Personalities

Tesla Faces Biggest Protest Yet on March 29

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 28, 2025 | *Daily News*, Business, Car Culture, Earnings and Financials, EVs and batteries, Executives, Government, Green Power, Personalities, Tesla

Thousands of people are expected to gather at more than 500 showrooms, service centers and other locations on Saturday March 29 as part of “Tesla Takedown,” a loosely organized movement aimed at protesting CEO Elon Musk’s political shift to the extreme right, as well as his role heading the Trump administration’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency. The question is whether there will be any of the sort of violence that has occurred at other protests in recent weeks. Headlight.News has more.

Trump Threatened to Punish Automakers Who Pass Tariff Costs on to Buyers

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 28, 2025 | *Daily News*, Business, Earnings and Financials, EVs and batteries, Executives, Ford, General Motors, Government, Hyundai, Personalities, Regulatory

The automotive tariffs going into effect next months could add thousands, even tens of thousands, of dollars to the cost of new vehicles. But Pres. Donald Trump raised the threat that he might punish manufacturers who pass tariff costs on to consumers. More from Headlight.News.

Diners, Drive-Ins…and Elon Musk?

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 28, 2025 | *Daily News*, Business, Car Culture, Consumer Guides, EVs and batteries, Executives, Green Power, Mercedes, Personalities, Tesla

Charging up your EV can be a long and lonely experience when you’re on the road, public chargers often located in out-of-the-way places with nothing to do while you wait, often as long as an hour or more for the batteries to suck down their fill of electrons. So, why not let EV owners chow down, as well? That’s the idea behind the 24-hour diner and drive-in theater Tesla is setting up in Hollywood. But it’s proven more difficult than expected for CEO Elon Musk to line up the sort of celebrity chef he’s been after to run the place. More from Headlight.News.

Tesla Founder Straubel High on the List as Disgruntled Investors Demand Automaker Replace Musk

by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 26, 2025 | *Daily News*, Automakers, BMW, Business, Earnings and Financials, EVs and batteries, Executives, Ford, General Motors, Government, Green Power, Personalities, Regulatory, Tesla

A growing number of investors, including some of Tesla’s traditional bulls, are pressing the automaker to replace CEO Elon Musk despite the rebound in the company’s stock this week. That has led to growing speculation over who might come in to replace him, with founder and former tech chief J.R. Straubel in the spotlight. Headlight.News has more.

Trading in Your Tesla? You’re Not Alone – But Be Ready for an Unpleasant Surprise

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 24, 2025 | *Daily News*, Autonomous Vehicles, Business, Consumer Guides, Dealers and Service, EVs and batteries, Government, Green Power, Lucid, Personalities, Polestar, Tesla

As protests at many Tesla showrooms become a daily occurrence and those who own the automaker’s products find themselves routinely given thumbs-down or an extended middle finger, more and more are trading in, according to new data. But they’re finding residual values for used Teslas have come crashing down. That’s something competitors such as Lucid and Polestar hope to take advantage of, as Headlight.News reports.

Update: Tesla Recalls Cybertruck as Exterior Panels Fly Off

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 20, 2025 | *Daily News*, Business, Consumer Guides, EVs and batteries, Executives, Government, Green Power, Legal, Personalities, Recalls, Regulatory, Safety, Tesla

After initially halting deliveries due to reports of exterior panels detaching while the vehicle is being driven, Tesla said Thursday it would recall all Cybertrucks it has produced from launch through late last month. It comes as the eighth safety recall of the electric pickup and another setback for a manufacturer that has seen its stock price plummet by nearly half its value since mid-December. It underscores the fact that Tesla has had major ongoing quality, durability and recall problems. Headlight.News has more.

Tesla Stock Plunging for 9th Straight Week: No Automaker “Has Lost so Much Value so Quickly”

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 18, 2025 | *Daily News*, *Trending*, Autonomous Vehicles, Business, Car Culture, Earnings and Financials, Executives, Green Power, Personalities, Sales, Tesla

It’s hard to find anything “analogous” in automotive history to the ongoing crisis at Tesla, JP Morgan warned, as the automaker’s global sales collapse, its stock price further tumbles and CEO Elon Musk’s once hero image goes up in flames. There are few signs Pres. Donald Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement of the brand last week will generate sales. If anything, Tesla itself now warns, the company could get caught up in Trump’s trade war.

Headlight News Podcast for the Week of 3-17-25

by Headlight.News | Mar 17, 2025 | *Daily News*, Automakers, Business, Car Culture, EVs and batteries, Executives, Green Power, Personalities, Podcast, Safety, Sales

In this week’s podcast, we cover Nissan finally selecting a new CEO for the struggling automaker, IIHS toughening its testing standards, JD Power’s latest study showing consumers are happier with dealers, but dealers are still falling short in some important areas. We also offer an in-depth review of the new all-electric Cadillac Escalade IQ. Check it out at Headlight.News or Spotify.

Kia Takes Aim at Tesla – So do Protestors and Vandals – While Owners Trade in as Backlash to Musk Mounts

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 11, 2025 | *Daily News*, Business, BYD, Earnings and Financials, EVs and batteries, Flying cars, geely, Government, Green Power, Kia, Personalities, Regulatory, Sales, Tesla

“I bought this after Elon went crazy.” We’ve seen plenty of bumper stickers like that, lately, but this one was on the back of a Kia EV3, found in a snarky Instagram post by Kia’s Norwegian subsidiary. And, it seems, many Tesla buyers may be listening. A growing number of them are trading in as backlash grows against CEO Elon Musk’s turn to the political right. Protests are growing at Tesla dealerships around the world, one showroom in France firebombed. Here’s more.

Trump Gives Auto Industry One-Month Tariff Reprieve

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 6, 2025 | *Daily News*, Business, Consumer Guides, Earnings and Financials, Ford, General Motors, Government, Hyundai, Personalities, Stellantis, trade, Volkswagen

Little more than a day after announcing plans to enact 25% tariffs on goods imported from the Mexico and Canada, Pres. Donald Trump threw a temporary lifeline to the auto industry by granting a one-month reprieve on automotive parts and vehicles. But the threat remains that sanctions could still follow if the U.S. can’t reach resolution with its two neighbors and leading trade partners – something Ford CEO Jim Farley warned “would blow a hole in the U.S. industry.”

Is the State Dept. Trying to Cover Up the Truth About the $400M Cybertruck Purchase?

by Paul Eisenstein | Mar 5, 2025 | *Daily News*, Business, Deals and acquisitions, Defense, EVs and batteries, Government, Green Power, Legal, Personalities, Regulatory, Tesla

Did the U.S. State Department craft a $400 million windfall deal for Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk as payback for the executive’s leading role in the Trump administration? And is it now trying to cover up the truth behind the proposed purchase of armored versions of the Tesla Cybertruck? That’s a question one ranking member of the Senate is trying to find out.

Tesla Stock Continues Nosedive Grow Increasingly Worried About “Musk Effect”

by Paul Eisenstein | Feb 28, 2025 | *Daily News*, Autonomous Vehicles, Business, Deals and acquisitions, Earnings and Financials, EVs and batteries, Executives, General Motors, Government, Green Power, Hyundai, Kia, Personalities, Sales, Technology, Tesla, Volkswagen

Tesla stock wracked up its sixth straight loss on Thursday, reaching its lowest point since the automaker’s shares surged in the wake of the 2024 presidential election and CEO Elon Musk’s close ties to Donald Trump. Musk’s role in the new Trump administration has been a key factor in the downturn, but analysts warn of other issues that could make it difficult for Tesla to bounce back.