On-board Truck Data Reprioritizes Traffic Bottlenecks
A study by the American Transportation Research Institute used electronic data already being collected from trucks wirelessly to analyze the speed of travel and time of day for known traffic bottlenecks. The results completely reprioritized the 30 sites from using state-supplied data.
Ford Still Standing Strong While Rivals Falter
Dealer inventory has increased for GM and Chrysler, necessitating temporary production shutdowns. GM and Chrysler are also closing large numbers of dealerships. Meanwhile, Ford reports its inventory is under control with no plant shutdowns planned.
Soft New-Car Sales Could Hurt Used Values
According to Manheim's Tom Webb, wholesale prices for used vehicles are holding steady. But if new-car sales remain soft, used values could lead to "periodic setbacks." April's wholesale values went up for the fourth straight month but are still down 1.7% from last April. Pickups and SUVs continue showing the best improvement.
Record Shipments Help Dealers Keep Used Inventory Fresh
CentralDispatch announced that it hit a record for vehicle shipments during March, as the number of postings on its site during the month climbed almost 27 percent from January. More specifically, dealer vehicle shipments reached an average of 709 daily postings in March, compared with 559 in January.
Wholesale Vehicle Prices Recover Temporarily
Wholesale vehicle prices have been climbing slowly through April with many consumers reluctant to buy new cars and gas prices staying low relative to 2008. Sedan prices are the only segment that declined with pickups, SUVs and van prices improved over March 2009 and April 2008. However, prices are expected to decline in May through the summer as brands die and automakers declare bankruptcy.
