President Joe Biden raised tariffs on an assortment of Chinese-made goods, including the battery-electric vehicles manufacturers like BYD, Geely and Great Wall have been hoping to start selling in the U.S. The threat of these inexpensive EVs – some starting at barely $10,000 – has sent shivers through the American auto industry, one trade group warning their arrival poses an “extinction-level event.” Headlight.News explains why.
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Musk Appears to Reverse Course on Tesla Supercharger Cuts
Just days after firing the head of Tesla’s Supercharger operations – and dismissing her entire 500-person staff – CEO Elon Musk appeared to reverse course, announcing on his social media site X that the automaker still will invest “well over” $500 million on “new sites and expansions” of the public charging system. The apparent turnaround comes as Tesla comes under increasing pressure from Tesla investors, analysts, owners and other automakers who have done deals to gain access to the Supercharger network for their own EV customers.
Subaru Plans 8 EVs by 2028 – 4 From Partnership with Toyota
Subaru’s only EV, the Solterra, is a product of a joint venture with Toyota – and the Japanese automaker plans to take the same approach with its next three battery-electric vehicles, all due out by 2026. Then it plans to bring out four more, developed in-house, by 2028, its CEO said Monday.
Porsche’s Newest 911 is Faster, More Powerful and Gets Hybrid Variant
After millions of miles of development and testing, Porsche’s planning to show off the newest generation of the iconic 911 to the world. The new version is faster, more powerful and, for the first time, can be had as a hybrid. Get details at Headlight.News.
Nissan Tells Dealers to Fire Sale Certain 2024 Vehicles
Nissan pushes its dealer network to sell certain 2024 models at a loss as the Japanese car giant scrambles to eliminate massive pool of inventory to make room for key 2025 models.
GM Wrapping Production of Malibu to Shift to Bolt EV
Although General Motors is slowing the cadence of its electric vehicle production, it’s not halting it altogether. That’s evidenced by the move to end production of the Chevy Malibu at its plant in Kansas to transition over to the next generation Bolt EV. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Lucid Model Y Rival Set to Launch in 2026
In desperate need of a more affordable product that can deliver a big boost in sales, Lucid is working up a new compact SUV taking aim at the Tesla Model Y. Expect it to enter production by 2026, with a base price of less than $50,000, said CEO Peter Rawlinson, earlier than previously expected.
Rivian Q1 Earnings Fail to Make Grade, CEO Declines Comment on Apple Talks
EV maker Rivian reported first quarter earnings that were slightly better than its year-ago results but ended up falling short of analysts’ expectations. The company generated more revenue, but increased costs chewed up profits. Find out more about what happened at Headlight.News.
Lucid Reports Mixed Results, Focusing on Growth Over Profit
Nascent EV maker Lucid Motors reported its first quarter results, exceeding expectations in some areas while falling short in others. CEO Peter Rawlinson brushed aside concerns about shortcomings, noting the company was focused on growth, specifically the company’s second vehicle, the Gravity SUV. Get details at Headlight.News.
Car Sales Fall, Ferrari’s New 812 and Polestar Charges in 10 Minutes Top This Week’s Headlight News Podcast
The Headlight News for the Week of 5-6-24 covers Auto Sales Stumble – New Ferrari 812 – Polestar EV Can Charge in 10 Minutes – Kia Telluride Review and This Week in Automotive History. Check out the podcast at Headlight.News.
Rivian Gets $827M to Expand Illinois Plant to Build New Vehicle
EV maker Rivian received $827 million in new incentives from the State of Illinois to expand its production facility in Normal. The company currently builds all of its vehicles there, but the expansion will allow it increase production levels as well as handle...
Ford Posts Record Month for Hybrid Vehicle Sales as the Company Also Deals with Decreasing F-150 Sales
Ford Motor Co. set a monthly record for sales of hybrid vehicles during April as its sales slipped last month as sales of the full-size F-150 pickup weakened.