Lexus Brand and Porsche 911 Top J.D. Power's 2012 Initial Quality Study, Jaguar Jumps to Second Spot

Before you rush to remind us that we have already posted the results of a 2012 study from J.D. Powers and Associates back in February, allow us a moment to explain.

The previous findings were for the 2012 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study that recorded problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of three-year-old (2009 model-year in this case) vehicles.

This latest study is called 2012 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) and it measures vehicle quality in a period of 90 days of ownerships from new. So with that out of the way, let's see what the study found.

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Turbocharged Vehicle Sales Expected to Reach 3.2 Million Units in North America this Year

After conquering Europe, turbocharged engines are now picking up steam in North America, mainly thanks to the efforts of Ford Motor Corp. and General Motors that embraced the technology on their mainstream products.

Honeywell, which develops and provides turbochargers for many vehicles including the gasoline-powered Dodge Dart and Fiat 500 Abarth, and the diesel versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and Volkswagen Touareg, estimates that North American sales of turbocharged commercial and passenger vehicles is projected to reach 3.2 million units in 2012, up from 2.2 million in 2011.

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GM's Spark-o-Graphic Compares America's 1970's Sedans with Today's Small Cars

Back in the 1960s and even more so in the first half of the 1970s, American automakers produced some of the largest mainstream cars ever, before the oil crisis put an end to these dinosaurs of the automobile industry.

General Motors, of course, was no exception. One example is the fifth generation of the Chevrolet Impala that measured a whopping 222.0 inches (5,639 mm) long.

On the occasion of the U.S. launch of its new 2013 Chevrolet Spark, the Detroit carmaker released an info graphic comparing the city car with the average American sedan in the early 1970s.

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GM's Spark-o-Graphic Compares America's 1970's Sedans with Today's Small Cars

Back in the 1960s and even more so in the first half of the 1970s, American automakers produced some of the largest mainstream cars ever, before the oil crisis put an end to these dinosaurs of the automobile industry.

General Motors, of course, was no exception. One example is the fifth generation of the Chevrolet Impala that measured a whopping 222.0 inches (5,639 mm) long.

On the occasion of the U.S. launch of its new 2013 Chevrolet Spark, the Detroit carmaker released an info graphic comparing the city car with the average American sedan in the early 1970s.

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Porsche 911 Preferred by Men, Volvo S40 and Nissan Rogue by Women, Says Gender-Based Study

We all know that male and female buying decisions differ greatly so it will not come to as a surprise to learn that the two genders have diverse preferences when it comes to choosing a car.

Automotive research firm Truecar.com released its third annual demographic study that examines car-buying behavior between the two genders in 2011. Instead of looking into absolute sales, the survey set out to find the car brands and individual models with the greatest percentage of male and female buyers.

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Porsche 911 Preferred by Men, Volvo S40 and Nissan Rogue by Women, Says Gender-Based Study

We all know that male and female buying decisions differ greatly so it will not come to as a surprise to learn that the two genders have diverse preferences when it comes to choosing a car.

Automotive research firm Truecar.com released its third annual demographic study that examines car-buying behavior between the two genders in 2011. Instead of looking into absolute sales, the survey set out to find the car brands and individual models with the greatest percentage of male and female buyers.

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Report Says U.S. Automobile Sector Contributed $135 Billion in Taxes in 2010

It’s no secret that the motor vehicle sector is the largest manufacturing industry in the United States, but how big is it in terms of state and federal tax revenues?

This is a question the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), a nonprofit research organization based in Michigan, set to find out on behalf of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which funded the study.

The report concluded that in 2010, the production, sales and service, and use of the automobile in the United States was responsible for generating at least $91.5 billion in state government tax revenue (13 percent of the total) and at least $43 billion to federal government tax revenues.

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Study Finds that Average Fuel Economy for New Cars Rises to 23.4MPG

A report from TrueCar found that average fuel economy for new cars sold in the States continues to rise. Before we look into the details, we should note that the automotive analyst employs EPA's average fuel economy rating using 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving behavior, which it names "TrueMPG".

