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Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

Vahland leaving VW over dispute on how to run NA region

On November 1, Winfried Vahland was supposed to take over Volkswagen Group's recently created North American region that combines Canada, the US, and Mexico. But the longtime exec has instead decided to leave the automaker after a dispute over how to manage the new combined region. Vahland is currently the boss at Skoda, and in a statement about his departure the Czech company said: "Differing views on the organization of the new Group region have led to this decision; this decision is expressly not related to current events on the issue of diesel engines." Vahland is leaving at his own request, the announcement says. Vahland was appointed to run to North American region during VW's massive corporate shakeup on September 25. The decision was part of the automaker's plan to put a greater emphasis on regions and brands, rather than on centralized authority. According to Automotive News Europe citing a report from Germany's Auto Bild, Vahland was passed over for the CEO job, with Matthias Muller taking that position. Amidst the changes, Michael Horn remained at the helm of Volkswagen Group of America, reporting to the new regional boss. Vahland joined the automaker in 1990 and started running VW's operations in China in 2005. He became boss at Skoda in 2010. "In the last 25 years, Prof. Vahland made a great contribution to the company. We respect his decision and thank him for his exceptional performance," Muller said in the departure announcement. Prof. Dr. Winfried Vahland leaves Volkswagen Group 14.10.2015 Prof. Dr. Winfried Vahland leaves Volkswagen Group Mlada Boleslav, 14 October 2015 – After 25 years of successful work in Volkswagen Group, most recently as Chairman of SKODA, Prof. Dr. Winfried Vahland is leaving the company at his own request. Prof. Vahland will therefore not be taking up the position of overall responsibility for the North American Region (NAR). Differing views on the organisation of the new Group region have led to this decision; this decision is expressly not related to current events on the issue of diesel engines. Prof. Vahland began his work in Volkswagen Group in 1990. After holding several key positions at home and abroad, he took over Group responsibility as President and CEO of Volkswagen in China in 2005 and contributed significantly to the successful new direction of Volkswagen in China. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of Management of SKODA in 2010.

We drive the Bronco Sport Sasquatch, Hummer EV SUV and more | Autoblog Podcast #846

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. Zac recently went down to Tennessee to drive a prototype of the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Sasquatch. Meanwhile the two also spent time in the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 and 2024 Lexus LS 500h out of the fleet in Michigan. In the news, Rivian deals with a fire at its Normal, Illinois plant, Formula 1 comes back strong, and Volkswagen prices the ID.Buzz. Lastly, the two debate what old, executive sedan you should buy in a Spend My Money segment. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #846 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Sasquatch 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 2024 Lexus LS 500h News Fire at the Rivian factory Formula 1 is back Volkswagen ID.Buzz gets a very high price Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video:  We check out the Rivian R1S and R1T along with 3 other surprises This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.