MotorzMall.com – Car Care and Trends in the Auto Industry

It’s no secret that the new and used car markets are insane right now, but there’s more than one facet to the issue. iSeeCars, a car search engine that conducts market research, recently published a list of the fastest-selling new and used cars. The data supports much of what we already know, but the numbers behind some of the models may surprise you.

The fastest-selling new car in June 2022 was the Subaru Crosstrek, with an average time of 12.9 days to sell. The average sales price for the Crosstrek in June was $30,299, so people are buying higher-end trims of the car, which in base form starts at around $24,000. The Honda Civic, Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, and Subaru Impreza round out the top five.

All of those vehicles’ average sales prices were well above their respective models’ starting prices, meaning people are buying more expensive models or are paying markups. Neither of those things are favorable for buyers and offer only a partial benefit to dealers who are struggling to find cars to sell.

Karl Brauer, iSeeCars’ Executive Analyst, notes that high gas prices are driving some of the craze for smaller and hybrid vehicles. The Honda Civic and CR-V are great examples, as the automaker can’t keep enough inventory of either model on dealers’ lots. Civic sales decreased by 54 percent and CR-V sales by 45 percent compared to 2020 because there aren’t enough units to go around.

Things are even crazier on the used car side of things. The Tesla Model Y is the fastest-selling used car right now, but the $69,784 average sales price outpaces the EV’s new price by more than 10%, and that’s for the range-topping Model Y Performance model. The Prius Prime isn’t much better. At number two on the list of fastest selling used cars, its average price of $31,867 is around $1,400 more than a brand-new mid-range XLE trim.

The same is true for many cars on the list, where the average used sale price outpaced new-car MSRPs. Used car prices are partly driven by new car availability and customer demand. The wait to receive a newly ordered Tesla Model Y stretches into 2023, so, understandably, people are willing to pay for the privilege of skipping that line.

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While gasoline prices have come down from their highs earlier this summer, drivers are still feeling plenty of pain at the pump. Unless, of course, you’re an electric vehicle owner, and thus feeling very smug while gliding past fueling stations to charge at home.

Using an EV more in times of high gasoline prices is to be expected, but one of the open questions in the industry has been whether EV drivers will consistently cover more miles on average than gas or diesel car owners.

In many countries it’s difficult to get a clear read, mostly because EVs are still a very small share of the total number of cars on the road. But to get a hint of where things may head, we can turn to Norway. The latest data released from the nation’s statistical agency shows battery-electric vehicles now drive more miles annually on average than cars running purely on gasoline or diesel. Average distance traveled by the latter two car segments has fallen steadily the last 15 years.

This is remarkable. It highlights the growing capability of the latest EV models, and also has implications for what happens to oil demand from road transport. The amount of oil displaced by EVs depends on how fast we switch over the number of kilometers or miles traveled to electric, not the number of cars.

To understand this better, consider a two-car family, where one of the vehicles is electric and the other is internal combustion. EVs have much lower operating costs, so the family will likely start to shift more miles to the EV once they get comfortable with the vehicle. The commute to work, for example, involves a highly predictable route and often accounts for the largest share of driving a person does. So while the family still has an internal combustion car and uses it for occasional longer trips, the electric share of total kilometers traveled by the household rises faster than one might expect, especially if one was only considering the number of cars.

This effect shouldn’t be surprising; people like to use more of things that are cheaper. But it wasn’t always received wisdom in the market.  A few years ago, some oil energy outlooks assumed not only that EV adoption would be muted, but that each EV would on average travel less than a comparable internal combustion vehicle. This now looks like a very shaky assumption. Not only will higher ranges make people use their EVs more, but even lower-range EVs can soak up some of the miles used for commuting along predictable routes.

A few other things stand out in the data. One is that you can actually see the point when the Tesla Model S, the first real long-range EV, hits the market. Average distance traveled per EV jumped sharply in 2013 and 2014 — right after the Model S launched — then climbed several more years and is now at an all-time high.

This again points to the improved capability of EVs, and also potentially the effect of them moving beyond being an urban phenomenon and spreading out more broadly across the country. With more long-range EVs hitting the market, it seems reasonable to expect 2022 data will show a continuation of the trend.

Another interesting point is that hybrid vehicles also put up relatively high numbers. Data for hybrids is only available for from 2016 onwards, but they’re currently neck-and-neck with pure EVs and diesel vehicles, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next few years.

