AutoMD, the most comprehensive and independent free online auto repair resource, has released the results of a survey revealing that car owners are putting many more miles on their current vehicles, 50,000 or more, than on their previous vehicle — with the majority of respondents planning to keep their vehicle until it dies. The study also revealed that the economy is tempting many to do their own repairs and pay more attention to maintenance on their current car.

The AutoMD survey, carried out online among car owners in December 2009 and January 2010, offers a snapshot of car owners’ intentions about their current car with clear indications that consumers are firmly breaking out of the buy-every-few-years cycle, preferring to drive and repair instead.

Nearly 50% of survey respondents suggested that their current car had over 100,000 miles. A combined 69% reported that they planned to drive their current automobile for 150,000 or more miles (13%), or until their automobile dies (56%).

Near four in five (77%) project to drive their current automobile for 50,000 (or more) miles than they drove their last car. Less than 12% said they will keep their current car for less miles than their last car.

Fifty-four percent of respondents described spending $500 or more on yearly repairs to their vehicle, with 21% describing that they spend $1,000 or more. Forty-four percent report that tight budgets are driving them to either pay more attention to maintenance and repairs or do the repairs themselves. When asked for the number one reason for holding onto their car for 100,000 miles or more, one-quarter said that “in this economy, I simply can’t afford not to” and nearly thirty percent indicated that being vigilant with repairs and service should preserve it in good running condition.

AutoMD was launched in January 2010 as the most complete and impartial free online automotive repair resource fashioned to empower car owners with the best and most affordable way to repair their vehicles — whether they’re going to the shop or doing it themselves.

The AutoMD Mileage Survey was conducted December 2009 through January 2010. The survey represents a snapshot of car owner intentions about their current vehicle. Participants identified as either DIYers (Do It Yourself) or DFMers (Do It For Me), with minimal trend differences between groups.

Toyota announced it would recall about 2.3 million vehicles to fix sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models. Toyota has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in particular vehicles without the presence of floor mats. There is a hypothesis that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in extraordinary cases, “mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.”

Toyota’s accelerator pedal recall and suspension of sales is confined to the following Toyota Division vehicles:

2009-2010 Toyota RAV4,
2009-2010 Toyota Corolla,
2009-2010 Toyota Matrix,
2005-2010 Toyota Avalon,
Certain 2007-2010 Toyota Camry,
2010 Toyota Highlander,
2007-2010 Toyota Tundra,
2008-2010 Toyota Sequoia

No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are involved by these actions. Also not involved are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, which will remain for sale.

Due to the sales suspension, Toyota is anticipated to stop producing cars, trucks and SUVs on the following production lines for the week of February 1 to evaluate and coordinate activities. The North America car, truck and SUV production facilities involved are:

— Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Canada (Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4)
— Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (Sequoia and Highlander)
— Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky – Line 1 (Camry and Avalon)
— Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (Camry)
— Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (Tundra)

No other North American Toyota vehicle production manufacturing facilities are affected by the decisiveness to stop production.

The sticking accelerator pedal recall is different from the current recall of Toyota and Lexus vehicles to slim the risk of pedal entrapment by improper or out of place accessory floor mats. Close To 1.7 million Toyota Division cars are subject to both separate recall actions.

The No. 10 car – representing Kia’s industry-leading 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty – will be co-driven by Andy Lally and Nic Jonsson, while the No. 12 car will be navigated by the 2007 GRAND-AM ST champions Trevor Hopwood and Adam Burrows.

The Forte Koup’s performance-inspired styling and splendid driving dynamics are a complete fit for road racing, making Kia Motors’ first two-door coupe the rational choice for KMA’s initial motorsports efforts. KMA selected the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Challenge Sports Car Challenge series, which utilizes production-based race cars from the U.S., Europe and Asia, for its competitive nature and use of weight and intake restrictions to maintain a level playing field for all starters.

As part of the motorsports program development, KMA partnered with the Kinetic Group to prepare, build and campaign the two Forte Koup Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race cars. Headquartered near of Atlanta, Kinetic has competed in GRAND-AM racing since 2006 and added several specialists to its team of engineers, mechanics and crew for the Kia Motors racing program while also working closely with GRAND-AM to make the autos within strict series guidelines. The two-door, front-wheel-drive race cars utilize the Forte Koup production car’s 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine.

The survey results were recently released by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA), the organization that owns and operates the New York International Auto Show. Following is a summary of the findings.

