If there was any doubt in your mind that autonomous driving features would arrive quickly in consumer vehicles, maybe you should pay attention to CES this year. With the Detroit Auto Show mere days away, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas provides a good opportunity for automakers to show off what their research and development teams are capable of pulling off with some of their more outlandish ideas. Of course, CES is a day of concepts and thematics more than actual car reveals, but it can be a great way to gauge how the automotive industry feels it will evolve given its current trajectory.
Car Minded
The Most Hotly Anticipated Debuts at the 2017 North American Interational Auto Show
Next week kicks off the 2017 North American International Auto Show. Although much attention has been directed at automakers’ decisions to move away from the traditional auto show format for their new-car debuts, with companies like Chrysler choosing instead to utilize the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the show in Detroit still remains one of the biggest events in the auto world, and CarGurus is excited to report on it this year.
Continue reading >>>
Buy a Bolt and Fund a Tahoe?
What if the fledgling electric car industry was just a ruse to sell more earth-polluting fossil fuel-powered trucks and SUVs? The federal government’s fleet fuel-economy requirements and the California Air Resources Board’s ZEV credits aren’t just creating a small market for EVs, they’re fueling the fire for gas-powered vehicles that defeat the purpose of EVs.
Case in point is the new Chevy Bolt, a masterpiece EV that finally makes a practical vehicle with a 200-mile range accessible to the majority of the car-buying population.
Those who buy one, though, may not be saving the planet, but subsidizing the sale of gas-guzzlers.
Mazda: The Car to Drive or the Car to Own?
Think back to 2002, when the all-new 2003 Mazda6 came onto the market and redefined what a sport sedan could be for families. I still remember the first one in my neighborhood. It was bright red, sleek, and looked nothing like the Accord sedans and Dodge minivans that littered the suburban area. The driver would come in to the neighborhood way too fast while us young parents vocally chastised his reckless driving but secretly wanted to be just like him.
The Mazda6 brought some zoom-zoom to the previously bland sedan segment and changed things forever. Now we’re coming up fast on 2017 and the Mazda6 still has that sporty spirit and has spawned a smaller, equally-as-fun Mazda3.
But there’s a problem in zoom-zoom land.
Costco’s Christmas Corvette: A Good Deal?
If you’ve ever dreamt of a Corvette under the tree with a giant red bow on top, Costco may be your best bet for making it happen. The discount membership club has long offered an auto program through which members can get pre-negotiated deals on cars, but this winter, for the first time, the deal extends to America’s supercar.
There’s been a mixed response on whether Costco’s deals are better than what any regular Joe can negotiate on his own, but at the very least the Costco price saves a buyer the hassle of negotiating.
To be clear, buyers don’t actually purchase cars through the warehouse. They must still buy through a dealership, but typically work with a salesperson familiar with Costco’s program to get the Costco-approved price. Trade-ins can still be negotiated as part of the deal.
How good of a deal is buying a new Corvette through Costco?