Little Subaru is a brand that has frequently surprised its bigger rivals and it does it again as the top-ranked marque in the 2026 Consumer Reports Auto Brand Report Card, besting manufacturers like Toyota, Honda and second-ranked BMW. That was one of the surprises in this year’s study. Headlight.News has more.
Like its Japanese rivals, Honda Motor Co. struggled to understand how to grow in the U.S. market, a challenge that led it to set up a small research and development center in Los Angeles in 1975. A half-century later the automaker operates 21 separate R&D facilities across the U.S. where its designers and engineers are working on everything from race cars to rockets, along with some significant new vehicle programs. Headlight.News dropped into the main facility in the LA suburb of Torrance to check out what’s in the works.
The Trump administration has invited executives from the three Detroit automakers to be on hand at the White House today as details on the rollback of current corporate average fuel economy standards are announced. It’s the latest move by the president to back off of automotive emissions and safety standards set during the prior Biden administration. More from Headlight.News.
Design chief Gerry McGovern reportedly has been fired by Jaguar Land Rover as part of a broader corporate shake-up at the troubled automaker, according to a report from India, where JLR’s parent company is headquartered. More from Headlight.News.
Toyota has frustrated performance fans, so far failing to replace the exotic Lexus LFA, even as it pulls the more mainstream Supra from production. But there’s good news coming. Soon, as in this Friday, the Japanese automaker confirming that’s when it will reveal the new GR GT supercar. More from Headlight.News.
General Motors will lay off 1,140 workers at Factory Zero, its Detroit battery-electric assembly plant due to weak demand for products like the GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV. The automaker also is facing pressure from Canadian authorities to come up with an alternative plan for an Ontario plant where it is ending production of all-electric Bright Drop vans. More from Headlight.News.
Mercedes-Benz will launch a 1,000-hp all-electric supercar based on its Concept AMG GT XX, the automaker’s U.S. CEO told dealers meeting in Las Vegas. It’s part of a plan to deliver a one-third growth in sales by decade’s end, helping the German automaker catch up with luxury rivals BMW and Lexus – while also countering an ongoing slump in China. More from Headlight.News.
Three decades after making its auspicious debut – and, in the process, saving a once-struggling little Japanese brand – the Subaru Outback gets a complete makeover for 2026. And, if anything, the seventh-generation SUV is only now fully coming into its own. There’s plenty to love, Headlight.News discovered during a first drive.
The Hyundai Crater Concept was one of the most intriguing products to make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. But the aggressive-looking SUV is really more than just your typical show car. As Headlight.News notes in this exclusive report, Crater is the prototype of what are expected to be a series of ever more capable off-road products the Korean carmaker plans to bring to market in the coming years, vehicles that could challenge the likes of icons including the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.
Lucid has finally launched a more affordable version of its first all-electric SUV. The Lucid Gravity Touring package will start at $79,900. That’s $15,000 less than the current “base” Grand Touring package. The automaker clearly hopes the new entry model will help it boost lagging sales, reports Headlight.News.
What happens when Hyundai pushes its XRT line to new extremes? The Crater Concept that debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday suggests the Korean carmaker is looking for ways to push well beyond the off-road capabilities of current models like the Palisade XRT Pro, potentially taking on products like the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler. Headlight.News has more.
The second-generation Kia Telluride made its debut at the LA Auto Show Wednesday and offers a number of upgrades over the Korean brand’s already popular flagship model. Among other things, the 2027 Telluride gets a first-ever hybrid drivetrain option yielding as much as 35 mpg combined. It also is available with upgraded off-road capabilities on the X-Pro package. Headlight.News has more.