LEDs Move from Luxury Only to Mass-Market Models

Once seen only on luxury vehicles, LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are now inexpensive enough for mass-market models. LED taillights will be added to 29% of all vehicles produced in North America by the 2016 model year, but the switch to LED headlights will be slower due to their high cost. The goal of suppliers is to make LED headlights cheap enough that automakers can offer them as standard equipment.

Used Car Dealers Aided by New Dealix Features

Dealer Services Group of ADP, parent group for Dealix, announces new features on their UsedCar.com website, to ?further enhance the merchandising of our dealer clients? pre-owned inventory, increase their dealerships? brand awareness, and help them maximize their used car sales opportunities,? explained Dealix vice president Egon Smola. UsedCars.com now includes vehicle videos, as well as dealership-branded contextual spotlight ads.

 

What Used Car Buyers Are Seeking

CarMax completed a survey asking consumers to choose which car-buying factor matters most to them from a list of five choices - quality, price, safety, resale value, or environmental factors. Quality continues to be the most influential factor for used car buyers over price; more than double the number of respondents chose quality over price.

 

Proposed New Standards Covering Keyless Ignition Systems

The Obama administration is proposing standardizing keyless ignition controls and requiring audible warnings for drivers who fail to use the system properly. The NHTSA wants mandated noise warnings for drivers who try to turn off their vehicles before putting them in park or exit a vehicle without first turning the car off. Push-button start systems have grown from 5,000 vehicles in the model 2002 year to over 1.2 million vehicles in the 2008 model year.

 

Used Rental Compact Cars Offer Dealers Relief, Opportunity

In its latest Blue Book Market Report, Kelley Blue Book said that in light of today's supply-squeeze of used cars, there are still affordable options for dealers looking to fill their lots. Three-year-old highly fleeted rental compact cars offer dealers financial relief while meeting supply needs.