Headlight News for the Week of 4-1-24: NY Auto Show Debuts – World Car of the Year – Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 Review – and This Week in Automotive History.
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Ford Making Further Cuts at F-150 Lightning Plant
Slowing sales of its F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup has Ford cutting workers at the Detroit-area plant that builds the trucks. EV sales are on the rise, but that hasn’t translated to the lofty predictions made by the automaker. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Fisker Cuts Prices Up to 39% as It Battles to Stave Off Bankruptcy
Nascent EV maker Fisker’s battle to stay solvent now has the company adopting a new strategy: low-cost EV maker. The company slashed prices across its lineup by as much as 39%, including a low sticker of just under $25K. Get the details at Headlight.News.
Hyundai’s All-New 2025 Tucson Kicks Off Day One of NYIAS
South Korean automaker Hyundai gives its Tucson sport-utility a major overhaul for 2025 model year. Immediately noticeable is redesigned front fascia, but the bigger change comes inside the cabin, which completely different than its predecessor. Headlight.News was at the debut in NYC and has the details.
Q&A: Hyundai Motor Group COO Jose Munoz is “Doubling Down” on EVs
After growing nearly 800% between 2019 and early 2023, the growth in EV sales has begun to slow in recent months. But despite some reports, U.S. demand is expected to still grow from 1.2 million to 1.5 million in 2024. While some automakers, such as Ford, Volkswagen and General Motors are pulling back on their commitments to electrify, at least one major executive, Hyundai’s Jose Munoz, says he is “doubling down” on EVs. Find out why at Headlight.News.
Genesis Goes to Extremes with New GV60 Magma Performance SUV and Neolun Flagship Concept
Genesis intends to put more emotion into its brand, as it set out to prove during a Monday evening news event ahead of the New York International Auto Show. The Korean luxury brand confirmed plans to launch an all-new line-up of performance models starting with the GV60 Magma, a version of its compact all-electric SUV. Separately, Genesis also unveiled the Neolun Concept, an all but ready-for-production SUV flagship.
Nissan Reveals Product Planning Arc Between Biz Plans
Japanese automaker Nissan plans to introduce 30 new vehicles, including seven in the U.S. and Canada as it seeks to bridge the gap between its current organizational plans. It’s dubbed the new plan, The Arc. Get the details at Headlight.News.
Fisker Talks with Nissan Collapse; Bankruptcy Looms Larger
Talks between Fisker and Nissan have collapsed, the troubled EV start-up reported. And with its shares plunging on the news, trading was halted on the Nasdaq exchange as the likelihood of a bankruptcy filing grow larger.
VW Bringing Electric Performance Cupra Brand to U.S.
It’s already announced plans to bring the long-dormant Scout brand back to life. Now, Volkswagen will introduce its European-based Cupra, to the U.S. market, the performance division’s CEO says. It will debut later this decade with two all-electric utility vehicles.
Automakers Expected to Post Double-Digit Sales Gains for March
The run on strong new vehicle sales should continue in March, according to a forecast from J.D. Power and GlobalData. New vehicle sales are expected to jump 12.1% for March and 4.5% for the first quarter. Get details at Headlight.News.
Harsh! Consumer Reports Trashes New Fisker Ocean as “Inexcusable”
“Incomplete” and “Inexcusable.” Things haven’t been going well for Fisker Inc., the EV start-up that has begun taking steps that could lead to a bankruptcy filing in the coming weeks. Fisker has also announced it is halting production for six weeks. It’s unclear if the company will use that pause to address some of the issues with its first product line, the Fisker Ocean. Based on a new review by Consumer Reports, the list is a long one.
All-New BMW Vision Neue Klasse X Reveals the Future of BMW’s SAV Line-Up
There are some big changes in the works at BMW and the Bavarian automaker has is offering a clear sign of what’s coming in the form of the all-electric BMW Vision Neue Klasse X. It marks the first time we’re seeing what future versions of the company’s Sport Activity Vehicle line-up will look like.