Ford may be slowing its $11-billion EV investment program but it’s still rolling out new entries, and two of them will make their debut at the Chicago Auto Show this coming week. Notably, both the Mustang Mach-E Rally and F-150 Lightning Switchgear take aim at those looking for off-road-capable battery-electric vehicles, a growing EV niche. See the story at Headlight.News.
Automakers recalled more than 1 million vehicles Tuesday, with Honda leading the way. The Japanese automaker recalled 750,000 vehicles with airbags that could deploy unintentionally during a crash. GM also issued a recall for 300,000 vehicles. Find out more at Headlight.News.
BMW executives have repeatedly mentioned the Bavarian automaker’s product plans included plenty of future cars with manual transmissions, including one in particular: the Z4. The company confirmed plans for a “handschalter” model for 2025. Get details at Headlight.News.
Elon Musk created a fair share of controversy several years ago when he appeared to smoke a joint during an appearance with podcaster Joe Rogan. A new report is kicking up even more dust, the Wall Street Journal alleging money and drugs have improperly tied the Tesla CEO to the same board of directors that previously approved a $55 billion pay package for Musk.
The iconic Mercedes-Benz tri-star badge today graces a wide range of products, from the little CLA sedan to the flagship GLS crossover. It’s also found on one of the world’s most popular vans, the big Sprinter. And, as the German automaker accelerates its switch to zero-emissions propulsion, the latest model to go all-electric is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. Headlight.News spent a day in Southern California testing it out and discovered it was surprisingly fun to drive while delivering plenty of range. It also maintains the flexibility of the classic Sprinter and could even wind up with an RV option.
Headlight News for the Week of 2-5-24: Tesla Recalls, Musk’s Pay, Chicago and Geneva Auto Shows, Lexus GX Review and The Week Ahead. Check out the podcast for the latest.
Despite a modest increase in sales last year, Mitsubishi Motors earnings took a tumble during the most recent quarter. Bargain-basement pricing and rising incentives took much of the blame. But it hasn’t helped that the automaker has a miniscule product lineup that leaves little for dealers to sell. Company officials now hope to tap allies Nissan and Renault to help add new products to help put Mitsubishi back on the radar, especially in the critical U.S. market.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration moved its probe into Tesla’s power steering loss from a probe to an engineering analysis as the company recalled 2.2 million vehicles due to a font size issue. Get details at Headline.News.
Japanese automakers, boosted by their hybrid technology, posted sales gains in January, and South Korean automakers saw sales of their EVs increase. Get the details about January sales at Headlight.News.
Struggling Polestar faces some serious financial challenges now that Volvo, its Swedish parent, plans to cut off funding for the battery-electric startup. It’s the latest sign of retrenchment by the auto industry as the rapid growth of EV sales has started to flatten out. Volvo itself continues to move forward with plans to become an all-electric brand by decade’s end. Investors applauded the move — and Volvo’s stronger than expected earnings.
More vehicle buyers — new and used — said they were satisfied with the experience in 2023 than the previous two years, according to a new Cox Automotive study. Electric vehicle buyers were the happiest with 80% saying they were satisfied. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Not long ago, Lexus buyers had a single utility vehicle to choose from: the time-tested RX. Today, the Japanese luxury brand has one of the broadest portfolios of SUVs and CUVs on the market. That includes the Lexus GX which, for 2024, gets a ground-up makeover. There’s a new chassis, a new engine, a more classic exterior design and a more high-tech interior. There’s also the all-new Overtrail trim package which adds more rugged features that, as its name suggests, will allow for more serious off-road adventures. Headlight.News headed down to Tucson, Arizona to test out the 2024 Lexus GX.