Facing potentially massive new tariffs on imported autos and auto parts, some manufacturers have begun planning ways to shift production to the U.S. That includes Volkswagen whose CEO said “massive” new investments could be coming – though a new court ruling could short-circuit such plans. More from Headlight.News.
Starting a new car company from ground up has never been easy and the terrain is littered with recent failures like Canoo and Fisker. But one brand, in particular, seems poised for success. Rivian has earned kudos for its first generation of rugged EVs, with more in the pipeline. Headlight.News recently got a chance to get back into the updated Rivian R1S SUV for a week and has this review.
General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra’s earned plenty of accolades during her 10-plus-year tenure at the helm of the Detroit-based automaker. She’s earned another — again — topping Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women list. It’s the second straight year’s she’s topped the list. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising a self-driving vehicle for years — and missed those targets for years. However, the time has arrived for him to make good on his word, he says, and the first set of driverless Teslas will be delivered in June. Get details in Headlight.News.
We were beginning to wonder if the long-awaited replacement for the old Jeep Cherokee might turn into the automotive equivalent of vaporware. Worry not, however, as the Stellantis brand has just released the first teaser image of what is expected to become the 2026 Jeep Cherokee. Headlight.News has more.
Ford Motor Co. issued a recall covering 1 million vehicles due to faulty backup cameras. The service action covers a baker’s dozen pickups and SUVs sold by the Ford and Lincoln brands. Some, but not all, of the affected models can be repaired remotely, according to the automaker. More from Ford.
Officials from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are reportedly in talks with the U.S. Department of Commerce to lessen the impact of the tariffs on European automakers shipping vehicles into the country. Get details at Headlight.News.
If you’re a Tesla shareholder you’re likely quite pleased to hear CEO Elon Musk promise to back away from his work in Washington to become “super-focused” on the automaker and his other companies. If you’re a buyer looking for an EV, however, that may not matter much, Tesla sales continuing to tumble in markets as diverse as Europe, China and the U.S. Headlight.News has more.
Stellantis has a new CEO. After a nearly 6-month search, Antonio Filosa steps into the vacancy created by the unexpected resignation of Carlos Tavares last December. The 51-year-old Filosa faces some serious challenges, including weak sales by key brands Ram and Jeep. He may also face the question of whether to abandon some of the 14 Stellantis brands, such as Chrysler and Fiat. More from Headlight.News.
On the podcast this week we talk about Toyota revealing its new RAV4 as well as a few other surprises, plus Elon Musk’s return to running Tesla, the Wiener 500, a review of the 2026 Toyota bZ review and a trip through This Week in Automotive History.
The latest-generation BMW 2-Series brought a significant upgrade to the smallest model the automaker offers in the U.S., and the M2 took things to a new level. But now comes what you can think of as the “ultimate” take on the compact coupe, the 2026 BMW M2 CS. It’s lighter, more powerful and adds a number of chassis and suspension upgrades. Here’s a first look.
As it looks for ways to raise sales in the U.S., its second-largest market, Nissan is focusing on its e-Power hybrid technology for its popular Rogue SUV. The technology is similar to using a range extender on an EV. Get details at Headlight.News.