Car Thefts Rates Are Down, But West Coast Hot Spots Remain
Although U.S. vehicle thefts are continuing their downward trend, a number of cities in the Southwest remain hot spots.
For the sixth consecutive year, U.S. vehicle theft rates declined in 2009, confirmed the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
According to the annual NICB Hot Spots report, released last week, when theft figures are adjusted for population, the cities with the highest theft rates are Laredo, Texas; Modesto, California; Bakersfield, California; Stockton, California; Fresno, California; Yakima, Washington; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California; Visalia-Porterville, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Chicago far outpaces New York for car thefts. While the New York metro area, as measured for this study, is roughly double the population of the Chicago metro area, they both weighed in with around 30,000 car thefts in 2009.
Smaller cities in the inner Northeast and northern Midwest had the lowest rate of car thefts, when adjusted for population. State College, Pennsylvania, ranked lowest, followed by Ithaca, New York; Elmira, New York; Wausau, Wisconsin; Glens Falls, New York; Logan, Utah; Fon du Lac, Wisconsin; and Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Scrolling through the results, again adjusted for population, yields the generalization that larger cities and those in the South and West have higher theft rates.
The study didn't divide up its own metro areas; rather, it uses federally designated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), as are used in the FBI's annual crime report. If the 366 MSAs in the U.S., 304 of them (83 percent) had a lower number of thefts in 2009 than in 2008.
Overall national theft rates are expected to drop by as much as 18 percent, according to the NICB--largely thanks to newer vehicles' anti-theft features, such as more sophisticated security systems, ignition locks that are nearly impossible for ordinary street thieves to crack, and tracking systems from services like LoJack and OnStar. Final 2009 numbers will be out in the fall.
[NICB]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Security Alert: Could Hackers Break Into Your Car–Virtually?
More expensive, more technologically advanced vehicles offer better all-around security, right? Well, maybe, but as new research to be unveiled this week looks poised to suggest, you might be opening yourself up to another type of break-in and presenting a challenge to hackers instead of mere street thieves.
Scientists have reported that they were able to hack into vehicles and control a number of functions including braking and other safety-critical features.
Though the kind of hacking might be more likely to be in the name of mischief than remote carjacking, it's certainly cause for worry—and a hint that your in-car settings might not be as guarded as those behind a firewall on your home PC.
As the New York Times reported this past week, the researchers are accusing the auto industry of not learning from the mistakes of the personal computing industry, and not adequately thinking about potential threats from hackers.
The results are to be presented with a paper—due to be presented this week at a security conference in Oakland, California—called "Experimental Security Analysis of a Modern Automobile," by a host of researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego.
Using various techniques, the researchers were able to break into vehicle networks and activate or change a range of features—in many cases, while the vehicle was in motion.
Prior to the presentation, it's not clear whether the report will refer to GM's OnStar system, which offers remote unlocking services, or if the weak link, typically, is key fobs, Bluetooth systems, or core vehicle systems, but we'll keep you posted.
With more vehicles incorporating remote start features, vehicle networks, and screen-based interfaces, and with smartphone interfaces on the way for a number of vehicles including the 2011 Nissan LEAF and 2011 Chevrolet Volt (GM has just today revealed that Google Maps location services will be included), it's at the very least time to get proactive and apply more of the same principles we've been using to guard our PCs to our vehicles as well.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Frugal Shopper: Deals Sweeten On 2010 Models As 2011s Arrive
As the 2010 model year starts to show hints of winding down and strong incentives continue to sweeten the deal, there are plenty of deep discounts to be had if you know where to look—and, especially, if you don't mind getting a model that's soon to be replaced.
With more details announced for the new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze—and first drives of the Cruze from several sources including TheCarConnection.com—the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt that it replaces is being heavily discounted. According to the pricing intelligence firm TrueCar, which gathers its data from real transaction-price information, it's the most-discounted model this month, at about 25 percent off MSRP; that's more than $4,000 off the well-equipped 2010 Cobalt LT, for instance.
