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Average transaction prices climb to a record $36,270 in January

The automotive sector made a hash of the numbers last month, a mess of pluses and minuses clogging the transaction-price charts according to Kelley Blue Book. The overall industry rose one percent, even though buyers bought fewer cars and light vehicles in January 2018 vs 2017 using the selling-day adjusted rate. Due to January transaction prices rising to $36,270, a record for January, the value of new vehicles sold climbed more than $1 billion compared to January 2017. KBB's transaction prices don't include customer incentives, which changes the complexion slightly; average incentive spending rose to just over ten percent. The average transaction price in December 2017 was $36,756, so January dropped a bit - nothing unexpected, with the month annually blamed for "January doldrums." More revealing is the fact that the average transaction price in January 2017 was $34,910. This year's plumped-up figure came courtesy of the continued shift to crossovers, SUVs, and light trucks, which shouldn't surprise anyone who's read an automotive blog in the past 20 years. That category comprised nearly 70 percent of new vehicle sales for the month. Some manufacturers profited more than others, though. Fiat Chrysler managed 12.8 percent fewer sales in January compared year-on-year, but the company's vehicles sold for $1,300 more. The Ford brand suffered a 6.3-percent dip in sales, but brand transaction prices increased $2,000, while a Lincoln sold for $8,700 more on average. General Motors sold more cars and sold them for more money; overall GM transaction prices rose four percent, or $1,270, while a GMC traded hands for seven-percent more than in January 2017 and a Cadillac got $2,300 more on average. Of KBB's listed automakers, the Volkswagen Group got the most of out its customers, transaction prices rising at the German automaker by 5.6 percent to $42,243 in January 2018 compared to a year earlier. American Honda followed with a 4.3-percent increase to $28,991, GM in third at 4.1 percent to $40,313. Find your next car at Autoblog using our new and used car listings or the Car Finder tool. Broken out by segment, minivans rocked the table, transaction prices leaping by 7.9 percent to $35,380 compared to January a year earlier. Luxury cars boasted the next-highest rise, at 3.6 percent to $58,533.

Autoblog joins Elon Musk and Danica Patrick in accepting ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Unless you've been living in an off-the-grid cabin in the woods for the last couple of weeks or abstain entirely from social media activities, you've probably seen someone you know dump a bucket of ice and water over their own head recently. While the origins of the so-called Ice Bucket Challenge are shrouded in a history typical of Internet memes, its effectiveness in raising money and awareness for the ALS Association has been astonishing.
Celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, sports, technology and more have generated untold millions of video views in support of the organization that is helping patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), and generated a much needed influx of cash, as well. Recent reports have some $15.6M raised in the last two weeks.
Of course, the big-hearted world of automotive celebrities has taken part in the drenching charity effort as well. Follow on below for some of the biggest names on four wheels getting iced for charity, with a smattering of your favorite Autobloggers thrown in for good measure.

Ford starts GoDrive carsharing service in London

Automaker-supported carsharing services like BMW's DriveNow and Daimler's Car2Go are already well established in many cities around the world. Ford is no stranger to this business, either, with collaborations with companies like ZipCar in the US and Flinkster in Germany. Now, The Blue Oval is taking a new step by establishing its own dedicated offering in London called GoDrive. The operation is actually the expansion of an earlier 100-person pilot program and allows the automaker to test out ideas on a small scale. GoDrive is now growing to support 2,000 people in London, and they can share 50 vehicles that are scattered around 20 locations in the city. The fleet is split between Focus Electric models and Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoosts. One of the major selling points for the service is that users can take one-way trips through the city and have a guaranteed parking spot at their destination. Like any high-tech service today, much of the user interface for GoDrive works through a smartphone app that allows users to book cars and pay for trips. The driving is covered under an all-inclusive, pay-by-the-minute model, which includes London's congestion charge, and the first five minutes are free. To entice new users, the company is currently offering a free membership and 20 pounds ($31) in credit to sign up. GoDrive's small size also lets it gather and adjust to customer feedback quickly. For example, users reportedly enjoy getting to try out a vehicle with the latest infotainment and safety features. The company is already working on different pricing plans and parking options for the future, as well. The video below shows a little more the service in action. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. FORD BRINGS DYNAMIC CAR-SHARING EXPERIMENT TO LONDON; FIRST SERVICE TO OFFER ONE-WAY TRIPS WITH GUARANTEED PARKING Ford will offer Londoners flexible, practical, and affordable GoDrive car-sharing service; invites 2,000 members to register free for service that offers 50 cars across 20 locations GoDrive is unique in offering one-way trips with guaranteed parking. Pay-as-you-go approach with pay-per-minute pricing covers all fees. Drivers book and access cars via smartphone app Zero-emission Focus Electric makes up half of the GoDrive fleet; fuel-efficient Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost available.