(November 10, 2015) ORLANDO, Fla. — As a leader in providing fuel price trends and gas prices to consumers, AAA has unveiled its AAA app functionality for Apple Watch. With the recent update, Apple Watch owners can now find the gas station that is the fastest to get to or the station with the cheapest price for the type of fuel they use in their vehicle.

The app also ensures consumers have the most accurate gas prices by updating prices across the United States and Canada seven times a day.

(November 8, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Potentially unsafe mental distractions can persist for as long as 27 seconds after dialing, changing music or sending a text using voice commands, according to surprising new research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The results raise new and unexpected concerns regarding the use of phones and vehicle information systems while driving.

(November 6, 2015)  São PAULO — The Jeep Renegade was named the 2016 Car of the Year in Brazil by Autoesporte magazine (Editora Globo) as part of the most prestigious automotive industry awards in Brazil, which has been hosted annually by the magazine since 1966. The award was presented in a ceremony on Wednesday night at Villa Verico in São Paulo.
 

(November 4, 2015) SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Experian Automotive today announced that outstanding automotive loan balances reached its highest level — $968 billion — in the third quarter of 2015, growing by more than 53 percent since the post-recession low in 2010. According to Experian's most recent State of the Automotive Finance Market report, this increase also marks a $98 billion increase from the previous year.

(November 3, 2015) IRVINE, Calif. — The analysts at Kelley Blue Book kbb.com today reports the estimated average transaction price (ATP) for light vehicles in the United States was $34,023 in October.  New-car prices have increased by $458 (up 1.4 percent) from October 2014, while climbing $233 (up 0.7 percent) from last month.

"Transaction prices continue to rise with several segments besting the industry average in terms of growth, including full-size SUVs, high performance cars, mid-size trucks and vans," said Akshay Anand, analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

(November 2, 2015) ST. LOUIS — Driver's Little Helper, a new stand-alone smartphone-enabled car seat system, will monitor and alert parents and caregivers if a child leaves the car seat, if the temperature inside the car gets too hot or cold, or if a child is left in the seat for several minutes after the vehicle has stopped moving.

Available for iPhone and Android devices, the app communicates with a sensor inside the car seat to send the phone alerts.  If the driver doesn't respond to the alerts, the system can be configured to send messages to other designated contacts.  Driver's Little Helper, which retails for $80, can be used on any car seat.

(October 29, 2015) FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — Hyundai marked a monumental milestone this week, selling its 10 millionth vehicle in the United States. Having started in 1986 with a single nameplate, reaching 10 million sales is a significant achievement that showcases the success of Hyundai’s continually expanding lineup.

“The United States has been a key region of focus for nearly three decades, and this landmark achievement comes after years of accelerated growth and the strategic rollout of our product line,” said Derrick Hatami, vice president of national sales, Hyundai Motor America.

(October 27, 2015) WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — While satisfaction with the auto insurance claims process is lower among Gen Y — also known as “Millennials”— claimants than among their older counterparts, their satisfaction is improving, according to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study released today.

(October 25, 2015) — Automotive industry research companies IntelliChoice and AutoPacific have announced the winners of the 2015 Motorist Choice Awards. Winning vehicles came from 13 different brands and 10 different manufacturers. Toyota had the most wins and General Motors dominated in the truck segments.

(October 23, 2015) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Car shopping destination Edmunds.com forecasts that 1,424,568 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in October for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 17.8 million. The projected sales will be a one percent decrease from September 2015, but an 11.5 percent increase from October 2014. Edmunds projects that the sales volume and SAAR will be the biggest for an October since 2001.