(August 29, 2014) WASHINGTON — A new national survey released today shows that public awareness of the dangers of leaving young children alone in hot vehicles has risen dramatically — by nearly 25 percent — since the start of the summer.

The survey, conducted online from Aug. 8-13 by Public Opinion Strategies, found that 85 percent of the respondents had seen, read, or heard "a lot" or "some" about children suffering from heatstroke in vehicles, compared to 69 percent in a survey released by Safe Kids Worldwide in April.

(August 29, 2014) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Edmunds.com forecasts that 1,511,438 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in August for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 16.9 million. The projected sales will be a 5.5 percent increase from July 2014, and a 0.7 percent increase from August 2013.

Edmunds.com projects that this month's sales could hit the highest August sales volume since August 2003, when the industry delivered 1,628,365 new cars.

(August 27, 2014) YONKERS, NY ─ The recently freshened Buick Regal and Volvo S60 are giving their sportier and more prestigious competitors from BMW and Mercedes-Benz serious competition, in Consumer Reports latest tests.

(August 25, 2014) ST. LOUIS — North Dakota — followed closely by several nearby states — just might be the best place in the country to get your car repaired after a fender bender. That's the state where drivers get their cars back from repair shops the fastest, according to new data just released by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Data gathered during the second quarter by Enterprise's Automated Rental Management System (ARMS) tracks the length of time a replacement vehicle is rented to collision center customers.

(August 22, 2014) WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Summer is shopping season when it comes to new vehicles and August is no exception, as new-vehicle retail and total sales are on pace to surpass May for the highest levels in 2014, according to a monthly sales forecast developed jointly by J.D. Power and LMC Automotive.

Retail light-vehicle sales are projected to hit 1.3 million units and total light-vehicle sales are expected to reach nearly 1.5 million in August 2014, both a 3 percent increase on a selling day adjusted basis, compared with August 2013.

(August 22, 2014) NEW YORK — Wyoming is the most expensive state to operate a motor vehicle and Iowa is the cheapest, according to a new Bankrate.com report. Bankrate factored in the annual costs of gasoline, insurance and repairs. In Wyoming, a typical driver spends $2,705 per year to operate his or her vehicle. In Iowa, the average driver spends just $1,942 per year. The national average is $2,223.

(August 22, 2014) TUSTIN, Calif. — Automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. has announced the 2014 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA). AutoPacific’s IVAs are designed to recognize vehicles that best meet their owner’s expectations and desires, helping consumers make informed vehicle purchase decisions with “owners talking” feedback.

(August 21, 2014) ORLANDO, Fla. — AAA Travel projects 34.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, the highest volume for the holiday since 2008 and a 1.3 percent increase over 2013.