This segment of SUVs continues to do well in America. About 1000 more large luxury SUVs were sold this January versus January 2018. The big winner was Range Rover, it doubled its sales this year from a year ago.
Here are your volume leaders that we know of, with Escalade and Navigator excluded, since neither manufacturer reports sales monthly. Mercedes-Benz GLS: 2,007Infiniti QX80: 1,943Land Rover Range Rover: 1,651Mercedes-Benz G-Class: 427Lexus LX: 251Toyota Land Cruiser: 114 Read More
Quality and value are two musts on our list when it comes to shopping for a new car at places like the Chicago Auto Show. That’s also where U.S. News & World Report recently handed out its 2019 Best Cars for the Money awards.
The awards cover 14 automotive categories and highlight vehicles that provide consumers with the best combination of quality and value. The winners are scored on data-driven rankings, along with ownership and pricing info.
One glance at the list and you’ll quickly Read More
Electric vehicle range can be impacted drastically by extreme temperatures, according to a new study from the American Automobile Association. It’s especially true when using the car heater during frigid temps, but hot weather has an impact, too. Using either the car’s heating or A/C system can reduce range and result in the need to charge more often. Both are things drivers should keep in mind when they head out on the road in those conditions.
Extreme Temps Decrease EV RangeHere is a Read More
Nissan is rolling out the 2019 Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition. Available on either the SV or SL grades, it’s designed to emphasize the Pathfinder’s rugged heritage.
Pathfinder Rock Creek EditionThe Rock Creek Edition package is an option in both 2-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations, and in a choice of seven available exterior colors. It goes on sale this spring with a package price of $995.
It features unique dark 18-inch wheels with 255/60R18 all-season tires, black mesh grille, Read More
As I have told you, as a car company, you are judged by the last month’s sales results versus the same month of the prior year.
Here are your automakers that were up or down 5% or more from last January, again not including General Motors.
WINNERS:Ram up 23.75% Jaguar up 17.3% Land Rover up 14.57% Acura up 9.61% Volvo up 5.29%
LOSERS:Fiat down 38.89% Alfa Romeo down 20.22% Mercedes-Benz down 24.93% Genesis down 24.12% Smart down 20.95% Nissan down 19.9% Mazda down 19.7% Mini Read More
The SUV craze continues for 2019. We don’t have a good picture, however, because General Motors does not report sales except quarterly, and although Ford released total numbers, we don’t have a breakdown by model, so you won’t see those numbers either.
Kicking off 2019 SUV sales at the top of the list is Honda CR-V, which hasn’t been there in a while. CR-V had a gain of almost 20% versus January of 2018. Nissan Rogue was off 28% from a year ago, primarily due to a cutback in incentives. Read More
You teach your kids to be responsible, about the birds and the bees, how to be a responsible adult, but do you teach your kids about the basics of cars? Too often, parents hand their kids a set of car keys and simply say, “be careful”.
There are things your kids need to know about cars to prepare them for the rest of their lives. This is not necessarily a job for dads, either parent can step up and prepare kids for proper maintenance, safety, and care of his or her car. This can save Read More
The redesigned Mazda3 rolls into dealerships in March. The fourth-generation model comes as either a sporty hatchback or standard sedan and comes in either Standard, Select, Preferred or Premium trim levels. The front-wheel sedan starts from $21,000 while the hatchback starts from $23,600 (not including destination.) Both feature Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter engine with available predictive i-ACTIV all-wheel drive.
All-New InteriorThe redesigned model looks attractive inside and out. In Read More
If you’re interested in Mercedes-Benz’s smallest sedan, here is some pricing info for you.
Mercedes-Benz A-Class PricingThe all-new 2019 A-Class sedan arrives in U.S. dealerships soon. The base model 220 will start from $32,500, while the 220 4MATIC will start from $34,500. Then factor in the $995 destination charge.
MBUXOne of the biggest highlights of the A-Class sedan is that it introduces the new infotainment system called MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience). It has a completely new Read More
December is the time to snag a bargain and it’s been that way for years. It is easy to get caught up in the hype and incentives and not end up getting a good deal. This year, people seem incredibly surprised at the deals dealers are offering up right now, mainly due to big customer incentives.
