Clean Autocheck, 1 Owner, Cold Ac, Cd Stereo, Sharp 04 Suv 3.3l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The next steps automakers could take after sales drop again in April

DETROIT (Reuters) - Major automakers on Tuesday posted declines in U.S. new vehicle sales for April in a sign the long boom cycle that lifted the American auto industry to record sales last year is losing steam, sending carmaker stocks down. The drop in sales versus April 2016 came on the heels of a disappointing March, which automakers had shrugged off as just a bad month. But two straight weak months has heightened Wall Street worries the cyclical industry is on a downward swing after a nearly uninterrupted boom since the Great Recession's end in 2010. Auto sales were a drag on U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product, with the economy growing at an annual rate of just 0.7 percent according to an advance estimate published by the Commerce Department last Friday. Excluding the auto sector the GDP growth rate would have been 1.2 percent. Industry consultant Autodata put the industry's seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales at 16.88 million units for April, below the average of 17.2 million units predicted by analysts polled by Reuters. General Motors Co shares fell 2.9 percent while Ford Motor Co slid 4.3 percent and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's U.S.-traded shares tumbled 4.2 percent. The U.S. auto industry faces multiple challenges. Sales are slipping and vehicle inventory levels have risen even as carmakers have hiked discounts to lure customers. A flood of used vehicles from the boom cycle are increasingly competing with new cars. The question for automakers: How much and for how long to curtail production this summer, which will result in worker layoffs? To bring down stocks of unsold vehicles, the Detroit automakers need to cut production, and offer more discounts without creating "an incentives war," said Mark Wakefield, head of the North American automotive practice for AlixPartners in Southfield, Michigan. "We see multiple weeks (of production) being taken out on the car side," he said, "and some softness on the truck side." Rival automakers will be watching each other to see if one is cutting prices to gain market share from another, he said, instead of just clearing inventory. INVESTORS DIGEST BAD NEWS Just last week GM reported a record first-quarter profit, but that had almost zero impact on the automaker's stock. The iconic carmaker, whose own interest was once conflated with that of America's, has slipped behind luxury carmaker Tesla Inc in terms of valuation.

Mystery shoppers love Infiniti, hate Tesla

Infiniti, followed by Lexus tied with Mercedes-Benz took the top two spots for best sales experience according to mystery shoppers from the latest Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, while EV manufacturer Tesla recorded the lowest overall score. Not surprisingly, premium brands dominated the top ranks. Including the three already mentioned, luxury brands occupied seven of the top ten spots and included Audi, BMW, Porsche, and the only American brand to crack the upper echelon, Cadillac. Toyota, Volkswagen, and Nissan rounded out the first ten positions. The news for domestic automakers isn't good. Aside from Caddy, the only other star-spangled automaker to score above the industry average is Chrysler. The rest of FCA, most of GM, and all of Ford fell below the line. But Pied Piper's mystery shoppers handed Tesla the biggest walloping – the company is ten full points below the next lowest brand, Volvo, and its score of 86 is 17 below the average of 103. It's baffling, considering the company's touted direct-sales model. "Tesla leaves me scratching my head," Fred O'Hagan, Pied Piper's president and CEO, told Wards Auto. "They own all of their stores, so you would think each one would be doing the same thing. But they're not. Tesla is consistent in its inconsistencies." O'Hagan added that there's a "huge variation" in Tesla's store-to-store effectiveness, and that in some cases, shoppers found showroom workers that acted more like "museum curators," Wards Auto reports. It might be popular to call Tesla the Apple of the car world, but based on Pied Piper's work, the brand has a long way to go to emulate the uniform shopping experience of an Apple Store. The news might be bad for Tesla, but even for the brands that scored below average, there's cause for celebration. Only Tesla and Mini lost points in this year's rankings, and only Mercedes and Lincoln held steady. Every other brand, including Infiniti, which topped the index for the first time, gained at least one point. The biggest improvements belong to Porsche, Land Rover, and Mitsubishi, which all jumped five points. Pied Piper's annual Prospect Satisfaction Index uses mystery shoppers – over 6,100 this year – from across the country to assess dealers and generate rankings from over 50 individual factors. News Source: Pied Piper via WardsAuto Green Audi BMW Cadillac Chrysler Infiniti Lexus Mercedes-Benz Nissan Tesla Toyota Car Buying Car Dealers study

2017 Lexus Model Year Preview and Updates

As the market for luxury and near-luxury vehicles continues to expand, Lexus intends to grow its already-dominant share; new entries and updates to existing models reflect that. Biggest news for this calendar year – if not the 2017 model year – is unquestionably the introduction of the 2018 LC 500 - pictured above - and LC 500h, high-performance 2+2 coupes powered by either a blazing 5.0-liter normally aspirated V8 (LC 500) or full-hybrid system (LC 500h). Complementing their spring intro is the arrival of a redesigned LS 500 sedan, also making its debut as a 2018 later in this calendar year. LEXUS CT 200h: Lexus' hybrid hatch, nearly invisible from a marketing standpoint, receives new colors in 2017: Atomic Silver Caviar, Autumn Shiver and Blue Vortex Metallic. ES: The various ES trims, including the hybrid, incorporate the Lexus Safety System+ as standard equipment. Display Audio adds the Scout GPS link and all trims receive rain-sensing wipers. GS: Lexus' 5 Series weapon, sold in four variants – 200t, GS 350, GS 350 AWD and GS 450h – incorporates the Lexus Safety System+ as standard, offers a limited-slip differential option for the GS 350 RWD and supplies navigation on the 200t free of charge. IS: The compact Lexus four door receives an in-your-face refresh. A new front fascia, headlamps and wheel designs constitute the significant updates. Inside, the infotainment screen is enlarged, and the Lexus Safety System+ is made standard. LC: Lexus' 2+2 halo is all-new, and comes in two variants: LC 500 is V8-powered, while the LC 500h is equipped with a V6 and fully hybrid integration. The coupe is in Lexus showrooms by May, 2017. LS: The 2017 LS drove into the model year with minimal changes. The big news is the introduction of an all-new 2018 LS in the fourth quarter of this year. RC: Lexus' four-place coupe receives new wheel finishes on both 18-and-19-inch wheels, as well as available triple-beam LED headlamps. In the RC 350 performance dampers are made standard, and in all models the Display Audio receives a Scout GPS link. GX: Little substantive news for the Lexus GX SUV, but heated/ventilated front seats are available as a standalone option, and second-row captain's chairs are standard on the Luxury trim and available on Premium. Finally, the GX receives an optional Sport Design Package, a set of cosmetic upgrades targeting those with a taste for urban adventure.