Small Cars Surge Amid Sky-High Gas Prices

Rocker makes the case for drivers going big and going green

(NEWSER) - Motorists considering electric cars can hang on to their Cadillac dreams as well, writes Neil Young at the Huffington Post. Barack Obama's plan to get a million electric vehicles on American roads within a decade is possible—and the cars don't need to be tiny or even have new designs, writes the rock legend, pointing to his own converted 1959 Lincoln Continental as proof. More»

US giant's worldwide sales off 0.6% as overseas growth mitigates domestic dip

(NEWSER) - GM’s vehicle sales fell 0.6% in the first quarter, helping Toyota, on 2.7% growth, take the global sales lead, the Wall Street Journal reports. Toyota sold 2.41 million vehicles worldwide to 2.25 million for the American giant, which was hurt badly by a 10.2% drop in US sales. GM blamed tough economic times, noting solid overseas figures nevertheless. More»

(NEWSER) - After years of big cars and even bigger sales numbers, forces are conspiring to turn the US auto market into something much more like its European counterparts, the LA Times reports. Fashion statement SUVs are giving way to more efficient, more reliable cars, analysts say, which people are expected to drive longer. After sales averaging 16.9 million a year since the millennium, under 10 million are expected to move this year. Even post-recession, some think they'll rebound only to about 14 million. More»

Today's figures 'as low as it's going to get': analyst

(NEWSER) - Figures to be released today are likely to show a third straight month of annualized new-car sales below 10 million, the Wall Street Journal reports—but there’s a chance those numbers have hit bottom. Considering the size of the American consumer market, today’s figure “is about as low as it's going to get,” says an analyst. More»

Shine wears off top end of auto market as downturn bites

(NEWSER) - Sales of luxury cars are dropping as fast as their downmarket counterparts, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sales of top-end vehicles plunged 30% last month, spelling major trouble for carmakers who had been relying on fat profit margins on luxury cars to offset falling demand for mass-markets vehicles. Analysts expect demand to keep falling as top execs continue to lose their jobs. More»