Once again, GM is delaying production of some of its new battery-electric vehicles, this time announcing that production of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV pickups won’t start rolling out of the suburban Detroit Orion Assembly Plant until late 2025. But, as Headlight.News reports, limited numbers of Silverado EV commercial models are being produced at a second plant.
Ford dropped a shift at the Dearborn, Michigan plant assembling its all-electric F-150 Lightning. The automaker blamed “multiple constraints,” for the move, but the UAW says the production cut comes as sales “have tanked.” If anything, Ford had expected a growing surge in demand as it prepares a major expansion of capacity at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.
Slow to enter the EV market, Toyota is making up for lost time. And it’s signaling its shift in direction at this week’s Japan Mobility Show where it will unveil two all-electric concept vehicles, including one that could become a battery-powered successor to the Toyota Supra.
Nearly five weeks in, there appears to be no immediate end in sight for the UAW’s strike against Detroit’s Big Three. In his first appearance since the union’s contracts with his company expired, Ford Chairman Bill Ford spoke out, warning the walkout could destroy the American auto industry, and saying “We need to come together to bring an end to this acrimonious round of talks.”
The Nissan Rogue gets a number of updates for 2024, including new front and rear fascias. There’s more safety gear, and the big news for the upcoming model year is that Nissan’s best-seller also adopts the Google built-in system, including constantly updated maps, Google Assistant and more.
Chevrolet is taking things to extremes when it comes to its next-generation Colorado pickup. If you thought the midsize Colorado ZR2 was rough and ready, wait til you check out the 2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison. It’s designed to handle everything from Baja-style racing to boulder-crawling, as Headlight.News discovered during a day of driving through California’s Johnson Valley, home of the extreme off-road King of the Hammers race.
If you’ve been in the market for a new vehicle recently you’re well aware of how prices have skyrocketed, average transaction prices — what shoppers actually paid before driving off the dealer lot — reaching an all-time high of more $48,500 last December. But have prices finally started settling back? Might consumers finally find some bargains? Headlight.News parses the numbers.
Today’s lithium-ion batteries offer significant improvements over earlier technology, but Toyota is making a big bet on the next-gen solid-state batteries expected to dramatically improve range, lower cost, speed up charging times — and which it says it hopes to begin mass-producing as early as 2027. Get the story at Headlight.News.
Infiniti dropped a teaser on Thursday for the Vision QE Concept set to debut later this month at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo. It’s saying little about the concept other than confirming it previews the brand’s first — long-awaited and repeatedly delayed — battery-electric vehicle.
One of the benefits of buying an EV is the potential to earn state and federal incentives — including up to $7,500 in tax credits from the IRS. On the down side, the Inflation Reduction Act reduced the number of models qualifying for the federal giveback — but new guidelines mean that, if your EV does qualify, you now get your rebate instantly, rather than waiting until you file your annual taxes.
There are plenty of reasons why buyers have flocked to the Subaru Crosstrek, especially since the launch of the gen-3 model earlier this year. Now, there are even more reasons to check out the subcompact crossover with the addition of the off-road Crosstrek Wilderness. It offers increased ground clearance and other useful trail-riding features, as Headlight.News discovered during a run in the mountainous wilds near Utah’s Zion National Park.
As the world’s first high-volume gas-electric hybrid, Toyota showed how far you could stretch a gallon of gas. But, with last year’s launch of the fifth-generation Prius, the automaker also shows that hybrids can be not only attractive but fun to drive. Might the Japanese giant be ready to take the fun factor to new levels? That’s a distinct possibility, rumors from Japan suggesting it has a GR edition in the works.