As of noon on Monday, the United States has a new president – and Donald Trump is expected to move quickly to implement an agenda calling for major changes in America’s domestic and foreign policies. The auto industry, in particular, could feel the impact of Trump’s agenda in a variety of ways: from foreign trade to EV and emissions policies. Here’s a closer look at what that might means.
Lexus is giving its RC and RC F sports coupes a “sonorous swan song,” finishing their run at the end of 2025. While the Japanese luxury brand does retain some passenger car models it mirrors the broader industry’s ongoing move to abandon passenger vehicles in favor of SUVs, CUVs and pickups.
Setting up a nationwide public charging network is a critical step to encourage the shift to battery-electric vehicles. But that effort is being hampered by vandals and thieves, some cutting charger cables to recycle their valuable copper. Now, however, at least one charging company is fighting back. Headlight.News has more.
Officials at EV maker Polestar said that it’s going to take longer than originally forecast for the nascent automaker to be in the black. It also delayed a planned expansion to new companies. Check out the story at Headlight.News.
Chinese automotive exports hit an all-time record last year – even while being effectively locked out of the U.S. market. But despite incoming Pres. Donald Trump’s threat to put still more tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles, the doors may not be locked forever. And anyone who checked out the new Zeekr brand’s news conference and display at the Consumer Electronics Show is likely to understand why that worries other manufacturers.
It’s been five years since Toyota announced plans to open an entirely new city in the shadow of Japan iconic Mount Fuji. The first phase of development of this “test course for mobility is now complete and the automaker is about to invite the first “weavers” and “inventors” to start moving in. Headlight.News has more.
During his first term in office Pres. Donald Trump attempted to roll back federal fuel economy standards. He has signaled plans to take similar steps when he returns to office and may also issue orders that could reduce demand for highly efficient EVs. But that would fly in the face of what a new survey shows: improved fuel economy “at least somewhat important” to 96% of American drivers, crossing political boundaries.
After several weak years triggered by the COVID pandemic, Chinese auto sales surged to a new record nearly twice that of the U.S. market. And strong demand for EVs and hybrids played a critical role, according to industry data. Meanwhile, Chinese auto exports also surged to record levels. More from Headlight.News.
If you want job security, it seems, you might hope to land the role as General Motors’ head of design. There’ve only been seven people to hold that position over the last century. But that exclusive club will soon grow to eight as Michael Simcoe steps down and hands his pens to GM veteran Bryan Nesbitt. Here’s more on the transition.
If you’re wondering just how bad things got for Stellantis last year, consider the fact that its Ram pickup fell off the podium, losing its traditional third-place position in the U.S. sales race – behind the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado – to Toyota’s RAV4 SUV. Overall, the Euro-American automaker was one of only two manufacturers to report a decline in sales in 2024 and faces serious challenges to turn things around in 2025.
The new year is likely to be a big year when it comes to the auto industry, especially with a new president coming into office who has signaled plans to scrap EV sales incentives and enact hefty new tariffs on imported auto parts and fully assembled vehicles. We’ve...
While EV sales growth has slowed down this past year, demand was still up by about 10% in 2024. And the numbers would have been even bigger were it not for Tesla. While still the market leader, it suffered a first-ever annual sales decline last year. A variety of factors were at play, including CEO Elon Musk’s increasingly polarizing politics. More from Headlight.News.