Category Archives: prices

Incentives, Declining Used Car Prices Could Boost U.S. Auto Sales

Posted on 17 August 2012 by Ken Zino

New-vehicle incentives and rebates, as well as declining prices on used vehicles are a couple of factors pointing to steady auto sales as the summer months come to a close, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, prices, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mustang GT with V8 Priced at $69,000 in Philippines Debut

Posted on 18 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The new Ford Mustang today debuted in the Philippines with a $69,100 price for the 5-liter V8 powered GT. This adds another meaning to muscle car – as in having the strength to lift a wallet that large. The 3.7-liter V6 Mustang is priced at almost $60,000 in Manila. Customer deliveries start in September. The descendants of the original pony car come from the AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. Ford has had a spotty history in the Philippines and pulled out of the market in the early 1980s only to return in 1998. Japanese makes not surprisingly dominate the market. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, prices | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2013 Lexus ES 350 Starts at $36,995, Hybrid at $2,750 Premium

Posted on 16 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Both of the new ES models are based on – and use the same gas and hybrid powertrains – as the 2013 Toyota Avalon, which seems an unusually strong car from both technical and design viewpoints. Avalon will not only give Ford Taurus, Buick La Crosse and Chevrolet Impala strong competition next year in a full-size car segment once dominated by the Detroit Three, but it will challenge the new Lexus ES as well. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, prices | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Treasury and Education Departments Tout Higher Education

Posted on 22 June 2012 by Ken Zino

A new report released today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury with the U.S. Department of Education looks at the economic case for higher education. The election year maneuvering comes as President Obama calls on Congress to keep interest rates low for the 7.4 million borrowers who are expected to take out subsidized Federal student loans next year. Federal financial aid now represents 55% of all financial aid to undergraduates at two- and four-year institutions. Auto companies are struggling to hire engineers, particularly in electronics and telematics fields. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, economy, news, news analysis, people, prices | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Air Fares Soar 10% in Q4 as 2011 Prices Highest on Record

Posted on 30 April 2012 by Ken Zino

The slow economic recovery the U.S. is enduring isn’t all good for embattled consumers as the average price of U.S. domestic air fares increased to $368 in the fourth quarter of 2011, up 10% from $335 in the fourth quarter of 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. The latest price hike was far above $320 average fare during the same period in 2009 as the Great Recession took hold. Continue reading →

Posted in aviation, news, news analysis, prices, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tokyo Based Fujikura Guilty of Auto Parts Price Fixing

Posted on 23 April 2012 by Ken Zino

To date, including Fujikura, eight executives and five companies have been charged and have pled guilty in the department’s ongoing antitrust investigation into the auto parts industry. Three of the companies have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to pay criminal fines totaling more than $748 million. Seven of the executives have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to serve a total of more than 122 months in jail. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, fools 'n frauds, litigation, people, prices | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Acura 2013 ILX Compact Starts at $26,795 this May

Posted on 20 April 2012 by Ken Zino

The hot selling Civic costs several thousand dollars less, but if you think this car is cool then you will fork over the extra money for what Acura hopes will be perceived as “smart luxury.” Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, marketing, new vehicle, prices, results | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Fuel Consumption Drops in Q1 as High Prices Hurt

Posted on 10 April 2012 by Ken Zino

Total U.S. liquid fuels consumption fell by an estimated 850,000 bbl/d (4.5%) in the first quarter of 2012 from the same period last year, the Energy Information Agency announced this afternoon. However, hard-pressed consumers did not see that drop in demand reflected in the price of fuel since the energy markets do not always follow academic economic theory.
Continue reading →

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, energy, fuel economy or emissions, news, prices | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Have Gasoline Prices Peaked in the U.S.?

Posted on 9 April 2012 by Ken Zino

With the official short-term energy outlook due tomorrow from the federal government, some are predicting that gasoline prices in the U.S. have already peaked and will be heading back down again. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, energy, news, prices | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gasoline Prices not Shifting Buyers to Small Cars

Posted on 9 April 2012 by Ken Zino

With U.S. gasoline prices up more than 25 cents compared to a year ago to a national average of $3.94 a gallon, a new survey claims that SUVs remain the first choice among potential buyers as their vehicle replacement choice. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, fuel economy or emissions, marketing, news, prices | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford Fusion Start-Stop System is Optional at $295

Posted on 2 April 2012 by Ken Zino

The Fusion and the smaller Focus are aimed right at the heart of the passenger car market long dominated by the Japanese Three – Toyota, Nissan and Honda – whose compact and mid-size models – Camry, Corolla, Accord, Civic, Altima -historically provide a lower cost of ownership. Recently Hyundai has made large inroads in the same so-called D- and C-car segments by under pricing major competitors by $1,000 or more. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, fuel economy or emissions, new vehicle, prices | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TBC Begins Tender Offer for Shares of Midas at $11.50

Posted on 29 March 2012 by Ken Zino

The offer appears positive for Midas shareholders since share prices have ranged from a recent 52-week high of, well, $11.50 – raising the distinct possibility of insider trading – to a 52-week low of $5.08. Currently Midas is trading at $11.47. Midas made $0.28 per share during 2011 or $4 million on revenue of $184 million. For this dismal performance, its top executives were compensated $1.7 million, which left no money to pay a dividend to shareholders. Directors and officers of Midas own more than 10% of the stock, which could result in a challenge to the takeover. Continue reading →

Posted in aftermarket, auto news, news analysis, prices, results | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Toyota Prius Plug-In Gets California and Federal Subsidies

Posted on 27 February 2012 by Ken Zino

Prius Plug-in is Toyota’s first application using a lithium-ion battery pack, which it claims increases its overall fuel economy and has charging times of only 2.5 to 3 hours using a standard 120-volt outlet or 1.5 hours using 240v, which would cost at least $1,000 for a home installation.

The largest Japanese automaker, and hybrid technology leader, resisted using lithium ion batteries for years. However, political and marketing pressure, as well as government regulations favoring the controversial technology, has forced Toyota to embrace the plug-in concept, which is years or more from practical use unless you use the new “green math” to justify its steep price. Continue reading →

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, economy, electric vehicles, environment, fuel economy or emissions, news analysis, prices | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2012 Toyota Prius C Hybrid Priced from $19,610 to $25,140

Posted on 13 February 2012 by Ken Zino

Though relatively high prices for a sub-compact car in the U.S., Toyota is betting that the hatchback with an EPA-estimated 53/46/50 city/highway/combined mpg along with Toyota’s unquestioned leadership in hybrid vehicles will be sufficient to make the car a success. Notably, the highway rating leads all cars except plug-in hybrids, which benefit in the ratings from credits when they run on electricity. Even the base Prius C model is loaded with equipment as an added incentive to spur sales. Continue reading →

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, marketing, prices | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chevrolet Volt Hybrids for China arrive at Shanghai

Posted on 30 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Due to a combination of tariffs and incentives for locally-produced Chinese vehicles – at the core of China’s job creating industrial policy – the Michigan built Volt (more than $40,000 in the U.S. without government incentives) will be at about a $19,000 per hybrid disadvantage, not good news for UAW employees who build the Volt in Hamtramck. Continue reading →

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, economy, electric vehicles, marketing, news, news analysis, prices, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment