Is The Great Autonomous Future just a promise?

In 2016 about half of our automotive articles were related in some way to The Great Autonomous Future, or at least it seemed that way. Many automakers claim that by 2020 everyone will be driving around in self-driving cars. But what will they look like, how will we make the transition from driven to driverless, and how will laws and infrastructure adapt? We got very few answers to these questions, and instead were handed big promises, vague timelines, and a dose of misdirection by automakers. There has been a lot of talk, but we still don’t know that much about these proposed vehicles. 

So instead of concrete information about autonomous cars, 2016 has brought us a lot of promises, many in the form of concept cars. They have popped up from just about every automaker accompanied by the CEO’s pledge to deliver a Level 4 autonomous, all-electric model (usually a crossover) in a few years. It’s very easy to say that a static design study sitting on a stage will be able to drive itself while projecting a movie on the windshield, but it’s another thing entirely to make good on that promise. With a few exceptions, 2016 has been stuck in the promising stage. The truth is we just don’t know what the autonomous landscape will look like, and a lot of these attempts to appear to be getting out in front of things seem to be motivated by fear.Read more

Best Time To Sell A Car

Best Time To Sell A Car: Asking yourself when to sell your car? Winter is the perfect time for that since consumer demand for cars rises in the cold season!

The auto industry is on the cusp of reporting another record year

No matter how auto sales turn out when they are reported Wednesday, it’s going to be a squeaker. The auto industry is on the cusp of reporting another record year, perhaps topping 17.5 million new vehicles sold in the U.S. But the numbers are so close that forecasters are divided on the prospect. The focus is turning, instead, to 2017 to see whether the industry can reignite sales growth based on consumer optimism, a rising stock market and a healthy housing market.

Some auto industry analysts say that retail automotive sales continue at a blistering pace, giving the auto industry plenty to celebrate as we close out the year. Others aren’t as bullish. They point to rising interest rates, lower trade-in values and potentially tighter financing as proof the end of the long cycle of rising auto sales is nearing an end, just in time for 2017. “The game isn’t over, but it looks like we’re in the fourth quarter and the clock is ticking,” wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas in a Dec. 22 note. Read more

The auto industry is on the cusp of reporting another record year

The auto industry is on the cusp of reporting another record year: 2016 U.S. auto sales are projected to finish only about 10,000 above 2015's record year of 17.47 million.

Frozen in time – the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

We know that every car enthusiast dreams of tracking down a barn find and restoring it. These cars often come with unanswered questions – why where they stashed? In the case of this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing coupe, the Mercedes Benz Club of America has answers.

In the club’s article about the car, it is revealed this particular example is a rare, one-owner machine. Its caretaker was a man by the name of Sigurd Nygren. According to the club’s story, when he saw the 300SL, he knew he had to have one because “he wanted something as close as possible to the aircraft he enjoyed flying; he wanted to purchase one of the ultralight alloy-bodied versions he had read about in the car magazines.” It wasn’t the only time planes and cars crossed for him. He also had the opportunity to fly a Taylor Aerocar. He ordered it with red paint and a matching plaid interior, as well as available aerodynamic belly pans. He also added some aircraft inspired details such as an altimeter and chronometer, among other things. Read more

Nissan Qashqai will hit the US' market in just a few days

Nissan Qashqai will hit the US' market in just a few days: We've heard so many rumors about Nissan bringing its crossover Qashqai to the US, but we were not sure about that. Still the rumors were true, the upcoming Ford EcoSport, Toyota C-HR, Honda HR-V will have a new competitor- Nissan Qashqai.

The new crossover will debut at this year's International Auto Show in Detroit in just a week. The move would make perfect sense for Nissan, especially given the rising popularity of the crossover segment. In fact, the Rogue was Nissan's best-selling model in the US in 2016, eclipsing both the Altima and Sentra sedans for the first time ever. Likewise, the Qashqai is Nissan's most popular model in Europe, meaning it could possibly cannibalize Rogue sales when it arrives, though Nissan would probably prefer that then a customer heading to a competitor.

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What to expect from December's car sales?

What to expect from December's car sales?: Specialists forecast that 1,629,011 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in December, while the month is already over, we still don't know the results. This reflects an 18.5% increase from November 2016, but a 0.3 percent decrease from December 2015.

Based on this forecast, they project a new annual record of 17,480,294 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in 2016. This would squeak past 2015’s record car sales by the slight margin of 0.03 percent – or less than 5,000 units. One trend running in the industry’s favor for a record-setting 2016 is that the final week of December is traditionally the single busiest week of the year.

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