A number of the models with the strongest incentives during May are pickups. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was the most discounted, forecasted at about 19 percent below MSRP, while the equivalent GMC Sierra 1500 along with the 2010 Ford Super Duty F-250 was also heavily incentivized (in anticipation of the redesigned 2011 Ford Super Duty trucks that are due at dealerships about now.
Several convertibles—the Ford Mustang and BMW 3-Series—are also predicted to be strong deals in May. With the 2011 models soon anticipated (and much talked about), the 2010 Ford Mustang remained discounted at about 11 percent and was predicted to be the most-discounted convertible for May. The 2010 BMW 3-Series Convertible is also anticipated to sell nearly at final prices nearly $400 lower than last month.
The Mustang was also the 2010 model with the longest days in inventory, with 2010 'Stangs sitting for 113 days before sale, on average—another indicator that you'll be likely to find a good deal on those outgoing models. It was second only to the 2010 Hyundai Sonata, at 157 days in inventory. The 2010 Sonata has already been replaced by the all-new 2011 Hyundai Sonata, which offers much-improved refinement, comfort, and safety, plus a new direct-injection four-cylinder engine that places it at the front of the mid-size sedan pack with respect to fuel economy. The Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec, Toyota Highlander, Toyota RAV4, and GMC Terrain were among the shortest in inventory—an indication that sales are strong.
Among new 2011 models, several models were already discounted by well over five percent, typically, thanks mainly to strong incentives. The 2011 Toyota Camry was predicted to sell at about nine percent below MSRP in May, followed by the 2011 Honda Pilot at eight percent below and the BMW 1-Series, Volvo C70, and Kia Sorento all at seven percent below sticker.
Although Ford continues to make gains in consumer perception, it was the most-discounted brand for 2010 models (followed by Chevrolet and Chrysler)—likely having more to do with a number of early introductions for the brand, however. Among 2011s, Toyota and Honda were most discounted on a brand basis, at eight percent across the board, followed closely by Kia and BMW.
TrueCar also noted that the effects of the recent recall of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 can be seen in its sale prices, which have run about $1,000 lower than in April with no change in incentives.
Here are TrueCar's most-discounted 2010 models for May, by body type:
Chevrolet Cobalt (sedan) 25% below MSRP
Jeep Grand Cherokee (SUV) 18%
Ford Focus 15%
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 19%
Ford Mustang 11%
Chrysler Town & Country 11%
Hyundai Elantra Touring 10%
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2011 Subaru Outback, 2011 Subaru Legacy Pricing Stays Put
Most of a year after their launch, the redesigned 2010 Subaru Outback and 2010 Subaru Legacy are selling like hotcakes. Subaru is on a roll, it seems, and we've noticed it in the brand's seemingly recession-proof sales figures. It was the only brand to post sales gains in 2008, and built on those numbers by another 15 percent in 2009 with no sign of slowing down in 2010.
Smartly, Subaru is mostly holding the line on pricing for its Legacy sedan and Outback crossover wagon. The base 2011 Subaru Legacy remains offered with a starting price of less than $20,000. But that base model isn't so barren. For $19,995—or $20,720 including the slightly higher $725 destination charge—you get power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control, air conditioning, tilt/telescope steering, a split fold-flat back seat, and a CD/MP3 sound system with auxiliary input and four speakers. New for 2011 are fold-in side mirrors.
For 2011, equipment hasn't changed significantly, but models with the harman kardon sound system now include XM Satellite Radio and a trial subscription.
Further upscale, the 2011 Legacy 2.5i Premium and 3.6R are unchanged, at $20,995 and $24,995, respectively, while the top Legacy 3.6R Limited starts at $28,295. Limited models come loaded with heated mirrors, upgraded wheels and tires, Bluetooth, special perforated-leather power heated seats, dual-zone climate control, a voice-control system, and more.