Key Findings From Survey

— 72% of attendees are somewhat to extremely serious about
purchasing/leasing a brand new vehicle in the near future

— Among attendees, auto shows rank first as the most reliable source
when making decisions to purchase/lease a brand new vehicle. The
Internet is considered the next most reliable source followed by:
Consumer Reports, visiting a dealership, auto publications,
friend/relative, TV advertising, newspaper advertising, and
chatroom/blogs.

— Visiting the NYIAS significantly increased purchase consideration.
34% were extremely/very serious about purchasing/leasing a brand new
vehicle before attending the show. This percentage increased to 47%
after the Show, a lift of 13 percentage points.

— 93% of all attendees visited the specific manufacturers from which
they would seriously consider purchasing.

— 75% of attendees reported that they are more likely to purchase/lease
from the manufacturers they are considering as a result of visiting
their exhibit.

— 91% of all attendees plan to take actions as a direct result of
attending the NYIAS.

— 24% plan to purchase/lease a new vehicle
— 57% plan to visit a dealer for a test drive
— 51% plan to talk about/discuss cars seen at the Show
— 45% plan to research vehicles online
— 25% plan to recommend a vehicle to friends and family

Subaru of America, Inc. Announces April 2009 Sales Results
Subaru of America, Inc. announced that sales for the month of April were down 7-percent with 15,649 units sold in April 2009 versus 16,771 units sold in April 2008. For YTD sales, the company saw a 1-percent sales decrease as April 2009 YTD units sales were 57,181 versus 57,652 units sold in April 2008. The 2009 Subaru Forester and Legacy continue to break sales records as the Forester was up 12-percent over last year’s April sales, while the Subaru Legacy had a 36-percent increase in sales over April 2008 — each representing an April record.

            Apr-09  Apr-08  % chg    April-09 YTD  April-08 YTD   % chg
Legacy    2,561   1,890     36%        6,621         7,015      -6%
Outback*  3,293   4,137    -20%       11,806        15,736     -25%
Impreza   3,273   4,010    -18%       12,875        15,189     -15%
Forester  5,955   5,339     12%       23,897        15,327      56%
Tribeca     567   1,395    -59%        1,982         4,384     -55%
Total**  15,649  16,771     -7%       57,181        57,652      -1%

* Includes Legacy Wagon
**2008 total does not include 1 Baja sale

Audi Expects April U.S. Imported Luxury Market Share to Hit 9.2%
Audi announced sales for the month of April 2009 totaling 7,010 units sold. Audi predicts the April numbers will represent the brand’s largest market share of 2009 within the U.S. luxury vehicle market when monthly industry sales are compared to year-earlier results. In April 2009, there was a very strong demand for the new Audi Q5 luxury crossover vehicle. In just its second full month of sales, the Audi Q5 again surpassed 1,000 sales with a reported 1,212 units sold in April 2009.

Mitsubishi Motors Reports April 2009 Sales
Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) announced April 2009 sales of 3,919. This represents a decline of 55.9 percent from April 2008 sales of 8,878.

Mazda Reports April 2009 Sales
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) reported April 2009 sales of 16,139 in the U.S., down 32.1 percent versus last year, and year-to-date sales of 69,934, down 31.1 percent. The MX-5 Miata had the best selling month since May 2008, selling 1,307 vehicles.

Chrysler Reports April 2009 U.S. Auto Sales
Chrysler reported April 2009 U.S. total sales of 76,682 units, representing a 48 percent decrease versus 2008. Jeep Wrangler continued its strong, upward sales trend, with April 2009 sales up seven percent (9,336 units) year-over-year compared to April 2008. Sales of the 2009 Dodge Challenger were up 11 percent (2,619 units) in April compared to March 2009. Retail sales of the 2009 Chrysler Town & Country increased six percent in April 2009 compared to March 2009. The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram truck continues to capture the attention of consumers and increase its market share; sales of the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram Quad Cab model increased 26 percent compared to March 2009.

Hyundai Motor America Reports April 2009 Sales
Hyundai Motor America announced sales of 33,952 vehicles in April, a 14 percent decline versus April 2008, in an industry expected to be down more than 30 percent.

