They may still represent only a small share of the new car market but electrified vehicles are becoming increasing desirable, according to Consumer Reports. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric models make up seven of the models in the non-profit publication’s 2024 10 Top Cars list. For the first time, that includes a Tesla product, the Model Y, thanks to the automaker’s increasingly ubiquitous Supercharger network. Meanwhile, BMW and Subaru topped the CR Brand Report Card rankings.
The 2024 BMW X1 gets a new M35i model. But you don’t need to buy the top trim to get a whole lot of fun and utility.
Stellantis will adopt the Tesla-style North American Charging Standard. The parent of brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram was the last holdout among major automakers to go with the NACS plug. It means owners will have access to a substantial wider network of plugs and formalizes Tesla’s Superchargers as the de facto winner in the charging battle. Tesla, meanwhile, is taking steps to prevent the embarrassing charger failures many owners ran into during a recent Midwest cold snap.
The struggling market for fuel-cell vehicles was handed another setback as Shell announced that it was shutting down all seven of its hydrogen refueling stations open to retail customers in California. That might seem an irrelevant number were this to involve its gasoline service network. But it represents nearly one in six of the hydrogen facilities in California and about 12% of the 59 open to the public nationwide.
A group of seven major automakers officially launched Ionna — aimed at becoming an EV charging network to rival the Tesla Supercharging system — and, in the process, give motorists more confidence they’ll be able to charge up their battery-electric vehicles wherever they travel.
BMW executives have repeatedly mentioned the Bavarian automaker’s product plans included plenty of future cars with manual transmissions, including one in particular: the Z4. The company confirmed plans for a “handschalter” model for 2025. Get details at Headlight.News.
When Toyota introduced the Mirai fuel-cell vehicle three years ago the automaker tossed in an appealing incentive, $15,000 worth of the hydrogen needed to power it up. At the time, it cost just over $70 to fill Mira’s 5.6-kilogram tank. Today, you’ll pay over $200 – if you can find the lightweight gas, as many of the stations providing it have run dry. And that’s threatening to short-circuit the “hydrogen economy” that fuel-cell proponents have predicted is just around the corner.
Hoping to take advantage of what proponents call the fuel of the future, General Motors and Honda today launched joint production of hydrogen fuel cells at a factory in suburban Detroit. The zero-emission devices will be used to power everything from portable generators to Class 8 trucks. And, as Headlight.News reports, the two automakers aren’t the only ones who see great opportunities with hydrogen technology.
Cadillac is launching the 20th anniversary of its V-Series in style with updates of the two CT5 performance packages, the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing. Headlight.News checks out how the two sedans strike the balance between performance and luxury.
In 1927, the German director Fritz Lang’s legendary film, Metropolis, introduced the idea of humanoid robots. Now, nearly a century later, robots have become a common site on automotive assembly lines but look little like the Maschinenmensch Lang envisioned. Or they have so far. But as part of a new partnership with the California-based startup Figure, BMW is about to put the first humanoid robots to work on its assembly line in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Read all about it at Headlight.News.
With EVs mandated to reach 50% of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2030 — and to replace internal combustion models by 2035 in the EU — the search is on for the battery technology that can win over consumers with longer range, lower costs and quicker charging speeds. But solid-state, the technology expected to replace today’s lithium-ion batteries, is so far failing to live up to its hype.
With their market share under pressure, German brands Audi, BMW and Porsche succeeded in posting record sales for 2023 as the industry had its best year since the pandemic crushed sales and the supply chains. Find out more at Headlight.News.