*awd* Must See! Free Shipping / 5-yr Warranty! Auto Awd Gas Sipper! L S on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Subaru Indiana plant to stop building Toyota Camry

Subaru may be set to end production of the Toyota Camry at its Lafayette, IN facility by 2017, according to a report from the Louisville Journal-Courier and a CBS affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina. Speaking to the plant's Executive Vice President Tom Easterday, the whole affair sounds like a done deal.
"Based on changes in Toyota's production plans, they have decided that the award-winning Camry production contract will not be renewed," Easterday said. Easterday was quick to emphasize that just because Camry production would end, doesn't mean jobs will be lost. "There will be no loss of jobs at SIA as a result of this," he said, before adding that the loss of Camry production will have no impact Subaru's $400 million investment to ready the plant for Impreza production in 2016. That said, adding a promised 900 jobs may take longer than originally planned, as Camry production staff are set to be retrained on Subaru production.
SIA currently has the capacity to produce 100,000 Camrys per year, and began production of the family sedan in 2007 alongside production of the Subaru Outback, Legacy and eventually, the soon-to-be-discontinued Tribeca.

Subaru announces 2019 Crosstrek pricing

For the 2019 model year, the Subaru Crosstrek doesn't get a big refresh, but it does have a couple changes coming down the pipeline. One of those changes is in the pricing. For 2019, the MSRP is up by $100. That means the base price for the Crosstrek 2.0i equipped with the six-speed manual transmission — the most bare-bones version — is $22,870, which includes the $975 in destination fees. So what's new for 2019? For one, Subaru's EyeSight driver assist technology — which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, pre-collision braking and lane departure and sway warning — is available on the CVT-equipped base model. It's an $845 option, totaling $28,745. The Crosstrek Premium, which begins at $23,870, now comes with the 6.5-inch multimedia as standard. The Crosstrek Limited, at $28,170 has EyeSight, automatic braking and high beam assist as standard equipment. The Subaru Crosstrek, regardless of trim level, is all-wheel-drive, and powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder providing 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. That is mated either to a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission. The CVT in Premium and Limited trims also offers a seven-speed manual mode with paddle shifters mounted to the steering wheel. CVT models also come with X-Mode and Hill Descent Control for loose or slick roads or off-road driving. The Subaru Crosstrek offers fuel economy figures of 23 miles per gallon city/29 highway/25 combined for manual-equipped models. The CVT-equipped version offers 27/33/29 mpg. If that's not good enough for you, you won't have to wait long for something better. Subaru has announced that the 2019 Crosstrek will be its first model to receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain, available by the end of this year. We don't know what the pricing will be on that, yet, though. Related Video:

Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.