April 2013

Edmunds forecasts best April new-car sales since 2007

(April 29, 2013) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Edmunds.com forecasts that 1,306,901 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in April for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 15.2 million light vehicles. This will be a 10.4 percent increase from April 2012, but a 10 percent decrease from last month.

Mazda announces new ad campaign 'Game Changers'

(April 26, 2013) NEW YORK — Following the road less-traveled is something Mazda has been doing since it first came to the shores of the United States in 1970.  Since then, Mazda has continued to push the envelope in design, engineering, and driving dynamics in order to make their vehicles stand apart from the rest. 

TrueCar offers optimistic forecast of April new-car sales

(April 26, 2013) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar.com today released its April 2013 sales and incentives forecast.  The forecast shows that for April, new light vehicle sales in the U.S. (including fleet) is expected to be 1,305,901 units, up 10.7 percent from April.

J.D. Power — What owners want in their next vehicle purchase

(April 26, 2013) WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Vehicle owners have a high interest in technology related to fuel economy, device/application linking for smartphones, wireless connectivity, natural language voice activation and a variety of infotainment features for their next vehicle, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 U.S. Automotive Emerging Technologies Study released this week.

U.S. diesel car registrations increase by 24% in three years

(April 26, 2013) WASHINGTON — Clean diesel car registrations increased by 24.3 percent in the U.S. from 2010 through 2012 following similar trends of double-digit diesel car sale increases throughout the country, according to new data compiled for the Diesel Technology Forum.

Consumer Reports gives new RAV4 good grade, but not best-in class

(April 25, 2013) YONKERS, N.Y. — Redesigned for 2013, the new Toyota RAV4 performed well in Consumer Reports’ tests — and achieved a “Very Good” overall score. But the RAV4’s performance wasn’t enough for it to reclaim its top spot among small SUVs.

Luxury vehicle sales up nearly 15 percent in first quarter

(April 25, 2013) IRVINE, Calif. — As overall U.S. auto sales posted respectable gains of more than 6 percent in the first quarter, the luxury market more than doubled overall industry gains at 14.6 percent compared to last year, according to the latest New-Car Market Report from Kelley Blue Book kbb.com.

"The Q1 2013 total of nearly 400,000 luxury units marks the largest first quarter for new luxury vehicle sales since 2007," said Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights.

Solid new-vehicle selling rate in April driven by replacement demand

(April 21, 2013) WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — The new-vehicle retail sales pace in April remains in a healthy holding pattern as buyers continue to replace aging vehicles, according to a monthly sales forecast developed by J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network (PIN) and LMC Automotive.

Turning green: Cars.com names U.S. cities with greenest car shoppers

(April 20, 2013) CHICAGO — Cars.com has compiled a list of U.S. cities with the most environmentally-conscious car shoppers. The list was assembled analyzing data from Cars.com's millions of visitors who searched for hybrids or other environmentally friendly cars. The study's findings indicate that shoppers on the West coast tend to be the greenest.

Kelley Blue Book names '10 Best Green Cars of 2013'

(April 19, 2013) IRVINE, Calif. — Just in time for Earth Day, eco-friendly drivers in the market for a new car can see which models the experts recommend in the list of 10 Best Green Cars of 2013 by the editors of Kelley Blue Book kbb.com.

In rece
nt years, green cars really have gone mainstream.  Several of the best-selling cars in the country are now being offered in hybrid, diesel or even pure electric form, giving buyers the ability to drive the car they want with the powertrain they prefer.