If you're a fan of European auto brands, we have some bad news: by and large, your car companies are being left in the dust by their American and Asian competitors. At least that's what Consumer Reports claims in its latest Car-Brand Perception Survey. To create the survey, the magazine polled...Read More»
There are a lot of things to consider when buying a new car: What kind of fuel economy does it earn? What safety features does it offer? Will I need to call tech support just to set up the radio? One thing we've never heard folks ask, though, is whether their new ride will be attractive to...Read More»
Few of us pay much attention to license plates. They're just slices of metal printed with numbers and letters -- useful for identification purposes, but little else. But like everything in our manufactured world, license plates are fully designed objects. People spend months, if not years, choosing...Read More»
When Shakespeare wrote about Italians and Spaniards, he tended to make them a little crazy. Too much sun makes the blood boil, went the thinking at the time. Four-hundred years down the road, we know that most Renaissance medical theories were pure hogwash, but could a new study about driving in...Read More»
Last week, we told you about a new study commissioned by Audi, which proves that consumers want to see more diesel vehicles in U.S. showrooms. That struck us as awfully convenient, since Audi has been trying for years to persuade Americans that diesels provide the improved fuel economy and reduced...Read More»
Due to environmental concerns and increasing government regulation, automakers around the globe are working to create vehicles that achieve greater fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Many automakers are relying on hybrid and electric technology to reach those goals, but not Volkswagen: VW and...Read More»
Bad news for foes of distracted driving: a new survey from State Farm says the problem is getting worse, even though drivers know better. In July 2013, the Annual State Farm Distracted Driving Survey polled 1,014 adults across the U.S., asking them about their behavior behind the wheel and their...Read More»
At this point, the question isn't whether autonomous cars will become a reality. We already know the answer: yes, they will. And soon. Now, the question is: when will the motoring public will get onboard with self-driving vehicles? The answer will determine how quickly autonomous cars -- and their...Read More»
The daily wear and tear of traffic really gets to us. So much, it seems, that we're willing to give up some things we treasure—and perhaps some stress relievers—in order to be free of the grasp of gridlock. In a recent survey, more than a quarter of those polled said that they would...Read More»
Consumer Reports has released the results of its Annual Auto Reliability ratings and rankings, and it's likely the results were met with a collective wince over at Toyota. That's because while the automaker—and its Lexus luxury counterpart—still ranked above all others in reliability...Read More»
When people ask to borrow our computers, we fear the worst. We clear our browser history, hide questionable files, and turn off chat programs to prevent moms or granddads or co-workers from stumbling across anything unseemly. Do we do the same when folks borrow our cars? Probably not -- but...Read More»
Like Lindsay Lohan and Jack Daniels or Mickey Rourke and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, eating and driving make a terrible pair. For starters, munching behind the wheel is a distraction. No, it doesn't receive as much attention in the press as texting, talking, or tweeting, but eating...Read More»
As automakers know all too well, Americans have a love-hate relationship with cars. And as if that weren't bad enough, J.D. Power has just revealed that brand loyalty -- the thing that brought our parents back to the same dealership year after year -- is dying a slow death. Among Generation Y...Read More»
It's funny how terrible drivers suddenly become experts on terrible driving when they get behind the wheel. We may be drifting out of our lane, our turn signal may have been blinking for the past five miles, but when we're driving, everyone else is an idiot. This peculiar brand of egomania has a...Read More»
In marketing, companies always track the demographics of their customers to identify shopping trends. They look at age, geography, income, and many other factors, but perhaps none more so than sex. The auto industry isn't immune from this -- not by a long shot -- and it's drawn a number of...Read More»
We've all had to drive one -- some of us, more than one. Maybe it was our first ride, a hand-me-down clunker from our great-aunt Lorraine. Maybe it was a friend's sputtering pickup we'd borrowed for a cross-town move. It might've even been a rental -- one of those big, beige, boxy sedans that...Read More»
Ford has done it: the Detroit automaker is now the best-perceived brand in the U.S. -- not just among car companies, but among all companies. That news comes from marketing research firm YouGov. Every day of the week, its workers speak to 5,000 Americans, gauging public opinion on 1,100 of the...Read More»
A car can be like the third wheel in a relationship. When does the new girlfriend get to drive it? Would you rather spend your Sunday cruising the highways or snuggling with the boyfriend? The Bermuda love triangle that sits between two lovers and one car has wrecked more than a few marriages...Read More»
Radio is a standard feature in most automobiles. It keeps us company on long road trips down desolate highways, inspires fights between siblings, and encourages wallflowers to sing forgettable pop tunes at the tops of their lungs. And in five years, it'll be dead. At least, that's what most folks...Read More»