Subaru has eliminated the Legacy 2.5GT Premium trim and instead offers the sportier turbocharged model only in 2.5GT Limited guise, with its price up $405 to $31,395. Equipment now includes a standard moonroof as well as new carbon-fiber-look dash trim.
The 2011 Subaru Outback is up just $200 from 2010; it now starts at $23,195, or $23,920 including destination. Base sticker of the Outback 2.5i Premium is now at $24,495, while the top Outback 3.6R Limited starts at $31,495.
Plus of course both of these models have IIHS Top Safety Pick Status, which this year requires top scores for the new rollover (roof crush) test, along with front, side, and rear tests. ABS, Brake Assist, electronic stability control, front active headrests, and side and side-curtain airbags are also included across both model lines.
As for 2011, 2.5i models include a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter horizontally opposed ('flat') four-cylinder engine, while 2.5GT models (Legacy only) get a 265-hp, 2.5-liter turbocharged four and 3.6R models have a 256-hp, 3.6-liter flat-six. A six-speed manual is standard on all four-cylinder models, but a CVT is available on 2.5i variants; all 3.6R models come with a five-speed automatic.
For both models, TheCarConnection.com appreciates the roomier, quieter cabin and more refined driving feel versus pre-2010 models, along with acceleration for 2.5GT and 3.6R models. Based on Subaru's astounding sales trajectory, we're betting that shoppers are liking what they see, too.
[Subaru]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Zero-Percent Deals Break Through Auto-Affordability Decline
As the auto industry gradually crawls back toward a recovery, car shoppers this winter and spring might have been stymied by one quite significant roadblock: rising interest rates.
Although plenty of deals have been had, higher interest rates and more difficult-to-secure financing have been chipping away at auto affordability. According to Comerica Bank's latest Auto Affordability Index, it actually took a little more income in the first quarter of this year than it did in the last quarter of 2009. Despite all the deals, the average total cost of buying and financing a new car has gone up by $500 versus the last quarter, to $27,500.
Though income actually rose at a two-percent rate (on an annual basis), average loan rates rose to 4.3 percent, from a 2009 average of 3.8 percent. Altogether, it takes about 23.4 weeks of median family income to buy a new vehicle.
Auto affordability was at a record high last summer, when thanks to low transaction prices as well as low finance rates it took a record 22 weeks of income to afford a car.
During May, more automakers are offering zero-percent financing deals on some of their vehicles than are not—thanks to their more loose-lending captive-finance companies. GM (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC), Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep), Ford (Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln), Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Saab, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo are all currently offering special zero-percent loans on at least some of their models. Some of them extend for up to 72 months or are offered in combination with additional cash back.
Some automakers, such as Mitsubishi, have extended zero-percent to all their vehicles; so unexpected deals can be had in some cases even on enthusiast models or new, desirable ones. Zero-percent, for instance, applies to the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or new-for-2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT.
With consumer credit still tight, and base rates certainly not going down, this spring might be the window of opportunity—and affordability—for those thinking about a new car to get one in the driveway.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Driven: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi
For daily-driving needs, the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi feels right-sized in many ways. It's just large enough to carry four adults across town in comfort, yet it's compact enough to fit into a smallish parking space. And it feels quite light and nimble yet tracks with enough heft for reassuring high-speed cruising.
Those impressions mostly agree with the ones we gleaned in our first drive last fall, but recently, in more of a daily-driving routine, we had a week to mull over the Kizashi's traits.
Just as with our first time with the Kizashi, we were thoroughly impressed with the well-bolstered sport seats, the pleasing upholstery, the quality feel of the plastics, and the nice tactile touched like the nubby rubber outer edges of knobs and dials. Legroom is incredible.
About the only complaint remains road noise at highway speeds; on coarse surfaces, although the Kizashi is pretty well insulated, you might wish for a little less humming and thrumming.
