Author Archives: Chris Shunk

Average cost of car ownership rises to $8,946 per year

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old cash register

We Americans sure do love the freedom of owning our own automobile, but the price of that freedom is climbing. AAA has released its 62nd annual “Your Driving Costs” study, which shows a 1.9-percent year-over-year increase in the cost of auto ownership. That’s an average of $8,946 per year per car, with costs including monthly payment, fuel, maintenance and insurance.

Given the sharp rise in the cost of a gallon of petrol, it’s no surprise that prices at the pump are up 14.8 percent, or an average of 14.2 cents per mile. Tire prices are up 4.2 percent, in part because material prices have skyrocketed. The average insurance policy jumped by $33 versus 2010 numbers, with an average rate of $1,001 per year.

Interestingly, used cars are worth more than they were a year ago, with a depreciation drop of 4.9 percent, which means a new car purchase may hold its value a little better than before.

If $8,946 is too rich for your blood, AAA shows that the best bet could be a smaller sedan. Compact models average $6,735 per vehicle, while 4WD SUVs top the charts at $11,360. Large sedans are close to the SUV numbers, with an average of $11,324. AAA based its findings on a driving cycle of 15,000 miles per year. Scroll down below to read the AAA press release.

Continue reading Average cost of car ownership rises to $8,946 per year

Average cost of car ownership rises to $8,946 per year originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 May 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford says it already has 8,000 orders for new Escape

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2013 Ford Escape - front three-quarter view at sunrise

The 2013 Escape will soon arrive in dealerships, and it appears Ford has quite a few excited buyers waiting in the wings. The Detroit Free Press reports that Ford already has about 8,000 pre-sales in-hand before buyers have even had the chance to drive the handsome crossover.

That’s good news for Ford for obvious reasons, but the new Escape is going to need all the sales it can muster. That’s because the current Escape, which dates all the way back to 2001, has been one of the most consistently hot-selling Ford vehicles ever made. For reference, Ford managed to sell 22,679 units in March – enough to make those 8,000 pre-sales seem like the first few drops in a very large, very important bucket. In fact, in 2012, the outgoing Escape is already ahead of its 2011 sales pace by nearly 3,000 units.

At this point, it’s difficult to project whether the new Escape will be able to surpass sales of the outgoing model, but we are pretty sure Ford will achieve higher transaction prices. The departing CUV features a hoard of cash incentives, but the new model features pricey options and a top-of-the-line Titanium trim model that can crest $37,000 with options. Speaking of pricing, Ford has finalized the numbers and options on its Escape configurator since we first told you about it in January, and you can check it out here.

Ford says it already has 8,000 orders for new Escape originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch a restored 1980 Toyota Celica rally car put through its paces by Neal Bates

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Former and current Toyota driver Neal Bates started his rally career over 20 years ago. While that seems like a long time to have been racing, even back then a 1980 Toyota Celica was pretty old school. Mr. Bates and his friends at Toyota set out to prove that the old Celica is still cool by giving the RA40 dirt runner a full restore ahead of its ARC debut in Melbourne.

Bates, Coral Taylor and the 32-year-old Celica took first in the opening round of the 2012 Australian Rally Championship, and if you watch the video below, you’ll see why. Bates put the beefed-up Celica through its paces, and it looks like he hasn’t lost a step.

Continue reading Watch a restored 1980 Toyota Celica rally car put through its paces by Neal Bates

Watch a restored 1980 Toyota Celica rally car put through its paces by Neal Bates originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This year’s Cars.com Super Bowl commercial weirds us out

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Cars.com Super Bowl ad - 2012

Remember when the dot-com ads started to flood the airwaves during the Super Bowl? The ads were almost always wacky, and half the time, we didn’t even know what was being sold. Well, it’s been a long time since the 1990s, and very few Internet-based companies are still hocking services during The Big Game.

Cars.com is one of the WiFi warriors that is still swinging for the fences, and some of their past work has been reasonably funny. Their 2012 ad is all about using Cars.com to gain confidence at the dealership, but we’re not sure what to think about it. There is something about a man with a freaky second head that doesn’t sit well with us, and we like it even less when noggin part deux is intentionally obnoxious. Seriously, we could do without the gyrating, it’s creeping us out. Hit the jump to preview the 30-second ad for yourself.

Continue reading This year’s Cars.com Super Bowl commercial weirds us out

This year’s Cars.com Super Bowl commercial weirds us out originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW ActiveE enrollment process now open in test markets

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bmw activee

It isn’t every day that BMW offers an electric vehicle, but the ActiveE is just that. The German luxury car maker is now accepting applications for 700 ActiveE “Electronauts” in the test markets of Boston, Hartford, New York, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco.

The hand-raisers will need to complete a charging station consultation with BMW Partner AeroVironment to make sure the house of the perspective lessee can handle a charger. The meeting will also serve as a teaching session to make sure the user understands the charging and maintenance of an electric vehicle.

Once the perspective lessee meets those criteria, they will be given the opportunity to lease the
4,000-pound, electrified 1 Series Coupe for 24 months at $499 per month, plus $2,250 down. Hit the jump to look over the BMW press release, and head over to BMWActivateTheFuture.com if you’re interested in learning more about the ActiveE.

