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September’s Auto Sales a Sea of Red

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How bad were last month’s auto sales? About as bad as it gets … or perhaps, has gotten, so far. Autoblog’s chart of automotive sales for September 2008 tells the bloody tale. These are frightening times. Every automaker, save three, saw double digit sales volume drops over September 2007, despite aggressive discounting and marketing programs. … Read more

Chrysler Surprise: Electric Drive in 2010

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While it’s been nearly impossible to escape the buzz surrounding the Chevy Volt (apologies for the phrase) a great many journalists and bloggers had written off the chances of Chrysler making a splash in the new world of electric cars … a great many, but not this one.

electric chryslers

Just a week after the Volt’s unveiling, Chrysler is playing its trump cards … pulling the curtain on not just one, but three brand new electric vehicles … one for each of its marquees. The iconic Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler minivan will be transformed into electric vehicles, along with a brand new Dodge EV sports car that Left Lane News has pegged as a reworked Lotus Europa.

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Today’s Unwanted SUVs Tomorrow’s Collectibles?

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Take a ride down the stretch of highway past your local auto dealers and you’re bound to see rows of unwanted new and used SUVs clogging the lots. Yesterday’s darlings of automotive indulgence are today’s pariah. But could they be tomorrow’s hotly sought after collectibles?

Dealers are slashing prices to move SUV inventory, and there’s been an unprecedented drop in value. While a good number of Americans still love their big SUVs, the sheer cost of filling the tank has eroded the enthusiasm of many.

For some folks, however, the drop in SUV prices has created a buying opportunity. For those with financial resources, the cost of gasoline is a minor expense and the current fire sale represents a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Carpe diem. It’s time to stock up and save.

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The False Hope of Increased Offshore Drilling

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We are witnessing the beginning of the end of the grip of Big Oil … and Big Oil is Angry. Gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil prices are high because Big Oil can see its demise on the horizon. History will mark these words. This is their last gasp. Once the power of market control slips from Big Oil’s hands, their product will become as worthless as salt. Developed as well as developing nations will spurn its use.

Make no mistake about it. Increased offshore drilling will not lower the cost of our daily commutes any time in the near future, if ever. It will not fuel our trucks and trains this decade. It will not turn this economy around. It will not put masses of Americans to work.

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New Car Sales Chart

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If you’ve ventured into a car showroom more than once, you’ve probably heard the line, “What will it take to get you to leave with a new car today?” Car dealers are more desperate than ever to make a sale, and the ranks of those who sign on the dotted line to buy a new car have thinned to the smallest numbers in years. Sales at the Big Three US automakers – GM, Ford, and Chrysler – have fallen off a cliff, simply because they are not offering the vehicles that Americans are willing to buy.

This chart of new car registrations in the State of Maryland sums things up fairly well …

new car registrations 2003-2008

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