Editorial archive

May 2012

Consumer Watchdog cheers California contract to buy Ford police vehicles

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(May 31, 2026) SANTA MONICA, Calif. —The state's award of a contract for up to 1,900 Ford vehicles for the California Highway Patrol and other state agencies is a snub to GM and Chrysler, which eagerly sought the prestigious contract, says Consumer Watchdog, which applauded the tentative award.

Used-car prices expected to drop in June

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(May 30, 2026) MCLEAN, Va., — After double-digit percentage gains from January through May 2012, prices on many popular used compact and midsize cars are expected to drop up to 5 percent in June compared to May, said Jonathan Banks, senior analyst with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Used Car Guide.

"The trend of rising prices for used cars will reverse course in June because of declining gasoline prices combined with a normal seasonal slowdown in consumer demand for used cars," Banks said.

Survey finds even weekend gateway can be stressful

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(May 29, 2026) DEARBORN, Mich. — Getting away from familiar surroundings for the weekend should be a great way to relax and forget about the pressures of everyday life, but a new survey finds even a weekend getaway has its hassles.
 
An online Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Ford in May found nearly one third of U.S. adults say the cost of gas is the most stressful part of a weekend trip. Other stress factors include dealing with traffic and other drivers on the roads.

Vehicle sales predicted to continue at healthy clip

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(May 29, 2026) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Light vehicle sales are expected to continue at a healthy clip in May, reports Edmunds.com. Edmunds.com estimates that 1,391,163 new cars will be sold in May, for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 14.4 million. This would be a 17.5 percent increase from April 2012 and a 31.1 percent increase (unadjusted for number of selling days) from May 2011.

Race fans prefer domestic vehicles — and Ford

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(May 28, 2026) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Just in time for the Memorial Day race weekend, TrueCar.com has identified the 10 Most Popular Cars for People Who Enjoy Racing/NASCAR. Based on 2011 data received from more than 165,000 men and women who listed "Rallying," "Auto Racing," or "NASCAR" among their hobbies, the findings place the Ford F-150 at the top of the list, followed by two more pickup trucks: the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500.

Cadillac Escalade tops annual satisfaction awards

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(May 26, 2026) The Cadillac Escalade Luxury SUV registered the highest overall satisfaction rating — car of truck — in the 16th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards announced this week by automotive marketing research firm AutoPacific and online automotive research site Autobytel.

TrueCar predicts highest May sales since 2007

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(May 25, 2026) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar.comhas released its May 2012 sales and incentives forecast predicting new car sales in May to be highest since 2007.  The May forecast shows the following:

Honda boasts three of top four most-visited cars at Kelley

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(May 24, 2026) IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book revealed today that Honda had three out of the four most-visited new cars during the first quarter of 2012. The Honda CR-V was the most-shopped new vehicle with the Civic taking No. 2 and Accord following at No. 4 during the same time period.

Predection: Memorial Day sales will drive auto industry to 14.2 million SAAR

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(May 23, 2026) IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) projects that Memorial Day shopping will propel new-vehicle sales to approach 1.4 million units, or 14.2 million seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR), in May, a nearly 30 percent year-over-year improvement. 

After adjusting for the two additional selling days this month and a major car-selling holiday weekend, sales are projected to show a 20 percent gain. This will mark the most pronounced year-over-year gain in more than 12 months.

Study finds more people plan on traveling this summer than in 2011

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(May 22, 2026) NEWTON, Mass. — Eighty-six percent of travelers are planning leisure trips this summer, up from 81 percent that traveled last summer, according to TripAdvisor, which announced the results of its annual summer travel survey of more than 1,800 U.S. respondents.