For the month of March, the TrueMPG of all new vehicles sold in March 2012 increased to 23.4mpg US (10.5lt/100km or 28.1mpg UK), compared to 23.2 mpg in February of 2012, 22.0 mpg in March 2011 and. 20.3 mpg (11.6lt/100km or 24.4mpg UK) in March of 2008.

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New Study Finds that Only a Third of Hybrid Owners Buy Hybrids Again

As it seems, the majority of hybrid car owners in the States don't go for seconds, or at least that's what a new study released today by auto research firm Polk reveals.

According to the report, while the number of hybrid models in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2007, only 35 percent or a little over a third of hybrid vehicle owners choose to purchase a hybrid again when returning to market in 2011.

To make matters worse, Polk says that if you exclude the high volume audience of Toyota Prius owners from the equation, hybrid loyalty drops to under 25 percent!

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Car Prices Hit Record Highs in the U.S., Average Transaction up 7% from Last Year

The U.S. auto market is gaining momentum after the recession which led to the bankruptcy of the General Motors and Chrysler groups, but so are median car prices.

According to TrueCar.com, the average transaction price for new light vehicles in the States reached $30,748 in March 2012, an increase of $1,977 or 6.9 percent from March 2011 and $143 or 0.5 percent from February 2012.

Most analysts seem to agree that one of the reasons why average prices are on a rise is that automakers are constantly reducing big cash-back offers and other incentives.

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iCar: New Study Finds that Gen Y Consumers want Hybrids with Tablets and Smartphone-Like Functions

Echo boomers, Generation Y, Generation Next: whatever you call them, people who were born in the beginning of the 1980’s are now an important demographic group for any company. And their preferences may change the type of cars we will drive in the future.

According to the annual survey conducted by the Deloitte consulting company, Generation Y consumers, who the company describes as those aged from 19 to 31, want their new cars to be hybrids laden with high-tech features.

"This could be the generation that leads us away from traditional gasoline-powered vehicles", comments Deloitte automotive consultant Craig Giffi who oversaw the study.

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High Prices and Limited Range Keep U.S. Buyers Away from Electric Cars

Reports of the death of the internal combustion engine have been greatly exaggerated. In 2011, hybrids and EVs like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy’s Volt made many headlines, though not always for the reasons the automakers would prefer.

The truth is that, despite all the publicity and the tax incentives, sales so far have been abysmal with Edmunds reporting that hybrids account for just 2.46 of the market and electric cars not even reaching one percent.

There are many reasons why new car buyers are not willing to shell out a lot of cash for zero-emissions vehicles. First of all, they are expensive and the gains from fuel costs come in the long-term, while the sticker price is immediately visible and clearly understood by everyone.

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U.S. wants to Limit Use of Distracting Infotainment Systems while Driving

Ray LaHood is the U.S. Transport Secretary. He is also a man on a mission: to reduce those driving distractions that are believed to be partially responsible for some 5,500 deaths and 500,000 injuries in 2010, accounting to almost 10 percent of all traffic deaths, according to data provided by the Department of Transportation (DoT).

Although LaHood does not support extreme measures, like completely banning hands-free calling while driving, he is determined to limit the use of any equipment that distract the driver’s attention.

“Distracted driving is a dangerous and deadly habit on America’s roadways”, said LaHood. “That’s why I’ve made it a priority to encourage people to stay focused behind the wheel.”

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Lexus Regains Crown in J.D. Power's 2012 Dependability Study, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep Flop

Each year, J.D. Power and Associates release their findings on the overall dependability of three-year old vehicles sold in the States. The 2012 Dependability Study polled some 31,000 owners of 2009 model-year vehicles measuring problems they experienced in the past 12 months.

To understand the numbers you see listed below, the "overall dependability" is determined by the level of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score translating to higher quality.

In this year's study, J.D. Powers found that overall vehicle dependability improved substantially as the industry average was 132 problems per 100 vehicles, representing a 13 percent improvement from last year (151 PP100), while it's also the lowest problem rate since the survey began in 1990.

