Here's the Thing

Total Car Score launches expanded car ratings

(April 19, 2012) LOS ANGELES — Total Car Score has unveiled a greatly expanded offering of auto data that scores all cars, trucks, SUVs and crossovers dating back to the year 2000.

TotalCarScore.com provides a new industry-wide standard for ranking every car, truck, van and crossover on the market. Now featuring data for 2000-2014 models, consumers, car shoppers and auto enthusiasts will be able to see how a particular automaker or model has fared over time in terms of overall quality and desirability.

Heed the message — Don't make-up and drive

(April 18, 2012) BERLIN — Given a shockingly high figure of half a million car crashes a year caused by women drivers applying makeup — in the UK alone — awareness of this underestimated danger needs to be raised. Based on this insight the aim of a viral video by DDB Berlin and Volkswagen is to address a target audience of young women drivers and educate them about the danger of putting on makeup while driving.

Kelley Blue Book initiates car-value tracking feature

(April 17, 2012) IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com has announced  its all-new Follow This Car feature, allowing car sellers to be among the first to know when the value of their vehicle changes. With the ability to track up to five cars, consumers will be notified via email when a specified vehicle's value changes by more than 2 percent.

Ward's picks 10 best interiors for 2012

(April 16, 2012) SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — WardsAuto Magazine has released its annual Ward's 10 Best Interiors list, and the selection for 2012 show great variety — four luxury vehicles, three compact cars priced below $22,000, a functional cross/utility vehicle and a fresh take on a German icon.

Economy drives new-car shoppers to certified pre-owned vehicles

(April 13, 2012) ATLANTA — Research conducted by AutoTrader.com and Morpace at the end of 2011 shows that 60 percent of new-car shoppers are now more likely to consider certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles due to the state of the economy. Additionally, 29 percent of new-car shoppers — or half of those considering — are open to CPO for the first time.

Study finds millions of buyers will be left behind with new fuel economy rules

(April 12, 2012) WASHINGTON — The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) released a study today indicating that higher vehicle prices resulting from proposed fuel economy rules will cut millions of potential new-car buyers out of the market in 2025.

"To work, fuel economy improvements must be affordable," said Don Chalmers, president of Don Chalmers Ford in Rio Rancho, N.M., at a press briefing today. "While you can mandate what automakers must build, you can't dictate what customers will buy, nor can you dictate if a bank will make a loan."

TrueCar.com finds fuel economy packages sometimes make sense

(April 12, 2012) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar, Inc. today released a study which concludes, that depending on the vehicle you purchase, the hundreds of extra dollars paid for the premium fuel-boosting option could make financial sense or could prove to be a costly investment for minimal fuel economy gains.

Do your research before spending tax refund at car dealership

(April 11, 2012) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — With the IRS tax deadline fast approaching, many American taxpayers will soon find themselves with handsome sums of refund money at their disposal. And with the average tax refund roughly equal to the average down payment on a new vehicle (about $3,000), it might make sense to pull the trigger on a new car purchase.

Auto sector fuels government coffers, study finds

(April 11, 2012) WASHINGTON — A new report from a leading industry research group documents that more than $135 billion in federal and state revenue is generated annually by the auto industry and from drivers and car owners nationwide.

Study finds fuel economy tops 24 mpg for first time ever

(April 10, 2012) ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States has topped 24 miles per gallon for the first time ever, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Average fuel economy (window-sticker values) of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs purchased in March was 24.1 mpg, up from 23.9 in February and 23.6 in January, and now 20 percent (4 mpg) higher than October 2007, the first month of monitoring by UMTRI researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle.