Headlight News for the Week of 12-4-23 talks about the first deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck, the UAW targets imports, and EV reliability issues. We also review the Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid, preview this week’s stories and check out this week in automotive history. Check it all out at Headlight.News.
When it comes to EVs, Toyota and Nissan have been slow to join the party. But the two manufacturers plan to rapidly expand their offerings over the next several years. Between them, they’ve announced a combined nine new all-electric models due to reach showrooms in the next few years. Unfortunately for American motorists, most or all of those new EVs won’t be coming to the States. Headlight.News has more on the new Toyota and Nissan EVs.
Most automakers in the U.S. enjoyed positive results in November, but Ford’s numbers ran counter to the larger trend. The Michigan-based automaker saw sales drop 0.5% last month, but it could have been worse as EVs and hybrids were up substantially. Find out more at Headlight.News.
For the second time this year, EV start-up Fisker has scaled back production plans, and now expects to roll out half as many Ocean SUVs as it planned at the beginning of the year. But that was fine with Wall Street, its stock price rising nearly 9% as the week came to a close. Headlight.News looks at what’s behind the cutback, and why it pleases investors.
In recent days, several automotive executives have discussed scaling back their EV and battery production plans and started talking up the advantages of hybrids. Much of this was tied to thoughts that company’s overestimated the demand for electric vehicles, especially in light of the flattening of sales in recent months. GM CFO Paul Jacobson pumped the brakes on that notion. Get details at Headlight.News.
The race is on to build a better EV, one delivering enhanced range and lower costs, among other things. Most of the attention has focused on next-generation batteries. But Hyundai is betting it has come up with a critical breakthrough by, quite literally, reinventing the wheel. Headlight.News checks out the Hyundai Uni Wheel.
Almost precisely four years after unveiling its first electric pickup, and after a long series of delays, Tesla finally delivered the first Cybertruck to customers at its Texas assembly plant on Thursday afternoon. The question is whether the all-electric pickup will live up to the hype it has received –considering it falls well short of its original range target while prices are 50% higher than what was promised in 2019. Even the automaker’s CEO Elon Musk isn’t as confident as normal.
The Biden admin. may give a critical boost to the auto industry as sales of battery-electric vehicles slow, temporarily lifting rules sharply curtailing the number of EVs qualifying for federal tax credits. But the senator who introduced the restrictions says he’ll fight any rollback, reports Headlight.News.
With EV sales growth slowing down, General Motors “is currently assessing” its massive investment in battery-electric vehicles. And, while it remains committed to CEO Mary Barra’s “path to an all-electric future,” it will shift more emphasis to the hybrids and plug-ins it was planning to abandon. And other automakers, including Ford and Stellantis, are likewise shifting direction. If anything, this validates Toyota’s strategy calling for a mix of EVs, hybrids and PHEVs, reports Headlight.News.
General Motors continues looking at its business with a critical eye, planning to cut back its spending on its robocab subsidiary Cruise. The company recently revealed plans to slow its cadence on electric vehicle introductions. The new cuts come after a Cruise robocab was involved in a collision with a pedestrian. Get details at Headlight.News.
Rivian’s making it easier get into one of their EVs, kicking off its leasing program. The lease option for the R1T Adventure Package is priced at $6,794 at signing, plus $899 a month for 36 months with 30,000 total miles allowed. Read the story at Headlight.News.
The iconic Volkswagen brand is facing major problems that make it “no longer competitive,” the automaker told its staff on Monday, and that has triggered a 10 billion euro, or $10.9 billion, cost saving program that will include job cuts. More from Headlight.News.