A group of seven major automakers officially launched Ionna — aimed at becoming an EV charging network to rival the Tesla Supercharging system — and, in the process, give motorists more confidence they’ll be able to charge up their battery-electric vehicles wherever they travel.
Volkswagen “remains committed” to its aggressive EV program, the automaker’s U.S. chief executive said. But, as sales growth slows, the German auto giant is also considering adding hybrids and plug-in hybrids to its American fleet. And it’s not alone. Other manufacturers who’ve made major commitments to EVs, such as Kia, are also turning to hybrids to help them meet emissions targets because of consumer resistance to all-electric vehicles.
The VW trend took off in the 1960s, as the loosening culture embraced the idea of a low-cost, easy-to-fix car. The low cost was key as the Boomer generation came of age and went looking for America. Read the whole story at Headlight.News.
With EVs mandated to reach 50% of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2030 — and to replace internal combustion models by 2035 in the EU — the search is on for the battery technology that can win over consumers with longer range, lower costs and quicker charging speeds. But solid-state, the technology expected to replace today’s lithium-ion batteries, is so far failing to live up to its hype.
Computers, TVs, drones, “smart” appliances, digital cameras. If those are the things you think of when someone mentions “consumer electronics,” you’re not alone. But you should add automobiles to the list as, these days, they’re starting to look more like smartphones on wheels. Indeed, high-tech “mobility” was one of the big topics at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And Headlight.News was there, checking out the latest high-tech vehicles, features and services. These are the standouts.
With their market share under pressure, German brands Audi, BMW and Porsche succeeded in posting record sales for 2023 as the industry had its best year since the pandemic crushed sales and the supply chains. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Despite its increasingly aggressive push to electrify, Volkswagen isn’t walking away from some of its most familiar models, notably the Golf GTI. And it offered a first, thinly disguised look at the hot hatch, due out next year, during a news conference at CES 2024 this week.
Today’s cars are computers on wheels. But Volkswagen plans to make its products even smarter by adding the ChatGPT artificial intelligence system to a mix of new gas and electric models, including the all-new Tiguan and ID.4. But American motorists will have to wait.
After watching prices on new vehicles come down over the course of 2023, several brands rolled out price increases on their 2024 models. Jeep, Dodge, Toyota, Volkswagen and GMC all hiked prices from as little as $150 to more than $4,000 — although GMC did cut the price on one vehicle. Find out more at Headlight.News.
The New Year brings bad news for potential EV buyers as only a handful of models now qualify for federal tax credits of up to $7,500. That’s because of new requirements covering the sourcing of batteries and raw materials like lithium and cobalt. Among the brands impacted are Tesla, Nissan, General Motors and Ford. And analysts worry this could further slow growth of EV sales.
At least 40 new battery-electric vehicles are due to reach U.S. showrooms in 2024 — and that’s a conservative estimate as we’ve had a number of surprises dropped on us by both domestic and foreign-owned brands. If anything, the flood of EV offerings will likely accelerate going forward. Here’s a look at some of the models we’re expecting in 2025 and 2026. Headlight.News checks out 45 of them.
As recently as 2019 you’d have to struggle to find an EV at your local showroom. Today, however, there are more than 50 different nameplates available in the U.S., the vast majority offered with range exceeding 200 miles – and some products doubling that figure. But the pace of introductions is only set to accelerate, with dozens of new battery-electric vehicles soon coming to market. Headlight.News checks out the most interesting and important products debuting in 2024.