In this week’s episode of the podcast, Truck maker Nikola goes bankrupt while trouble finds its way to Ford, GM, and Tesla. We also go for a spin in the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 before charging our batteries with This Week in Automotive History.
Tesla
Big Recall Adds to Tesla Woes as Automaker Ramps Up Incentives to Reverse Sales Slump
Tesla recalls 380,000 vehicles due to power steering issues that could cause a crash. It’s just the latest in a series of setbacks that sees the automaker ramp up incentives – including givebacks of up to $6,000 on Cybertruck – in a bid to reverse faltering momentum.
Headlight News For The Week of 2-17-2025
In this week’s episode of the HLN podcast we talk about the dip in vehicle dependability and production while trouble continues to dog Nissan and Tesla. We also review the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally before hanging up our driving helmet and taking a drive into the hallowed halls of This Week in Automotive History.
BMW’s New 3-Series EV Gets a “Heart of Joy”
BMW has an all-electric version of the venerable 3-Series in the works and, as with much of its upcoming line-up, the changes will be significant. And that doesn’t end with the switch to battery power. To make sure the 3-Series EV lives up to expectations, BMW has developed a “superbrain,” dubbed the “Heart of Joy,” that will help deliver the brand’s familiar driving experience. It’s offering some insight into what’s coming with the new BMW Vision Driving Experience concept vehicle. Here’s more.
Report: Post-Pandemic Vehicle Dependability is a Real Problem
Millions of people appear to be suffering from problems dubbed “Long COVID.” Now, it seems, the vehicle you bought during the pandemic may have similar problems, according to J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. Reliability issues have grown worse for vehicles produced during the worst of the COVID crisis.
Dogged by Conflict of Interest Concerns, State Dept. Appears to Back Off Purchase of $400 Million Worth of Armored Tesla Cybertrucks
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday appeared to back down on plans to purchase $400 million in armored Tesla Cybertrucks amids mounting questions about a conflict of interest considering the automaker’s CEO Elon Musk plays a major role in the new Trump administration. But it’s unclear from an updated procurement forecast whether authorities will switch to other vehicles or have simply obscured their purchase plans.
EV Sales Could Flatten This Year as Trump, GOP Raise New Obstacles
EV sales appear likely to stagnate in 2025 in 2025, largely due to new roadblocks the Trump administration and Congress are ready to throw in the way, according to a new J.D. Power forecast. That could cause major headaches for automakers investing billions to bring more of the vehicles to market. But the research firm still sees demand rebounding later in the decade to the point where electric vehicles will account for more than a quarter of new vehicle sales.
Tesla Stock in Freefall and Elon Musk is the Main Reason Why
After surging in the wake of last November’s presidential election, Tesla stock has gone into freefall since Donald Trump’s inauguration last month. A variety of factors, including slumping global sales linked to CEO Elon Musk’s increasingly tarnished reputation. His new $100 billion bid for OpenAI may add to investors’ worries, reports Headlight.News.
Trump Moves to Halt Public EV Charger Rollout – But Tesla Could Be Among Those Impacted
Pres. Donald Trump’s administration ordered a halt to a Biden-era program meant to provide $5 billion in funding for a nationwide network of EV charging stations. It’s the latest step by the White House to curtail EV adoption. But this program could hurt one of the most powerful men in Trump’s inner circle, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who also runs the new Department of Government Efficiency.
As Tesla Sales Nosedive in California and Europe, is The “Musk Effect” to Blame?
Is it the “Musk Factor” at play? Industry analysts say a growing backlash aimed at Tesla CEO Elon Musk is clearly responsible for the carmaker’s sliding sales and market share in the key EV market of California, as well as in Europe. But that only complicates the challenges the automaker is facing from growing competition from both traditional automakers like Hyundai, GM and Ford, as well as th increasingly aggressive Chinese brands. More from Headlight.News.
Headlight.News For The Week of 2-3-2025
In this week’s episode of the podcast, we talk about Trump’s tariffs and how they affect the automotive industry. We also highlight how many automakers are rethinking their EV plans amid changing market conditions.
Autonomous Driving Tech Plans Helping Some, Cursing Others in Auto Industry
Not long after General Motors revealed it was getting of its autonomous driving subsidiary, Cruise, Waymo is expanding the number of its testing cities and Tesla CEO Elon Musk made the technology part of his rosy forecast for 2025. Will self-driving cars make it or not? Get details at Headlight.News.