In an unprecedented compromise, Volkswagen reached an agreement with its German labor union to cut as many as 35,000 jobs in Germany – though the automaker agreed not to order immediate layoffs or plant closures and dropped a demand for 10% wage cuts. The move avoided a mass walkout by members of the IG Metall union but is billed as a way to curb VW’s bloated labor costs, among the industry’s highest.
Honda and Nissan will merge under a new holding company, the automaker’s announced, confirming months of rumors, with the smaller of the Japanese automakers effectively taking control of the new alliance. Mitsubishi, which was rescued by Nissan in 2016, has yet to decide whether to become part of the alliance. And Renault, which bailed out Nissan in 1999, plans to determine what role it may have going forward.
With its EV sales in Europe and the U.S. slowing, Tesla has become more dependent on sales in China. But the competition is fierce, and trade tensions could hamper Elon Musk’s ambitious future. Musk’s central role in the incoming Trump administration further complicates matters.
GM’s autonomous vehicle unit Cruise is on the hook for a $500,000 fine for filing a false report to the Justice Department regarding an accident in October where a pedestrian was run over.
GM hit with two lawsuits over faulty shifters in popular GMC, Buick, and Chevrolet products as the company becomes the latest to struggle with safety issues. General Motors was hit with two new class-action lawsuits over an alleged problem with faulty shifters that...
In this week’s episode of the podcast, we talk about Trump’s potential impact on the auto industry and the major job cuts that are rippling across the automotive industry. We also visit SEMA 2024 and review a new vehicle before taking a stop to look at This Week in Automotive History.
With its losses mounting and stock price tumbling, Canoo appears to be the latest EV start-up to face the threat of collapse. The company furloughed 30 employees at its factory in Oklahoma, even as two more of its top executives resigned.
United Auto Workers Union chief Shawn Fain has ripped Elon Musk’s efforts to buy elections and change the law for his personal benefit. The UAW has no choice but to participate in politics, Fain said, adding that the union campaign against Trump in swing states is...
Kia gets pinched by a new lawsuit from Carnival owners over faulty sliding doors who say original recall didn’t fix the problem and that Kia breached its warranty agreements with owners.
Just days after showing off nearly two dozen Cybercabs running on Full Self-Driving, Tesla finds itself being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The feds are examining 2.4 million FSD-equipped vehicles due to issues driving in “reduced visibility conditions,” including a fatality. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Helmet laws often create discord among motorcyclists, the medical community and other safety experts. The latest study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety isn’t likely to quell any of the disagreements. The report shows more than 22,000 riders would’ve have survived fatal crashes during the last four decades. Find out more at Headlight.News.
In this week’s episode of the Headlight.News podcast we talk about Stellantis’s ongoing struggles as well as Carlos Ghosn emerging from the shadows to contend with more legal issues. We also review the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Final Edition and take a look at This Week in Automotive History.