CARLINE       APR/2008     APR/2009     CY/2008      CY/2009
-------       --------     --------      -------      ------
ACCENT           4,115        5,189       14,329      18,912
SONATA          11,001       11,815       35,432      37,472
ELANTRA          9,981        4,684       33,851      26,479
TIBURON            894        3,353        2,965       6,263
SANTA FE         7,252        3,726       24,943      19,839
AZERA            2,771          289        8,477       1,292
TUCSON           1,721        1,428        7,734       5,106
ENTOURAGE          500          186        2,042       3,171
VERACRUZ         1,045        1,206        4,845       5,251
GENESIS              0        2,076            0       6,021
TOTAL           39,280       33,952      134,618     129,806

Kia Motors America Announces April 2009 Sales
Kia Motors America (KMA) announced April 2009 sales of 25,606 units, and year-to-date sales of 94,499 total units. The critically acclaimed Soul, Kia’s all-new and uniquely styled urban passenger vehicle, recorded robust sales of 3,228 units in April 2009 and 4,508 total units since its arrival in February 2009.

Volkswagen Reports April 2009 Sales
Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced April 2009 sales of 16,289 units, a 16.1 percent decrease over April 2008 sale of 19,415 units. Volkswagen’s European tuned minivan, Routan, posted its best sales month ever with 2,606 unit sales. The New Beetle also performed well in April with its best sales month since August of 2008.

BMW Group U.S. Division Reports April 2009 Sales
The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported April sales of 19,362 vehicles, a decrease of 38.4 percent from the 31,448 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. The BMW Group also reported a year-to-date sales volume of 70,606 vehicles, down 29.4 percent, compared to 99,977 vehicles sold in the same period a year ago. Despite the negative development in April, both BMW and MINI continue to track better than their market segments year-to-date.

Acura Announces April 2009 Sales Results
Total Acura sales for April 2009 were 8,813, down 32.3 percent compared to April 2008, with Acura year-to-date* sales totaling 33,333 units, down 33.4 percent. The all-new TL performance luxury sedan remained as Acura’s top selling model in April, a three month sales trend, with TL sales reaching 3,105 units, down 27.6 percent as compared to last year.

American Honda Reports April Sales of 101,029
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted April vehicle sales of 101,029, a decline of 25.3 percent* compared to April 2008, the company reported today. Honda Division posted April sales of 92,216, a decline of 24.5 percent compared to April 2008.

Mercedes-Benz Reports April 2009 Sales of 14,565
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported April 2009 sales of 14,565 vehicles, a decline of 28.1 percent over April 2008. The volume leaders for the month were the C, GLK, and M-Class with sales of 4,274, 1,869, and 1,838 respectively. On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 54,799 new vehicles, a decrease of 29.7 percent over the comparable period last year.

Toyota Reports April 2009 Sales
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., reported month-end sales of 126,540 vehicles, a decrease of 41.9 percent from April 2008, on a daily selling rate basis. The Toyota Division posted April sales of 112,345 units, a decrease of 42.2 percent from the same period last year. The Lexus Division reported April sales of 14,195 units, a decrease of 39.2 percent from the year-ago month.

Daimler AG Reports a 30.7 Percent Decrease for the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. for April 2009
Daimler AG (stock exchange abbreviation DAI) reported sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division (Mercedes-Benz and smart combined) of 15,910 units in the U.S. for April 2009. Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported April 2009 sales of 14,565 vehicles, a decline of 28.1 percent over April 2008. The volume leaders for the month were the C, GLK, and M-Class with sales of 4,274, 1,869, and 1,838 respectively. On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 54,799 new vehicles, a decrease of 29.7 percent over the comparable period last year. smart USA recorded 1,345 sales in April 2009. Year to date sales now total 6,282 units which represents a 2 percent increase versus April 2008 year-to-date sales. Since its introduction in the United States, there are over 30,000 smart fortwos traveling the highways throughout America. The smart fortwo offers the right balance of power, outstanding fuel efficiency, innovative safety features, environmental friendliness and excellent value. There are currently 75 smart centers in 35 states.

Nissan North America Announces April 2009 Sales
Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) (NASDAQ:NSANY) reported sales for April 2009 of 47,190 units versus 75,855 units a year ago, a decrease of 37.8 percent. Sales of Nissan Division vehicles decreased 36.3 percent, while sales of Infiniti vehicles decreased by 48.3 percent.

Ford Gains Retail Share as Ford Fusion Sets Sales Record
Ford gained retail share, for the sixth time in last seven months. Ford Fusion set a monthly sales record and grew strength in the mid-size car segment. Ford hybrids combine to eclipse year-ago sales. Kelley Blue Book named Fusion Hybrid and Escape Hybrid to Top 10 Green Cars list. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 129,898 for April 2009. In April 2009, the Ford Fusion paced the share performance. Fusion sales totaled 18,321, a record for any month. April was the first full month of sales for the redesigned 2010 model and the new Fusion Hybrid version, and April is believed to be the first month that Fusion was among the top three-selling mid-size sedans. Recent independent studies rate Fusion and the Mercury Milan – the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedans in America – as having the best predicted reliability among all mid-size sedans.

