Fewer Chinese Auto Brands in U.S. Than Predicted
Ten years ago, as new-vehicle sales were slipping and incentives were rising, auto manufacturers faced a potentially greater issue: Chinese brands were gearing up to sell low-cost vehicles in the U.S. that threatened to undercut the established brands. The first Chinese vehicles were due to arrive as early as 2007, and industry analysts said it was almost certain they would be here by 2010. Fast forward to 2016, and the only Chinese...
Experts Warn Against Long-Term Auto Loan Trend
After a year of record new-vehicle sales, automakers, dealers, and the banks and finance companies that issue car loans are jubilantly exchanging high-fives. Analysts list several reasons for record sales of 17.5 million vehicles in 2015, including an improving economy and job market, low interest rates, cheap gas and growth in leasing. New-car sales also are being driven by easy credit: Consumers, many with marginal credit ratings,...
Fiat Chrysler Also Has Emissions Issues
Lost amid the intense scrutiny of emissions tests at Volkswagen and Renault is the fact that another European automotive powerhouse, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, is also in a tight spot with regulators. Not for possible cheating — far from it. FCA’s problem is that its emissions record in the United States is bad and time to fix it is running short. For the fourth consecutive year, the maker of Ram pickups and Jeep SUVs finished dead...
Domestic Car Sales for 2015 Poised to Be a Record
Despite pollution-spewing Volkswagens, exploding Takata airbags and failing GM ignition switches, domestic car sales for 2015 appear poised to be the best in U.S. history. Industry experts predict, based on year-to-date sales and projections for December, that the year’s total sales will top 17.4 million vehicles, beating the previous high sales mark set in the year 2000. “The economy is strong, interest rates are low, and fuel prices...
Business Notes: Nov. 22, 2015
White River Junction — After being vacant for eight years, the former Hartford Motors car dealership lot across the road from Hartford Town Hall is finally on its way to getting a new occupant — another automotive sales business. Midstate Auto Group, which operates automobile dealerships in Barre, Vt., is putting the finishing touches on a renovation to the former Hartford Motors building and lot at the corner of Maple Street and Pine...