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U.S. Dealers Revved up About 2012 Sales Prospect, Expect a 10 Percent Increase

After the 27-year low 10.43 million sales of 2009, last year American dealerships delivered 12.8 million units, which accounts to a 10 percent increase over 2010.

A recent survey released by Ally Financial reveals that the vast majority of dealers expect to increase their sales even more this year. More specifically, almost all of them (92 percent) said they believe deliveries will rise compared to last year and more than 75 percent estimate that their sales will increase by at least 10 percent in 2012.

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Study Shows that New U.S. Market Vehicle's Fuel Economy Improved by 14 Percent from 2008-2012MY

While President Obama’s initiative for a significant reduction in vehicles’ fuel consumption and CO2 emissions may sound very ambitious to some, a new study by the University of Michigan Transport Research Institute shows that car manufacturers have managed to improve their new cars’ fuel economy by 3 mpg in the last four years.

If this doesn’t sound a lot, then consider that according to the study, the average fuel economy of all 2012MY light vehicles available on the U.S. market is 21.5 mpg US (10.9lt/100km). That's a far cry from the 54.5 mpg US (4.3lt/100km) target set for 2025, but still an impressive 14 percent up or +3.0mpg from 2008MY’s average of 18.9 mpg US (12.5lt/100km).

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And the Most Viewed Commercial during Super Bowl XLVI was….

To the dismay of Patriot fans, the New York Giants won the Super Bowl XLVI. But aside from the real game on the field, there was also another game taking place on television sets. We're talking of course about the advertising war.

According to Kantar Media Audiences’ commercial ratings analysis, Cadillac scored the highest audience, averaging a 43.5 average household rating with its “Green Hell” ad on the new ATS that aired at 9:37 EST.

The study also found that the ATS commercial was the most-viewed single advertising spot in U.S. television history surpassing the previous record holder, which was “Miss Evelyn,” a spot for the Chevrolet Camaro in Super Bowl XLV last year.

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Report: New Car Leasing in the States Increases to 20 Percent of all 2011 Sales

According to the Manheim 2012 Used Car Market Report, new light-vehicle leasing in the U.S. increased to 20 percent of retails sales (excluding fleets) in 2011, one percent higher than 2010.

The report notes that “for the most part”, the new car industry had the right approach towards leasing. This constitutes of leasing new cars to buyers with good credit who like to regularly change their vehicles, as well as projecting realistic end-of-lease resale values.

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New Study Examines Why Luxury Car Buyers Stay Loyal to their Brands

Brand loyalty is a priority for any car manufacturer. It ensures that they have a healthy core of buyers who will remain loyal when the time comes to change their car for a new one. Luring customers away from a rival, or “conquest” sales, as it is commonly known in the industry, is also one of their key objectives.

Therefore, when a report like the 2012 New Luxury Vehicle Loyalty Study comes out, you can bet automakers pay attention. Conducted by Polk and AutoTrader, the study examines the reasons why luxury car buyers stay loyal or “defect” to another brand.

“Understanding behaviors and attitudes is critical in helping automotive marketers to more effectively reach and influence luxury shoppers during their decision making process”, said vice president of automotive insights at AutoTrader, Rick Wainschel.

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CSI Marchionne: Poor J.D. Power Scores Means Chrysler Dealers Must Work on Customer Satisfaction

Fiat is the brand in the alliance that's in trouble and Chrysler the one blossoming right now having increased its sales by 26 percent in 2011, yet Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is not happy about the latter's performance in J.D. Power’s December Sales Satisfaction Index study on customer experience at dealerships.

The recent J.D. Power survey placed Jeep, Ram and Dodge in three of the bottom four places amongst the mainstream brands.

As a result, Sergio Marchionne wants Chrysler Group dealers to rapidly improve their Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores if the company is to achieve its sales goals. He said that some dealerships’ salespeople weren’t acting properly, failing to make follow-up calls or treat customers “with the dignity they deserve”.

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