Hoping to get it right after a botched launch of its original EV, Vietnamese start-up VinFast is ready to roll its second offering into U.S. showrooms. To increase the appeal of the three-row VF 9, VinFast has slashed the sticker price by more than $10,000 on the base model and $18,000 on the more lavishly equipped Plus package.
Green Power
New Vehicle Sales Expected to Make Big Jump in August
The auto industry’s been expecting a big sales month at some point this summer in the wake of the CDK outage that cut into new vehicle sales in mid-June. Some thought it would come in July, but inventory levels we’re quite settled. But now it appears everything’s in place for a 7% year-over-year increase. Find out more at Headlight.News.
GM Recalling 1,200 Cruise Robotaxis to End U.S. Safety Probe
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration agreed to end its probe of General Motors’ Cruise subsidiary’s robotaxis after it agreed to recall 1,200 of the vehicles. Go to Headlight.News for a closer look and details.
Ford Revises EV Plans, Dumps 3-Row SUV, Delays Next-Gen Pickup
Ford officials revealed the company’s plan to adjust the production timing of its future electric vehicles as well as other future product changes. The moves are designed to improve the company’s profitability while ensuring it hits its long-term environmental goals. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Cadillac Opulent Velocity Concept Balances, Luxury, Performance and Technology
As it celebrates the 20th anniversary of its high-performance V-Series, Cadillac rolls out a new concept vehicle that aims to demonstrate where the brand can go in the future. Its name, Opulent Velocity, reveals the goal of balancing new levels of luxury and performance. Headlight.News takes a closer look.
Tesla Cybertruck Range Too Short? No Problem – Second Battery Will Cost $16,000, Take up 1/3 of the Cargo Bed
The Tesla Cybertruck missed a number of earlier targets, coming in 50% more expensive than planned, while offering about a third less range than promised by CEO Elon Musk back in 2019. Now, the automaker is ready to address the range problem by offering a range-extender battery that sits in the forward part of the bed. But it creates other problems: adding substantial cost while reducing cargo capacity.
UAW Charges Musk, Trump With Trying to Intimidate Workers
The United Auto Workers is challenging the explicitly anti-union, and anti-workers language used by former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk during an interview on Musk’s social media service X on Monday.
Musk Uses Live Conversation With Trump to Pitch EVs to Candidate’s Skeptical Followers
It was billed as an “interview” with presidential candidate Donald Trump but billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk used the Monday night event on social media service X to promote the benefits of EVs – those from Tesla, in particular. It’s no easy sell, at least to the former president’s followers.
Tesla Halts Orders for Base Cybertruck, Shifts Focus to $100,000 Model
Tesla has stopped taking orders for the $61,000 Cybertruck, making a $100,000 version of the electric pickup the new base offering. The move surprised many observers as demand appears to be falling well short of initial expectations – and comes just days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged Cybertruck may be overpriced.
ChargePoint Develops New Charging Plug to Work With All EVs
Last year automaker after automaker agreed to use Tesla’s Charging System, more precisely the unique plug. They did this, of course, to gain access to the Supercharger network, and Tesla certainly welcomed the expected cash that should roll in with it. However, this left EV owners whose vehicles still had the non-Tesla ports twisting in the wind. However, change is coming, reports Headlight.News.
Auto Industry Remains Central to Presidential Race
As the 2024 Presidential campaign moves into higher gear, the U.S. auto industry is once again at the center of the nation’s political conversation. There are numerous places where candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump conflict. But they suddenly seem to agree on one key issue – sort of – EVs.
Acura Performance EV Concept Set to Debut at During Monterey Car Week
Slow to get into the EV market, Acura is making up for lost time. With its first, the ZDX, soon to reach showrooms, the luxury brand is hinting at what could come next with this teaser image. The “segment defying” Acura Performance EV Concept is set to debut at Monterey Car Week later this month.