August 2011

TrueCar identifies best car deals over Labor Day weekend

(August 31, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar.com has found some of the best new car deals on vehicles including cash, finance and lease deals available nationwide, and is forecasting that Saturday, Sept. 3, is the best day of the month to purchase a vehicle, according to data from its latest TrueTrends Report. 

The cash deals reflect the possible discount from the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) and include manufacturer's rebates and other incentives.

AAA kicks off football season with list of top vehicles for tailgating

(August 30, 2011) ORLANDO, Fla. — We know the college and professional football seasons are upon us when we get not just one, but two lists of most desired vehicles for tailgate parties.

AAA Auto Buying experts are kicking off football season by releasing their list of six top vehicle picks for tailgating. And elsewhere on MotorwayAmerica you can find Kelley Blue Book's top ten picks. Interestingly, there is no overlapping in picks. So if you use the two lists together, you can create a "top 16" vehicle picks for tailgating.

Another list from Kelley Blue Book — Top football tailgating vehicles

(August 30, 2011) IRVINE, Calif. — With college and NFL football set to get underway, fans will be flocking to stadiums around the country to not only cheer for their favorite team, but to party hearty in the parking lot, pre-game. 

With this national pastime upon us, the editors at Kelley Blue Book kbb.com have named the 2011 Top 10 Tailgating Cars.  While almost any car will do for such a party, Kelley Blue Book has selected a few that go the extra yard to ensure a rockin' good time.

NADA to study effectiveness of factory image programs

(August 29, 2011) MCLEAN, Va. — A big costof doing business for many of the nation's new-car dealers is following dictates from the manufacturers on store remodeling and other infrastructure upgrades that in some cases can cost millions of dollars per dealership.

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has commissioned an independent study to take an in-depth look at the cost effectiveness of these factory image programs that require new-car dealers to invest billions of dollars each year.

Expert mechanics reveal auto repair shop mistakes car owners make

(August 28, 2011) CARSON, Calif. — There are common mistakes car owners make when it comes to visiting an auto repair shop that can quickly turn a good car repair experience into a bad one, according to a recent AutoMD.com interview with independent repair shop mechanics and input from a team of in-house auto repair experts.

Edmunds predicts August new car sales will be nearly flat

(August 27, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — An estimated 1,087,000 new cars will be sold in August for a projected Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate (SAAR) of 12.3 million, forecasts Edmunds.com. J.D. Power last week forecast a 12.6 million SAAR.

The sales pace is virtually flat compared to July's 12.2 million SAAR.

Cadillac Escalade most likely vehicle to be targeted by thieves

(August 27, 2011) ARLINGTON, Va. — The Cadillac Escalade is more than six times as likely as the average vehicle to be targeted by thieves and has overall theft losses more than 10 times as big, an analysis of insurance claims for 2008-10 vehicles by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) shows.

The Escalade for years has dominated HLDI's list of vehicles with the most theft claims, and four versions of the luxury SUV appear at the top this time.

Americans will drive more, fly less this Labor Day

(August 26, 2011) AURORA, Ill. (PRNewswire) — AAA forecasts 31.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, a 2.4 percent decrease from the 32.3 million people who traveled one year ago.

The Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, Sept. 1 to Monday, Sept. 5.

TruceCar predicts August vehicle sales will be up 2 percent from July

(August 26, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. (PRNewswire) — TrueCar.com today released its August 2011 sales and incentives forecast predicting that light vehicle sales will go up 8 percent from 2010 and be up 2 percent from July.

The August forecast translates into a Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate (SAAR) of 12.2 million new car sales, flat from 12.2 million in July 2011 and up from 11.5 million in August 2010.

KBB repudiates Consumer Reports giving Honda Civic top marks

(August 26, 2011) IRVINE, Calif. (PRNewswire) The editors from Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com have relassed the results of their all-new 2011 / 2012 Compact Sedan Comparison Test.

The four new compact sedans in this test — Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Hyundai Elantra — each represent a fresh-foot forward for their manufacturers and represent some of the most popular vehicles in this important segment.