Once given up for dead, the midsize pickup segment is booming — but faces a real battle as more players get set to enter the game. Get the story at Headlight.News.
off-road
Mitsubishi Set to Enter U.S. Midsize Pickup Market — With Help from Nissan
Mitsubishi is the latest automaker to announce plans to enter the increasingly crowded market for midsize pickups. The move is part of the troubled Japanese automaker’s push to expand its light truck presence in the U.S. and requires a helping hand from Nissan, reports Headlight.News.
No V-8? No Sale, Say 40% of Ram Buyers
The latest-generation Ram 1500 pickup got off to a slow start when it made its debut two years ago, sales only taking off when the automaker revived the Hemi engine option last summer. Nearly half of Ram buyers demand a V-8 a senior executive said, even if doesn’t deliver the power, performance – or fuel economy of today’s turbocharged inline-6. More from Headlight.News.
Stellantis in the Fastlane: Who Were the Winners and Losers?
Being bigger isn’t always better. Stellantis has 14 separate auto brands which can be difficult to support after last year’s big losses. Under the new Fastlane 2030 turnaround plan, the automakers is keeping them all – but some brands fare better than others. Headlight.News looks at the winners and losers.
Stellantis Lays Our Global, $70 Bil Turnaround Plan – But It’s the U.S. it’s Betting Big On
Aiming to reverse a series of setbacks to sales and earnings, Stellantis Thursday unveiled a $70 billion turnaround plan that will see it launch more than 60 new vehicles by decade’s end. But while markets from Europe to Africa to Asia should benefit, the Fastlane 2030 program depends disproportionately on two U.S. brands: Jeep and Ram. Headlight.News has more.
Stellantis and JLR Exploring Collaboration
Stellantis and Jaguar Land Rover signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore “opportunities to collaborate on product development” – though the MOU is specifically focused on the U.S. market. The announcement comes a day before Stellantis is set to announce a broad new strategy that will focus its efforts on just four key brands, leaving some observers wondering how an alliance with JLR would fit in. Headlight.News has more.
Review: 2027 Kia Seltos is a Little Wonder
Since its rolled into the market in 2019, the Kia Seltos has become one of the Korean carmaker’s major product lines. But, in a highly competitive segment, it needed some major updates to keep momentum building. As Headlight.News discovered during a drive adventure in South Korea, the second-generation 2027 Kia Seltos comes through. Here’s our review.
No Longer Locked in the Bargain Basement, the New Seltos Shows Why Kia is a Brand to Reckon With
It started out as a nearly invisible, “cheap and cheerful” brand. Today, Kia is one of the fastest-growing brands on the U.S. market and challenging not only competitors like Nissan but its own Korean sibling Hyundai. The redesigned 2027 Kia Seltos is a reason why.
Headlight News Podcast for the Week of 5-18-26
On the Headlight News podcast this week, we look the rise of hybrid sales and the moves by Honda and Mazda to meet demand. We also cover the looming shortage of base oils due to the conflict with Iran. Finally we review the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz SRT. Check out the podcast, give us some feedback.
A Week With: 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness
Subaru found itself caught with nothing to offer during the initial years of the SUV boom back in the 1990s. To compensate, the marque raised the ride height of its Legacy station wagon and billed it as the Legacy Outback — the “World’s First Sport Utility Wagon.” Now the brand has a “proper” ute in the 2026 Outback Wilderness and it’s unclear if it was necessary to make the change. Get the answer in our review at Headlight.News.
A Week With: 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT AWD
A few years ago, Hyundai made waves with the debut of its car/truck, the Santa Cruz. It arrived with a natural rival, the Ford Maverick compact pickup. Fast forward to now, the Santa Cruz is on its way out — and that’s a damned shame. Find out why at Headlight.News.
Stellantis CEO Plans to Focus on Four Key Brands; Could This Spell the End for Chrysler, Lancia, Opel?
While it may have one of the most diverse brand portfolios in the industry, struggling Stellantis has a limited war chest to support them. So, going forward, new CEO Antonio Filosa plans to focus investments on just four of those marques. What happens to the other brands like Chrysler, Dodge, Lancia and Opel? Headlight.News has more.