The new year is likely to be a big year when it comes to the auto industry, especially with a new president coming into office who has signaled plans to scrap EV sales incentives and enact hefty new tariffs on imported auto parts and fully assembled vehicles. We’ve...
Oh, what a year it was. 2024 took saw a number of predictable stories top our coverage on Headlight.News, but the year also saw some surprising twists and turns — like the planned merger between Honda and Nissan – that no one likely would, or could, have predicted 12 months ago. There was some good news for consumers, and some bad. Some automakers made out like bandits, while others are now struggling with an uncertain future. Here are the 2024 stories that our editorial team found most compelling.
December has become one of the biggest car buying months of the year and this December should be something to remember. Sales are looking very healthy as carmakers spend lavishly on product promotions, interest rates dip and higher tariffs – and prices – appear on the horizon.
Usually at the end of the year, there’s a push put on by a certain electric vehicle maker to sell as many of its EVs as possible. This generally includes price cuts to entice buyers. And while that EV maker might still do it, it’s another automaker looking to move some EVs: Toyota. The company cut prices on its bZ4X by as much as $6,000. Get details at Headlight.News.
Volkswagen will “probably” not launch its next battery-electric vehicle, the ID.7 sedan, until sometime next year in the U.S., and some suspect it could be pushed back even further as it struggles to reverse plummeting sales of its original ID.4 SUV.
Tesla posted a modest upturn in sales for the third quarter after losing ground during the first half of the year. And it wasn’t alone. EVs, PHEVs and conventional hybrids staved off what could have been a much sharper downturn for the U.S. auto industry, helping prop up major manufacturers including General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi.
September and third quarter sales proved disappointing for automakers after months of steady gains. But electrified vehicles created a bright spot for GM and several other manufacturers — and accounted for nearly half of Toyota’s sales in the U.S.
Conventional wisdom might seem to suggest that EVs have come unplugged, with traditional automakers such as Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG pulling back on their plans to go all-electric. But don’t tell that to the folks in Norway. As contributing editor Joe Szczesny discovered during a visit this week, you’ll have to look hard to find a new vehicle drawing power from a tank of gasoline.
Solid sales gains in August point to a robust finish for the year as fear of a recessions in the auto business recede, interest rate cut looms on the horizon, and buyers take a closer look at hybrids and newer EVs. Sales of new cars and trucks continued to gain...
It was billed as an “interview” with presidential candidate Donald Trump but billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk used the Monday night event on social media service X to promote the benefits of EVs – those from Tesla, in particular. It’s no easy sell, at least to the former president’s followers.
Vietnamese EV start-up VinFast announced a “prudent,” 3-year delay in the opening of its first U.S. assembly plant. It’s the latest in a series of setbacks for the automaker which suffered a wave of harsh reviews for its initial offering, the VF 8 crossover.
It’s become conventional wisdom that EV sales are slowing. With one high-profile exception, the latest numbers would tell you quite the opposite is true. As data roll in for June and the second quarter we’re seeing a number of manufacturers reporting solid increases...