Each week TheDetroitBureau.com reports on the biggest news and events about new vehicles, mobility, technology, trends as well as offering our years of experience and insights in our car reviews. Then we put it all into our weekly the Headlight News podcast. 

California’s Air Resources Board voted to ban the sale of internal combustion-powered new vehicles by 2035. The new rules, which will be implemented in phases, begin to take effect in just three years. The move is expected to be mirrored by more than a dozen other states across the U.S.

Some of the other stories you need to know about include:

• New car prices are expected to keep rising in August. Analysts are pegging the price to be more than $46K spent on average by new vehicle buyers, which is an increase of 11.5% compared to year-ago numbers;
• The North American International Auto Show returns after a four-year hiatus. Once considered among the top auto shows internationally, it lost its luster in recent years. In order to regain some of that swagger, it elected to move to a warmer date, but the pandemic hit  before the show could occur and it’s been dark since then. Adding to the difficulty, there are just four auto brands scheduled to hold press conferences during the event;
• Nissan is idling a plant in Decherd, Tennessee. The plant used to make engines not only for the Japanese automaker, but Mercedes-Benz as well. The shutdown, which is expected to be temporary until Nissan put a new product in the facility, is essentially the last major piece of a partnership between the two automakers that saw their then-leaders, Carlos Ghosn and Dieter Zetsche, host press conferences that came to be known affectionally as the Carlos and Dieter Show; 
• Owners of Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride SUVs have been given urgent warnings to not park their vehicles in or near building due to a potential fire hazard. Hyundai has identified the problem, but hasn’t yet resolved how to fix it yet. The issue affects more than 300,000 vehicles in the U.S.; and, 
• If your new vehicles high tech features are driving you crazy, the latest J.D. Power Tech Experience Index results suggest you are not alone. However, if you own a Genesis or Hyundai vehicle, you are likely less irritated than other owners as the pair top the premium and mass market rankings. 

The vote by CARB to block sales of new vehicles powered by gas and diesel engines isn’t just going to impact millions of Californians. The Golden State is a bellwether for as many as 17 other states — which account for more than 40% of all new vehicle sales in the U.S. — that follow its lead on fuel emissions and air quality standards. The result already has Washington Governor Jay Inslee confirming his state will likely be next to make the move, Joseph Szczesny, executive editor, writes.

However, there are plenty of states in the Midwest and South planning to fight any such move in their states, claiming that allowing California and others to set different rules is going to make the cost of internal-combustion powered vehicles skyrocket. So change may be in the air, but the battle is far from over.

Despite the aforementioned recall, the new Hyundai Palisade gets a midcycle refresh that should keep it popular with buyers. TheDetroitBureau’s publisher Eisenstein got some time behind the wheel of the new version in Asheville, North Carolina, including the newest trim level, the XRT, that should become a big seller. Get more details at TheDetroitBureau.com. 

In the week ahead, Managing Editor Michael Strong notes there are just a few days left in August, which means its going to be time to count how many new vehicles were sold by automakers. Numbers are expected to be down again, although not by as much as every other month this year. In addition to monthly sales, we’ll get to tell you about our experience driving the fifth-generation Lexus RX out in California. The new model gets two new trim levels and a slew of updated technology.

Executive Editor Larry Printz takes us for a trip back in time to tells us about the last car to wear the Packard named rolling off the assembly line. Once considered among the top luxury vehicles one could own, a series of bad decisions — highlighted by an ill-fated merger with Studebaker — brings this storied marque to its knees.

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!