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The Detroit Bureau
If it is seems like there’s hardly a difference between the monthly payment on a new and a used vehicle, you’re right. Currently there’s just an 18% difference between the two averages — the smallest gap ever.
The average transaction price for a new vehicle is more than $42,000, which is a new record. Unsurprisingly, that has trickled down to the used vehicle numbers as well. Edmunds expects it to climb to a record high of $27,306, compared to $25,854 in Q2 2021 and $21,697 in Q3 2020.
“These high prices combined with higher interest rates on the used side have shrunk the difference between new and used monthly payments more than we’ve ever seen before. Consumers considering a used vehicle rightfully might pause at the fact that today’s used monthly payment is nearly the same as a new monthly payment five years ago — particularly when they factor in the maintenance that might happen sooner rather than later,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of insights
Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.
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The Verge
After announcing plans for digital car keys in its phones during the Galaxy S21 launch, Samsung is finally starting to add support for the feature. Samsung says support for the ultra wideband (UWB) and NFC-enabled digital car keys will hit South Korea first, and it will only work with one car to start — the all-electric Genesis GV60.
On devices that support UWB — the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Ultra, Note 20 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Fold 2 and 3 — Samsung promises “passive entry,” meaning you can unlock and lock your car without pulling your phone out of your bag or pocket. With your phone nearby, you’ll also be able to start your car and make adjustments to mirrors, seats, and more.
The digital keys are stored in Samsung Pass — and protected by an “embedded Secure Element (eSE)” — and, according to Samsung, can be shared with anyone running Android 11 with its app downloaded.
Read the article at The Verge.
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InsideEVs
ABB announced the launch of the “world’s fastest electric car charger” called Terra 360, which will be available in Europe from the end of 2021 (2022 in other markets).
The key feature of the Terra 360 is the dynamic power distribution between up to four vehicles (there are two plugs on each side of the charger). It means that drivers connected to the chargers will not have to wait on each other to end charging the previously connected EVs. According to ABB – this makes the Terra 360 well suited for refueling stations, urban charging stations, retail parking and fleet applications.
Read the article at InsideEVs.
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Car and Driver
Monthly payments for music and TV have become the norm. The people making cars are paying attention.
Instead of building cars with many different option packages to spec, companies can produce one fully equipped model and charge consumers to turn on the features they want. “You’re going to have increased complexity in the car but less complexity in manufacturing,” says Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst at Guidehouse Insights says.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
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Joe McKillips, who has served as Executive Director of NETS since 2016, will step aside from his position at the end of the year to spend additional time with his family. Joe became NETS Executive Director in 2016 after a distinguished 26-year career with Abbott as Global Director of Commercial Environmental Health and Safety. During that time, he served on the NETS Board of Directors for several years, including two years as NETS Board Chair.
Terry Thomas, NETS Chairman, called Joe a selfless and tireless advocate for all that NETS stands for and enumerated Joe’s many accomplishments during his tenure as NETS Executive Director. These include positioning NETS for continued growth streamlining back-office operations, continuing NETS/NHTSA project collaboration, and creating momentum for on-going expansion of NETS’ mission.
Moreover, Joe led a re-structuring of NETS membership options, replacing the previous “one size fits all” model with a three-tier system that makes NETS membership more attractive to a greater variety of organizations of all sizes.
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Finding Your ‘Next Normal’
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By Holly Hill, CAFS, Director of Business Development, FLD Remarketing
As just about anyone in the industry can attest to, the Covid pandemic has changed fleet in ways that none of us could ever have imagined.
From labor and chip shortages that have shuttered major automotive manufacturers, to supply chain stops and starts that have just about everyone searching for creative workarounds, the past 18 months have been unbelievably challenging.
So, with tempered expectations, I was anxious to attend this year’s NAFA I & E in Pittsburgh to see old friends and colleagues, exchange pandemic stories, and check in on folks I hadn’t seen in person since the NTEA conference in early March 2020.
As one might have expected, this year’s NAFA was unlike any I have ever attended over the last 20 plus years.
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Fleet Management Weekly Staff
While the business world has changed immensely since the COVID pandemic, best business practices have not.
Budget constraints, metrics-driven performance, customer experience, profitability … they all continue to define fleet operational performance.
The difference is the relative criticality of the different facets of fleet management. Supply chain has heightened attention. Vehicle lifecycle and replacement are getting much more attention. Asset management with the transition to EVs is another wrinkle, and there’s much more.
Managers could easily fall into a “chicken little” posture looking at a sky full of challenges raining down around them. Or, they could remember the best practices that still define a successful fleet operation.
ARI recently listed some of the steps necessary to keep from straying off the path that has always led to a successful fleet operation.
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