Consumers getting tax refunds help drive the used car market early in the year and since tax refunds are up 7% compared to last year, it follows that used car sales are up during the same period. However, sales were up 16% in February, which is well ahead of the year-ago results. Find out more at Headlight.News.
The latest J.D. Power U.S. Customer Service Index revealed customers were happier with dealer service departments for the second straight year. However, the results also show that dealers are missing chances to improve the experience and engender more loyalty from vehicle owners. Headlight.News has details.
President Donald Trump’s new tariffs threaten to shake up the auto industry, threatening to add thousands of dollars to the cost of even U.S.-made vehicles. For now, though, BMW will give buyers a break, the automaker saying it will absorb the added tariff costs on vehicles it imports from Mexico. Whether BMW can maintain that strategy – and whether other manufacturers will follow – is unclear.
The day after President Donald Trump and adviser/Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off the president’s just-purchased Tesla Model S, the Trump administration took the next step in eliminating the Biden administration’s push to increase electric vehicle production. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Toyota may be one of the top-selling brands in the U.S. but its first serious foray into the battery-electric vehicle market hasn’t done much to charge up U.S. EV buyers. The automaker is hoping more of them will plug in with the launch of a mid-cycle update, the 2026 Toyota bZ4X getting a boost to both range and performance while cutting charging times. Here’s a first look.
The new Toyota bZ3X is, at less than $20,000, the sort of affordable EV American motorists are craving. The problem is you can’t have it. Not unless you’re thinking about moving to China. But it’s certainly connecting with motorists in the People’s Republic. And it might offer some insight into the sort of product Toyota just might eventually be able to come up with for the U.S.
Being Toyota’s luxury sibling, Lexus hasn’t been as invested in the shift toward electric vehicles as many other luxury automakers. However, it did introduce the RZ for the 2024 model year. However, today it’s rolled out the updated version — for Europe first — with a slew of important and necessary updates. Headlight.News has details.
“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.
Last year, the Ford Mustang Mach-E outsold the regular old Mustang — by more than 7,000 units. The traditional, gasoline-fueled coupe is part sports car, part muscle car and 100% fun. And, after a week behind the wheel, I can see one reason why the Mach-E is as popular as the original. Check out our review at Headlight.News.
Ford plans to invest up to $4.8 billion in its German operations, hoping to kick start is flagging European sales. The company’s German business is in the midst of a significant transformation, focused on cutting costs and becoming more competitive. Headlight.News has details.
In this week’s Headlight.News podcast we cover the latest tariff updates, Nissan’s troubles, Tesla’s woes and whoa and a review of the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV. Check it out at Headlight.News or on Spotify!
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would delay by a month new tariffs covering Canadian and Mexican auto imports. But even with that delay, the industry is waiting to see if Trump will next move to target additional trade partners. Trump has already hinted that European automakers could be next in his sights. More from Headlight.News.