During a day of racing around corners and pushing the Kizashi hard at the track last fall, we said that the steering was nicely weighted but a little lifeless on center. But for real-world driving, we stand corrected; it's about perfect, and that heft on center means you won't be making a lot of small adjustments. And the brake pedal felt about perfect, with impressive stopping power that's easy to modulate.
In that first drive—involving plenty of time on curvy mountain roads and on the track—we focused on models with the six-speed manual transmission and had only a short driving opportunity with the continuously variable (CVT) automatic that will be sold in much larger numbers. A follow-up visit with a CVT-equipped Kizashi seemed ideal for a week that involved a lot of dashing across town on various small errands.
Provided you're just easing along with traffic, the CVT does its job in an unobtrusive way, letting revs rise—often toward the 3,500-rpm mark—at first in moderate acceleration with traffic, then they gradually fall as you reach cruising speed. It tends to take full advantage of the flexible nature of the 180-hp engine and brings revs down quickly whenever you back off the gas. Try to hotfoot and take off more quickly at stoplights, and some of the CVT's halo is lost; the CVT seems a little less decisive with more throttle and lets the revs go freely into the upper ranges, then bringing out a bit more boominess than you ever get from the engine with the manual gearbox.
While the SE tester didn't come with steering-wheel paddle-shifters (upscale GTS and SLS models do), it does have a manual shift gate that allows access to six set ratios. The system allows some slip if you try to lock in one of the higher gears at too low a speed, but within reason it locks that ratio in.
The AWD model we drove is rated at 22 mpg city, 29 highway, and we saw about 23 mpg altogether, over a week and about 140 miles of mixed driving. It should be noted that if you want all-wheel drive, you have to get the CVT.
The Kizashi's sound system also proved easy to use. Our test car didn't have satellite radio enabled, so we simply plugged in our iPhone and hit the USB button and we were in business to listen to This American Life episodes and Pandora streaming audio. One note: for media players the sound system attempts to display track information but the dot-matrix-like letters are so huge and limited that it's indecipherable. Sound quality was great, however.
As tested, the 2010 Kizashi SE AWD model was optioned only with floormats and metallic paint, coming to a grand total of just $23,004, including destination. And as we've already reported, the Kizashi comes with all sorts of equipment like cruise control, dual-zone climate control, and steering-wheel audio controls at no extra cost.
This editor had the Kizashi within a week of having a Jetta, and the two vehicles have a very comparable feel. While the Jetta is a bit quieter at speed, we preferred the excellent, buttoned-down ride and handling balance of the Kizashi.
All the buyers who've heard good things about this model but have crossed it off the list because they're not familiar with Suzuki should reconsider. Open up your mind to this longtime second-stage brand, or you're going to miss one of the best new sporty sedans.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Toyota Incentives Good Through May, But Starting To Go Flat?
It's still a little too early to assess the aftermath of Toyota's monumental recalls, but there are mounting indications that the brand's long-term reputation has been tarnished a bit.
Over the past couple of months, Toyota has gotten its sales back on track—and then some—with the help of the company's strongest U.S. incentives programs ever. Through March and April, the automaker has been offering zero-percent financing and other deals including, in April, two years of free maintenance for most buyers.
Toyota sales slumped in January and February due to all the recall issues, then after a very strong March due to the new incentives, sales were still up markedly in April but in raw numbers fell 16 percent from March to April.
The incentive programs are now extended through June 1, but eventually the company will need to taper them off and, analysts are predicting, sales might not return to their pre-recall levels.
MSNBC reports that data from Edmunds.com is showing that fewer consumers overall might be considering Toyota. Near the end of December, before the highly publicized recalls, 20 percent of shoppers were considering Toyota vehicles; but by mid-February, when the recalls were in the headlines daily and Congressional hearings were looming, consideration went down to 15 percent, with purchase intent for the Toyota Corolla dropping near the five-percent mark in February.
