Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Polk: People continuing to keep vehicles longer]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/05/polk-people-continuing-to-keep-vehicles-longer/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/05/polk-people-continuing-to-keep-vehicles-longer/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/05/polk-people-continuing-to-keep-vehicles-longer/#commentsFiled under:



Consumers are keeping their automobiles for longer periods than ever before, according to a study performed by the survey gurus at R. L. Polk & Co. For anyone keeping track of such things, this news comes as little surprise - average length of ownership has been steadily increasing at an average rate of 3.7 percent annually.

Since the global economic meltdown and the devastating effect it had on the world's automakers in 2008, that average length of ownership has increased dramatically at a clip of more than 14 percent. The hard data shows that consumers are keeping their machines for 63.9 months on average, up 4.5 months from the same time last year.

Polk comes to a couple of conclusions from this data. First, the automotive aftermarket stands to benefit from older vehicles remaining on the road. Second, automakers have a big opportunity to get people buying more new cars to replace the rapidly aging vehicles currently in their driveways. Want more? Click past the break for the official press release.

[Source: R. L. Polk & Co. | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Continue reading Polk: People continuing to keep vehicles longer

Polk: People continuing to keep vehicles longer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Old carold carspolkrl polkRL Polk Coused carused carsFri, 05 Nov 2010 14:32:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19705001/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/11/05/polk-people-continuing-to-keep-vehicles-longer/19705001/article-detail.xml 19705001 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/empty-auto-showroom-balloon-630-getty_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/empty-auto-showroom-balloon-630-getty.jpg <![CDATA[REPORT: Cash for Clunkers leads to shortage of destruction derby cars. Oh, the humanity!]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/05/report-cash-for-clunkers-leads-to-shortage-of-destruction-derby/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/05/report-cash-for-clunkers-leads-to-shortage-of-destruction-derby/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/05/report-cash-for-clunkers-leads-to-shortage-of-destruction-derby/#commentsFiled under: ,



With 690,000 vehicles sentenced to one final gargle of sodium silicate, thanks to the now-defunct Cash for Clunkers program, demolition-derby drivers seem to have been left holding the short end of the driveshaft. What the government seems to have forgotten is that many cars, hobbling and sputtering as they near death, prefer to make one final trip to the local county fair (assuming they escape a 24 Hours of LeMons team). There, stripped of glass and with fuel tanks moved safely inward, the clunkers die an honorable death smashed gloriously to pieces in front of large (and often well-hydrated), cheering crowds.

"Obama is an anti-demo-derby guy," says Tory Schutte, head of the Demolition Derby Drivers Association. "He's targeting the cars we've been using." (But let's not just blame the President. Scrap metal prices have skyrocketed in the past two years, so many last-leg heaps are heading straight to the junkyard for recycling.) According to those who keep track of such things, there were 3,500 demolition derbies in the U.S. last year. The orchestrated pageantry of bent steel, blown radiators, and dislodged wheels is often the main draw at local county fairs... and the drivers prefer to keep it that way.

[Source: Time | Image: Illinois State Fair]

REPORT: Cash for Clunkers leads to shortage of destruction derby cars. Oh, the humanity! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cash for clunkerscash for clunkers billCashForClunkersCashForClunkersBillClunkerdemolitiondemolition-derby-driverdemolitionderbyOld CarOldCarRecycleSmash derbySmashDerbysodium silicateSodiumSilicateSat, 05 Sep 2009 10:37:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19151293/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/09/05/report-cash-for-clunkers-leads-to-shortage-of-destruction-derby/19151293/article-detail.xml 19151293 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/09/derby_630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/09/derby_630.jpg <![CDATA[States start paying people to buy new, cleaner cars]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/01/states-start-paying-people-to-buy-new-cleaner-cars/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/01/states-start-paying-people-to-buy-new-cleaner-cars/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/01/states-start-paying-people-to-buy-new-cleaner-cars/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

All of the clean new vehicles in the world won't amount to much if they don't replace the older, dirtier fleet of cars currently on the roads. For this reason, some U.S. states are beginning to offer programs which pay drivers to turn in their old clunkers for new, cleaner cars and trucks. In Texas, for instance, up to $3,500 is available to qualifying families which earn less than $63,000 per year in combined income and own a vehicle which fails current emissions testing. Texas was able to retire 11,000 vehicles last year alone by using this cash-based incentive. California too has begun offering a similar program, and though its $1,500 offer is a bit less generous, that state has no income restrictions.

Even our neighbors up north have plans to reduce their older vehicle fleet by one-percent starting January 1st of next year. Canada's plan would offer drivers either $300 towards a new vehicle, a discount bicycle or a bus pass, which seems a bit suck-tastic next to the program in Texas.

[Source: The Detroit News]

States start paying people to buy new, cleaner cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dirty cardirty carsDirtyCarDirtyCarsemissionsemissions testingEmissionsTestingold carold carsOldCarOldCarsTue, 01 Jul 2008 08:02:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1240785/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/07/01/states-start-paying-people-to-buy-new-cleaner-cars/1240785/article-detail.xml 1240785 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/smog_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/smog.jpg <![CDATA[Generation Y continues to flummox automakers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/18/generation-y-continue-to-flummox-automakers/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/18/generation-y-continue-to-flummox-automakers/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/18/generation-y-continue-to-flummox-automakers/#commentsFiled under: ,

Will the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and the upcoming Nissan Versa join the Buick Le Sabre and even the Toyota Camry as "Grandparent's Most Favorite Ride?" That's what analysts think about the new wave of subcompacts arriving in America. According to John Wolkonowicz, automakers are once again making the mistake that younger buyers' primary concern is cost. "This is not a meek generation. They (Generation Y) want you to see them arrive," says the Global Insight analyst. "A car is like clothing."

Other analysts agree with Wolkonowicz's statement, saying while some Gen Y buyers will purchase vehicles based on cost, they'll abandon them as soon as they can afford something more "interesting" like a Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, or Hummer H2. The analysts are a bit perplexed, since sales of MINIs and Scions illustrate Gen Y's priority: good-looking, "cool" cars that evoke emotions. Of course, those brands have a fair percentage of elderly buyers themselves. Automakers can be forgiven, though, since it takes three to five years for them to bring a new vehicle to production, during which Gen Y likely changes its mind about a dozen times. Damn video game generation.

There is a trend of younger drivers coveting more classic vehicles, and it would be interesting to read analysts' views on that phenomenon, as well. Perhaps there are some readers out there who were born in the '80s that can testify to the allure of a good classic.

Related:
Will the American market's new small cars resonate with young buyers?
Gen Y gets automakers' attention

[Source: Chicago Tribune via South Coast Today]

Generation Y continues to flummox automakers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 May 2006 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Classic CarClassicCarEscaladeGen YGeneration YGenerationYGenYHummerMINIOld carOldCarScionSenior carSenior CitizensSeniorCarSeniorCitizensWolkonowiczThu, 18 May 2006 15:56:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/619461/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/05/18/generation-y-continue-to-flummox-automakers/619461/article-detail.xml 619461 http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/05/ford-truck-at-gas-station_thumbnail.jpg http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/05/ford-truck-at-gas-station.jpg -1 2