The U.S. marketplace gets new opportunities thanks to the wave of off-lease vehicles which is expected to hit the used market in 2018. Analysts who track U.S. retail auto sales and lease penetration rates say that the vast majority of leases that originated in 2015 will end in 2018 and include notably more crossovers, SUVs and high-end models. By most counts, 3.9 million light vehicles are expected to come off leases in 2018, roughly 300,000 more than in 2017. The used-vehicle market already has more late-model, lower-mileage units — and fewer of the 5- to 8-year-old models th...
The range of the average battery-electric family crossover has increased to nearly 400 miles on a single charge, after years of continued incremental improvements in lithium-based batteries, combined with extreme weight savings from lightweight materials, a new generation of superefficient electric motors, and advances in automated driving that reduce energy waste. The new generation of fast chargers enables vehicles with depleted battery packs to be 80 percent recharged in the time it takes to down a cup of Tim Horton's coffee and doughnut, about five minutes. Even exotic sport...
Nearly 100 employees have lost their jobs last week, when unexpectedly 2 Nissan dealerships have closed. Nissan of Streetsboro and Airport Nissan near Cleveland gave no warning to customers before closing their doors on Oct. 23. The dealerships have reportedly had three owners in a year and a half and most recently were under the control of Automax, a Florida financial group, the TV station reported. Automax could not be reached for comment. The Ohio Automobile Dealers Association and the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association did not return calls seeking comment. &ls...
If you want the growth of electric sales to happen, you need to provide customers with reliable public charging infrastructure. Today in the U.S. there are only 16,457 EV charging stations, with 44,999 outlets in operation, mostly on the coasts, but also including Tesla's network of Superchargers along major intercity corridors and other superfast charging stations. The presence and visibility of these stations should help build confidence among consumers thinking about buying battery EVs that they will be able to charge wherever they want. But once people live with an EV, they often ...
As we're only halfway through the hurricane season, it might be a good time to review the basics of how to avoid buying a flood-damaged used car. The most important thing to understand is the fact, that no good can come from flood damage. Cars today are rolling computer systems, laden with electronics, from engine control units to airbag circuitry to the heaters in your seats. That alone makes for serious trouble when a car has been immersed — engine, mechanical and body issues aside. And even if a vehicle looks or performs well now, that might not be the case a year or two from now ...
