Download the Newest Edition of TheDetroitBureau’s Headlight News Podcast

TheDetroitBureau.com is all over the big news within the auto industry in our latest podcast, Headlight News. Download this weekly roundup and get news, features, reviews and more about the auto industry.

For this week’s episode Publisher Paul A. Eisenstein reveals in a TheDetroitBureau exclusive, there are 39 new EVs coming to market by the end of next year. These new battery-electric models will come in all shapes and sizes but will still mostly be expensive. Other stories in the podcast include:

• Ford rolled out its first F-150 Lightning prototypes at its new Electric Vehicle Center. Meanwhile the center itself is a separate story, linking the automaker’s past to its future;
• Nascent EV maker Rivian’s first customer-ready vehicle rolled off its assembly line at its plant in Normal, Illinois, as the company rolls toward a late November IPO; 
• Hurricane Ida damaged more than 200,000 vehicles, which means flood-damaged vehicles may be up for sale soon — and uninsurable;
• J.D. Power’s newest APEAL awards showed automakers are doing a great job of delighting their customers with Dodge and Porsche tied for top honors; and
• Tesla’s in the news as it continues to be king of the EV sales mountain. Two-thirds of all new EVs registered were Teslas and its top two models, the Model Y and Model 3, sold more units than the rest of the top 10 vehicles combined — times two.

Our top story this week, brought to you by Executive Editor Joe Szczesny, talks about the controversial new “Made in America” provision added to the proposed $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, raising it to $12,500 for EVs made in the U.S. by union labor. Toyota, Honda and Tesla all quickly protested, calling it discriminatory. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Michigan) who co-authored the add-on said he was amenable to some changes — but not all.

Managing Editor Mike Strong offers up his insight in the ultimate ride for your inner narcissist: the 2021 Polaris Slingshot. You won’t be ignored — in a good way — sprinting around town in the three-wheeled offering from Polaris, which also makes four-wheeled off-roaders and snowmobiles. Despite being small in stature, its surprisingly big on technology, comfortable and capability. Find out how much fun you can have on three wheels.

Strong also chronicles what’s coming in the week ahead, which can be summarized basically in two words: Motor Bella. The scaled down replacement for this year’s Detroit Auto Show will feature a few press conferences and some on-track experiences for the media and represents the first time in 2.5 years Detroiters have gotten to enjoy an auto show-like experience. Find out more on the podcast. 

Finally, Contributing Editor Larry Printz provides a look at the self-propelled past, starting with 1899 and Henry Bliss, who was struck and killed by an electric taxi cab in New York City, earning him a less than ideal place in history: the first pedestrian killed by a car. In 1943, Daimler Benz introduces a wood-gas generator to deal with fuel shortages. Installed in day, it offers 81 miles of range. In 1965, “My Mother The Car” debuts on television where main character’s mother is reincarnated as a car. If a horse can talk, why not a car? 

Find out more by listening to TheDetroitBureau’s latest edition of the Headlight News podcast by clicking here. And look for a new episode every Monday!