Driving is expensive, and it’s getting worse according to a new study released today by AAA suggesting annual cost of ownership increased two percent this year.
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The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
Outlandish as it might seem, a new study is predicting that there could be as many as 1.6 million hydrogen-powered vehicles on U.K. roads by 2030.
Despite finally starting to gain traction, EVs and plug-in hybrids will continue to struggle until prices decrease according to a new study.
Hot on the heels of Kim Kardashian buying Kanye West a $750,000 custom Lamborghini Aventador, a new study s revealing what folks living in America’s wealthiest zip codes choose to drive, but the picks might surprise you.
Trading up for the newest model used to be the norm, but a faltering economy and widely improved reliability are both stretching how long consumers keep their cars.
EuroFOT, a European large-scale field test on driving safety, is finally concluded and suggests that safety systems like adaptive cruise control and collision warning systems reduce the risk of a crash by 42 percent.
Depending on where you live, the price for car repairs and maintenance will vary according to information in a new study.
Cars are now safer to drive than they were a decade ago, according to a new NHTSA study — try to hide your surprise. What might come as news, on the other hand, is how safe cars were according to the study’s findings before recent idiot-proofing.
Regarded as a simplified and comprehensive car scoring site, TotalCarScore.com released its list of the “Top 10 Best Car Brands” for 2012 today.
The United States Department of Transportation just released data suggesting an overwhelming majority of drivers who experience connected vehicle technology respond to it favorably and perceive it as an important safety measure.
Social media is a great way to keep in contact with friends, family and share baby photos with one another, but it can also be used for finding a favorable car dealership. Thats according to a new study released just on the eve of Facebook’s IPO.
The automotive industry is a global business that is constantly evolving and growing, and we here at AutoGuide know it can be hard to keep up sometimes. So here is a summary of the top stories you may have missed this week:
If you think a little recall can keep a company like Toyota down, you’d be wrong. Even with the slew of recalls in 2009, the setbacks have had “little to no impact” on how consumers see Toyota.
At least that’s what a study released by North Carolina State University found. Researchers first looked at the used car market to see how factors that had nothing to do with the recall, like promotions, marketing campaigns and new models could impact sales. Then, they studied the average prices for specific used models to determine how much Toyota owners were willing sell their vehicle for and how much used-car buyers would be willing to pay for them.
The results found that even though Toyota received a lot of press surrounding the recalls, it really didn’t have an effect on what consumers were willing to pay for a Toyota vehicle. In fact, the average price of vehicles that were affected by the recall only declined by about two percent when compared to unaffected vehicles.
This study highlights the importance of a well-established reputation. When the university did a similar study of Audi vehicles recalled in 1986 due to similar acceleration issues, researchers found an average price slide greater than 16 percent over a six month period.
The old saying “stay off the sidewalks, my kid just got a license” may be losing its punch but “Grandpa, don’t drive on the curb” might be replacing it.
A new study released yesterday by the University of Michigan found that fewer young people are dashing out to get a driver’s licence than in the early 80′s. The same report found that while young drivers are waning, seniors account for the fastest growing group of licensed drivers.
The numbers essentially boil down to this: as a general rule since 1983 the proportion of people under 30 who have licenses has steadily decreased. At the same time, that proportion seems to shrink with age. Essentially, the older you get, the more likely you are from a statistical point of view to get a driver’s license.
That idea extends farther than you might guess, as the report also showed that people are driving later in their lives than ever before. The number of drivers retaining their license between the age of 65 and 69 increased 15 percent between 1983 and 2008. Adding to that data, drivers over 70 composed the largest proportional group at more than 10 percent.
So why the change? Modern medicine advancements surely have something to do with people being able to drive longer. As a population we are living longer and in better health than our grandparents, so it stands to reason more people would continue daily activities into their sunset years.
Statistics show that by 2030 there will be an estimated 57 million elderly drivers, compared to the 30 million there are today.
The real humdinger is why young people don’t seem to be crowding the early morning lines at the DMV. Automakers are concerned that electronic interaction is replacing personal contact among young people, making them less likely to feel the need to drive.
It’s also harder than ever for a young American to lay hands on a license. It used to be that a permit was available as a 16-year-old or even earlier and that after a number of hours driving with a parent, that kid could take a simple road test and be fully licensed. Those days are gone.
Now more states are adopting graduated licensing systems forcing new drivers through hoops meant to reduce the number of unsafe drivers on the road.
