On this week’s Headlight News podcast: Cadillac Delivers Most Expensive Model Ever, A New Oil Crisis, a Honda CR-V TrailSport Review, and This Week in Automotive History. Check it out at Headlight.News.
Month: June 2025
First Drive: Honda Gets Dirty with the 2026 CR-V TrailSport
It’s been nearly three decades since the Honda CR-V made its U.S. debut. Back then, folks derisively dubbed it a “soft-roader,” capable of handling not much more than a bit of gravel – if anyone ever chose to take it off pavement. Now, however, Honda is rolling out a new CR-V TrailSport package that, it claims, adds more off-road capabilities. Just how much more? Headlight.News headed into the San Jacinto Mountains near San Diego to find out. Here’s our review.
“Used” EV Batteries Are Going to Keep the Grid Powered Up
Between heat waves and major storms, the number of blackouts and brownouts has increased sharply in recent years, but a start-up launched by a former Tesla exec plans to use as many as 100,000 old EV batteries in “second-like” backup energy storage systems to minimize the risk of grid outages. More from Headlight.News.
A Week With: 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
A good craftsman uses the right tool for the job, according to the adage. And if you want to help friends move or need to get gardening supplies to spruce up your home this summer, then the Toyota Tacoma would be an excellent option. However, if you want to climb rocks, ford streams, and head out to the middle of nowhere, you need the 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, which we spent a week with. Check out our review at Headlight.News.
Judge Sets Back Trump’s Anti-EV Agenda; Frees Up Public Charger Funding
A U.S. District Court judge has ordered the White House to release about $1 billion in funds set aside for the construction of a nationwide public EV charging network. The funds were frozen by Pres. Donald Trump as part of his campaign to rollback Biden-era electric vehicle mandates. But the administration is still pressing Congress to drop other EV programs, including federal tax credits of up to $7,500, reports Headlight.News.
A Wave of Senior Execs Exit As Tesla Sales Plunge
Yet again, Tesla sales stumbled by double-digits in May, marking the fifth monthly decline in a row. Meanwhile, the man appointed to run operations and sales in Europe and the U.S. has left the automaker, as has its head of human resources. Tesla has seen a flood of senior execs leave in recent months, including the head of its Optimus robot program. But it did manage to snag the former head of autonomy from GM’s now shuttered Cruise subsidiary.
Lexus, Nissan, GM Rise to the Top in 2025 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
Looking for the brands delivering the highest levels of initial quality? Lexus and Nissan rose to the top in this year’s J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, while General Motors had more top-ranked models than any other manufacturer. There were some surprises in this year’s IQS by Jaguar and Ram. But, yet again, motorists pointed to onboard technology as the biggest source of trouble. More from Headlight.News.
Mercedes-AMG’s New GT XX Hypercar Concept is a 1,340-HP EV
Mercedes’ AMG performance arm has a history of rolling out ever faster and more powerful supercars. But the new GT XX Concept takes things to a new level, delivering 1,340 horsepower and setting a top speed of 223 mph. Did we mention it is all-electric and previews a new model set to soon enter production? More from Headlight.News.
Trump Tariffs Taxing New Vehicle Sales in June
Depending upon which set of numbers you examine, new vehicle sales are going to rise a bit in June or fall a bit in June. Ultimately, the impact of the Trump tariffs is being felt by automakers and the dealers that sell those vehicles. Go to Headlight.News where we try to make sense of what the experts are predicting.
Cadillac Delivers 1st $340,000 Celestiq EV
Cadillac’s pushed into new territory with the delivery of its most expensive model ever. It just so happens that the new Caddy Celestiq is also the luxury brand’s latest battery-electric vehicle. More from Headlight.News.
Your EV Battery Will Likely Outlast Your Gas Engine
Conventional wisdom suggests EV owners should prepare to spend thousands of dollars to replace their batteries well before trading in or trashing the vehicles. But a new study says that’s anything but accurate. Not only are the latest EV batteries lasting longer than the typical internal combustion engine but they’re maintaining most of their range before they finally do need to be replaced.
Feds Examining Incidents Where Tesla’s Robotaxis Appeared to Break Laws
Tesla’s first day of robotaxi service in Austin, Texas appeared to go off without a disastrous hitch. However, federal safety regulators are looking into situations where the vehicles may have broken local traffic laws. Meanwhile riders offered their largely positive reviews. Get details at Headlight.News.