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Report: Strong US auto sales in August on pace to top 15.5M in 2013

Filed under: Car Buying

ford dealership lot

August sales will be announced next week, but early numbers say that it has been an exceptionally good month for new-car sales so far with two days left to go – including the kickoff to Labor Day weekend. Automotive News is reporting that forecasters are expecting this month to be the strongest single month since 2006 with retail sales projected to be around 1.27 million units.

Factoring this into the known 9.13 million sales through July, many experts are saying that annual sales in 2013 could be in the mid-15-million unit range including one estimate pushing this year’s totals past 16 million units – a mark the US industry hasn’t seen since 2007. The article states that sales could be even higher if automakers like Hyundai, Ford and Subaru were able to keep supply up with the demand of some of their popular models. Stay tuned as we’ll know for sure when we put together our usual By The Numbers post next week.

Strong US auto sales in August on pace to top 15.5M in 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Average new-car fuel economy figures continue record pace

Filed under: Budget, Hybrid, Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Electric

Manufacturers are making more efficient cars and trucks; we’ve known that to be true for some time. Nearly every new car has some sort of trick to eke a few extra miles out of every gallon of fuel. Whether that be turbocharging, active aerodynamics or hybrid technology/electrified powertrains, the fact is that our vehicles are more efficient than ever before.

Thanks to a recent study by TrueCar, we’ve got fresh quantitative data to support the above statements. For the fourth month in a row, we’ve seen an improvement in national fleet fuel economy. We Americans are 0.7 miles per gallon more efficient than we were last month, and our cars are 1.6-mpg better than at this time last year. That said, we’re still down on 2013’s high, which was set back in January at 24.5 mpg.

Not only does this reflect the improved technologies in our vehicles, but it demonstrates a changing mindset among consumers, who are purchasing more efficient vehicles despite the relative stabilization of fuel prices. Every fuel-efficient model sold drives its manufacturers fleet average up.

The top three brands among mainstream manufacturers aren’t a huge surprise. Hyundai, which offers 10 models with four-cylinder engines (including the excellent Elantra range) took the top spot, while the diesel and turbocharged models from Volkswagen finished just 0.8 mpg behind Hyundai’s 27-mpg average. Honda is further back in third, thanks to its remarkably efficient four-cylinder engines. American makes didn’t fare as well, with Ford, General Motors and Chrysler all finishing below the 23.7-mpg industry average. This isn’t a huge surprise, though, as the Detroit Three are responsible for the vast majority of eight-cylinder pickups and muscle cars sold in the US.

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Average new-car fuel economy figures continue record pace originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Jul 2013 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Le Mans Series pace car mistake causes pileup [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Videos, Audi

2011 Le Castellet 6-Hour crash

2011 Le Castellet 6-Hours crash – Click above to view video after the jump

The inaugural race of the 2011 Le Mans Series, Le Castellet 6-Hours, got off to a nasty beginning today, with a mistake by the pit car causing a huge pileup in the GT field. Thanks to a hump in the back stretch of the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, cars at the back of the pack can’t see the front of the field, just the green light telling them to go.

At the start of Le Castellet, the lights turned green, but the pace car didn’t leave the track. Fortunately for the Audi pace car driver, the prototype field saw his mistake and slowed down abruptly.

Those in GT, thinking the race was still green, crested the rise to be met with much slower traffic. The resulting panic stops led to pandemonium, which left at least one Farnbacher-Loles Porsche out of commission before the race even got started. Check out the video after the jump.

[Source: Axis of Oversteer via Jalopnik]

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Le Mans Series pace car mistake causes pileup [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche sets the pace in ALMS with Panamera, Cayenne support vehicles

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, SUV, Porsche, Police/Emergency, Racing

Porsche Panamera Turbo ALMS safety car

Porsche Panamera Turbo ALMS safety car – Click above for high-res image gallery

At any of the myriad Le Mans series races around the world, you’re guaranteed to see more than a proportional sampling of Porsches. Those are usually one manner of 911 GT3 or another; less so Panameras and Cayennes, but the latest additions to the American Le Mans Series paddock are exactly those.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo has been selected as the official safety car for ALMS, outfitting a stock model with a dome light and special paint scheme. It’s joined in its duties by a set of Cayennes that will act as medics’ emergency response vehicles, a task to which the Porsche SUV is already perfectly accustomed. See for yourself in our high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: Porsche ALMS support vehicles

[Source: Porsche via World Car Fans]

Porsche sets the pace in ALMS with Panamera, Cayenne support vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Chevrolet Camaro SS Daytona 500 Pace Car with wings

Filed under: Motorsports, Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM, Specialty

Chevrolet Camaro SS Daytona 500 Pace Car

Chevrolet Camaro SS Daytona 500 Pace Car – Click above for high-res image gallery

Spoliers and skirts and lights, oh my! Chevrolet is preparing one highly customized Camaro SS to pace the upcoming Daytona 500, and it appears that the Bowtie brand has thrown every accessory at its disposal to see what would stick.

At the rear, there’s a ducktail spoiler the likes of which we haven’t seen on a Camaro since the late 1970s. The profile view is dominated by a ground-effects package that makes the pony car’s already slab-sided, Coke-bottle appearance even more pronounced. We also note a set of wheels reminiscent of the units fitted by Hurst. And it’s easy to miss the new chin spoiler and slightly modified grille.

The most noticable updates, though, are surely the lights, which have to be bright enough for the entire field at Daytona to spot them. There’s an aerodynamic light bar up top and a pair of orangey-yellow lamps out back that the spy photographer says could practically be seen from space. See for yourself in our high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Chevrolet Camaro SS Pace Car

Chevrolet Camaro SS Indy 500 Pace Car spy shots

[Source: KGP Photography]

Spy Shots: Chevrolet Camaro SS Daytona 500 Pace Car with wings originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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