(June 25, 2020) DETROIT — Dodge became the first domestic brand to claim the top spot in J.D. Power's annual report card on new-vehicle quality, while Tesla unofficially finished last in its debut appearance in the study, now in its 34th year. Genesis was the top-ranked luxury brand for the fourth year in a row.

Following back-to-back podium sweeps by Korean brands, Detroit automakers claimed three of the top four slots in the closely watched Initial Quality Study, released Wednesday. The study measures the number of problems reported over the first 90 days of ownership.

(June 23, 2020) SAN FRANCISCO — The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a dramatic chilling effect on consumers’ travel plans for the summer, a recent survey by Autolist.com has found. Nearly two-thirds of car shoppers — 61 percent — say they’ve canceled or significantly changed their summer travel plans as a result COVID-19, with worries about contracting the virus while traveling being cited as the biggest factor in their decision.

(June 23, 2020) The rate at which gas prices are increasing across the country is slowing. Thirty states only saw an increase of a penny or two, causing the national average to push more expensive by three cents to $2.13 since last Monday.

The slower rate can be tied to demand. Measuring at 7.87 million barrels a day, gasoline demand saw a small week-over-week decline and continues to be significantly lower (21%) compared to this week last year.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(June 22, 2020) For 2019, the folks at Ram did a full-on redesign of its 1500 half-ton pickup, resulting in nothing less than a tsunami of accolades, “best of” awards — including numerous “Truck of the Year” awards — and record smashing sales success. It also did what no one thought it could do, outselling the Chevrolet Silverado, making Ram not only the second best-selling truck in the segment behind Ford, but also the second best-selling vehicle in the country.

(June 19, 2020) Hagerty, the automotive lifestyle brand driving a community of car lovers, is partnering with non-profit Drive Toward a Cure to encourage enthusiasts to do what we all enjoy the most — to ‘get out and drive!’  Over 75 days of Summer 2020 — beginning the first day of summer, June 21 and with a winner to be announced on Labor Day — licensed motorists nationwide can appreciate drives near or far and enter to win prizes based on the mileage they drive and sharing their experiences on social media, all the while, benefitting Parkinson’s Disease awareness, research, and patient care.

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(June 18, 2020) Even when penning an evaluation of the highly capable, exciting-to-drive 2020 Ram 1500, writing a review of a pickup is more work than fun. There are just way too many engines, cab configurations and options to cram into one itty-bitty review. That's why, when deciding what to review in a given week, any pickup truck gets pushed to the next week. Well, for the 1500, it's next week.

(June 18, 2020) BOSTON — On average a person in Dallas visited the pump nearly twice as often as one living in Las Vegas between March 1 to May 31, 2020. In the same time span, a person in Birmingham, Ala. bought 31 percent more gasoline than someone in Los Angeles.
 
A lot can be learned about a city by looking at what’s happening at their gas stations. GasBuddy, the travel and navigation app that is used by more North American drivers to save money on gas, today shares how the top 50 most populous U.S. cities rank in fueling activities during a pandemic at the height of stay-at-home orders.  

(June 16, 2020) PARIS — As motorists start to get back into their vehicles this summer, Nissan has produced the EV Driver Etiquette — a one-stop manual for EV drivers. Drawing on the company’s extensive heritage as a pioneer in mass-market electric mobility, the pocket guide is designed to provide digestible, reassuring advice for both new and seasoned EV drivers. This is amidst an uptick of drivers getting back behind the wheel.

(June 16, 2020) Americans are filling up at the pump more and more. Since mid-May, gasoline demand has increased 18% to 7.9 million barrels a day, according to the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) report. The slow, but steady rise in demand has pushed the national pump price more expensive by 13% in the same timeframe. Today’s national average is $2.10. That is seven cents more on the week, 24 cents more on the month, but 59 cents cheaper on the year.

By Paul Borden
MotorwayAmerica.com

(June 15, 2020) MIAMI — It was unveiled at the 1964 New York’s World Fair and made its movie debut the same year in the James Bond flick Goldfinger. It appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek and was featured in commercials that ran simultaneously on all three television networks the night before it went on sale.