#economy

Is your vehicle not living up to the promises made on its window sticker? Do your real-world miles per gallon look like the prices on a fast-food value menu? If fuel economy is falling short here are some possible culprits and a few solutions to maximize your MPG.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy, CAFE for short, is a series of regulations designed to improve the efficiency of vehicles sold in the United States. Automakers will be required to average 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025.

Automatic transmissions are HUGELY popular in North America. Europe is still a strong hold for the manual gearbox but on this side of the Atlantic self-shifters account for at least 90 percent of new-vehicle sales; the standard trans lost the market-share race decades ago and in spectacular fashion.

GM’s August sales were the best they’ve been in the better part of a decade and this strong showroom performance seems to indicate an economic recovery is in fact underway.

Marketing for the half-ton pickup segment will change tack this fall with Ford and Chrysler facing off in a new realm: fuel economy.

Drivers in South Carolina are being treated to gas prices below $3 a gallon, something that might even creep into other parts of the country.

Global information company IHS Automotive conducted a study that shows sales in India will reach 4.88 million by 2016, taking the emerging nation ahead of Japan’s projected 4.51 million units in sales for that year. What’s more, IHS believes sales in Japan would taper off to 4.25 million by 2020.

Things have been changing for a few years already, and the future is not looking good for Canada.  Thanks to their lower labor rates and production costs, more and more car companies are looking to move their operations down to Mexico.

Surprisingly, large segments of Americans are willing to buy Chinese made cars. Market research company GfK Automotive did its annual Barometer of Automotive Awareness and Imagery, and found that 38 percent of the respondents would consider buying a Chinese car. According to the study, “The openness to purchasing a Chinese and Indian vehicle is highest among Gen Y consumers, with 52 percent saying they are open to a vehicle from a Chinese automaker and 41 percent saying they are open to a vehicle from an Indian automaker.”

Chevrolet has sold 2.35 million vehicles globally in the first six months of 2011, setting sales records in all the top five markets. The first six months of 2011 was the best half year performance in Chevrolet’s 100-year history. The American automaker sold 286,499 more vehicles in the first half of 2011 than the same time period of 2010, a 14-percent increase year over year.

The damage caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has affected manufacturing throughout Japan, however Nissan says that it anticipates being able to continue to gain market share from Honda and Toyota in North America.

Nissan has launched a global proving test program for their compact electric commercial vehicle NV200.

Mercedes-Benz has officially released details regarding the new B-Class and the brands plans to release a dedicated ‘eco’ version as well as offer four-wheel drive and a range of alternatively powered models after the initial launch.

Sales for the Fiat 500 are picking up after a slow start in the US market. The Mexican built US version was off to a slow start after only selling 3,141 units through the end of May, but the cute Italian car is gaining momentum. Chrysler has just 70 Fiat dealerships nationwide however there are plans to open another 60 by the end of the year, which should help move more units.