cash for clunkers
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Almost two years ago, the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal burst into public view, and nothing has been quite the same since then. The news that VW Group engineers had deliberately cheated on eight years of emission tests for the "clean diesels" sold by Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche sent shockwaves around the world. Settling the criminal charges in the U.S. for almost 600,000 diesel vehicles has cost VW more than $25 billion, but multiple European investigations remain underway. DON'T MISS: Audi, Mercedes now updating European diesels for emissions; more to come? Only this year did European...
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Romania doubles electric-car subsidies, adds 'cash for clunkers' program
In recent years, governments have increasingly worked to encourage the sales of plug-in electric vehicles. Incentive programs for the purchase of a low-emission vehicle have been adopted across the world. The amounts granted and the mechanisms vary according to the individual program, but the goal...
John Voelcker -
Global Toyota Prius Hybrid Sales Level Off As Incentives End
Talk about up-again, down-again. It was just a year ago when a global shortages of 2010 Toyota Prius models kept supplies tight all over the world. Now, they may start to pile up on dealer lots again. Last summer, the company had just launched the all-new 2010 Prius, the third generation of the...
John Voelcker -
Why Are Luxury and Sports Brands Going Green? To Survive
It was so much easier just a few short years ago. Luxury cars wafted and sports machines roared, with nary a thought to gasoline consumed. Hybrids were for weenies, and everyone knew their place. But now? A hybrid Ferrari, a hybrid Porsche race car, an electric BMW ... what is the world coming to?...
John Voelcker -
Clunkers Program Worked, Didn't Hurt Car Sales, Study Says
A new study concludes that last summer's government-funded "Cash For Clunkers" program didn't hurt car sales rates in future months, and in fact did just what it set out to do: get old, low-mileage cars off the road and stimulate auto sales in the U.S. An analysis by Maritz Research refutes one of...
John Voelcker -
To Boost Gas-Free Car Sales, Make $7,500 Tax Credit a Rebate
Speakers throughout today's Electric Drive Transportation Association conference agree: Plug-in electric cars that use little or no gasoline are coming. It's no longer an "if", it's now a "when." To help boost early adoption of cars that run mostly or entirely on grid power, the Federal government...
John Voelcker -
Maybe you're already overloaded with end-of-year lists. But indulge us; this is the weirdest collection of most-popular articles we could ever have imagined. We've got urine. We've got Muslims and ethanol. We've got hybrid Ferraris. We've even got our ever-popular rant on why Miles-Per-Gallon is a really, really stupid way to measure fuel efficiency. With no more ado, we present to you our list of the 10 most popular articles during the year 2009 on GreenCarReports.com. And a Happy New Year to you! # 10: 2011 Chevy Volt Investment: How Does This Differ From the EV1? We're surprised our...
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2010 Prius Supplies Still Scarce, Toyota Considers US Factory...Again
As global demand remains high for the 50-MPG 2010 Toyota Prius, stocks of the car at U.S. dealers are down to a one-week supply, which is all but sold out. A normal supply is considered to equal 60 days' worth of sales. Sales of the 2010 Prius spiked in late July and August, due to a combination of...
John Voelcker -
August U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Hit Highest MPG Since $4 Gasoline
Thanks to the strong financial incentives offered by the Cash-For-Clunkers program, the average gas mileage of new vehicles sold in the U.S. during August reached a record high: 23 miles per gallon, up 8 percent from the 21.2 mpg in August 2008. The calculations were done by the trade journal...
John Voelcker -
2010 Toyota Prius Price-Gouging Pops Up
We've just read some nice investigative reporting by DailyTech's Jason Mick on a well-known but infuriating phenomenon: auto dealer price gouging, in this case on the sought-after 2010 Toyota Prius. We're far from the only outlet to note that the Cash-For-Clunkers plan boosted sales of the 2010...
John Voelcker -
Want a Cash-For-Clunkers Rebate? Do It RIGHT NOW. Today!
OK, kids, this is it. If you have a clunker and you want to trade it in and get a $3,500 or $4,500 rebate for a new vehicle under the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program ... STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Do it right now, today, and get to your dealer no later than 4 pm. Today. But call first, to...
John Voelcker -
BREAKING: Cash-For-Clunkers May Be Over, Out Of Money, Kaput
As we enter the news day on Thursday, it appears that the "Cash For Clunkers" program could well be out of cash. The National Association of Auto Dealers (NADA) asked the US government to suspend the program as of midnight last night, and warned dealers they are at risk of not getting reimbursed if...
