The all-new car-based crossover version of the Ford Explorer has sold more units at six months of this the year than all of 2010. They?re averaging just 11 days on dealer lots, and some dealers are selling them right off the truck. Buyers are embracing them for their smoother ride and better fuel economy.
Silent sentries in more than 500 cities and towns in 25 states keep watch over intersections, snapping photos and shooting video of drivers who run red lights. The cameras are on the job in metropolitan cities like Houston and Chicago and in small towns like Selmer, TN, population 4,700. The red light cameras in Los Angeles will have to come down in a few weeks. That puts the nation's second-largest city at the leading edge of an anti-camera movement that appears to have been gaining traction across the country in recent weeks.
Used cars are retaining more of their original value, and some popular small cars that get great gas mileage are actually increasing in value. Experts cite low new-car sales a few years ago and the Japan earthquake for reducing inventory and boosting prices.
Rebates and incentives are important for car shoppers skeptical about the prices of green cars. In California, a large market for green cars, car shoppers will be upset to hear that CARB has depleted its funds for its rebate program. The program will probably come back in the upcoming fiscal year changeover, but the rebates might only be half of what they are now.
The U.S. Dept. of Defense has taken on an ambitious plan to integrate plug-in electric vehicles to its non-tactical ground fleet. The DOD has committed to a faster-than-usual process achieving cost parity - keeping the vehicles at the same lifecycle costs as traditional fleet vehicles. Cost parity may be achieved through volume procurement, vehicle-to-grid capabilities, and local smart-grid capabilities.