Chinese automakers rolled out more than 600 new and updated vehicles during the 1st half of 2026. They’re fast and lean and hit record sales last year, and domestic brands like Geely and BYD are crushing foreign manufacturers like GM and VW. But they’re starting to have serious problems of their own, reports Headlight.News.
If you’ve purchased a new vehicle lately chances are you’re extremely satisfied with what you drove home, reflecting improvements in design, features and quality. Porsche topped the charts in the latest JD Power APEAL study – but there were some surprises. For one thing, electric vehicles outperformed all other powertrain technologies, reports Headlight.News.
Despite a billion-dollar decline, largely due to EV write-offs, General Motors beat Wall Street’s earnings forecast for the second quarter – and raised its full-year guidance, Headlight.News reports.
Honda will end production of the Prologue, its only remaining battery-electric vehicle offered in the U.S., at the end of the 2026 model year. The move caps a frantic retreat by a company that, not long ago, wanted to become a dominant player in the American EV market. Now it’s shifting focus to a complete line-up of hybrids – and may build a new U.S. plant to produce them. More from Headlight.News.
As heat and smoke from unchecked Canadian wildfires settled over auto plants from Flint, Michigan southward through Detroit to Toledo, employee complaints about unsafe working conditions has skyrocketed – complaints compounded by heat wave.
Sedans. Remember them? They once overwhelmingly dominated the American automotive market. Today, they’re little more than afterthoughts for most buyers – and have been dropped from the line-up by a number of brands. But several manufacturers appear ready to bring sedans back. Look for new entries from both Buick and Chevrolet – and possibly Ford — reports Headlight.News.
Sales of electrified vehicles helped keep the industry afloat in June and during the second quarter, with Korean brands, in particular, delivering record sales numbers. More from Headlight.News.
Volkswagen is preparing what may become the largest restructuring in its nearly 90-year history, a move that could see as many as 100,000 workers lose their jobs as four German plants close. The move is blamed on its weakening position against domestic Chinese brands like BYD and Geely, reports Headlight.News.
Stagnating demand in Western markets, the end of the ‘global car,’ and the cost of electrification present automakers and suppliers with a triple conundrum, says AlixPartners’ annual report on the state of the auto industry.
Automakers are coming under increasing pressure to move production to the U.S. – with hefty tariffs penalizing not only products imported from abroad but those built in the States using foreign parts. Which products are the most “American-made”? A new study finds Tesla and Jeep at the top of the list, though Japanese brands make up six of the top 10 spots, reports Headlight.News.
The Iran War has left the U.S. military with a depleted stockpile of weapons – even while revealing there’s an entirely new form of warfare. Yet that has the Pentagon reaching into its past and could see Detroit’s automakers emerge as a modern version of the “Arsenal of Democracy” that played a critical role in winning World War II. Headlight.News has more.
The UAW plans to fatten up its strike fund as it prepares for fights with big, corporate employers. But union Pres. Shawn Fain also faces a potentially explosive re-election campaign in the months to come as the union moves to fill spots on its executive board.