Cars Blog

They may give environmentally conscious consumers everywhere a warm and fuzzy feeling in their stomachs, but electric and plug-in hybrid cars are deadly serious business for the automakers that have invested millions in their development and production. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf haven’t even appeared on American streets yet, and already competition is heating

Just a quick note: General Motors has announced pricing for its Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid car. At $41,000, the base Volt is more expensive than industry insiders had speculated, and represents something of a gamble for GM. The General has spent $750 million developing this car, and if it prices the car out of the

It’s no secret that cars have become more complex and computerized in recent years. Some advocates for independent repair shops say automakers are exploiting this complexity to force customers into dealer repair shops by holding back tools and information necessary to diagnose and repair car problems. A battle over the issue in the Massachusetts legislature

Ever had a friend or relative who sold a car after it had serious structural repairs because they didn’t feel safe in it? Turns out they may have been on to something. Mechanics, especially those with ties to insurance companies that typically foot collision-repair bills, often use aftermarket replacement parts because they are significantly less

Most of the time, when you buy a hybrid car, you know you’ll be paying a higher sticker price in the hopes that you’ll make up the difference by saving on gas over the life of the car. Now Ford is changing the equation; the hybrid version of its MKZ sedan will cost the same

If your credit is less than perfect, finding an auto loan to buy a GM vehicle may just have gotten easier. General Motors announced this morning it is acquiring AmeriCredit, a Texas-based subprime lending company specializing in auto loans. From GM’s perspective, the acquisition makes sense. The company announced last month it was “developing relationships

President Obama signing the Wall Street Reform Consumer Protection Act into law gives us a good opportunity to look at the final upshot for car buyers. As we’ve talked about before on this blog, the dealers got a big fat exemption from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the final financial reform law. The National

It’s no secret in the auto industry that gas prices are headed skyward once the economy finally limps into a recovery. Gas may be sitting at a reasonable $2.72 a gallon now, but analysts at the Automotive Lease Guide predict it will be over $4 by 2013. Considering how long it takes to develop a

It looks like banks’ improving economic outlook and desire to boost profits is turning a hair dryer on the car loan credit freeze. The Associated Press is reporting car loan approval rates are rising, especially for borrowers with higher credit scores: “The loan approval rate for customers with the highest credit scores was 90 percent

News today that Volkswagen is looking to boost its share of the U.S. car market from the paltry 2 percent it’s sitting at now. Worldwide, Volkswagen is the third largest automaker in terms of production, so it does seem a little odd the German automotive giant doesn’t have a bigger footprint in this country. The