According to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the “greenest” or most efficient vehicles running about on American roadways is the compact SUV. The data shows it’s passed the small sedan as the greenest machine on the street. Find out how at Headlight.News.
Not all that long ago, foreign manufacturers like General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen dominated the Chinese automotive market where, in some cases, they were making their biggest profits. Now, as domestic competitors like Geely and BYD gain traction, times have changed. On Wednesday, General Motors revealed plans to take more than $5 billion in charges to restructure its Chinese operations and is likely to close some of its plants there. But it’s far from the only international manufacturer struggling in the world’s largest automotive market.
November ended on a high note, at least from an automotive perspective, with sales of new vehicles delivering solid year-over-year gains for those brands that have so far reported their numbers for the month. And several Japanese and Korean brands ended November with new sales records.
President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on all goods form Canada and Mexico, plus on all Chinese imports could wind up costing automakers as much 17% from their annual earnings. The estimate comes from a new study from S&P analysts. Check out the story at Headlight.News.
With its EV sales in Europe and the U.S. slowing, Tesla has become more dependent on sales in China. But the competition is fierce, and trade tensions could hamper Elon Musk’s ambitious future. Musk’s central role in the incoming Trump administration further complicates matters.
Chinese automakers are rapidly expanding exports to key regions like Europe and Latin America after long focusing on their home market. But that’s created problems as target markets fight back with new tariffs and other trade restrictions. As a result, some Chinese manufacturers are looking to shift production abroad – and that could include factories in the U.S.
Just months ago, it seemed, the internal combustion engine was on its way out, with regulators planning to phase out the technology – in some markets, like Europe, within barely a decade. While automakers once seemed ready to go along they’re now beginning to push back. That includes BMW’s CEO who called for a “correction” of EV-only strategies at this week’s Paris Motor Show.
The Paris Motor Show has traditionally been a big event for European automakers and, in some ways, it could prove even more important this year, as Western manufacturers roll out new products designed to hold back increasingly aggressive Chinese competitors. Headlight.News looks at some of the most important products set to debut in the City of Lights this coming week.
Conventional wisdom might seem to suggest that EVs have come unplugged, with traditional automakers such as Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG pulling back on their plans to go all-electric. But don’t tell that to the folks in Norway. As contributing editor Joe Szczesny discovered during a visit this week, you’ll have to look hard to find a new vehicle drawing power from a tank of gasoline.
It’s been the subject of speculation for weeks, “knowledgeable sources” chattering amongst themselves about the possibility China’s BYD is in talks with Stellantis as it looks for a way to crack into the U.S. market. The two makers have firmly dismissed the rumors. But there seems little doubt Chinese automakers want to target the world’s second-largest automotive market and are sniffing around the North American auto industry looking for a way to break in.
As EV sales growth slows, automakers are looking for other ways to reduce emissions without turning off potential buyers. That’s led to a wave of new plug-in hybrids coming to market – and to a surge in demand for PHEVs which grew 50% globally during the first five months of the year. But will they continue to outpace all-electric models? That’s a matter of debate.
Your next new car is likely to be loaded with all sorts of digital technology – and the software to run it. And that means it may know “a lot about you.” And how that information is used has raised growing privacy concerns. That’s why the U.S. Commerce Dept. may impose restrictions on the use of software coming from China.