Once given up for dead, the midsize pickup segment is booming — but faces a real battle as more players get set to enter the game. Get the story at Headlight.News.
Paul Eisenstein
Toyota Scraps Plans For All-Electric LF-ZC Flagship
Toyota’s scrapped plans for the LF-ZC, the sedan that was set to serve as the new Lexus flagship. The move, Toyota said, reflects “fluctuations in market demand and the workload associated with vehicle planning and manufacturing,” and marks a sharp turnaround in EV strategy by the Japanese automaker’s new CEO. More from Headlight.News.
UAW Strikes Key Supplier, Potentially Crippling GM, Ford and Stellantis
Detroit’s Big Three automakers face the prospect of running short of key components for some of their most profitable models as the United Auto Workers Union strikes supplier American Axle. More from Headlight.News.
Mitsubishi Set to Enter U.S. Midsize Pickup Market — With Help from Nissan
Mitsubishi is the latest automaker to announce plans to enter the increasingly crowded market for midsize pickups. The move is part of the troubled Japanese automaker’s push to expand its light truck presence in the U.S. and requires a helping hand from Nissan, reports Headlight.News.
No V-8? No Sale, Say 40% of Ram Buyers
The latest-generation Ram 1500 pickup got off to a slow start when it made its debut two years ago, sales only taking off when the automaker revived the Hemi engine option last summer. Nearly half of Ram buyers demand a V-8 a senior executive said, even if doesn’t deliver the power, performance – or fuel economy of today’s turbocharged inline-6. More from Headlight.News.
Ferrari Luce: Is This the “Destruction of a Legend”?
Ferrari officially pulled the covers off the Luce, its first-ever battery electric vehicle. Despite some kind words from Pope Leo, however, the reaction to the $640,000 was largely unflattering. Is this the product that brings the house of the “prancing pony” crashing down? Headlight.News has more.
Iran War Oil Crisis May be Adding $700 or More to Your Annual Fuel Bill
Three months after the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, fuel prices are hovering in the mid-$4.00-a-gallon range. And that’s hitting the average American motorist hard in the pocketbook. Tthose driving gas-powered vehicles can expect to pay an extra $706 a year for fuel should the war drag on and gas prices hold at current levels. Headlight.News has more.
Honda Idling Ridgeline Production Until 2028 – Blames Emissions Issues Rather Than Slow Sales
Honda will temporarily idle production of its midsize Ridgeline pickup later this year, though it plans to relaunch the truck in new form for the 2028 model year. The automaker blames trouble meeting new emissions rules. But skeptics say the truck has failed to generate the sort of sales numbers the automaker had been hoping for. More from Headlight.News.
Stellantis in the Fastlane: Who Were the Winners and Losers?
Being bigger isn’t always better. Stellantis has 14 separate auto brands which can be difficult to support after last year’s big losses. Under the new Fastlane 2030 turnaround plan, the automakers is keeping them all – but some brands fare better than others. Headlight.News looks at the winners and losers.
Stellantis Lays Our Global, $70 Bil Turnaround Plan – But It’s the U.S. it’s Betting Big On
Aiming to reverse a series of setbacks to sales and earnings, Stellantis Thursday unveiled a $70 billion turnaround plan that will see it launch more than 60 new vehicles by decade’s end. But while markets from Europe to Africa to Asia should benefit, the Fastlane 2030 program depends disproportionately on two U.S. brands: Jeep and Ram. Headlight.News has more.
Stellantis and JLR Exploring Collaboration
Stellantis and Jaguar Land Rover signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore “opportunities to collaborate on product development” – though the MOU is specifically focused on the U.S. market. The announcement comes a day before Stellantis is set to announce a broad new strategy that will focus its efforts on just four key brands, leaving some observers wondering how an alliance with JLR would fit in. Headlight.News has more.
Review: 2027 Kia Seltos is a Little Wonder
Since its rolled into the market in 2019, the Kia Seltos has become one of the Korean carmaker’s major product lines. But, in a highly competitive segment, it needed some major updates to keep momentum building. As Headlight.News discovered during a drive adventure in South Korea, the second-generation 2027 Kia Seltos comes through. Here’s our review.