Cadillac’s push into the EV market is picking up speed as it reveals its fifth all-electric model – and the third unveiled this year. Headlight.News checks out the new Caddy Vistiq, an EV alternative to the three-row Cadillac XT6. More from Headlight.News.
Vehicle prices have surged at a record pace over the last decade, rising more than 50%, and pricing many potential buyers out of the market. To give them an alternative, Honda and its upscale sibling Acura are upgrading their certified pre-owned program, not only offering near-new models but adding more ways to finance them, including leasing – as well as the ability to shop for them online, the two brands announced Thursday.
Tesla will recall 2 million EVs sold in the U.S. to make significant updates to its Autopilot system. As Headlight.News reported Tuesday, the semi-autonomous technology has come under fire because, among other things, it can be used on roads for which it was not designed. That has been linked to numerous fatal crashes. But Tesla put a positive spin on the issue, CEO Elon Musk claiming the recall is part of a “moral obligation” to ensure the safety of its vehicles.
Chevrolet is getting into EVs in a big way, the bowtie brand beginning to ramp up production of an all-electric Silverado, prepping the Equinox EV for a launch next year, and confirming the Bolt nameplate will return in all-new form. But the spotlight now is on a battery-powered version of one of its most popular model lines. And Headlight.News spent several days in sunny San Diego getting a chance to drive two versions of the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV.
Tesla is coming under more intense fire as a result of a series of crashes involving its Autopilot system. The NTSB wants the automaker to block its use on roads where it’s not safe to operate. And California regulators say the name, Autopilot, is itself false and misleading and should be changed.
Ford Motor Co. will slash production of its F-150 Lightning early next year, the automaker confirmed, reflecting a drop in customer demand. Ford had only recently completed a major expansion at the Dearborn, Michigan plant building the all-electric pickup to respond to initial demand following Lightning’s launch in spring 2022.
Facing declining demand for its Jeep Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Gladiator models, Jeep says it will cut as many as 3,700 jobs at plants in Michigan and Ohio — and its putting at least some of the blame on California’s tough emissions rules.
It’s twice the size of Texas and still growing. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of plastic waste in the world, but by no means the only place where cast-off plastic is accumulating in the world’s waterways. Now, a non-profit called The Ocean Cleanup believes it can dramatically reduce this waste over the next two decades. And it’s getting a helping hand from Kia which intends to turn much of that junk into useful parts for its vehicles. More from Headlight.News.
During a live-streamed event marking the first deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck on Nov. 30, CEO Elon Musk played off a video showing the electric truck crashing into a barrier at 35 mph. “If you’re ever in an argument with another car you will win,” Musk said, triggering cheers from the audience. But safety experts aren’t quite ready to celebrate. Despite — or perhaps because of — Cybertruck’s stiff stainless steel body panels, questions are being raised about what it could do to pedestrians, bicyclists and other vehicles — and whether it can actually protect its own passengers.
Fans of the Chevrolet Bolt have ridden a roller-coaster this year. Parent General Motors initially indicated the Bolt would go away as it switched to EVs based on its new Ultium platform, then said an all-new Bolt would return, also using that updated technology. Now, says GM, only the longer, SUV version, the Bolt EUV, will rejoin the line-up. That means buyers will have to say goodbye to the original 5-door hatchback Bolt EV, after all.
The United Auto Workers union is hoping the third time’s the charm at the Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 2014 and again in 2019, workers voted to reject a union organizing bid. Now, the UAW is back as part of a broader effort to organize workers at more than a dozen non-union plants across the country. More than 1,000 of those at VW have signed cards that could trigger a third vote. More from Headlight.News.
With rare exception EVs have been big money-losers for the auto industry. But there are a few exceptions, starting with Tesla. Now, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says his companies electrified vehicles also are “in the black.” Speaking at an industry conference, Tavares warned that automakers who can’t improve margins could be forced out of business by the end of the decade.