President Donald Trump’s new tariffs threaten to shake up the auto industry, threatening to add thousands of dollars to the cost of even U.S.-made vehicles. For now, though, BMW will give buyers a break, the automaker saying it will absorb the added tariff costs on vehicles it imports from Mexico. Whether BMW can maintain that strategy – and whether other manufacturers will follow – is unclear.
Nearly a third fewer vehicles qualified for awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this year, compared to 2024. This reflects toughening crash test guidelines meant to protect rear-seat occupants. Headlight.News looks at which vehicles took IIHS’s coveted Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards this time around.
Nissan has again shaken up its top management team, this time appointing Ivan Espinosa as its new CEO. He replaces Makoto Uchida who, critics said, failed to reverse the ongoing decline of Japan’s second-largest automaker. The automaker’s chairman warned the new chief executive will face a “challenging start” during a Tokyo news conference that also revealed a number of other senior management changes.
President Donald Trump, as expected, launched new tariffs targeting Canada and Mexico while also increasing prior tariffs on China. All three countries responded with their own trade sanctions. The tariff war will increase prices on everything from avocados to semiconductors but economists warn few consumer goods will feel the heat more than automobiles – some models set to see price hikes of $12,000 or more. At a time when sticker shock is already impacting sales, analysts fear the U.S. auto industry could see sales and profits tumble – while job cuts also could be in the offing.
Sales of new vehicles held steady in February as Kia, Hyundai, Genesis, Subaru, Mazda and Honda all reported modest sales increases. But two of the largest automakers to report for the month, Toyota and Ford, delivered disappointing results. And Tesla’s numbers continued to show the impact of growing resistance to CEO Elon Musk and his role in the Trump administration. Headlight.News has more.
Barring a last-minute change of mind, the White House has signaled Pres. Donald Trump will announce new tariffs targeting America’s largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, on Tuesday. The move is expected to increase the cost of many common goods substantially, including not only fully assembled vehicles imported from America’s nearest neighbors but other cars, trucks and crossovers assembled in the U.S. That’s because virtually all of those models rely on at least some Mexican and Canadian parts, components and raw materials.
More new vehicle buyers remained loyal to their previous purchases in 2024 than the year prior, and General Motors and Tesla top the charts when it comes to owner retention efforts. That said, owner loyalty numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Of all the Japanese brands now available in the U.S., Mitsubishi is the one most likely to run under the radar for most buyers. But for those looking for a three-row SUV, it’d be a mistake to ignore the Mitsubishi Outlander. Surprisingly well-equipped, it is also one of the most affordable models in its segment. If anything, it becomes an even bigger bargain for 2025 with a modest mid-cycle update, as Headlight.News discovered during a day’s drive in and around Los Angeles. Here’s our review.
Who says the EV market is on the wane? Not U.S. consumers who bought a record number of all-electric cars, trucks and crossovers last month, according to the latest data. In January, battery-electric models accounted for 9.1% of the market, up nearly nine-fold over the last half-decade, despite the anti-EV push by the new Trump administration. Headlight.News has more.
Honda Motor Co. and General Motors have been partners in a variety of efforts to improve technology and save money in the process. While some of the pairings have done well, Honda and GM have been steadily drifting apart for the past few years. Get details at Headlight.News.
Two weeks after halting talks that would have resulted in some form of partnership between Honda Motor and its faltering rival, Nissan Motor, Honda officials say they’re willing to resume discussions. There is one caveat: current Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida needs to step down. Get details at Headlight.News.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida announced a desperate new bid to reverse the company’s mounting losses after a planned merger with Honda collapsed. The second-largest Japanese automaker now plans to close three plants, reduce U.S. production and eliminate thousands of jobs. The announcement came as Uchida revealed still more losses for Nissan’s latest fiscal quarter.