAdvertisementWant more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and follow us or add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on Jalopnik.