“Studies have shown for teen drivers the crash risk increases exponentially for each additional passenger, but parents seem unaware of the dangers associated with passengers and nighttime driving,” said Michael L. Prince, Michigan’s Office of Highway Safety Planning director in an interview with the Detroit News.
[Source: Detroit News]
Good new folks – we’re not as gassy as we use to be! This has nothing to do with the consumption of beans and nachos. We’re talking about the gas emissions from your cars, and a new study out shows emissions from recently purchased new vehicles have fallen 14 percent since 2007.
The study out of the University of Michigan says the drop in emissions in due in part to drivers choosing to buy smaller vehicles, as well as automakers’ efforts to reduce pollution and boost fuel economy.
The researchers of this study put together the Eco-Drive Index. This handy index estimates the average amount of greenhouse gases emitted monthly by U.S. drivers of new vehicles (bought over the previous month). Unfortunately, the index only monitors emissions from new vehicles, which make up a small portion of the cars on U.S. roads.
In terms of numbers, April 2011 (the most recent month for which data are available), the Eco-Drive Index showed emissions clocking in at 0.86 – that’s 14 percent lower than the base line of 1.0 in October 2007. Contributing to this drop are factors such as rising fuel prices, higher sales of fuel-efficient vehicles and a decrease in driving.
Automakers have responded positively to the findings in the index, says Brandon Schoettle, a University of Michigan research associate who helped create the index. “It has some positive messages for the automotive industry,” said Schoettle. “People have bought, and will buy, fuel efficient vehicles.”
[Source: Automotive News]
The old adage is true: chicks dig guys with hot cars. And now, there’s research to prove it.
A recent study done by researchers from the University of Texas finds that guys who wear expensive clothes and drive super cool cars are more likely to having flings and stay single. So this isn’t revolutionary news, but it’s always nice to have a reason why you just can’t seem to land a girlfriend. But what is news is that this study found that it’s more about “signals” than about the ride itself.
You’ve heard it called “peacocking,” and guys driving flashy cars tend to signal to woman they want a short-term relationship, treating her to elaborate spending. And depending if that’s what she’s looking for, females will respond to it. “Basically, they’re just trying to convince a female that, ‘Hey, if all you’re looking for is genes, I have the best genes, so you should choose me,’” said University of Texas at San Antonio marketing professor Dr. Jill Sundie.
According to Sundie, women think that a man who freely speeds his money would be more interesting as a date, and if they want something temporary, they will go for this kind of guy. But if they’re looking for marriage material, this type of behavior is seen as a turn-off.
What do you think of the findings of this study? Do you think that guys who drive hot cars are looking for short-term relationship and have more luck with the ladies? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Reuters]
You wash your hands after visiting the bathroom, but do you wash them after you finish driving? Perhaps you should. According to a new study, steering wheels carry more germs than a toilet seat – which begs the question, just what are we doing that’s so icky when we’re driving?
Thanks to the researchers at Queen Mary University, London, we’ll never touch a steering wheel with our bare hands ever again. They found that 700 harmful bacteria make themselves comfortable in the average car’s interior (that’s per square inch) – compare that to the 80 bacteria found the average toilet.
So how does all the ick pile up? The study looked into that for us and found that 42 per cent of motorists regularly eat during driving. Sure, that does seem so bad, but ass in the fact that only a third only clean their car once a year and 10 per cent said they never bothered to wipe down surfaces or vacuum, and you’ve got a germpalooza on your hands… literally.
The grossest part of your car is the trunk, with 1,000 bacteria for every one and half square inches. The most common form of bacteria found was bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning.”
Now that you know what a bacteria trap your car’s interior is, are you more likely to give it a good cleaning? How often do you clean inside your car now? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Source: IBN Live]
The American Automobile Association has compiled annual statistics for its “Your Driving Costs” study, and the numbers show that operating a car will hit your pocketbook harder than previous years.
The study focused on the cost of operating a sedan, and AAA estimated a total cost of $8588 per year, while an SUV would see costs of $11,239 per year. Among the reasons cited for the increased costs are rising prices for tires and gasoline, while costs for maintenance have gone down, partly due to the trend of car companies throwing in free oil changes and servicing for the first few years of the car’s life.
The big killer overall was actually depreciation, with a $3728 loss cited for a sedan that drives 15,000 miles per year. While most people don’t often consider how much this can affect the “cost-per-mile” statistic, the AAA cites that more than any other factor as the main driving force for the rise in vehicle ownership costs.
[Source: AAA]