Visteon offers a range of technologies designed to enhance a driver’s awareness of road and traffic conditions. The IVBSS system fully integrates a suite of crash warning features that includes forward collision warning, road departure warning, lane change merge alerts and blind spot detection. These systems provide the driver with situational awareness of the vehicle’s surroundings.

“While these features cannot substitute for safe driving, they can potentially increase the driver’s awareness of road conditions and improve response time to potential hazards,” explains Debby Bezzina, Visteon electronics program manager for the project. “This is very important as driver distraction and congestion are increasing.”

Visteon’s IVBSS system will be featured in a special presentation for Best of ITS Awards finalists at the 15th World Congress on ITS & the 2008 ITS America Annual Meeting on Monday, Nov. 17 in New York. The winners will be announced at that time. Bezzina will attend the congress on Visteon’s behalf.

ITS is the leading advocate for technologies that improve the safety, security and efficiency of the nation’s surface transportation system. Its 2008 annual meeting is the largest event in the world for ITS leaders, policy makers and other industry professionals.

“This recognition is quite an honor for Visteon, which is committed to driving innovation in our automotive electronics, interiors and climate control products,” notes Bezzina.

At the congress, Bezzina, along with other Visteon employees, will be presenting at the following sessions:

Interactive Session 30187: The Process for Developing an Effective Multi-Modal Warning System for the Integration of Alerts from Multiple Subsystems – The paper describes the methods used to develop the DVI system for IVBSS. Visteon authors include Dinu Madau, Colleen Serafin and Bezzina; University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) authors include Omer Tsimhoni and Paul A. Green. Bezzina, along with Madau, will participate in the interactive session

AM36: U.S. Department of Transportation Integrated Vehicle Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) Initiative. Bezzina is one of the presenters at this session; she will present the light vehicle IVBSS design and status.

AM43: Human Machine Interface for Vehicle Infrastructure Integration. Bezzina is also presenting at this session, she will describe the difficulties with designing an intuitive and easy to use human machine interface for an integrated system. The presentation, as well as the research for it, was developed by Visteon’s Serafin, Madau and Bezzina.

Visteon Corporation is a leading global automotive supplier that designs, engineers and manufactures innovative climate, interior, electronic and lighting products for vehicle manufacturers, and also provides a range of products and services to aftermarket customers. With corporate offices in Van Buren Township, Mich. (U.S.); Shanghai, China; and Kerpen, Germany; the company has facilities in 27 countries and employs approximately 35,500 people.

According to Mayor Richard Notte: “The group will meet Tuesday on Capitol Hill with administration officials, Presidential transition team members, auto industry leaders, and members of Michigan’s Congressional delegation, including Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Sen. Carl Levin.”

In addition to Sterling Heights, mayors and city administrators from numerous Michigan cities will make the trip. The meetings in Washington D.C. follow last week’s meeting in Sterling Heights, where leaders from four Detroit area cities met to discuss federal aid for the auto industry and the need for a provision in the plan that provides redevelopment assistance for communities that suffer auto plant closings.

“We’re visiting Washington D.C. for two reasons,” said Mark Vanderpool, City Manager. “We want to show our support for federal assistance to the Big Three automakers and knowing the significant impact to our cities we want to further advance the proposal set forth last week by Sterling Heights, Warren, Livonia and Dearborn to provide contingency funding in the event of additional plant closings to help cities redevelop those sites.”

The closing of an automotive plant would result in a massive loss in jobs and property tax revenue in any community that is home to such a facility, jeopardizing city services in municipalities already dealing with huge reductions in state aid and residential property tax revenue due to foreclosures and lowered home prices. In Sterling Heights, for example, the city’s four auto plants generate $32 million in total property tax revenue annually. For more information, contact Community Relations at (586) 446-CITY (2489).

Chrysler is expanding its Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle (CPOV) program eligibility to all qualifying Chrysler, Jeep(R) and Dodge dealers in the United States. Before now, the Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle (CPOV) program was limited only to Chrysler’s Five Star(R) dealers.

Chrysler first launched its national Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle program as a Five Star Dealer exclusive program in the spring of 2002. It has been the fastest growing brand in the certified-used segment.

