On this week’s Headlight News podcast: Cadillac Delivers Most Expensive Model Ever, A New Oil Crisis, a Honda CR-V TrailSport Review, and This Week in Automotive History. Check it out at Headlight.News.
Green Power
First Drive: Honda Gets Dirty with the 2026 CR-V TrailSport
It’s been nearly three decades since the Honda CR-V made its U.S. debut. Back then, folks derisively dubbed it a “soft-roader,” capable of handling not much more than a bit of gravel – if anyone ever chose to take it off pavement. Now, however, Honda is rolling out a new CR-V TrailSport package that, it claims, adds more off-road capabilities. Just how much more? Headlight.News headed into the San Jacinto Mountains near San Diego to find out. Here’s our review.
“Used” EV Batteries Are Going to Keep the Grid Powered Up
Between heat waves and major storms, the number of blackouts and brownouts has increased sharply in recent years, but a start-up launched by a former Tesla exec plans to use as many as 100,000 old EV batteries in “second-like” backup energy storage systems to minimize the risk of grid outages. More from Headlight.News.
Judge Sets Back Trump’s Anti-EV Agenda; Frees Up Public Charger Funding
A U.S. District Court judge has ordered the White House to release about $1 billion in funds set aside for the construction of a nationwide public EV charging network. The funds were frozen by Pres. Donald Trump as part of his campaign to rollback Biden-era electric vehicle mandates. But the administration is still pressing Congress to drop other EV programs, including federal tax credits of up to $7,500, reports Headlight.News.
A Wave of Senior Execs Exit As Tesla Sales Plunge
Yet again, Tesla sales stumbled by double-digits in May, marking the fifth monthly decline in a row. Meanwhile, the man appointed to run operations and sales in Europe and the U.S. has left the automaker, as has its head of human resources. Tesla has seen a flood of senior execs leave in recent months, including the head of its Optimus robot program. But it did manage to snag the former head of autonomy from GM’s now shuttered Cruise subsidiary.
Lexus, Nissan, GM Rise to the Top in 2025 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
Looking for the brands delivering the highest levels of initial quality? Lexus and Nissan rose to the top in this year’s J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, while General Motors had more top-ranked models than any other manufacturer. There were some surprises in this year’s IQS by Jaguar and Ram. But, yet again, motorists pointed to onboard technology as the biggest source of trouble. More from Headlight.News.
Mercedes-AMG’s New GT XX Hypercar Concept is a 1,340-HP EV
Mercedes’ AMG performance arm has a history of rolling out ever faster and more powerful supercars. But the new GT XX Concept takes things to a new level, delivering 1,340 horsepower and setting a top speed of 223 mph. Did we mention it is all-electric and previews a new model set to soon enter production? More from Headlight.News.
Cadillac Delivers 1st $340,000 Celestiq EV
Cadillac’s pushed into new territory with the delivery of its most expensive model ever. It just so happens that the new Caddy Celestiq is also the luxury brand’s latest battery-electric vehicle. More from Headlight.News.
Your EV Battery Will Likely Outlast Your Gas Engine
Conventional wisdom suggests EV owners should prepare to spend thousands of dollars to replace their batteries well before trading in or trashing the vehicles. But a new study says that’s anything but accurate. Not only are the latest EV batteries lasting longer than the typical internal combustion engine but they’re maintaining most of their range before they finally do need to be replaced.
Feds Examining Incidents Where Tesla’s Robotaxis Appeared to Break Laws
Tesla’s first day of robotaxi service in Austin, Texas appeared to go off without a disastrous hitch. However, federal safety regulators are looking into situations where the vehicles may have broken local traffic laws. Meanwhile riders offered their largely positive reviews. Get details at Headlight.News.
Headlight News Podcast for the Week of June 23, 2025
Headlight News for the Week of 6-23-25 includes: Trump Iran Attack and Gas Prices; New Corvette Hypercar; Tesla Launches Robotaxi; and more.
Tesla Rolls Out First Robotaxis, Select Riders Paying Flat $4.20 Fee Per ride
Tesla’s first robotaxis took to the streets of Austin, Texas on Sunday, the start-up ride-sharing service picking up invite-only riders for a flat $4.20 a trip. The move was hailed by Tesla bulls who see the move as the first step in what could become an even bigger business than the company’s EV operations. But it’s yet to be seen if Tesla can stand up against competitors like Waymo and Uber — or whether the backlash facing Tesla EVs will cripple the robotaxi service, as well. More from Headlight.News.