This Car Podcast Will Transport You Even If Your Badge Is on the Wrong Side

What do fewer sales days do to the monthly sales numbers? The make them much lower. That's what happened with September auto sales, but really it just looks bad.



Mercedes-Benz got a big boost from it's new sub-$30,000 CLA, selling 2,300 in it's first week on the market.

Does your car have a name? 

While the Mercedes brand carries weight, it's not as hefty or valuable as Toyota, which is the most valuable auto brand.

Telsa's valuable brand may have taken a hit with news that one of the Model S sedans caught fire right down the road from David near Seattle. No one was injured.

If you don't want your pooch to get injured, there is only one option among dog safety belts on the market.

The government shutdown has put the auto regulators in the pits, but at least Hyundai is giving those folks a break on their car payments.

Some Honda vehicle assemblers may soon be out of work after the auto maker found a bunch of Odyssey minivans with their badges on the wrong side.

Kids these days don't care about cars. They want multi-modal transportation options.

Finally, if your car has a name, you should have celebrated on October 2 along with Mathew and Guy.

An Automotive Podcast That You Can Share with Friends And Won't Cost A Lot To Repair

Car sales are coming and they are looking good. Forecasts are calling for June to show the highest auto sales in five years. (Sort of)

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Those strong sales could be the result of high-quality vehicles. The latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study shows that the car industry has reached an all-time high in overall quality with its 2012 model year, improving 5% overall, presenting fewer defects and problems than ever.

Honda and Mercedes-Benz are the two strongest auto brands in America according to its survey of more than 38,000 people.

America will halve its reliance on Middle East oil by the end of this decade and could end it completely by 2035 thanks to declining demand and the rapid growth of new petroleum sources in the Western Hemisphere, energy analysts now anticipate.

A new report ranking average state-by-state repair costs to correct check engine lights, shows that Wyoming leads the nation.

Would you use a social media app and find a stranger to be your personal taxi/limo service.  That's the goal of the new Sidecar App that David will be testing this week.

Car Sales, Car Sales, Car Sales

Since we podcasted last night just before car sales, I wanted to provide a quick update before the next time David and I take to the mic. So sing it now everyone, 'Car Sales, Car Sales, Car Sales.' I know its just not as good.

Anyway, in the midst of some pretty terrible economic news out today, including the employment report and subsequent market drop, the auto industry released some fairly encouraging figures for May.

Auto sales for the month of May rose 26% year over year to 1.3 million cars and trucks and the AP is reporting that this is the best May for auto sales since 2008. The annualized rate dipped a bit to the lowest figure since December coming in at 13.8 million units, but LMC Automotive, according to the AP, still raised its yearly forecast to 14.5 million units, up from 14.3. Not too shabby.

It appears that pent up demand, combined with some newer models, more credit availability and the drop in fuel prices are helping to keep car sales going. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if this months dismal jobs report and drop in the stock market along with fears sorrounding Europe don't limit sales just a bit next month.

Looking at some the specific automakers, Chrysler continues to make up ground gaining 30% over last year, Ford and GM each put up gains of just over 10%.

But leading the gains were Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda, gaining 87% and 48% respectively. As David and I had discussed last month, last May was when supplies of Japanese cars starting to dry up as a result of the Earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Now that they are getting back to full speed it looks like all systems go for them again.

Since I am sitting on a train and dont have full access to the usual reports that we reference I won't get too specific beyond that. David and I will try and do a brief podcast update either over the weekend or early next week with a more in depth look at the auto sales for May. Plus of course, the home made jingle.

Have a good weekend.

Source - AP (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5goSTfKkWFw3BgMnKuKABpkhh1OJA?docId=531f7d434f3341aa82b326605fce2a8f)

A Podcast to Sing About -- Especially for Auto Makers and Flying Cars

The auto industry is singing these days -- and so are we -- because car sales are soaring, with the annual rate moving toward the rate seen during the best days.

Subaru had great sales, and got a nice boost from Consumer Reports when it earned a top pick in the annual auto issue.

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Most of us look back on our first cars with fondness, and now Subaru has launched FirstCarStory.com to have folks share their car love.

Auto makers aren't looking back on the last few years with fondness, but all of them will be putting back-up cameras in their vehicles in a couple of years thanks to a coming government mandate.

Honda sales rebounded and a new study shows that the brand's perception is on the rise after slipping in recent years. 

Ford has had strong brand recognition and now it's hoping to garner more "likes" by making its cars more social with connections to Facebook.

Finally, car sales might be soaring, but we don't think the flying car will reach great heights, because it's really just ugly.  

The Terrafugia flies, but it ain't pretty.

Seen From the Commute: Mint Condition Honda Civic, First Generation

I caught this lovely first-generation Honda Civic (CVCC baby) on my drive home this week. With the success of the Miata, Mini, the New Beetle and now the Fiat 500, don't you think Honda should roll out a modern version of this little car. I would buy one. Maybe one of these Japanese market Honda Zests would do. 

Honda Civic First Generation in Bellevue, Wash.

Honda Civic Loses Consumer Reports’ Recommendation

Honda Motor’s refreshed Civic, a model that’s been a foundation of the auto maker’s U.S. sales for decades, failed to garner a coveted “Recommended” status from Consumer Reports.

The 2012 Honda Civic lineup

The 2012 Civic scored 61 in Consumer Report’s evaluation, down from 78 for the previous Civic, according to a review in the September issue published this week.

To my eyes, this is the danger of being conservative when competitors like Hyundai, Kia and Ford are swinging for the fences with their new models. The Civic typically gets a radical revamp in every other cycle, and this was not one of them. That has been a successful strategy for Honda over the last couple of decades. But with the U.S. market getting friendly to smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles, this wasn't the moment to play it safe, especially when the previous model was seeing a decline in interest as the Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus received dramatic redesigns.

The loss of the recommended rating might not dent sales over the long-term, but the initial acceptance of the refreshed Civic has been tepid: Sales of the car this year through June dropped 14 percent to 127,102 from a year ago.

And Honda's earnings have been hammered by the effects of the earthquake.