Editorial archive

June 2015

National Safety Council predicts deadliest Fourth in seven years

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(June 30, 2015) ITASCA, Ill. — The National Safety Council estimates 409 deaths and 49,500 injuries requiring medical attention will occur on our nation's roadways this Fourth of July holiday weekend. This is the highest predicted number the council has released for a three-day Independence Day holiday since 2008.

The holiday period falls on a weekend — from 6 p.m., Thursday, July 2 to 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 5 — and summer weekends are especially deadly. Six of the 10 deadliest nights of 2013 were Saturday nights in the summer.

Toyota Camry regains top spot in Cars.com's 'most American' survey

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(June 30, 2015) CHICAGO — Cars.com has released its annual list of the most American cars in the site’s American-Made Index. The Toyota Camry, which last claimed the top spot in 2012, regained the number one position for the fifth time.

The American-Made Index takes into account three key factors to determine how American cars are, including domestic-parts content (percentage of a vehicle’s parts considered to be domestic, meaning built in the U.S. or Canada), final assembly point, and overall vehicle sales.

Kelley Blue Book predicts car sales will rise nearly 6 percent in June

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(June 29, 2015) IRVINE, Calif. — New-vehicle sales are expected to increase 5.8 percent year-over-year to a total of 1.5 million units in June, resulting in an estimated 17.4 million seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to Kelley Blue Book.

"With another month of new-car sales growth in June, the 16th in a row, the auto industry continues its incredibly strong momentum.  With a 17.4 million projected SAAR for June, it would mark the third month above 17 million out of the past four months," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book.  "However, heading into the summer months, sales should flatten out at a more sustainable pace."

AAA projects most Independence Day travelers since 2007

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(June 28, 2015) ORLANDO, Fla. — AAA projects 41.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Independence Day, the most since 2007 and a 0.7 percent increase from the 41.6 million people who traveled last year. The Independence Day holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, July 1 to Sunday, July 5.

Poll: Seven in ten Americans plan on hitting road this summer

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(June 26, 2015) NEW YORK — Grabbing your family or friends, jumping in your car, and hitting the road can be an awesome way to spend a memorable vacation. Whether it's simply a means of reaching your destination or the journey itself is the goal, road trips offer something for everyone. So it's no real surprise that seven in ten Americans (71%) anticipate taking at least one road trip this summer.

These are among the findings from a Harris Poll of 2,215 U.S. adults (aged 18 and older) surveyed online from April 15-20, 2015. Full results of this study, including data tables, can be found here.

Autotrader warns — Watch out for used car scams

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(June 25, 2015) ATLANTA — Opportunities to buy used cars are getting better each year, as indicated by the surge in used and certified pre-owned vehicle listings on Autotrader (up 4 percent and 12 percent year-over-year, respectively). With more variety than ever, shoppers have plenty of choices of not only which car to buy, but also who and where to buy it from. 

As the summer car-buying season begins, Autotrader experts warn buyers to be cautious of common car-buying scams that heat up as the weather gets warmer.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont top vehicle theft area in country

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(June 24, 2015) DES PLAINES, Ill. — California's San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had the nation's highest per capita vehicle theft rate in 2014, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau's (NICB) latest Hot Spots report.

NICB: As vehicle thefts decline, thieves target wheels and tires

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(June 23, 2015) DES PLAINES, Ill. — While car thefts are declining across the country, the thefts of some parts and accessories are proving to be a lucrative business for professional thieves, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Emissions going down as more clean diesel trucks hit the road

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(June 21, 2015) WASHINGTON — Emissions are going down and fuel savings and greenhouse gas emissions benefits are going up in the nation’s commercial trucking fleet as more truckers invest in new technology clean diesel engines, according to new research released by the Diesel Technology Forum.

Friday least productive work day in UK, Nissan research shows

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(June 19, 2015) LONDON — The UK’s workforce has disclosed its workplace habits admitting that Friday is the least productive day of the week, according to research by leading auto-manufacturer Nissan. What’s more, 50% of workers confessed to feeling stressed on a regular basis which could be having an impact on their productivity.

Nissan conducted the study following the recent unveil of an innovative office workstation — inspired by the technologies in the Nissan Qashqai and a novel approach by Nissan engineers.