Editorial archive

July 2012

Mercedes-Benz dealers rank first in Prospect Satisfaction Index

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(July 9, 2012) MONTEREY, Calif. — Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of car-shoppers.  Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties "mystery shopping" measurement and scoring to industry sales success.

Bieber busted for going 101 on the 101 in his electric Karma

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(July 7, 2012) STUDIO CITY, Calif. — It’s an only in L.A. kind of story — a young pop singer being chased by paparazzi  on the freeway is ratted out by a city councilman, who worked as a motor cop for 18 years.

The pop singer is 18-year-old Justin Bieber, who was spotted weaving in and out of traffic in his chrome Fisker Karma (a gift from Ellen DeGeneres) on the Ventura Freeway in Studio City, about 10 a.m. yesterday.

Crash avoidance features reduce crashes, study concludes

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(July 3, 2012) ARLINGTON, Va. — An early crop of advanced crash avoidance technologies includes some clear success stories when it comes to preventing crashes, insurance claim analyses by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) show. Forward collision avoidance systems, particularly those that can brake autonomously, along with adaptive headlights, which shift direction as the driver steers, show the biggest crash reductions.

Honda and Toyota transaction prices continue to climb

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(July 3, 2012) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar.com estimated today that the average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States was $30,508 in June, up $849 (2.9 percent) from June 2011 and up $148 (0.5 percent) from May 2012.

Toyota Camry rated most 'American car'

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(July 2, 2012) CHICAGO — Cars.com announced today that the Toyota Camry has topped the site's annual American-Made Index. While this is the fourth consecutive year the Camry has held the top spot, the Ford F-150's return to the list resulted in the narrowest gap between first and second in the index's history.