This is a big year for Toyota, and in a variety of ways. The automaker is rolling out an array of new and heavily updated products, including models such as the Crown Signia crossover, Camry sedan and 4Runner SUV. There’s also the fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma pickup which, among other things, becomes the Japanese automaker’s latest model to offer a hybrid powertrain option. Here’s what we discovered during our first drive.
If your idea of an EV is a quirky looking vehicle that’s slow and stodgy, you better think again. Tesla, with the Model S Plaid, Ford with Mustang Mach-E and Mercedes-Benz with the EQS AMG, are showing that battery-electric vehicles can be stylish and fun to drive.
Tesla on Friday ordered the recall of nearly all of its Cybertrucks because their throttle pedals could stick when fully depressed, leading to potential runaway acceleration. The recall comes about three weeks after the automaker first received notice of the defect which, so far, has not been blamed for any crashes.
Toyota has long promised to electrify its entire line-up and it will be all but there in 2025 as it launches its 19th hybrid model. The completely redesigned Camry shows that the technology can delivery more than just good fuel economy. The ninth-generation sedan is more stylish, better equipped, and a lot more fun to drive. But it continues to offer a wide range of trim packages designed to fit every budget. Headlight.News has this review.
GMC is getting ready to reveal the third-generation Terrain SUV and on Thursday released the first teaser image showing what it describes as a “bolder, more assertive” design. Spy photos that have already made the rounds suggest a boxier more classic exterior, while the cabin adopts more technology, including a larger touchscreen.
Two major Japanese automakers are under NHTSA’s microscope. In the case of Toyota, the Japanese giant has ordered the recall of 55,000 of the latest-generation Prius hybrids sold in the U.S. That service action could be dwarfed, however, if the federal safety agency moves forward on a probe targeting 3 million Honda vehicles. Headlight.News has more.
Elon Musk took a big hit to the wallet in January when a Delaware judge rejected the $56 billion payout he was awarded by Tesla. The decision, along with Tesla’s weakened stock price, briefly knocked Musk off his perch as the world’s richest man. Now, Tesla is asking its shareholders to vote again on the pay plan while proposing other changes that would make it less likely future proposals could run into legal trouble.
After a three-year hiatus, Toyota’s most rugged SUV is making its return. Though it retains its body-on-frame construction, the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is new from the ground up. Despite adding a number of new features – including the SUV’s first-ever hybrid drivetrain – it also comes with what Toyota describes as a “more accessible” price tag. Headlight.News spent some time behind the wheel of the new Land Cruiser going off-road through the Cuyamuca Mountains east of San Diego.
Hyundai may be a brand for the masses, but ignore any model wearing the “N” badge at your own peril. And now, the performance sub-brand is working its magic on the Korean carmaker’s first dedicated EV, the Ioniq 5. But does it live up to expectations? To find out, Headlight.News headed out to California’s scenic Monterey Peninsula to push the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N to its limits, on track and off.
For the fourth time in its more than 100-year history, General Motors is moving its corporate headquarters – but it isn’t going very far. The automaker will relocate from the current, facility along the Detroit River to the city’s newest highrise 1.2 miles away. The move was driven by a variety of factors, said GM CEO Mary Barra, including the need for less office space following the COVID pandemic.
It was a good year for BMW, the automaker gaining traction in most global markets while setting an all-time record in the U.S. To keep the momentum going, the automaker is planning a product blitz that will see nearly 40 new models come to market over the next half-decade, including an assortment of battery-electric vehicles, EVs already generating about 13% of the Bavarian automakers U.S. sales.
Forget rising food costs and high interest rates. Soaring auto insurance costs have become a major contributor to resurgent inflation. March saw some of the biggest increases in premiums U.S. motorists have seen in a half century.