August 2018

Mazda says its testing confirms no falsification of test data

(August 10, 2018) Mazda and Suzuki improperly tested vehicles for fuel economy and emissions, the Japanese government said on Thursday, in the latest cases of data falsifications by the nation's manufacturers involving vehicles for the Japanese market. The government had ordered the automakers to make checks after revelations of improper testing at Subaru and Nissan last year.

Motorists paying most expensive August gas prices since 2014

(August 8, 2018) At 9.88 million barrels a day, gasoline demand last week was near an all-time record high according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). More so, the latest EIA data shows gasoline inventories tightening from 240 million barrels at the end of June down to 231 million barrels at the end of July. The boost in demand and drop in inventory have driven the national gas price average to $2.87, which is the most expensive gas price seen in August since 2014, according to AAA.

Limousine association urges New York City to halt plan for transportation cap

(August 7, 2018) NEW YORK — The National Limousine Association (NLA), in conjunction with the Limousine Association of New Jersey,  is urging New York City to halt its plan to enforce a limit on the number of private ground transportation vehicles allowed in the city. The ban, intended to reduce traffic, would irreparably harm business owners, their employees as well as the customers that rely on commercial vehicular transportation when navigating the city.

Edmunds editors announce their favorite road trip vehicles

(August 3, 2018) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — With summer winding down, the car shopping experts at Edmunds today released a list of their top 10 favorite road trips and vehicles perfect for a last-minute summer getaway.

"We surveyed more than 500 Edmunds shoppers and discovered that 80 percent of them have either taken, planned to take or would like to take a road trip this summer, so it's obvious that the road trip remains as popular as ever," said Alistair Weaver, editor-in-chief at Edmunds.

GasBuddy releases new app features for locating gas in a hurricane

(August 3, 2018) BOSTON — Shortly before Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys last September, 43 percent of stations in Florida were out of fuel. Three days after the storm, nearly half the stations in major cities throughout the state were still out of fuel or power, causing panic for millions of Floridians. 

In preparation for this year's peak hurricane season, GasBuddy has made two key improvements to the app so those in need can better locate stations with fuel and power in hurricane-affected areas.

More seat time confirms first impressions of new Nissan Kicks

By Paul Borden
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 2, 2018) First impressions more often than not turn out to be accurate, at least according to my cursory research on the subject. For instance, my first take on the new Nissan Kicks when it was introduced at a media preview in late June was that of all the small hatchbacks that the Japanese automaker had come up with in recent years (Cube, Juke, Versa Note) this one was the best of the lot.

Edmunds: Zero percent finance deals at lowest July level since 2005

(August 2, 2018) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Zero percent finance deals were slower to materialize for car shoppers in July, according to the experts at Edmunds. Zero percent finance deals accounted for 6.92 percent of sales in July, compared to 11.34 percent in July 2017 and 11.18 percent in July 2013. Edmunds analysts note that this is the lowest share of zero percent finance deals seen in July since 2005.

New-Car prices continue to escalate year-over-year

(August 1, 2018) IRVINE, Calif. — The analysts at Kelley Blue Book today reported the estimated average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States was $35,359 in July. New-vehicle prices increased by $985 (up 2.9 percent) from July 2017, while decreasing (down 0.4 percent) from last month.  

"Average transaction prices rose 3 percent year-over-year, thanks to market demand quickly backing away from cars," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book.