TheDetroitBureau.com covers the top stories occurring in the auto industry in the latest edition of the Headlight News podcast. The weekly roundup includes news, features, reviews and more.
Buying an EV comes with a few advantages, starting with at-home charging; however, there are some drawbacks too, we reported last, notes Publisher Paul A. Eisenstein reports. Additionally,
- Tesla briefly rolled back the latest version of its full self-driving beta program due to an issue with the vehicles making left turns;
- Rental car giant Hertz revealed its plans to secure 100K Teslas and begin renting them starting early next year with NFL star quarter Tom Brady promoting the effort. The company later in the week revealed plans to team with Uber to allow drivers to rent the Tesla as well as partnering with online used-car seller Carvana to divest its older vehicles;
- GM, Ford and Stellantis all reported third quarter earnings. All surpassed analysts’ estimates for the quarter;
- Luxury EV maker Lucid became the latest to begin delivering its first round of production vehicles to buyers, following Rivian last month; and
- We also got our First Look at two new vehicles — the 2023, Kia Sportage and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV — and the 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Black Badge trim.
Executive Editor Joe Szczesny notes in this week’s top story that if the earnings reports for the third quarter are clear about only one thing it’s that the semiconductor shortage continues to eat away at the auto industry — and not only in the U.S., but globally.
Ford, GM and Stellantis reported third quarter production dropped as did their revenue and profits in the process. However, they’re expecting things to improve on the semiconductor front, beginning next quarter.
Larry Printz, executive editor, reminds us not everyone buying a vehicle wants a practical box on four wheels and climbing behind the wheel of the 2021 RS 5 Coupe is a big, brash reminder of why variety is, indeed, the spice of life.
For this week SEMA is the buzzword as automakers head to Las Vegas with a slew of customized vehicles, some of which are tricked out on the exterior and others under the hood. We’ll have previews of what’s coming and updates on any surprise appearances.
Printz comes back to tells us about the deal that could have change the industry forever — but fell apart. Ford could have been part of General Motors if banks had been a little more amicable. The first Toyota Corolla debuted in 1966 and it’s still with us today. On the flip side, Pontiac rolls out the T-1000 this week in 1981, the badge-engineered version of the Chevrolet Chevette — it dies in 1987.
Find out more the industry’s history and more by listening to TheDetroitBureau’s latest edition of the Headlight News podcast by clicking here. And look for a new episode every Monday!