On this week’s podcast, Headlight News covers the debut of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ new EV company, Slate, and its first product and electric pickup. We also review the 2025 Cadillac Optiq and look at the other stories coming in the week ahead.
Government
Uber Set to Launch Fleet of Autonomous VW ID.Buzz Microbuses
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.
Trump Administration Eases Rules for Autonomous Vehicle Development Standards
Under the guise of unleashing “American ingenuity,” the Trump administration eased some of the rules regarding the development and testing autonomous vehicles. Among the changes, automakers will not be required to report certain types of crashes involving their self-driving cars. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Bye-Bye Buick? Trump Tariffs Could Kill this GM Brand
Carmakers are scrambling to adapt to the tariffs Pres. Donald Trump has enacted, U.S. new vehicle sales estimated to drop as much as 2 million this year due to higher prices. But no brand is as vulnerable as Buick. That’s because the vast majority of the General Motors brand’s products are imported from South Korea and China.
April Car Sales Jump as Americans Look to Beat Tariff Price Increases
Concerns about a potential substantial increase in new vehicle prices has sent Americans scrambling to car dealers in April — the second straight month. The result is big sales numbers and shrinking inventory that could end up raising prices anyway. Get details at Headlight.News.
Trump Signals U-Turn on Chinese Tariffs – Potentially Big News for Auto Industry
President Trump signaled tariffs on Chinese imports would “come down substantially,” though no specifics have yet been released by the White House. The news had stock markets rallying and automakers hoping this could reduce their own burden, analysts previously warning that tariffs could cost the U.S. industry up to 2 million sales this year. But manufacturers are still facing big hits from tariffs on Mexican and Canadian-made autos and auto parts, reports Headlight.News.
Musk Says He’s Returning in a Month to Focus on Tesla
Tesla CEO Elon Musk attempted to use the EV maker’s earnings calls to quell concerns about his work with the Trump administration. He plans to leave his day-to-day role at the Department of Government Efficiency in a month to focus on Tesla. Get details about Musk’s plans and Tesla at Headlight.News.
Ford Warns Dealers Tariff Price Hikes are Coming
As buyers snap up unsold vehicles, Ford cautions dealers prices will be going up as the result of the new Trump auto tariffs. And other manufacturers say they likely will follow. More from Headlight.News.
Higher Tariffs, Plummeting Consumer Confidence, Threaten to Crash Auto Sales
The outlook for the automotive industry is starting to look increasingly dim, automakers frantically searching for a way to respond to the Trump administration’s broad tariff on imported autos and auto parts. The question is whether to raise prices and risk a sharp slump in sales or absorb tariffs and crash earnings.
Trump May Offer Exemptions on Import Auto Tariffs
President Donald Trump signaled he may again reverse himself on a key part of his tariff plan, this time telling reporters that he is “looking at” temporary exemptions from the 25% tariffs covering imported autos and auto parts. Experts warned that plan would add thousands of dollars to the cost of both U.S. and foreign-made vehicles and cost the industry nearly 2 million sales for all of 2025. Headlight.News has more.
Trump Pauses Most Tariffs – But Leaves Those Impacting Autos in Place
President Donald Trump paused for 90 days most of the tariffs that went into effect earlier this month targeting virtually all U.S. trade partners. But he left in place sectoral tariffs, notably including those imparting import autos and auto parts, as well as foreign-made steel and aluminum. He also increased tariffs on countries, such as China, that responded to his original order with increased trade sanctions of their own. Headlight.News has more.
Trump Puts 90-Day Freeze on Tariffs, Except China and Automakers
After days of watching the stock market crash again and again, members of his own party begin to revolt, and an outcry from businesses of all types, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on the global tariffs he revealed last week. Find out why at Headlight.News.