John Voelcker -
Today seems to be Ford day; this morning's e-mail included a news release on the early sales success of the 2010 Ford Transit Connect small delivery van, just while we're in the middle of writing up our four days of travel in a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid. We first drove the 2010 Transit Connect in late May, visiting three small businesses in the heart of Manhattan that could show off the van's flexibility and usefulness in the urban areas where it's expected to sell best. Indeed, says Ford, the first shipment of Transit Connects has been selling from dealer lots in an average of eight days. The...
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Cashing In On Clunkers: Ford Faces Focus Famine
Now that Congress has voted another $2 billion in funding for the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program, better known as "Cash for Clunkers," the program's success means carmakers are starting to face shortages of their most popular high-mileage models. The latest manufacturer to face a...
John Voelcker -
2010 Toyota Prius: Solar Sunroof Smash Success, Hard To Get
By now, anyone who's shopping for a 2010 Toyota Prius knows that Toyota's newest hybrid is a smash hit. Global demand is high, the company is making as many cars as it can get battery packs for, and the US Cash-for-Clunkers program has boosted sales of the new hybrid even above already-high demand...
John Voelcker -
2010 Honda Insight Sales To Fall Short of Goal?
Before it launched in the US in March, the 2010 Honda Insight generated huge buzz. It was the "affordable hybrid," the "Prius killer," Honda's triumphant re-entry into the dedicated hybrid market it abandoned with the first generation Insight in 2006. So how's it going? Well, 2010 Insights are...
John Voelcker -
Clunkers Success: 2010 Toyota Prius Almost Sold Out
Last Tuesday, we noted that sales of the 2010 Toyota Prius have soared due to the Cash-for-Clunkers program. In fact, it's the fourth most popular vehicle purchased to replace a clunker trade-in. The unexpected success of the Clunkers trade-in system, formally known as the Car Allowance Rebate...
John Voelcker -
Top Clunker Buys Compared: Toyota Corolla vs Ford Focus vs Honda Civic
Thinking about trading in your clunker for a nice, new, fuel-efficient car? Take a breath; the first-week success of the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program, better known as "Cash for Clunkers," looks to be continued at least through Labor Day. Last Friday, the US House of Representatives...
John Voelcker -
As expected, the US Senate voted yesterday to add $2 billion more to the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program--better known as "Cash for Clunkers". President Barack Obama is expected to sign it today. The vote approved a bill identical to the one passed last Friday by the US House of Representatives, before it recessed for August. The cash is expected to last roughly through Labor Day, and provide funds for roughly half a million additional clunker trade-ins. The Clunkers plan has been remarkably successful at getting consumers into car dealerships, and the program appeared to have run...
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Clunker Dollars Data: Minnesota Wins, Mississippi Loses
This morning's Detroit News lists the amount of cash each state has gotten thus far under the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program, better known as "Cash for Clunkers". The paper notes, "Michigan ranks No. 1 in the nation ... with $34.4 million requested from the federal government as of...
John Voelcker -
2010 Toyota Prius Sales Soar, Boosted By Clunkers Cash
Never let it be said US car buyers don't know a good deal when they see one. The Toyota Prius has become the fourth-most popular car purchased under the first 80,000 Cash-for-Clunkers vouchers processed by the US Department of Transportation. In fact, Toyota sold 19,173 Priuses during July, almost...
John Voelcker -
Cash For Clunkers: The Data On Why It's Working
Who knew? Turns out Americans just needed a little nudge to visit their car dealers, but the promise of an extra $3,500 or more in incentives was enough to push car buyers over the hump and get them to trade in their clunkers. And how. As we reported Friday on our sister site TheCarConnection.com...
John Voelcker -
Killing Your Clunker Correctly: How a Dealer 'Disables' It
The 135 pages of Cash-for-Clunkers regulations rules require the dealer who sells you your new, more fuel-efficient car to 'disable' the engine of your traded-in clunker. But how do those dealers actually destroy the engine? Three words: sodium silicate solution. It's a combination of water...
John Voelcker -
BMW Adds More Cash To Convince You To Buy Their Diesels
Despite IRS tax credits and superior gas mileage figures, BMW is reportedly having a tough time selling its new diesels, the 2009 BMW 335d sports sedan and the 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d (yes, that's really its name). We've thought from the beginning that Volkswagen would be the big winner in selling...
John Voelcker