Reporting 14 consecutive years of industry growth, Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle industry sales figures through December 2007 were up 2 percent calendar-year-to-date, according to sales numbers provided by Autodata. At the same time, Chrysler Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle sales were up 5 percent, which is the sixth consecutive year the CPOV brand sales growth rate has more than doubled the industry segment.

Chrysler markets this as “Brand Spankin’ Used(R)”. Chrysler Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles are sold only through Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships that have had their dealership’s facilities “validated”. This includes a dealership’s operational processes, salesperson and technician training. A dealership must receive accreditation before they are authorized to sell Chrysler Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles.

For a vehicle to be certified under Chrysler’s used-vehicle program, it must be a 2003 through 2008 model pre-owned vehicle with less than 65,000 miles and pass a stringent 125-point mechanical, safety and condition standard inspection. Chrysler CPO vehicles are backed by an eight-year/80,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, 24-hour, 365-day full roadside assistance with a $35 per day rental car allowance and a three-month or 3,000-mile Maximum Care warranty that is additive to any remaining 3 year / 36,000 mile comprehensive new vehicle warranty.

KBB Marketing Research is showing that new car shoppers’ have a negative view of Diesels. At the same time, hybrids continue to gain acceptance.

According to the latest Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research study, the vast majority of in-market new-vehicle shoppers do not see diesel as a likely mainstream fuel source in the future. The January 2008 results reveal that only six percent of shoppers think diesel is most likely to succeed in becoming a mainstream vehicle powertrain type, compared with 40 percent saying hybrids, 20 percent saying hydrogen fuel cell and 17 percent citing flexible-fuel systems.

Interest in diesels is steadily declining among in-market new-vehicle shoppers, while interest in hybrids continues to grow. The gap between shoppers’ interest in diesels versus hybrids has greatly widened particularly in the last month, with the nine-point gap in December 2007 jumping to a 17-point gap in January 2008. When asked about their perceptions of diesel engines, nearly half of in-market new-vehicle shoppers say they are dirty and noisy. In addition, the latest study shows that shoppers increasingly believe that diesel-powered vehicles get poorer fuel mileage than conventional gasoline engines, and fewer consumers are seeing diesels as fuel-efficient.

While diesel consideration and favorability are declining in the eyes of in-market new-vehicle shoppers, hybrids continue to gain favor. In addition to hybrids being seen as the most viable mainstream powertrain choice, interest in hybrids has steadily increased in recent months, with 61 percent of shoppers saying they are interested in hybrids in the latest study. When asked about the premium they are willing to pay for a gas/electric hybrid over a traditional gasoline-powered version of the same vehicle, this month shoppers are willing to pay an average premium of $3,135, up from an average premium of $2,645 a month ago in December 2007.

When asked about which hybrid vehicles they would consider for their next purchase or lease in the latest study, in-market new-vehicle shoppers cite the Honda Civic as most popular with 35 percent. The next most-popular models are the Ford Escape and Toyota Highlander, each garnering 23 percent. Toward the bottom of the consideration list is the vehicle that arguably put hybrids on the mainstream map — the Toyota Prius — which only garnered 12 percent of the consideration.

The latest Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research study was conducted on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com among in-market new-vehicle shoppers during January 2008.

Here is the list of the top ten least expensive vehicles to insure:

1. Chrysler Town & Country
2. Ford Escape
3. GMC Sierra pickup
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. Ford Econoline Club Wagon
6. Ford Fusion
7. Ford F-series pickup
8. Honda Civic
9. Toyota Camry
10. Toyota RAV-4

Here is the list of the top ten most expensive vehicles to insure:

1. Dodge Ram pickup
2. Chevy Silverado C/K pickup
3. Toyota Prius
4. Honda Accord
5. Nissan Altima
6. Toyota Corolla
7. Ford Focus
8. Chevrolet Cobalt
9. Honda CR-V
10. Dodge Caravan

There are many reasons why a vehicle will end up on the list of the most expensive vehicles to insure. For example, they may be theft targets–which will typically increase the comprehensive insurance premiums for anyone who owns that make and model. Or, passengers in that vehicle might typically suffer more injuries in crashes or accidents. That will increase the overall injury protection premiums.

Last year, Insure.com named the Chevy Cobalt, the Dodge Ram Pickup, and the Ford Focus as the most expensive vehicles to insure. And they named the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra Pickup, and Chrysler Town & Country as the least expensive cars to insure.

Based on a list of the 20 top-selling cars and trucks in the United States, Insure.com calculated average premiums across three states and multiple insurers to put together the 2008 Insure.com Car Insurance Ranking Report.