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China's largest dealer body pushes back against foreign automakers over huge inventories

Do not think for a second that automakers forcing inventory on dealers in order to pad the numbers is a ruse known only in the US. Stories of individual brands have hinted at the trouble Chinese dealerships are having trying to move units as the country's economic growth remains hot but comes off the boil, like the one revealing that 95 percent of Toyota-FAW showrooms are losing money. Yet Toyota isn't the only culprit, and the issue has become so dire that the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), the largest dealer body in the country, has written to the government to complain. Chinese car sales are expected to close out the year with an annualized growth of six-percent, down from last year's 14 percent when targets were set, while in the background the pace of overall economic expansion is the slowest its been since the early nineties. Automakers, shipping cars on schedule to make their earlier targets, have blown up inventories such that they are an average of 1.8 times monthly sales, when the preferred multiplier is from 0.9 to 1.2. According to the CADA, the price wars and necessary incentives mean that only 30 percent of dealers are operating in the black. That number is down a whopping forty percent since 2010. In response, Toyota has already said it will not make its 2014 target of 1.1 million cars sold. We're a long way from 2012, when Toyota planned on selling 1.8 million cars in China in 2015, a target that's now as realistic as a manticore. BMW, Honda and Nissan have erased numbers on their spreadsheets, too; BMW growth dropped from 20 percent to 8 percent midyear after it began "reducing wholesale supplies," and Honda has been reworking its plans as sales have decreased each of the past six months. It's a big deal for Chinese dealers to begin protesting publicly, the CADA saying, "In the past, dealers were angry, but dared not speak out. But now, they have to shout because the situation is getting so unbearable." With six-percent growth forecast for next year and dealers unwilling to remain underwater, The Year of the Sheep coming in 2015 could portend meaning beyond the zodiac. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong BMW Honda Nissan Toyota Car Buying Car Dealers

Honda and Acura expand CPO offerings to include 10-year-old cars

With valuations having gone ballistic, buyers are spending more than ever to purchase used cars at the same time cars with 100,000 miles or more are now considered just mildly used. Effectively, the market is full of folks splashing what was new-car money not long ago on a vehicle that would have been considered all used up. Nevertheless, used car sales, especially manufacturer Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programs, are booming. Anything that can help a shopper with peace-of-mind about what they're getting would be a boon to the process, which is why Honda and Acura have revamped their CPO program to include a wider range of used cars.  At the bottom, the new HondaTrue Used tier now accepts vehicles up to ten years old, with no mileage limit. This wasn't the case before. The entire vehicle is covered for 100 days or 5,000 miles after purchase, whichever comes first. Used buyers at this tier also benefit from common CPO perks such as roadside assistance, trip interruption reimbursement (if your new-to-you used car breaks down far from home), and one complimentary oil change within the first year or 12,000 miles. As with the other two tiers, this one offers an exchange policy for another Honda CPO vehicle within three days or 300 miles. Above that, HondaTrue Certified accepts Hondas up to five years old. The entire vehicle is covered for one year or 12,000 miles after the original new vehicle warranty expires, and the powertrain-only warranty runs for seven years from the vehicle’s model year or 100,000 miles on the odometer. This one offers a second free oil change within the first year as well. HondaTrue Certified+ is only for vehicles purchased within their new vehicle warranty coverage period — so, under four years old and with less than 48,000 miles. It provides the same powertrain coverage as HondaTrue. Acura says its CPO division has posted five straight years of growth and had a record-breaking 2021, allowing it to take over Audi's spot at #4 for luxury CPO sales. Its Acura Precision CPO now offers an Acura Precision Used tier for its vehicles up to ten years old, with no limit on miles. After purchase, each Acura Precision Used vehicle gets complete and powertrain coverages for up to six months or 7,500 miles.

A pair of different but awesome Hondas star in the latest Forza Horizon 3 car pack

Forza Horizon 3's ever-expanding car list grows again with its latest downloadable car pack. This time it packs a pair of Hondas from opposite ends of history. In fact they use opposite drive wheels, too. The first, representing the modern day and front-wheel drive, is the previous generation, 300-horsepower, 2016 Honda Civic Type R. From the early days of Honda automobiles, and with rear-wheel-drive, is the 1970 Honda S800. It has substantially less than 300 horsepower. The Civic Type R isn't the only hot hatch in the pack either. The Vauxhall Corsa VXR provides a European counterpoint to the Honda, albeit a bit smaller. It features less power – about 200 hp in all – but should be an excellent match to the Fiesta ST. The pack also features a couple of high-dollar, high-horsepower machines in the form of the 2017 Aston Marin DB11 and the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V. Plus, for fans of older cars, there's the rear-engined Renault Alpine GTA Le Mans, and a Holden with a really long name: the 1985 HDT VK Commodore Group A. View 7 Photos As usual, the pack is included with the Forza Horizon 3 Car Pass. Or, if you don't have the pass, the pack can be purchased on its own. Related Video: Image Credit: Turn10 Studios / Playground Games Toys/Games Aston Martin Cadillac Honda Videos aston martin db11 cadillac ats-v forza horizon 3 vauxhall corsa