Kia built its first car in 1974, some 30 years after the company was founded. Nineteen years later, the company launched its first model in the United States: the Sephia. It was a decent, if something of an ordinary car — a word that cannot be applied to any of the marque’s offerings. A good example of this is the Headlight.News review this week: the 2026 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo Hatchback.
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.
While many automakers are stepping back from their plunge into electric vehicle production, Mercedes-Benz showed it’s planning to keep churning out at least a few more EVs with the debut of the all-electric 2027 C-Class sedan. Get the details at Headlight.News.
With a legacy going back to 1948, the Land Rover Defender serves as the marque’s most utilitarian offering. So does this version of the Defender live up to its heritage? We spent a week with the Land Rover Defender 110 P500 X-Dynamic SE to find out. Check out our review at Headlight.News.
Excerpt: It’s easy to fall in love, or at least lust, with the immense acceleration offered by EVs. A slight bit of pressure on the go-pedal and you feel like you’ve been shot out of a cannon. After spending a week with the 2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS, we found a new appreciation for a more moderate … departure? Check out our review at Headlight.News to find out what we mean.
Today’s pickup trucks are increasingly being called upon to fulfill the roles cars did in days past. With the Lobo package, Ford’s engineering team has tried to infuse the Maverick compact pickup with the DNA of a compact sport sedan. Did they succeed? Headlight.News spent a week with the Maverick Lobo to find out.
Chrysler wants to show it remains a leader in the segment it originated in the 1980s, and the 2027 Chrysler Pacifica revealed at the New York Auto Show showed off the best of the model’s updates. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Three years into its production run, the Kia EV9 remains a desirable choice in the midsize electric sport-utility segment. Headlight.News spent a week with the 2026 Kia EV9 GT-Line with all-wheel drive making certain the boxy EV is hitting all the marks. Check out our review.
Today’s newest vehicles are, on the whole, safer than ever and even as it tightens its standards, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found 63 new models earning Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ ratings – up from 48 last year. Still, IIHS says automakers can yet improve their crash technology. More from Headlight.News.
This week’s Headlight News podcast looks what’s coming at the NY Auto Show next week, BMW’s newest iteration of the i3, and why Hyundai’s ordered dealers to stop selling the new Palisade. We also offer up some insights about the 2027 Kia Telluride after our time behind the week and more. Take a listen. Tell us what you think!
To paraphrase a deep and meaningful movie line, “Something is afoot at Mercedes-Benz.” With apologies to fans of Mercedes and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” change is in the air at the German luxury carmaker when it comes to its EQS lineup. We see just how much in our review of the 2026 EQS 400 at Headlight.News.
After ordering an all-time industry record 153 recalls in 2025, Ford Motor Co. hoped to bring its problems with quality and reliability under better control this year. But with three more service actions announced this week the automaker has already had to recall another 7.4 million vehicles to address potential safety problems. More from Headlight.News.