Tesla reported its second annual sales decline on Friday – a dip made worse by the fact that the Texas-based automaker also slipped to second in the global EV sales race, ceding its crown to China’s aggressive upstart BYD. Headlight.News has more.
Tariffs
The Top Auto Stories of 2025
Trump, tariffs and trade barriers. EVs disconnected. Autonomy and hackers. Elon Musk’s very good/very bad year. And affordability. Oh, yes, 2025 brought a series of significant developments to the automotive market. Here are the top 5 stories from the past year as picked by Headlight.News editors.
Top Five Most Influential People in the Auto Industry for 2025
The automotive industry is filled with powerful people and deals with powerful people. That didn’t change in 2025 and although there plenty to choose from, Headlight.News believes these five were the most influential — in no particular order. Check out who made the list.
Gone But Not Forgotten? Some of These Discontinued Models May Yet Stage a Return
Even the most popular vehicles eventually succumb to shifting market conditions. And there are plenty of products that fail to connect with buyers in the first place. Here’s a look at the nameplates that won’t survive into 2026 – though several of these just might make a comeback in the not-too-distant future. More from Headlight.News.
Headlight News for the Week of 12-15-25
In the Headlight News podcast for this week, we cover everything from the pending drop in U.S. new vehicle sales for the next two years to the debut of the all-new Kia Seltos to Porsches bricking in Russia. We review the 2026 Hyundai Palisade and take a look back at this week in automotive history. Give us a listen.
Vehicle Sales Expected to Tumble as Prices Race Out of Control
Carmakers are facing a decline in overall sales in 2026 as tariffs and high prices shrink the pool of consumers able to afford a new vehicle, leaving manufacturers chasing affluent customers with expensive vehicles. Headlight.News has more.
Automotive Inflation Rages as Carmakers Pass on More of Trump Tariff Costs
Expect to pay more for that new Porsche next month, the German automaker advising dealers it will start passing on more of the cost of the tariffs Pres. Donald Trump has put in place on imported autos. Porsche isn’t alone, however, a growing number of brands are raising already record-high prices to cover those new duties, even on domestically made products due to the cost of imported parts and components, reports Headlight.News.
First Look: 2027 Kia Seltos Grows Bigger, Adds More Features, New Hybrid Option
Since its debut in 2019, the Kia Seltos has grown to become the Korean carmaker’s best-selling model line. But Kia has even bigger ambitions for the subcompact crossover as it gets a complete makeover that will see it grow larger, add more features and a first-time hybrid option. Headlight.News takes a first look at the 2027 Kia Seltos.
Is There a Kei Car in Your Future? Pres. Trump Thinks So – But Would Buyers Bite?
They’re some of the smallest cars in the world and make up 40% of the Japanese domestic market. But could “Kei cars” find a niche here in the United States? That’s something Pres. Don Trump suggested this week as he announced a rollback of federal fuel economy standards. More from Headlight.News.
Headlight News Podcast for the Week of 11-17-25
In this week’s podcast, we talk the state of automotive tariffs, price hikes, electric vehicle cuts, U.S. investments, robo taxis as well as reviewing the new 2026 Nissan Sentra and looking back at this week in automotive history.
Akio Toyoda Goes MAGA
Days after announcing plans to invest another $10 billion in the U.S. market, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda turned up his effort to minimize trade tensions between Japan and the United States by showing up in a MAGA hat and Trump-Vance campaign T-shirt at the NASCAR race at Fuji Speedway. Headlight.News has more.
GM Tells Suppliers to Stop Sourcing Parts from China
As trade friction grows, General Motors wants its suppliers to stop sourcing parts and raw materials from China by 2027, according to a new report, though meeting that deadline could be challenging considering the way the global network has been set up over the last few decades. More from Headlight.News.