I’ve given back cars ten times as expensive and not given them a second thought, but the Versa offered so much value and enjoyment, it’s only been gone a couple of hours and I miss it already. HeadlightNews.com has this review.
Paul Eisenstein
Fewer Vehicles Qualify for This Year’s IIHS Top Safety Pick and Pick+ Awards
Nearly a third fewer vehicles qualified for awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this year, compared to 2024. This reflects toughening crash test guidelines meant to protect rear-seat occupants. Headlight.News looks at which vehicles took IIHS’s coveted Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards this time around.
2026 Toyota bZ4X – Will Better Range, Performance, Faster Charging Win Over Critics?
Toyota may be one of the top-selling brands in the U.S. but its first serious foray into the battery-electric vehicle market hasn’t done much to charge up U.S. EV buyers. The automaker is hoping more of them will plug in with the launch of a mid-cycle update, the 2026 Toyota bZ4X getting a boost to both range and performance while cutting charging times. Here’s a first look.
At Just $15,000, This is the Affordable Toyota EV You Can’t Have
The new Toyota bZ3X is, at less than $20,000, the sort of affordable EV American motorists are craving. The problem is you can’t have it. Not unless you’re thinking about moving to China. But it’s certainly connecting with motorists in the People’s Republic. And it might offer some insight into the sort of product Toyota just might eventually be able to come up with for the U.S.
Kia Takes Aim at Tesla – So do Protestors and Vandals – While Owners Trade in as Backlash to Musk Mounts
“I bought this after Elon went crazy.” We’ve seen plenty of bumper stickers like that, lately, but this one was on the back of a Kia EV3, found in a snarky Instagram post by Kia’s Norwegian subsidiary. And, it seems, many Tesla buyers may be listening. A growing number of them are trading in as backlash grows against CEO Elon Musk’s turn to the political right. Protests are growing at Tesla dealerships around the world, one showroom in France firebombed. Here’s more.
Nissan Names “Real Car Guy” as its New CEO
Nissan has again shaken up its top management team, this time appointing Ivan Espinosa as its new CEO. He replaces Makoto Uchida who, critics said, failed to reverse the ongoing decline of Japan’s second-largest automaker. The automaker’s chairman warned the new chief executive will face a “challenging start” during a Tokyo news conference that also revealed a number of other senior management changes.
MOPAR Does its Stuff with a Custom Version of the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO
The battle of the behemoths got even hotter this year with the launch of the Ram 1500 RHO. But there are always some folks who want to take things up another notch and add a unique level of customization. That’s precisely what Mopar has in mind with a special-edition...
Despite Bullish Forecasts, Wall Street Is Walking Away From Tesla
The bulls are still, well, bullish, when it comes to Tesla stock, but the rest of Wall Street seems increasingly nervous and that’s cost the EV maker fully half of its market capitalization since reaching a mid-December, post-election high. And one man appears to catch most of the blame: CEO Elon Musk. More from Headlight.News.
No Going Back as Jaguar Preps for EV Transformation
Jaguar delivered a shock with the electric concept vehicle it recently revealed. The electric GT will mark the beginning of the British brand’s planned revival – and transformation into a battery-electric brand. Jaguar CEO Rawdon Glover has revealed more details about...
With Trump’s Canadian and Mexican Tariffs on Brief Hold, European Automakers Wonder if They’re Next
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would delay by a month new tariffs covering Canadian and Mexican auto imports. But even with that delay, the industry is waiting to see if Trump will next move to target additional trade partners. Trump has already hinted that European automakers could be next in his sights. More from Headlight.News.
Trump Gives Auto Industry One-Month Tariff Reprieve
Little more than a day after announcing plans to enact 25% tariffs on goods imported from the Mexico and Canada, Pres. Donald Trump threw a temporary lifeline to the auto industry by granting a one-month reprieve on automotive parts and vehicles. But the threat remains that sanctions could still follow if the U.S. can’t reach resolution with its two neighbors and leading trade partners – something Ford CEO Jim Farley warned “would blow a hole in the U.S. industry.”
Is the State Dept. Trying to Cover Up the Truth About the $400M Cybertruck Purchase?
Did the U.S. State Department craft a $400 million windfall deal for Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk as payback for the executive’s leading role in the Trump administration? And is it now trying to cover up the truth behind the proposed purchase of armored versions of the Tesla Cybertruck? That’s a question one ranking member of the Senate is trying to find out.