In this week’s episode of the podcast we talk about the planned merger between Nissan and Honda, Tesla’s newest recall, and Honda teasing the Prelude hybrid and a new EV. We also go for a spin in the all-new Dodge Charger Daytona, and take a trip through This Week in Automotive History.
Tesla announced plans to recall nearly 700,000 vehicles due to a problem with the tire pressure monitoring system in those vehicles. The warning light may not remain lit during the entirety of the problem. Find out more at Headlight.News.
General Motors announced plans to partner with ChargePoint to install 500 new ultra-fast charging points. The new ports will be set up at various locations across the U.S. by the end of next year. Get details at Headlight.News.
The U.S. Department of Energy finalized a $9.63 billion loan for Ford Motor Co. and South Korea’s SK On to help finance the construction of three new EV battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky. Get the final details at Headlight.News.
Mercedes released teaser images of what will be a new line of family-sized all-electric vans. Based on its EV-only VAN.EA platform, the German automaker is confident enough to bring it back to the U.S. market where it’s been out of the people-mover segment for some time.
Texas-based EV maker Tesla becomes “more American” this year by capturing the top three spots in the 2024 Made in America Auto Index and while sharing No. 4 with Ford. The Tesla Model 3 Performance was the top finisher. Find out the rest at Headlight.News.
Tesla’s on-again/off-again effort to develop an affordable EV may be on again, at least according to a report by Deutsche Bank. It issued a new report claiming the automaker will launch a new vehicle that could come in under $30,000 in the U.S. — at least with the help of federal tax credits, though those may go underway when the Trump administration returns to the White House next year. Get details at Headlight.News.
General Motors is shutting down its Cruise robocab program, shifting resources to the development of self-driving privately owned vehicles. The move comes a year after the subsidiary was blamed for a near-fatal accident near its San Francisco headquarters. It effectively hands what proponents see as a potentially huge market to competitors like Waymo and Tesla.
Lucid Motors has started rolling out its second product line and the all-new Gravity line is likely to determine whether the struggling start-off takes to the air or comes crashing back to earth. The first version of the electric SUV will start at $96,550, with lower-priced trims to follow late next year.
Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, there are some clear challenges to owning an EV, starting with using public chargers. The good news is that more and more are going in across the country – and seemingly by the day. And it’s about to get easier to use them without having to set up separate accounts with each charger brand. In fact, you’ll soon be able to “plug-and-charge” without having to use an app or credit card, making the process even easier than getting gas.
Four years after announcing plans to set up its own mobility division – and three years after confirming it would partner with Honda to develop a new EV – Sony will reveal a near production-ready version of an all-electric sedan at the Consumer Electronics Show next month. The all-wheel-drive model will put a premium on in-car entertainment technology and be marketed under the brand name Afeela.
With sales of electrified sales climbing, even as inflation and interest rates fall, Ford, Toyota, and Honda all reported strong sales in November. General Motors also hinted it had a big month while Tesla pulls back on Cybertruck.