Storming Into Auto Sales After a Week of Commuting Chaos

Hurricane Sandy pounded the East Coast this week and it has major effects on people's vehicles and car sales. Some Fiskers were victims of the storm.

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Sandy sinks cars.

Car sales didn't get dented by Sandy the storm, but things are returning to more normalized rates after a strong burst in the first half of the year. But the vehicular destruction caused by the East Coast storm could give November auto sales a modest bump.

Ford posted strong profits and said Alan Mullaly will stay on for another two years and pushed Mark Fields closer to the incumbent role.

GM profits continued to be weighed down by losses in Europe, which are pushing $20 billion over the last 13 years.

Chrysler -- once the industry zombie -- continues to come back, posting strong profits to go along with strong sales this year.

Hyundai and Kia hit a modest bump in their road when the EPA found the Korean car makers miss overstated the fuel economy of 900,000 vehicles sold in the United States over the last two years. They say it was an accident and will reimburse drivers.

But poor reliability ratings continue to dog Chrysler according to Consumer Reports. Japanese brands remain the most reliable and the top 10 most reliable cars is not a surprising lists.

Finally, truck drivers are in demand.

Plug In to This Reliable Podcast (Electric Cars, Bikes and Conversation)

We are back after a week off and looking to get more reliable, just as Consumer Reports sent out its annual reliability survey. Scion came out on top as did Porsche. But GM also did pretty well. Chrysler and Audi didn't.

Ford models also were reliable, as were the auto maker's third-quarter earnings of $1.7 billion. It was a great report with Ford gaining share, cutting debt and selling vehicles for more money.

Brammo's Enertia Plus

The reviews are rolling in for Nissan's Leaf and Chevrolet's Volt. We discuss our surprise at how normal these cars appear to be on the road. The NY Times has the most interesting comparison so far.

David is excited about the Brammo Enertia Plus electric motorcycle that goes further and costs less than the original version that came out last year.

Those improvements came thanks to battery refinement, but that might not continue. A great WSJ article looks at why battery prices won't come down over the next few year due to a host of reasons.

Finally, Kelley Blue Book was purchased by AutoTrader.com, perhaps the first move in a consolidation of the growing number of car buying and price information sites.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad Oct 27, 2010.mp3