The VW trend took off in the 1960s, as the loosening culture embraced the idea of a low-cost, easy-to-fix car. The low cost was key as the Boomer generation came of age and went looking for America. Read the whole story at Headlight.News.
Green Power
A Week With: 2024 Toyota Prius: Winning Over the Skeptics
Since it made its debut a full quarter-century ago, there’ve certainly been reasons to praise the Toyota Prius for its fuel-sipping hybrid powertrain. But it hasn’t scored big in either the performance or fun-to-drive categories. Now, with the latest-generation hatchback, it’s an entirely new game. And it’s won over our reviewer.
Ford Cuts Lightning Production, Adds Bronco and Ranger Jobs
Ford plans to further roll back production on its F-150 Lightning electric pickup to keep it in line with demand. On the flip side, it plans to add 1,600 workers to the Michigan plant that builds Broncos, Rangers and the Raptor variant of each, including 900 all-new...
Biden Administration Plows $773M into EV Charging Projects
With dozens more new EVs expected to hit U.S. showrooms this year, sales of the vehicles have slowed. One reason for the flattening is a growing concern about the ability to charge these vehicles, especially as more and more hit the roads. The Biden administration released $773 million in new funding to build and, perhaps more importantly, repair EV stations across the country. Get details at Headlight.News.
Stellantis Expands All-Electric Fleet with 2024 Jeep Wagoner S
Jeep’s been pushing the advantages of electrification within its lineup, in particular to the off-road experience. Now the brand is giving Jeep fans another chance to enjoy the outdoors quietly in the all new 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S. Get details at Headlight.News.
Humanoid Robots Set to Report for Work at BMW’s Spartanburg Plant
In 1927, the German director Fritz Lang’s legendary film, Metropolis, introduced the idea of humanoid robots. Now, nearly a century later, robots have become a common site on automotive assembly lines but look little like the Maschinenmensch Lang envisioned. Or they have so far. But as part of a new partnership with the California-based startup Figure, BMW is about to put the first humanoid robots to work on its assembly line in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Read all about it at Headlight.News.
Honda’s Electrified Models to Lead to Double-Digit Sales Growth in 2024
American Honda enjoyed a massive sales increase in 2023. The brand is quick to point out it’s electrified models — i.e. hybrids — led the charge. More importantly, they expect it to happen again in 2024. Get details at Headlight.News.
Tesla Cybertruck Doesn’t Live Up to its Hype, Tests Show
Faster than a speeding bullet … (okay, faster than a Porsche 911) … able to stop speeding bullets and then tow trailers with minimal range loss. When Tesla CEO Elon Musk handed over the keys to the first production Cybertruck last November, he made lots of jaw-dropping claims about the safety, performance and range of the all-electric pickup. But can it live up to the hype? Maybe not, according to some recent reports. More from Headlight.News.
Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear Demonstrator Takes the EV Pickup to On- and Off-Road Extremes
Ford wants to show what a high-performance version of its all-electric pickup can be capable of and today rolled out the F-150 Lightning Switchgear Demonstrator. It will make its first public appearance at the grueling King of the Hammers off-road race next week.
Is the EV World’s Holy Grail — the Solid-State Battery — Just Vaporware?
With EVs mandated to reach 50% of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2030 — and to replace internal combustion models by 2035 in the EU — the search is on for the battery technology that can win over consumers with longer range, lower costs and quicker charging speeds. But solid-state, the technology expected to replace today’s lithium-ion batteries, is so far failing to live up to its hype.
Tesla CEO Musk Wants More Power — Voting Power
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is looking for a trade: power for influence. It’s an oversimplification, but he wants 25% of the company’s voting power in order to continue developing AI-based technologies. Get details at Headlight.News.
Public Charging Problems Key to Slowing Growth of EV sales – Study
While growing eightfold between 2019 and 2023, EV sales flattened out during the second half of last year, and a new study puts much of the blame on public concerns about problems with the public EV charging network. It’s not just the lack of chargers but the fact that so many of them are routinely out of service. Find out more at Headlight.News.