As a reminder, you can take all or part of the rebates in CASH if you need readily available cash for Christmas bills etc.
Timing Is CriticalI often talk on the air about why timing is important Read More
[Editor’s note: This article has been updated since its original post in August 2015.]
We had a caller last Saturday on the Car Pro Show who was unhappy with the fuel economy of his truck. This is one of two common problems I hear all the time: 1). My pickup gets horrible fuel economy, or 2). My pickup doesn’t do a good job towing my trailer.
When I get these questions, I always ask which rear axle ratio the caller has, and I would guess 90% of the time, the caller doesn’t know. People Read More
It is easy to get caught up in the phenomenon of the new car smell. You saw a car that looked great to you, your old car is tired and you are tired of it. You go to a dealership, take that test drive, and the love affair begins. You are blinded by your favorite color, the great stereo, all the safety features, and the fuel economy. You’ll do whatever it takes to drive home in your dream car. Does that mean you’ll sign a 7-year legal, binding contract so you can afford the payments? If so, you Read More
Since we first published our guide to electric cars in 2016 things have progressed at a very fast pace. The number of electric vehicle choices is growing quickly, and especially for those living in states like California. Battery ranges are getting longer, easing so-called driver range anxiety, plus the electric charging infrastructure is improving, although it still has a ways to go to encompass mainstream buyers across the nation.
Automakers Embrace Electric FutureAutomakers are diving Read More
What you pay for car insurance depends on more than just where you live, how old you are and whether you have a clean driving record or not. It also depends heavily on your credit. Most car insurers use parts of your FICO (Fair Issac Corp) credit score as a factor in determining what premiums to charge, except in California, Hawaii or Massachusetts where it’s illegal to do so.
FICO Credit ScoresFirst let’s looks at the different groups of the FICO score according to Experian. 800-850 = Read More
The time has come. More terrifying than perhaps even the first date. For parents, that is. It’s the moment of getting your teen their first car.
If you’re deciding on whether to go new or used, used cars are ok, but as we’ve said before, the newer the better. The reason being is that safety gets better every model year with new technology and innovation. Plus there are new safety systems around now like Teen Driver, which is offered by General Motors on newer model cars.
As promised, our annual guide to Tax Code Section 179 for self-employed and business owners who buy a vehicle. This guide encompasses qualifying vehicles purchased in the 2018 calendar year.
Tax Code 179Tax Code 179, the special deduction to write off equipment in the year purchased, was extended permanently in 2015 legislation. This has been further liberalized by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that Congress enacted in December 2017.
Beginning in 2018, this special deduction allows Read More
When I started my radio show 17 years ago, on show #1, I told the audience I would only recommend vehicles that had great long-term reliability, good value for the dollar, and good resale value. I have stuck to those tenets all these years. Before going on the air the first time, I listened to a number of other automotive shows, and was amazed that not one of them ever mentioned resale value. I have had people tell me they were not worried about resale value because they leased their cars. Read More
If you are interested in the AirCheckTexas Drive a Clean Machine program, a Texas program that provides assistance for owners of vehicles that won’t pass emissions tests, note that changes for eligibility requirements for ALL replacement vehicles took effect on September 1, 2018.
AirCheck TexasAirCheckTexas, administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, does two things to help get polluting cars off roadways. It either helps income-qualified drivers replace their vehicle or Read More
Have questions about your car? Well, forget finding them the old fashioned way, in an owner’s manual tucked away in your glovebox. These days you’ll need to go online. In the digital age, automakers are posting them on their websites and some, like Hyundai’s, even include augmented reality features. Many brands are also now allowing you to reference them through the vehicle’s infotainment system.
The move to digital manuals is due in part to cutting weight, since paper adds up. In fact, if Read More
I started the Car Pro Show 17 years ago with two missions in mind: to give people honest answers about buying a car, and to call attention to good car dealers, while calling negative attention to the bad ones. In my book, there is no lower scum than anyone who will take advantage of a member of our armed forces, yet it happens all the time.
For this reason, I want to give the men and women in our military some tips on not getting taken advantage of when buying a car. Some dealerships Read More
