August 2012

Kia Soul leads Kelley Blue Book's 10 Best Back-to-School Cars

(August 20, 2012) IRVINE, Calif. — The 2012 Kia Soul is this year's No. 1 Back-to-School Car according to Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new car and used car information. In this annual list published by KBB.com, the editors rank their top affordable new-car choices for students, naming the 10 Best Back-to-School Cars of 2012.

NADA: Incentives and declining used-car prices to boost auto sales

(August 18, 2012) MCLEAN, Va. — New-vehicle incentives and rebates as well as declining prices on used vehicles are a couple of factors pointing to steady auto sales as the summer months come to a close.

"The end of summer is typically a good time of the year to shop for new and used vehicles," said Jonathan Banks, senior analyst with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Used Car Guide.

Total Car Score lists 10 best looking cars of all time

(August 16, 2012) LOS ANGELES — Total Car Score is celebrating the art of the automobile by taking a look back at the top10 best-looking cars of all time. Total Car Score issues its ranking as automotive enthusiasts and the industry's attention focus on the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the premier event for historic and exotic automobiles taking place on Aug. 19.

Subaru leads for third straight month in TrueCar's performance scorecard

(August 15, 2012) SANTA MONICA, Calif.— TrueCar.com, the authority in new car pricing, trends and forecasting released its Performance Scorecards grading automotive manufacturers and brands for their performance in the month of July. The Performance Scorecards grade each manufacturer and brand on eight different measurements including pricing, sales, incentives, customer loyalty, market share, and days in inventory.

New jeans, new shoes, new tires?

(August 15, 2012) WASHINGTON — A new school year is an exciting time for teens. It means new clothes, new school supplies, a new schedule of classes; it's a great new start! Families do their best to outfit their youth with the best, but few consider the safety of travel to and from school.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 5,000 teens (ages 16-20) are killed each year in passenger vehicle crashes. National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) encourages families to include car, route, and travel safety in back to school readiness.

Most luxury cars tested fail new 'overlap frontal crash' tests

(August 14, 2012) ARLINGTON, Va. — Only 3 of 11 midsize luxury and near-luxury cars evaluated earned good or acceptable ratings in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's new small overlap frontal crash test, the latest addition to a suite of tests designed to help consumers pick the safest vehicles.

Average fuel economy for new cars up in July

(August 10,2012) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar.com today provided actual fuel economy numbers from June light vehicle auto sales that indicate TrueMPG increased to 23.1 mpg in July 2012 compared to 21.6 mpg in July 2011, and increased from May 2012 at 23.0 mpg. Just four years ago, in May 2008, TrueMPG was 21.2 mpg.

Examining the technology, cost of stop-start

(August 9, 2012) ORLANDO, Fla. —- The stop-start system, a technology that shuts off a vehicle's engine when stopped in traffic, is now making its way to the U.S. from overseas where such systems are already in common use.

Other names for this technology include idle elimination, idle-stop-go, and micro-hybrid. Lux Research predicts that more than eight million vehicles in North America will be equipped with engine stop-start systems by 2017. What does this mean for American motorists? AAA experts examine the technology.

As quality, performance and safety level out, what makes a winner?

(August 9, 2012) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — This week, the 2012 CAR Management Briefing Seminars will host a discussion based on the Center for Automotive Research's observation: "Automakers are facing new challenges in distinguishing their products in the eyes of the consumer. Industry scores across vehicles today have reached near statistical insignificance in quality, performance and safety."

Ford wins most medals in AutoTrader 'Automotive Games'

(August 8, 2012) ATLANTA — In the first-ever AutoTrader.com Automotive Games, we pitted vehicles from seven countries across 10 events and leveraged shopper activity on the site to determine the winners.