Volkswagen is teaming up with Uber to field what eventually could be thousands of fully driverless ID.Buzz microbuses. The first should show up on Los Angeles streets next year. Headlight.News has more.
Deals and acquisitions
Bezos-Backed Slate Set to Enter EV Market with $25,000 Pickup
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is getting ready to punch his way into the auto industry, with what several sources tell Headlight.News will be a new all-electric pickup set to start as low as $25,000. Expected to be called Slate Auto, the start-up will use Amazon’s online power to market the new vehicle. More from Headlight.News.
Protests Rising, Tesla Q1 Sales Plunged to Lowest Level in Three Years
Tesla sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell to their lowest level in three years, even as overall EV command continued to rise worldwide. The plunge reflected a growing backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s political shift to the far right and his role as head of the Trump administration’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency. Headlight.News has this breaking story.
Shake-up at Volvo: Rowan Out, Samuelsson Back in as CEO
In an unexpected move, Jim Rowan is stepping down at CEO of Swedish-based, Chinese-automaker Volvo Cars. He will be replaced by Hakan Samuelsson, who previous served in that role from 2012 to 2022. The move comes at a time when Volvo is aggressively moving to EVs but also faces a variety of tariff issues in the U.S. and Europe. More from Headlight.News.
Hyundai Set to Invest $21 Billion in U.S.
Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest $21 billion for a variety of U.S.-based projects, including steel production and the expansion of its U.S. automotive production to 1.2 million vehicles annually. That more than doubles what the South Korean has invested since entering the U.S. market in 1986. More from Headlight.News.
Missing $1.4 Billion Brings Tesla’s Accounting of Assets and Spending Under New Scrutiny
The accounting of Tesla’s capital spending and assets, particularly what appears to be a missing $1.4 billion, are prompting new questions about spending by the company and its uber-wealthy CEO Elon Musk.
GM, Hyundai Working Up Product-Sharing Alliance for Pickups, EV Vans
General Motors and Hyundai are said to be in talks that would lead to significant product sharing in the pickup and commercial EV van segments, according to a new report. Such a move would expand on the alliance the two automakers recently announced focusing on hydrogen fuel-cell technology. More from Headlight.News.
Taiwan’s Foxconn Reportedly Doing EV Deals with Two Japanese Automakers – including Mitsubishi
Best known as the manufacturer of Apple’s iPhone, Foxconn is reportedly locking down a deal to produce battery-electric vehicles with two Japanese automakers. Details have yet to be revealed but Mitsubishi appears to be one of the new partners and there is speculation Foxconn may be working out arrangements with either Nissan or Honda, those two Japanese automakers having failed to secure their own merger deal. More from Headlight.News.
Nissan Names “Real Car Guy” as its New CEO
Nissan has again shaken up its top management team, this time appointing Ivan Espinosa as its new CEO. He replaces Makoto Uchida who, critics said, failed to reverse the ongoing decline of Japan’s second-largest automaker. The automaker’s chairman warned the new chief executive will face a “challenging start” during a Tokyo news conference that also revealed a number of other senior management changes.
Despite Bullish Forecasts, Wall Street Is Walking Away From Tesla
The bulls are still, well, bullish, when it comes to Tesla stock, but the rest of Wall Street seems increasingly nervous and that’s cost the EV maker fully half of its market capitalization since reaching a mid-December, post-election high. And one man appears to catch most of the blame: CEO Elon Musk. More from Headlight.News.
With Trump’s Canadian and Mexican Tariffs on Brief Hold, European Automakers Wonder if They’re Next
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would delay by a month new tariffs covering Canadian and Mexican auto imports. But even with that delay, the industry is waiting to see if Trump will next move to target additional trade partners. Trump has already hinted that European automakers could be next in his sights. More from Headlight.News.
Is the State Dept. Trying to Cover Up the Truth About the $400M Cybertruck Purchase?
Did the U.S. State Department craft a $400 million windfall deal for Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk as payback for the executive’s leading role in the Trump administration? And is it now trying to cover up the truth behind the proposed purchase of armored versions of the Tesla Cybertruck? That’s a question one ranking member of the Senate is trying to find out.