December 12, 2011

In Acura's Retooled Lineup, MPG Triumphs Over MPH
Honda will overhaul and reposition its Acura lineup over the next 18 months and abandon its long pursuit of top-tier luxury-car status for the brand, reports Automotive News. Honda says it will aim to offer mid-level premium vehicles that favor fuel economy over performance. With one exception: At the Detroit auto show next month, Honda will bring back the Ferrari-fighting Acura NSX – a new version of the mid-engine supercar that disappeared in 2005 after a 15-year run. But instead of a monster engine, the NSX will have a compact, direct-injection V-6 teamed with a lithium ion battery pack. Another key to recalibrating Acura is the rollout of three new or redesigned sedans in the next 18 months, including a smaller compact and a bigger flagship. In the works for Acura: The ILX compact sedan will arrive in spring, using Honda's global Civic platform. It replaces the tired TSX that used the bones of the European Accord. A redesigned RL flagship that is larger than the current version is due next fall. And a redesigned mid-sized TL sedan follows in the spring of 2013. For more on Acura’s plans, click here.

AutoTrader: Late-Model Luxury Surges to Top of Shopper Wish List
According to Auto Remarketing, AutoTrader.com recently released a list of a dozen new and late-model vehicles priced less than $30,000 that it recommends for various changes in a one’s life that would necessitate making a purchase. It also investigated which of these cars recommended for a “need to buy” situation would also satisfy the “want to buy” criteria of consumers, and it found that the vehicles generating the most interest were near-new luxury vehicles. “Over the last couple of months, shoppers on AutoTrader.com have shown a notable increase in interest in luxury vehicles, particularly in the used and CPO segments,” said Rick Wainschel, vice president of automotive insights at AutoTrader.com. “This is likely fueled by the trend of consumers who are shopping for new, non-luxury sedans cross shopping near-new luxury sedans, as these vehicles fulfill similar consumer desires at similar price points,” he added. The vehicle most often selected in the top three was the 2008 Infiniti G35 – a late-model luxury ride – as it made the cut 37 percent of the time. The 2009 Acura TSX (also a near-new luxury model) was tied for second with the 2012 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab (34 percent). Click here for more on AutoTrader’s findings. 

Oklahoma Sales Booming, So What's Up With Texas?
New-vehicle sales in Oklahoma and North Dakota are booming, which is understandable as those states are flush with new oil-and-gas development these days. Equally sensible is what new-car registration figures tell us about the awful economies of California and Michigan. But why aren’t sales also spiraling upward in energy-rich Texas? And why has Iowa managed flat sales over the last four years when most of the rest of the Midwest has performed poorly on a relative basis? These are among the interesting economic glimpses contained in R.L. Polk new-car sales-registration data that has been analyzed by Edmunds Auto Observer. While Polk’s registration information doesn’t exactly mirror sales figures from the same year, “They line up about 90 percent with sales figures for any given time period,” according to Ivan Drury, U.S. industry analyst for Edmunds.com. One thing that immediately jumps when the data is examined in whole: despite building enthusiasm within the industry over the prospects of a second consecutive year of double-digit sales gains for the U.S. market, for 2011 – and the prognostication of a similar gain for 2012 industry sales – the American auto industry remains only a shadow of its former self. Read more about Polk’s findings here.

70 House Members Urge Halt to E15 Fuel Use
According to The Detroit News, a bipartisan group of more than 70 House members urged a congressional block to a higher blend of ethanol for use in all new vehicles. Automakers and other engine makers have clashed with corn growers since 2010 over whether the United States should allow the use of a new, higher blend of ethanol called E15 because it is 15 percent biofuel. The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use in all vehicles from 2001 and newer. In August, the EPA approved fuel labels designed to warn drivers of older vehicles not to use the fuel, but it still must be registered before the fuel can go on sale. In February, the House voted 285-136 to block the EPA from moving ahead with E15 regulations. Now, in a letter to the top Republican and Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, members of Congress want the EPA block included in a spending measure to fund the government's operations through Sept. 30. "E15 is not ready for prime time," said the letter. "More thorough research and testing are necessary to ensure that E15 will not harm consumer investments.” Click here for more on a Congressional letter opposing E15.

Cars That Can Run for Over 200,000 Miles
For most cost-conscious consumers, keeping a car running for as long as possible is a financial issue – it’s typically cheaper to repair a car that’s otherwise in serviceable condition than it is to make payments on a new one. For others, however, it’s a mission. For those with an eye on owning a car or truck for the long run, Forbes has identified a list of 14 model-year 2012 vehicles that are statistically among the least likely to encounter major mechanical problems in at least the first several years of ownership. Click here to see it. Its list consists of 14 cars and trucks that received top scores in both the most-recent Consumer Reports Car Reliability survey, based on problems reported by 1.3 million owners of model-year 2005-2010 vehicles, and the J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Vehicles Dependability Study based on responses from more than 43,700 original owners of 2008 model-year vehicles. It also consulted repair-cost predictions from Intellichoice.com to ensure that any of the cars and trucks in the “200,000 mile club” would not become prohibitively costly to keep running once parts needed replacing. Read more on Forbes list of cars that can run over 200,000 miles here.

Around the Web 
2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contenders and Finalists [Motor Trend]
Acura NSX Concept Coming to Detroit [Autoblog]
BMW REveals 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe [Driver's Seat]
Outrageous Gift Ideas [DriveOn]