Still Rising Fast, Used Car Prices Are In Uncharted Territory
Automakers are starting to ramp up production after more than a year of COVID-19 and supply chain-related kerfuffles, but operations won't be at 100 percent for some time to come. In turn, used car prices are still climbing.
Data from Car Gurus indicates that the average price of a used car listed on its site has increased 29.6 percent since this time last year, a number which shows no signs of slowing any time soon. In fact, Americans are spending as much as 43.6 percent more on certain vehicles than they were just last year.
It appears that pickup trucks are most affected by the price hike, shooting up in value more than 43.6 percent in the past year.
Read the article at The Drive
Ford’s Maverick and the Case for Small Pickups
Ford is about to rekindle compact-truck fever with the soon to be unveiled Maverick. Compact trucks have gained full-sized capabilities—and prices. The Maverick promises to reset the clock and bring back the affordable small pickup.
The Maverick vows to be enough truck for enough people. It won’t be macho, because unibody pickups just aren’t but it’ll be useful.
Did we mention inexpensive? There’s a purity of purpose in a cheap truck, because you don’t feel bad about using it like a truck. Throw your tools in the back and scratch up the bed.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
Stopped-Vehicle Crashes Result in Hundreds of Fatalities per Year
Hundreds of people are killed and thousands are injured each year in crashes involving stopped or disabled vehicles that may not have stood out enough to alert drivers to the danger they pose.
Impact Research estimated that 566 people were killed and 14,371 injured each year over 2016-18 in crashes on all types of roads involving a disabled vehicle in which visibility was likely a factor.
“These crashes illustrate the potential value of stopped-vehicle-ahead warnings, which are already provided by some navigation apps and could be integrated to work with advanced driver assistance features and more advanced driving automation,” David Zuby, EVP and chief research officer at the IIHS, says.
Read the article at IIHS.
A Call to Action: How to Reach Customer Stakeholders Throughout the Buying Cycle
By Ed Pierce, President of ITA Communications. Fleet
According to HubSpot’s OrgChartHub, there are an average of 8.2 key stakeholders involved in business’ decision-making process – up from 6.8 in 2016.
It’s clear that more complex decision-making makes it harder than ever for sales and marketing to contact all of these key stakeholders and communicate with them in an effective manner.
Decision-makers involved in a particular process come to your product or solution from different points of view. Yet, advertising and public relations must be targeted to deliver results.
Agile Fleet Core Values Awards
By Ed Smith, President, Agile Fleet
In early 2020, the management team of Agile Fleet developed core values for the company.
These core values are a timeless set of guiding principles that define the behaviors the FleetCommander providers expect from each other and from their partners, clients, and associates.
They define the culture and guide business decisions. They define what makes Agile Fleet different and unique.
