(February 2, 2015) ATLANTA — While some used humor, others promoted performance and a few played on raw emotion, Super Bowl XLIX was the year that almost all automakers chose to leverage the big game to make a strong brand statement. For the fourth year in a row, AutoTrader analysts measured site search activity real-time during the game to determine which ads won not just the hearts, but the minds of in-market car shoppers.

(February 2, 2015) ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Even with gas prices near six-year lows, U.S. consumers are still looking for the best gas prices. Three in five (63%) consumers say they would drive five minutes out of their way to save 5 cents per gallon. An even greater percentage (72%) would pay by cash if they could save five cents per gallon, according to the results of a new consumer survey released today by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).

(February 2, 2015) IRVINE, Calif. — The Lexus RC 350 increased 1,820 percent in new-car searches on KBB.com, the most of any advertised model during Super Bowl XLIX, according to Kelley Blue Book kbb.com. Several other luxury models, including the BMW i3 and Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, helped round out the top three models with the largest percent increases on KBB.com, gaining 1,131 percent and 950 percent respectively.

(January 30, 2015) DENVER — Few things stir up the passions of VW fans more than a sporty station wagon and playoff football. To celebrate the Super Bowl and the debut of Volkswagen’s 2015 Golf Wagon, VWPartsVortex.com took some time to calculate how many chicken wings the new Golf Wagon can hold.

The answer? A lot — over 22,000 wings with the rear seats laid flat. They also calculated how many Oreos, regulation pro footballs, 12-packs of beer, and more the Golf Wagon can hold. You can see the results in this graphic.

(January 30, 2015) IRVINE, Calif. — With the Super Bowl game just around the corner, carmakers are finding one thing tough to tackle: getting their high-priced marketing messages to resonate with viewers. According to a new survey by Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, competing for advertising attention during the game, as well as sustaining shopper attention, is an ongoing challenge for automakers, as evidenced by viewers' limited recollection of car commercials.

(January 27, 2015) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Diesel Technology Forum today reported the findings of the multi-year Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES) conducted by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) on clean diesel technology.

The study concluded that exposure to new technology diesel exhaust does not cause any increase in the risk of lung cancer or other significant adverse health effects in study animals.

(January 26, 2015) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar, Inc. forecasts the pace of auto sales in January expanded to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 16.6 million new units on continued consumer demand. New light vehicle sales, including fleet, should reach 1,446,600 units for the month, up 13.2 percent over a year ago.

On a daily selling rate (DSR) basis, adjusting for one additional selling day this January versus a year ago, deliveries will likely rise 8.9 percent.

(January 26, 2015) SAN FRANCISCO — New research from Carfax suggests that millions of people may be driving, buying, or selling potentially dangerous cars due to an unfixed recall. The company’s annual research on the issue shows more than 46 million cars nationwide have at least one safety recall that’s never been fixed.

In fact, five million of them were bought and sold by potentially unsuspecting consumers in 2014.

(January 26, 2015) SAN FRANCISCO — Low gasoline prices and pent-up consumer demand will combine to drive new car and light truck sales to an estimated 16.94 million in 2015, says the National Automobile Dealers Association. NADA’s original sales forecast of 16.4 million new cars and light trucks for 2014 was on target.

The split among the segments this year is expected to be 44 percent cars and 56 percent light trucks and SUVs because of lower gasoline prices, increased job growth and an improving housing market.