Each week TheDetroitBureau.com reports on the biggest news and events happening in the auto industry and relays those stories in its weekly the Headlight News podcast. The roundup includes news, features, reviews and more.
Automakers must deliver an average of 40 mpg to be in line with new fuel economy standards set by the U.S. government, Editor-in-Chief Paul A. Eisenstein reports. The newly released standards set by the Biden administration of higher than expect and a complete about face from the cuts implemented by the Trump administration.
Some of the other stories you need to know about include:
- The state of Washington passed a law banning the sale of gas- and diesel-powered new vehicles after 2030 — beating California and others to the punch by five years;
- Vietnamese EV maker VinFast revealed plans to build a new plant in North Carolina to build EVs, battery packs and buses at a total cost of $6.5 billion. The site could employ as many as 13,000 people with production expected to start in 2024;
- Lotus jumped into the EV world with its new all-electric Eletre. The company’s first crossover, which can add 248 miles of range in about 20 minutes, but pricing wasn’t released; and,
- It was joined by Rolls-Royce which revealed its plans to release the all-electric Spectre starting in late 2023.
Executive Editor Joe Szczesny says this week’s Top Story is the poor first quarter U.S. sales results posted by automakers, which March being the worst month of the three. Shortages of parts caused shortages of vehicles on dealer lots, which translated to double-digit declines for the industry for the first quarter of this year.
Mazda’s new CX-50 is under the microscope for our weekly review as EIC Eisenstein traveled to Santa Barbara, California to put it through its paces. Longer, lower and more capable, the CX-50 aims to secure a growing segment of buyers who are looking to get out and see outdoors and need a vehicle more capable than their traditional crossover to do so. Mazda’s hit the mark.
Managing Editor Michael Strong says this week will begin as last week ended: with sales. Ford will report its result, as it usually does: the day after everyone else, but the results are expected to be similar: down. On Thursday, we’ll offer up our driving impressions of the new GMC Hummer SUT and Tesla will celebrate the opening of its new Gigafactory Texas plant.
Taking a look at this week in automotive history, we check out Ford Motor Co.’s first-ever V-8-powered car. Arriving in 1932, it put Ford ahead of General Motors with its reputation for performance — 65 horsepower — and reliability. It’s best known as the Little Deuce coupe. Find out more about Duesenberg, Toyota’s Scion brand and more.
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!
TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review … along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.
