General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Cruise, took another step in the rehabilitation of its image, making good on plans to hire a Chief Safety Officer. In the wake of last October’s incident with a pedestrian in San Francisco, the company said it would take steps to improve the safety of its vehicles. AV development veteran Steve Kenner is the new hire. Get details at Headlight.News.
Safety
Apple Vision Pro Goggles Could Take Distracted Driving to the Next Level
Distracted driving catches blame for about 10% of all U.S. highway fatalities, according to government data, but if driver’s texting and chatting on their smartphones hasn’t become a serious enough problem, the situation could soon get even worse. Federal regulators...
Americans Don’t Have Much Faith in Self-Driving Vehicles
Recent headlines about self-driving vehicles being involved in crashes and a lack of knowledge about the technology suggest Americans aren’t in any hurry to let their car, truck or utility vehicle take the wheel. Headlight.News has details.
A Week With: 2024 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD
Volvo’s long been known for its wagons, and the latest V60 Cross Country conjures up memories of wagons past. Check out our review at Headlight.News.
Honda Recalls 750K Vehicles Due to Airbag Problem
Automakers recalled more than 1 million vehicles Tuesday, with Honda leading the way. The Japanese automaker recalled 750,000 vehicles with airbags that could deploy unintentionally during a crash. GM also issued a recall for 300,000 vehicles. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Federal Safety Officials Upgrade Tesla Power Steering Probe
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration moved its probe into Tesla’s power steering loss from a probe to an engineering analysis as the company recalled 2.2 million vehicles due to a font size issue. Get details at Headline.News.
First Drive: 2024 Lexus GX 550 — A Complete Makeover
Not long ago, Lexus buyers had a single utility vehicle to choose from: the time-tested RX. Today, the Japanese luxury brand has one of the broadest portfolios of SUVs and CUVs on the market. That includes the Lexus GX which, for 2024, gets a ground-up makeover. There’s a new chassis, a new engine, a more classic exterior design and a more high-tech interior. There’s also the all-new Overtrail trim package which adds more rugged features that, as its name suggests, will allow for more serious off-road adventures. Headlight.News headed down to Tucson, Arizona to test out the 2024 Lexus GX.
Ford Recalls Over 2 Million Explorers; Trim Parts Can Fly Off
Ford recalled more than 2 million Explorer SUVs. The automaker told federal regulators that trim parts may not have been attached properly and could fly off while driving, potentially leading to a crash. More from Headlight.News.
First Look: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox
Seven years after it was last redesigned, an eternity in the car business, Chevrolet unveiled a redesigned 2025 Chevrolet Equinox on Thursday. The new model competes in America’s most competitive market segment: compact crossover SUVs. Find out more about the new model at Headlight.News.
Oy, Vay! German Startup Uses Remote Control for New Las Vegas Ride-Sharing Service
The crash of a Cruise ride-share vehicle in San Francisco last October has raised concerns about the readiness of robocab technology. But how will buyers take to an alternative approach that has launched in Las Vegas? German startup Vay’s small car-sharing fleet doesn’t have humans onboard. Instead, it relies on remote “teledrivers.” More from Headlight.News.
VW Celebrates 75 Years in America
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.
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.