There were high hopes when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group officially completed their merger on January 16, 2021. But things haven’t worked out quite as planned, the automaker now known as Stellantis struggling to reverse a sharp decline in sales and earnings. While the company insists it’s on the mend, some wonder if it would be better to consider this a failed experiment and break the company up. That notably includes former CEO Carlos Tavares. Headlight.News has more.
General Motors looked to be the leader in the electric vehicle market by investing heavily in the segment, and that push crimped its Q3 earnings numbers as it took a $1.6 billion charge to offset investments in its EV operations during the period. However, the company still reported a profit, and investors are happy. Get details at Headlight.News.
Stellantis has temporarily halted production at a Jeep plant in Warren, Michigan, even as three Ford plants sit idle. All face a shortage of aluminum due to a fire at a supplier plant. Meanwhile, automakers are beginning to fret there could be more closures coming across the industry due to semiconductor shortages – repeating a crisis that cast the industry millions of vehicles in lost production during the COVID crisis. Headlight.News has more.
Just as new car prices are starting to rise due to tariffs applied by the Trump administration, automakers may be getting a break on some of them. The move may not ease prices short term, but it would prevent them from rising in the future. Get details at Headlight.News.
The Trump administration’s trade war is proving costly for the auto industry which will wind up paying about $10.6 billion in tariffs – just on autos and auto parts imported from Canada and Mexico – through the end of October, and while they’ve largely absorbed most of those costs, so far, consumers can expect to start seeing more of those tariffs passed on in new vehicle prices in 2026 and beyond, reports Headlight.News.
The current versions of the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 models – including high-performance Blackwing packages – will be dropped at the end of the 2026 model year – though a replacement for the bigger sedan is set to follow in 2027.
Ferrari on Thursday revealed details about its first battery-powered model, the Elettrica. But the Italian automaker is delaying a second EV. And it’s not alone. Ford has scrapped several all-electric models, while Nissan pulled the plug on the 2026 Ariya. Acura just ended production of the ZDX and Stellantis has abandoned the all-electric Ram REV. Those are among a growing list of planned EVs that no longer will make it into production — or will be substantially delayed. Here are some of the others.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says he has “never been more confident than I am today” about the future of the struggling EV manufacturer. That’s despite a series of challenges facing the battery-electric vehicle sector in general – including the loss of federal EV tax credits and the rise of the low-cost Chinese competitors who are threatening to enter the U.S. market. A critical test will come early next year with the launch of Rivian’s more affordable R2 model line. But it’s also counting on joint ventures and alliances like those with Volkswagen and Amazon, reports Headlight.News.
Tariffs enacted by Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump effectively closed the door on auto imports from China – only a few products now entering the U.S. But, despite the current hefty tariffs, observers expect that the Trump administration will soon open the American market up to Chinese products, while also encouraging manufacturers like BYD and Geely to set up U.S. manufacturing operations. While American motorists would likely welcome vehicles like the $20,000 BYD Dolphin, this could pose an “existential threat” to traditional automakers, reports Headlight.News.
Strong sales by the Jeep and Ram brands helped Stellantis reverse its long sales slide during the third quarter, even as Volkswagen faltered in the face of a challenging economy. While U.S. auto sales are running stronger than expected, analysts still worry about the impact of tariffs and the federal government shutdown in the months ahead.
On this week’s podcast, we talk about the $2B hack of Jaguar Land Rover, the rise of new vehicle prices as automakers stop covering all the costs of the tariffs, the end of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, increasing road rage incidents and more. You can get a link at Headlight.News or go straight to Spotify.
In this week’s podcast, we look at the rising prices of new vehicles in the U.S., the new trade deal between the U.S. and Japan, and we say goodbye to Subaru’s legacy, er, we mean THE Subaru Legacy as it rolls off the production line in Indiana for the final time. We also review the 2025 Toyota Corolla FX and more. Get the link at Headlight.News.