Trump, tariffs and trade barriers. EVs disconnected. Autonomy and hackers. Elon Musk’s very good/very bad year. And affordability. Oh, yes, 2025 brought a series of significant developments to the automotive market. Here are the top 5 stories from the past year as picked by Headlight.News editors.
Even the most popular vehicles eventually succumb to shifting market conditions. And there are plenty of products that fail to connect with buyers in the first place. Here’s a look at the nameplates that won’t survive into 2026 – though several of these just might make a comeback in the not-too-distant future. More from Headlight.News.
The last Ford Escape has rolled off the automaker’s assembly line in Louisville, Kentucky. That leaves a gaping hole in Ford’s line-up. But what will replace it? Headlight.News has the story.
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.
Sales of new vehicles turned downright sluggish in November amidst consumer resistance to increased prices and worsening fears about the economy. The end of EV incentives worsened the slide – though demand for hybrids continued to grow, as Headlight.News reports.
While EV sales may be taking a hit as 2025 draws to a close, you wouldn’t know based on the nine finalists for North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year. Two-thirds of the models chosen by a panel of 50 U.S. and Canadian journalists are either hybrid or all-electric. Headlight.News has the list.
After a quarter-century absence the reborn Honda Prelude is back in U.S. showrooms, officially going on sale today. Available in just one “well-equipped” trim, the hybrid-only 2026 Prelude will start at $42,000, reports Headlight.News.
Honda sticks to its roots, pushing boundaries as it prepares to bring the Prelude back to life. Headlight.News visited the automaker’s Tochigi proving ground to check out an early prototype using an all-new midsize platform that will be shared with other new models — and powertrain technologies.
Squaring off against some of the industry’s most popular three-row SUVs, the Nissan Pathfinder gets a number of updates for the 2026 model year that includes upgraded technology and a more rugged look, backed by an upgraded Rock Creek package for those who want improved off-road capabilities. Headlight.News offers this first look at the 2026 Nissan Pathfinder.
Sentra is a critical model line for Nissan in the U.S. and the automaker is betting big on the 2026 makeover. But while it’s still being positioned as an affordable entry, the new model’s price rises by as much as 4%. It’s the latest new model to see a big jump as the industry copes with rising costs and the impact of the Trump auto tariffs. More from Headlight.News.
Who says the American love affair with the automobile has ended? You’d never know that if you were in Las Vegas this week for the annual SEMA Show. Short for the Specialty Equipment Market Association its routinely ranked as one of the two biggest events in Sin City, bringing out tens of thousands of people to check out the latest in automotive parts and accessories, from dangly air fresheners to high-performance “crate engines.” More than 1,000 exhibitors will be on hand, including automakers like Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai and Toyota and Headlight.News has this preview.