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BMW ActiveE enrollment process now open in test markets originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rolls-Royce records highest annual sales in 107-year history

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rolls-royce ghost

Some would say that 2011 wasn’t exactly a banner year, but the good chaps at Rolls-Royce would likely respond with a definitive “Poppycock!” That’s because the 107-year-old brand experienced its best-ever sales totals in 2011, with 3,538 very expensive autos sold around the globe. That’s a 31 percent increase over the 2,711 models sold in 2010, thanks mostly to brisk sales of the Ghost and Phantom models.

With sales up 31 percent, it’s clear that the storied automaker was on fire the world over, but certain markets really catapulted the marque. In fact, sales in Asia were up 47 percent, and the U.S. saw 17 percent growth. Austerity measures in England didn’t stop the craze for new Rolls-Royce models, either, with sales up 30 percent.

It may not be all that exciting to see that the rich can afford more Rolls Royce models, but we’re guessing the 1,000 employees working in Goodwood are probably tickled at the brand’s rising popularity. Hit the jump to read over the official Rolls-Royce press release.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce records highest annual sales in 107-year history

Rolls-Royce records highest annual sales in 107-year history originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Kim Jong-il’s final ride came to be in a Lincoln

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Kim Jong-Il funeral procession

The funeral of Kim Jong-il made for a big story internationally, but in true Autoblog fashion, we were just as interested in the classic cars that figured prominently in the procession. Of particular interest was a 1970s Lincoln limousine that carried the deceased leader’s casket – but not because it was some sort of rare classic that would fetch millions at Barrett Jackson.

Instead, many wondered how the North Koreans managed to obtain the vehicle in the first place. After all, the U.S. and North Korea aren’t exactly cozy, as evidenced by the 58-year old armistice that is still in effect. Was it a Russian ride that was converted to look like a Lincoln? Was it a genuine Lincoln smuggled into the country?

The good folks at TheDetroitBureau.com did some digging, and they think they’ve found the answer. TDB contacted the former head of Ford of Japan to ask how the vehicle could have ended up in North Korean possession, and the answer could stem from a rogue dealer from Japan. Their source claims that one or more Japanese Ford dealers was rumored to be shipping vehicles to North Korea, in spite of Japanese laws that forbid exports to the communist country.

There is no way of knowing if this educated guess is the definitive explanation of how Kim Jong-il’s Lincoln ended up in North Korea, but it’s certainly as as good as any we have heard.

How Kim Jong-il’s final ride came to be in a Lincoln originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford F-150 EcoBoost hits 100,000 sales

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ecoboost f-150

Ford bet big on the combination of light duty pickup trucks and boosted V6 power, and it appears the gamble has paid off. The Detroit News reports that Ford has already reached 100,000 F-150 sales in 2011, just as the automaker promised it would.

Overall EcoBoost models accounted for 40 percent of all F-150 sales, which is impressive considering that the boosted mill comes with a $895 price premium compared to the very capable 5.0-liter V8. Still more impressive is the fact that Ford also sold plenty of 3.7-liter V6 models as well, and the overall take rate of V6 engines is over 50 percent on the year. Ford hasn’t sold this many six-cylinder F-150 models since Doc Brown turned a DeLorean into a time machine (1985).

With V6-powered F-150 models selling this well, we’re expecting General Motors and Chrysler to follow suit with their own six-cylinder offerings. It seems truck buyers would be more than okay with the decision.

Ford F-150 EcoBoost hits 100,000 sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi sets U.S. annual sales record with a month to spare

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audi r8 gt

Audi may not have the market share of its German rivals here in the States, but that dynamic appears to be changing. Audi announced that 2011 is already a record-setting year here in the U.S., besting its 2010 record by Thanksgiving weekend.

Audi has already sold 104,906 vehicles through November 30, better than the 101,629 units sold in all of of 2010. December is traditionally a strong sales month (who wouldn’t want an R8 for Christmas?), which should only add more distance between the old sales record and the new mark. Audi Certified pre-owned sales also had a banner year, moving 33,102 used vehicles so far in 2011, beating the previous high of 32,108 units in 2008.

Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen sounds pleased with the brand’s progress in the U.S., attributing the success to “the steady arrival of exciting new models that have captured the imagination of the American premium car customer.” Hit the jump to read the brag-tastic Audi press release.

Continue reading Audi sets U.S. annual sales record with a month to spare

Audi sets U.S. annual sales record with a month to spare originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan says it’s still committed to Cube despite slow sales

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nissan cube

The Nissan Cube is… different. There aren’t many vehicles that pack the length of a sub-compact, the height of a crossover and the sex appeal of a postal truck. There is no question that Nissan was thinking out of the box with this boxy ride, but the model has never really caught on in the States. In 2009, Nissan sold 21,000 units, followed by 23,000 units in 2010. This year, however, sales have dipped to just 13,850 units through 10 months, a tepid 198 units having been sold in October.

But while the Cube isn’t selling well, AutoWeek reports that Nissan isn’t giving up on it just yet. Nissan North America sales boss Brian Carolin told the magazine at the Los Angeles Auto Show that the Cube “has found its place in the market.” Carolin added that demand for the Cube was strong when gas prices spiked, and that at that point, the automaker was “struggling to get a supply of it.”

Part of the Cube’s sales decline could be attributed to parts shortages as a result of the Japan earthquake back in March, but that doesn’t seem to explain its very weak October sales numbers. Even with obviously slow sales, Carolin sounds bullish on the Cube, but we’re betting that Nissan will struggle to keep the Cube in the U.S. lineup if sales continue to dip, and we haven’t heard a peep about a next-generation model.

Nissan says it’s still committed to Cube despite slow sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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