(May 2, 2016) ORLANDO, Fla. — Due to falling gas prices, the annual cost to own and operate a vehicle in the United States has fallen to a six-year low of $8,558 according to AAA’s 2016 Your Driving Costs study. This year, a driver can expect to spend 57 cents for each mile driven, approximately $713 per month, to cover the fixed and variable costs associated with owning and operating a car.

“Thanks to lower gas prices, American drivers can expect to save hundreds of dollars in fuel costs in 2016,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair.

(April 29, 2016) CYPRESS, Calif. — Mitsubishi Motors North has announced that vehicles sold in the United States are not impacted by the fuel consumption testing data irregularities that occurred in Japan. Mitsubishi Motors in Tokyo recently announced irregularities dating back to the early '90s concerning falsified fuel consumption testing data.

(April 28, 2016) STANFORD, Calif. — Consumer Watchdog has called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require a steering wheel, brake and accelerator so a human driver can take control of a self-driving robot car when safety demands it in the guidelines it is developing on automated vehicle technology.

(April 28, 2016) IRVINE, Calif. — New-vehicle sales are expected to increase 4 percent year-over-year to a total of 1.51 million units in April, resulting in an estimated 17.5 million seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to Kelley Blue Book kbb.com.  April sales could report the highest April volume ever, surpassing the previous record of 1.5 million units in April 2005.

"Following a disappointing March, we expect sales to get back on track in April with SAAR in the mid-17 million range," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book. 

(April 27, 2016) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Only 27.5 percent of all hybrid and electric vehicle trade-ins in 2016 have been applied to the purchase of another hybrid or EV, according to a new analysis from car shopping destination Edmunds.com. The rate is a precipitous drop from the 38.5 percent of hybrid and EV trade-ins in 2015, and the findings reinforce a trend first identified last year by Edmunds that owners of alt-fuel vehicles are returning to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles in greater numbers than ever before.

(April 26, 2016) ORLANDO, Fla. — The 2015 Tesla Model S 70D was named the AAA Green Car of the Year, the motor club has announced. The Tesla is featured with 80 other green vehicles in the 2016 AAA Green Car Guide, a comprehensive report published annually by the largest member of the AAA federation — the Automobile Club of Southern California and its Automotive Research Center.

AAA’s top three green vehicles are all electrics — Tesla Model S,  BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf SEL Premium.

(April 21, 2016) ORLANDO, Fla. — As families across the country eagerly await the end of school and the beginning of summer, millions of Americans are making plans to travel with loved ones this year. According to a recent AAA survey, more than one-third of Americans (35 percent) are planning to take a family vacation of 50 miles or more away from home involving two or more immediate family members in the next 12 months.

(April 20, 2016) IRVINE, Calif. — With Earth Day approaching, the experts at Kelley Blue Book kbb.com compiled a helpful list of 40+ MPG Cars of 2016, then narrowed it down to a wide-ranging list of 10 favorites, including some all-electric cars, hybrids and even a new-for-2016 hydrogen-powered model.

(April 19, 2016) MILWAUKEE — To help consumers find a nearby facility to recycle used vehicle, boat, motorcycle or lawn/garden batteries, Johnson Controls, the world's largest manufacturer and recycler of vehicle batteries, is encouraging consumers to visit its website.