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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.

GM raises 2023 guidance on strong sales, higher profits

General Motors beat first-quarter profit estimates and raised its full-year earnings and cash-flow guidance after vehicle demand at the start of the year surpassed expectations. Its shares rose in premarket trading. GM made $2.21 a share in adjusted profit in the first quarter, compared to a consensus forecast of $1.72 a share. Revenue rose 11% to $39.99 billion, it said Tuesday, which was more than the $39.24 billion analysts expected. The stronger results stem from rising sales in the US, even in the face of higher interest rates and inflation. GM executives said demand was strong enough to revise 2023 guidance upward, boosting profit estimates for the year by $500 million to between $11 billion and $13 billion. “We did it with strong production and inventory discipline and consistent pricing,” GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said on a call with journalists. “All in all, weÂ’re feeling confident about 2023.” The Detroit automaker raised per-share full-year guidance to between $6.35 and $7.35, up from $6 to $7 a share, and said free cash flow would also increase by $500 million to a range of $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion.  GMÂ’s shares pared a gain of as much as 4.4% before the start of regular trading Tuesday, rising 3.5% to $35.50 as of 6:55 a.m. in New York. The stock was up 1.9% for the year as of the close on Monday.  North American Strength The automakerÂ’s sales were particularly strong in North America, where first-quarter earnings rose before interest and taxes rose to $3.6 billion. Vehicle sales rose 18% to 707,000 in the region. Jacobson said the company originally expected to sell 15 million vehicles in the US this year, slightly less than the 15.5 million annualized rate automakers foresaw in the first quarter. North American demand was enough to offset a weak performance in China, GMÂ’s second-largest market. The automaker continues to struggle in the country, where its vehicle sales fell 25% to 462,000 vehicles in the quarter. Profits from its joint ventures in the market slumped 65% to $83 million.  The market has struggled overall in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions and foreign automakers have had to overcome a growing preference for Chinese brands by competing on price, squeezing profit margins. The situation in China probably wonÂ’t significantly improve until the second half of the year, according to Jacobson. GM remains on target to sell 150,000 electric vehicles this year, the CFO said.

2021 Buick Envision order guide shows $32,995 base price

Based on an early dealer guide Cars Direct got its hands on, the 2021 Buick Envision will bring more to the market than handsome new design inside and out. The 2020 Envision in 1SV and Preferred trims starts at $33,500 plus a $1,195 destination charge, totaling $34,695. The dealer guide shows the 2021 Envision Preferred starting at $32,995 after destination, a $1,700 cut compared to this year's model. The 1SV was also listed in the guide but didn't get a price. A Buick spokesperson confirmed to Cars Direct that the Preferred trim will be the new entry-level, so it appears the 1SV could go away. The two trims are equipped the same as standard, the difference being that Preferred opens up the options menu to features like the Active Package and a powered panoramic moonroof. That pricing puts the 2021 Envision thousands of dollars under of its luxury competitors like the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, Lexus NX, and Lincoln Corsair. The price of the middle Essence trim doesn't change, at $36,995 after destination.   The current Premium trim will be replaced by the Avenir trim. At present, the Premium trim only comes in all-wheel drive, which Buick has changed for the 2021 model year. A 2021 Envision Avenir with front-wheel drive will start at $41,395, which is $500 less than a 2020 Envision Premium with all-wheel drive. Adding power to the rear axle adds $1,800 to the price, the Envision Avenir AWD the most expensive model at $43,195. That's a $1,600 cut compared to the 2020 Envision Premium AWD. The only engine on offer will be a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 230 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, the same engine in the 2021 Envision's E2 platform-mate, the Cadillac XT4. That output falls between the two engines that can be had on the 2020 Envision, either the base 2.5-liter four with 197 hp and 192 lb-ft, or an optional 2.0-liter turbo four with 252 hp and 295 lb-ft.  Related Video: