Study finds Ford's sporty cars winning over younger, more affluent buyers

(May 10, 2017) DEARBORN, Mich. — Customers of Ford’s sporty cars are not just young at heart; they’re actually younger on average, and more affluent, according to New Vehicle Customer Study data from MaritzCX. Nowhere is this trend more evident than with Ford Fiesta ST. While the average age of a new Fiesta buyer is 45 years old, the average age of a Fiesta ST customer is a good 10 years younger.

Gas prices dropping slowly, but steadily, AAA reports

(May 9, 2017) Today’s national average price for regular unleaded gasoline is $2.35 per gallon, which is four cents less than one week and one month ago, and 14 cents more than the same date last year. Last week, 46 states saw prices drop — some by at least 9 cents — with prices remaining steady in other parts of the country.

The trending decline is due to an unseasonable glut of gasoline in the U.S. market, record high refinery production rates, moderate demand and a recent drop in crude oil prices. 

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Car industry needs to change to reflect consumer demands, Volvo CEO says

(May 9, 2017) GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Volvo Cars is updating its business model to a changing world and believes the car industry as a whole needs do to the same, its president and chief executive Håkan Samuelsson announced Monday at the bi-annual meeting of the UN Global Compact Nordic Network in Gothenburg.

The meeting represents one of the biggest gatherings of Nordic corporate sustainability experts under the auspices of the United Nations.

Chart shows changing price of Ford's half-ton trucks since 1950

(May 8, 2017) A new graphic shows how the price of a Ford F-series truck has changed since 1950, when adjusted for inflation. Created by BlueSpringsFordParts.com, the chart shows the price for a base ½ ton Ford truck going back more than 65 years. The pricing data was found in NADA guides and other reliable sites, and the inflation adjustment was done using Bureau of Labor data.

“When we put this data together, we were struck by the difference in pricing between 1973 and 1982,” says Kyle Harris, director at BlueSpringsFordParts.com.

NADA reports new-car dealership employment sets record in 2016

(May 6, 2017) TYSONS, Va. — Employment, wages and payroll at U.S. new-car dealerships all continued to rise in 2016, according to a new report released by the National Automobile Dealers Association. In 2016, new-car dealerships directly employed a record 1,131,900 workers, a 2.4 percent increase from the previous year, according to NADA Data 2016, the annual financial profile of new-car dealerships.

Autotrader lists top certified pre-owned deals for May

(May 5, 2017) ATLANTA  — The editors at Autotrader have compiled their list of the top certified pre-owned (CPO) programs available for May. Get your summer off to the right start with the best deals on good-as-new vehicles from an assortment of automakers.

"Shopping CPO is ideal for price-conscious car shoppers that do not want to sacrifice quality over a good deal," said Brian Moody, Autotrader executive editor. "With CPO inspection and warranty coverage, you're likely to get a vehicle that is among the better choices out there."

Motorists spend $198 million daily on gasoline tax

(May 5, 2017) BOSTON — $198 million — that's the amount of tax that local, state and federal officials receive daily thanks to gasoline taxes. While many Americans forget about gasoline taxes, they amount to $72 billion a year for local, state and federal coffers.

It’s somewhat of a hidden pain, siphoned from motorists every fill up. While the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon has not been increased since 1993, there has been renewed talk of increasing the tax from various politicians in recent years. In addition, motorists must pay local and state tax on gas.

Autotrader makes car-buying recommendations for college graduates

(May 3, 2017) ATLANTA — Graduating from college is a major life achievement, and one of the first things many graduates do after landing a new job is search for a means of transportation. Autotrader knows the car-shopping process can be intimidating, so the experts have put together their top vehicle recommendations and shopping tips for college grads preparing for their future purchase.

Prices at the pump drop slightly for first time in three weeks

(May 3, 2017) Gas prices have dropped slowly on the week, according to statistics released by AAA on Monday. Monday's national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.39, a three cents drop from one week ago; however, it is an increase of nine cents over last month and 18 cents more than this time last year.