Editorial archive

August 2024

Porsche 911 Speedster built as a Sonderwunsch Factory one-off

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Porsche Speedster collector
Luca Trazzi realizes his dream

(August 17, 2024) MONTEREY, Calif. — Since 1954, Speedster variants have been part of the Porsche company history. They combine open driving pleasure with particularly expressive driving dynamics. The car is characterized by a two-seat layout, a unique cowl and shortened windshield. But there is a gap in the model history of the 911.

Gas prices hold steady as summer fades away

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(August 16, 2024) WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 15, 2024)—The national average for a gallon of gas hit $3.44, falling by just a penny since last week. According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand edged higher last week from 8.96 million barrels a day to 9.04.

New-vehicle sales incentives climb higher in July

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Edmunds finds incentives in July
reached 7% of transaction price

(August 16, 2024) ATLANTA — New-vehicle prices were lower year over year for the 10th consecutive month in July. Higher inventory levels and higher incentives have shifted the U.S. auto market to favor buyers, but high loan rates and tight credit conditions continue to hold industry sales below potential.

2024 Subaru Solterra — Subaru's first EV is adequate but unremarkable

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By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 14, 2024) Solterra, Subaru's first global dedicated electric vehicle, is manufactured in partnership with Toyota sharing many of the mechanicals and edgy styling with the nearly identical bZ4X crossover sans badging and ever-so-slightly front and rear design treatments. Sized similarly like Subaru sibling Forester, a standard dual-motor all-wheel drive system, courtesy of a 72.8-kWh battery pack propels the Solterra  via the direct-drive automatic transmission.

Anti-theft software tamps down viral theft targeting Hyundai, Kia vehicles

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By Highway Loss Data Institute

(August 12, 2024) A software upgrade offered to the owners of Hyundai and Kia vehicles that were sold without electronic immobilizers cut theft rates by more than half, new research from the Highway Loss Data Institute shows.

Second-quarter sales lagging for only sedan in Infiniti portfolio

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By Paul Borden
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 11, 2024) It doesn’t happen often but on occasion a reviewer gets a second look at a vehicle and such as the case with me recently with the 2024 Infiniti  Q50. My review of the 2024 Infiniti Q50 appeared in April and included the information that sales for the only sedan in the Japanese automaker’s SUV-dominated fleet had shown a slight increase of 2.3 percent for the first quarter of 2024 over the numbers Infiniti reported for 2023.

Pump prices continue to fall, down three cents

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(August 9, 2024) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Falling by just three cents since last week, the national average for a gallon of gas hit $3.45, similar to the price in June.  “With Tropical Storm Debby drifting up the I-95 corridor to visit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the threat to Gulf Coast oil production and refining is over,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But tensions in the Middle East and some overseas economic uncertainty may mitigate any drop in oil prices.”

Charging station status inaccurate more than a quarter of the time, study finds

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Findings demonstrate that station
reliability often information problem

(August 8, 202) A study has found that more than a quarter of electric vehicle charging stations misreport their status, leading drivers with inaccurate information as they try to figure out where they can charge their vehicles on the road. Stations either appeared as out of service and were functional, appeared online but were offline or appeared to be in use when they were available 26 percent of the time. The study was done by  ChargerHelp, a company that handles operations and maintenance for EV chargers.

The pandemic’s tenacious grip on traffic safety

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AAA research finds increase in
fatalities greatest among minorities

(August 7, 2024) WASHINGTON, D.C.  — A new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals the COVID-19 pandemic’s deadly impact on traffic safety in the United States. Researchers at the AAA Foundation found dangerous behaviors like speeding, not using seatbelts, and impaired driving contributed to a significant rise in fatal crashes compared to pre-pandemic times.

Study — Lighted crosswalks make drivers more apt to yield to pedestrians

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Findings could help agencies select
appropriate nighttime treatments

(August 4, 2024) In areas with few streetlights, drivers are more than 3 times as likely to yield to pedestrians at illuminated crosswalks than at dark ones, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. At lighted crosswalks that also include flashing yellow warning beacons, drivers are more than 13 times as likely to yield.