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.
Oh, what a year it was. 2024 took saw a number of predictable stories top our coverage on Headlight.News, but the year also saw some surprising twists and turns — like the planned merger between Honda and Nissan – that no one likely would, or could, have predicted 12 months ago. There was some good news for consumers, and some bad. Some automakers made out like bandits, while others are now struggling with an uncertain future. Here are the 2024 stories that our editorial team found most compelling.
The U.S. Department of Energy finalized a $9.63 billion loan for Ford Motor Co. and South Korea’s SK On to help finance the construction of three new EV battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky. Get the final details at Headlight.News.
According to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the “greenest” or most efficient vehicles running about on American roadways is the compact SUV. The data shows it’s passed the small sedan as the greenest machine on the street. Find out how at Headlight.News.
President-elect Donald Trump again affirmed his plans to levy a 25% tax on all imported goods from Mexico and Canada. The constant threat has many worried about massive price hikes for new vehicles while others point to Trump’s reasoning for the tariffs and call it a negotiation ploy. Get details at Headlight.News.
With its EV sales in Europe and the U.S. slowing, Tesla has become more dependent on sales in China. But the competition is fierce, and trade tensions could hamper Elon Musk’s ambitious future. Musk’s central role in the incoming Trump administration further complicates matters.
Georgia politicians can now breathe easier as Rivian’s plans to build an electric vehicle production plant about an hour north of Atlanta appear to be back on track. The California-based EV maker secured a $6.6 billion loan from the Department of Energy to build the plant, which was put on hold earlier this year. The loan comes in addition to $1.5 billion in state incentives already granted. Details at Headlight.News.
Automakers in the U.S., Europe and Japan have announced thousands of job cuts over the past month and there’s growing concern the pace could increase as the industry moves into an uncertain new year, with a new presidential administration in Washington threatening to upend automotive rules and regulations — and possibly the economy, as well. Check out the story at Headlight.News.
President-elect Donald Trump named Sean Duffy as his choice to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation. Duffy is a former U.S. Congressman from Wisconsin, and he is the second selection plucked from Fox News. Get details at Headlight.News.
Wondering what influence Tesla CEO Elon Musk may be having within the newly elected Trump administration? The incoming leaders of the U.S. Department of Transportation are readying to loosen the rules for self-driving vehicles, which would include Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology. Get details at Headlight.News.
Less than a week after federal safety regulators hit Ford with one of the largest fines in automotive history, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched two new investigations into the way the automaker has handled some recent recalls.