(December 5, 2011) WASHINGTON — The first wave of America's baby boomers turning 65 this year will be driving the "silver tsunami" says the American Automobile Association (AAA).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this segment of the population will increase by 75 percent over the next two decades. Research has shown that people today live an average of about 7-10 years beyond their safe driving ability.

(December 4, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Trying to find the perfect holiday gift for the car enthusiast in your life? Edmunds.comhighlights 10 gifts for people who love cars — or at the very least, drive them regularly — to make your holiday shopping a little bit easier. And with each selection priced at under $100, you can give a great gift without doing damage to your wallet.

(December 2, 2011) ATLANTA — October was the month of luxury vehicles for shoppers on AutoTrader.com, as data from the recently released New Car Insights Report and in the just-released Used/CPO Car Insights Report shows that consumer interest in luxury vehicles spiked during the month.

(December 2, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar.com estimates that the average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States was $30,317 in November, up $1,163 (4.0 percent) from November 2010 and up $164 (0.5 percent) from October 2011. That's the highest level in sales history.

(December 2, 2011) WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales process has improved notably from 2010, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index Study released Thursday.

Lexus ranked highest among luxury brands in satisfaction with the new-vehicle buying experience. Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz followed in the luxury-brand segment rankings. The luxury brands with the greatest improvement from 2010 are Lincoln (moving from ninth rank position to sixth) and Audi (moving from 11th rank position to ninth).

(December 1, 2011) WASHINGTON — As automakers make their annual pitch for holiday sales, Consumer Watchdog has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the high mileage that EPA has awarded the popular Hyundai Elantra model — 29/40 MPG city/highway, 33 MPG average.

The Elantra has attracted an unusual number of consumer complaints about real-world MPG averaging in the mid-20s, far from Hyundai's stated average of 33, said Consumer Watchdog.

(December 1, 2011) YONKERS, N.Y. —The Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid that has an advanced but unproven powertrain, and carries a $40,000 sticker price, is now the top-scoring model in Consumer Reports’ latest annual owner-satisfaction survey.

Ninety-three percent of respondents who own the Volt said they would definitely buy it again, making it the highest-rated car in the nationally representative survey. The Volt narrowly edged out the V-8-powered Dodge Challenger and the Porsche 911, each with owner-satisfaction scores of 91 percent.

(December 1, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — December ranked among the top new car sales months in each of the last two years, and there's plenty of reason to believe that the trend will continue this year, says Edmunds.com.

Last year, December ranked as the highest sales month with 1,145,079 total units sold. The result came just one year after December was the second best sales month of 2009.

(November 30, 2011) NORWALK, Conn. — Whether it's talking on cell phones, fiddling with food and drink, or doing some last-minute grooming, a large majority of adult drivers in the United States admit to being dangerously distracted while behind the wheel, today's Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll found.

(November 20, 2011) IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book is  encouraging shoppers to buy their next used vehicle before the end of the year, predicting that values will increase 4 to 6 percent in early 2012.

Used-vehicle values have dropped 2.6 percent overall in October, marking the fifth consecutive month of declines.  Since peaking in June, used-vehicle values overall have dropped 10 percent with the most significant declines coming from fuel-efficient vehicles, falling more than 20 percent.