After a quick bump with the initial incentives announcement Toyota's overall purchase intent has only gone up to 16 percent—a potential indicator that a lot of shoppers have simply taken Toyota off their list.
There's also the concern that incentives will eat away at Toyota's strong resale values. Many of the federal civil suits against Toyota, concerning the recalls, attempt to hold Toyota responsible for its vehicles' loss in resale value.
This past winter, several leading pricing authorities—including Automotive Leasing Guide and Kelley Blue Book—adjusted most Toyota products slightly downward in anticipated resale value.
[MSNBC]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Frugal Shopper: Tire Prices Will Rise Again This Summer
It's spring, and if you've made it through the winter with a set of all-season radials, it's the right time to get them inspected and measure that tread. If they're getting close to needing replacement, you might save a chunk of money by doing it now versus in a few months.
Why? Now it appears that rising commodity and material prices—from development in places like China and the signs of emerging from recession elsewhere—will be requiring yet another significant price hike for passenger rubber.
That's not just conjecture; most tiremakers have announced the price hikes with at least a few weeks advance notice. According to Modern Tire Dealer, a trade publication for tire retailers and the industry, a number of North American brands are planning to raise prices by six to eight percent.
But with the cost of a set of performance tires running up to $1,000 for cars—even past the $1,200 mark per set for some luxury or crossover vehicles with performance sizes, that's big money—potentially more than $80 or more, or nearly $50 extra for average tires on a mid-size sedan.
We warned you last fall that the 35-percent U.S. tire tariff imposed on tires imported from China might significantly raise prices on the most affordable tires on the market—especially the types of tires purchased by those with older used vehicles, simply looking for a low-cost replacement. It has, with several retailers reporting to TheCarConnection.com that it's led to price hikes of 15 to 20 percent or more on affected models.
While the last issue didn't affect many high-end models, performance tires, or larger sizes, this latest rise in prices will affect all tires across the board. So whether it's already time for a new set of Pirelli PZeros for your 2009 Audi R8, or throwing another set of Hankooks on the 2004 Kia Optima, you'll probably notice the difference. Here are the details of the latest price hike (note that Michelin, Firestone, Bridgestone, and others haven't yet made announcements):
- Consumer tires for Nexen, Kumho, Toyo, and Yokohama are getting price hikes of up to 8 percent; Cooper tires sold in North America are going up another 7.5 percent; Continental and General are seeing a 7-percent hike; and Goodyear and Hankook are bumping price up 6 percent.
- All of those will be raising prices on June 1. And as of July 1 Pirelli will follow suit, with its North American passenger and light-truck tires going up 4 percent.
- There will also be "in-line adjustments," meaning that some models might get an even higher bump.
Unfortunately, you can't stockpile tires—they degrade with time and typically have a maximum service life of six to eight years, even if the mileage is granny-low.
So even if those tires can make it through the summer, think about doing it now and you'll probably save more than a few bucks.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
With The Idea That Safety Sells, Crash Testing Has Grown Up
Safety sells vehicles. It sounds like a given now, but not too many years back most automakers would explain that safety alone doesn't sell a car but features or performance do.
Over the past ten years, thanks to a heightened awareness of crash-test results—from the IIHS and NHTSA in the U.S.—it's emerged as one of the top five considerations for many car shoppers. Especially family-minded ones.
While automakers have been conducting crash tests for many decades, this area of the business itself has changed dramatically in recent years. Crash testing "used to be hardware driven, now it's math-driven," said Albert Ware, the director of GM's Vehicle Safety Lab, a 400,000-square-foot facility at the automaker's Milford proving ground campus. Now, over 100 math models are built and then run (in simulation) for every one physical barrier test.
No more trial and error
Removing that old trial-and-error process of "crash it, fix it, then crash it again," out of the development routine is one of the single more important factors that's helped cut vehicle development times from the four and a half years of more than a decade ago down to as short as 18 months now, Ware says.
According to Tech Center engineering group manager Ken Bonello, company safety experts now start working on a vehicle long before any physical examples are built. Engineers will examine virtual builds first, methodically 'building' the entire vehicle, then fine-tune details prior to development prototypes.
The reliance on mathematical analysis and simulations has reduced the number of physical cars GM crashes. While the number crashed for each model used to be in the hundreds, according to Bonello, it's now in the tens—with less than 40 prototypes of the North American-market 2011 Chevrolet Cruze crashed.
The basics of how those physical crash-tests have been conducted haven't changed very much in decades. GM has been testing at the same site since the 1930s, with barrier tests conducted against a 140,000 block that has withstood thousands of crash tests for cars, trucks, and even buses. The cable system that pulls vehicles through to the barrier can bring a 10,000-pound vehicle up to 80 mph, and the facility has tested at up to 78 mph. It cost about $5 million for the company's newest sled—the platform mechanism that mounts the vehicle and houses all the instruments—bought just a few years ago.
Data for dummies, anyone?
With each sled test, the facility can capture more than 72,000 individual stills, along with motion footage. That includes up to 12 onboard cameras in the vehicle alone. Each test also has the capability for 270 channels of data being recorded. And that's not counting the individual instruments—GM has more than 14,000 of them—some mounted on the vehicles that are crashed, others used to gauge the damage afterward.
So after each test is run, there's a lot to study.
The physical testing still of course relies heavily on results from crash-test dummies. GM has more than 400 dummies, with more than 200 at its Milford facility—with the latest advanced dummies costing between $100,000 and $150,000 each. GM says it has about $20 million in dummies altogether.
Dummies are costly just to have sitting on the shelf. The typical one has about 70 different sensors and accelerometers, and they have very strict maintenance and calibration requirements—for instance, GM makes about 2,175 time-consuming calibrations annually on its dummies, as they're a lot more than steel, vinyl, rubber, and foam.
All said, engineering for safety is no longer the optional task it once was, and although safety does sell cars you can bet that it adds up to a very significant chunk of the cost of a new car.
Check out the video below for group engineering manager Paul Simpson's explanation of what goes on at the Vehicle Safety Lab.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Vehicles Get Stronger May Incentives
Chrysler today announced a more aggressive incentives program for May, including the potential for no-interest financing on much of its product line or cash-back offers of up to $4,000.
For up to 36 or 60 months, depending on the vehicle, Chrysler is offering zero-percent financing, arranged through GMAC Financial Services, which was formerly GM's captive finance arm and now used by both automakers.
Chrysler confirmed that its April sales of about 95,700 vehicles was its best since March 2009. However, the automaker aims to send more of its vehicles to consumers and fewer to rental fleets.
As an alternative to the zero-percent offers, Chrysler is offering Consumer Cash of up to $4,000 on several Jeep models—including the Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which we've reported in recent weeks as heavily discounted. Deals are almost as good on many other Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler vehicles.
Here are the offers, good now through June 1:
2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser, Chrysler Sebring, Chrysler Town & Country, Chrysler 300: Zero-percent financing for up to 60 months or 1.9-percent financing for 72 months OR up to $3,000 Consumer Cash
Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee, or Jeep Liberty: Zero-percent financing for up to 60 months OR up to $4,000 Consumer Cash
Jeep Wrangler: $500 Mopar Bucks
Dodge Avenger, Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Nitro: Zero-percent financing for up to 60 months OR up to $2,000 Consumer Cash
2010 Dodge Challenger: $2,000 Mopar Bucks
Dodge Journey, Dodge Caliber: Zero-percent financing for 36 months OR up to $1,500 Consumer Cash
Dodge Ram (2010 Ram): Zero-percent financing for up to 60 months OR $3,000 Consumer Cash
Dodge Dakota, Dodge Ram 1500 (Ram 1500): $1,000 GMAC Bonus Cash to those who finance
[Chrysler]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