Fully making the changeover to electric mobility will take time. Electric vehicles still accounted for just 17% of all kilometers traveled by the passenger car fleet in Norway last year, and only about 1.5% of all kilometers traveled by the global passenger vehicle fleet. Until more of the fleet is fully electric, total distance covered by EVs will still have some catching up to do.

Still, at BNEF, we’re expecting this same effect to start showing up in the data of more countries in the years ahead. Annual average EV mileage in China, for example, rose quickly from 2017 to 2020 before slowing slightly due to the pandemic, when ride-hailing usage plunged.

Counting car sales and fleet sizes is still important, but for energy market impact, it’s best to keep an eye on distances traveled, too.

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Some 73% of Colorado drivers said they drive over the speed limit at least some of the time on main highways and 71% said they do so on local highways, according to the 2022 Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Driving Behavior Survey.

When it comes to neighborhood roads, Coloradans tend to slow down. Only 50% of drivers said they travel above the speed limit on main city and town roads and less than a third (28%) do so when traversing neighborhood roads with speed limits of 25-35 MPH.

Also noteworthy, motorists who admitted to using their cell phone while behind the wheel — and those who had driven within two hours of consuming alcohol — said they exceeded the speed limit more frequently than others.

In addition to speeding, the survey explores drivers’ attitudes and actions regarding distracted driving, impaired driving, and seat belt use.

As is the case in many states, distracted driving appears to be relatively commonplace in Colorado. Eating and drinking, selecting entertainment by hand, and talking on a phone were the most typical distracted driving behaviors cited by survey respondents.

For example, 62% of Colorado drivers said they ate food or drank beverages while behind the wheel. And Coloradans admit to fiddling with their phones in any number of ways. Some 57% said they selected entertainment on a phone, CD player, radio, or other device. Moreover, 28% reported reading messages on their phone while driving and 17% said they send messages.

As it concerns impaired driving, one out of five respondents reported driving a motor vehicle within two hours of consuming alcohol. In addition, 7% said they used cannabis and 3% said they used prescription medication that might impair their judgment within two hours of operating a motor vehicle.

On the upside, more Coloradans are waking up to the real-world risks of driving while impaired. Just 9% of those surveyed said they “somewhat or strongly agreed” that they could drive safely under the influence of alcohol — down from 15% in 2021.

While 70% of Colorado drivers thought people would get a DUI if they drove under the influence of alcohol, only 54% said the same regarding the use of cannabis behind the wheel.

Finally, the survey examined seat belt compliance. While 89% said they wear their seat belt all the time, one out of five Colorado drivers said they buckled up less frequently when driving close to home. Seat belt use dropped to 80% when taking a trip within two miles.

For those who reported not always wearing a seat belt, the majority said having a vehicle seat belt reminder would influence them to buckle up.

The Polestar 3 debuts October 3, the same day orders open for the battery-electric SUV repeatedly pitched against the Porsche Cayenne. The comparisons were correct, based on comments from Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath at the Automotive News Europe Congress. He said his brand’s first SUV will start at 75,000 euros and top out around 110,000 euros. Because the euro and U.S. dollar are almost even, prices will probably be similar in dollars, meaning a range of about $75,650 to $110,950. The 2022 Porsche Cayenne starts at $73,650, the Cayenne GTS — six trims below the flagship Turbo GT — starts at $114,550. 

This means that, as with the Cayenne, the 3 is likely to be dimensionally and financially between the Tesla Model Y and Model X. The Model Y Performance is seven inches shorter than a Cayenne and starts at $69,990, the Model X in dual-motor AWD trim is five inches longer than a Cayenne and starts at $120,990.

We don’t have specs on the 3 yet, but we do know it will pack a two-motor powertrain. In the $53,300 Polestar 2 liftback sedan with dual motors, output comes to 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque standard, hitting 60 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds. Those figures can be upgraded to 476 hp and 502 lb-ft for buyers who select the Performance Pack, the 60-mph sprint coming down to 4.2 seconds. The Cayennes in the same price bracket max out at 455 hp and 516 lb-ft of combined output on the Cayenne E-Hybrid, the Porsche needing 4.7 seconds to reach 60 mph when equipped with the Sport Chrono Package. All of which is to say the template has already been established for challenging a Porsche, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the 3 is even more potent. If Polestar hits its range estimate of 372 miles on the WLTP cycle, our version could do better than 300 miles on the EPA testing regimen. 

The 3 goes into production later this year alongside the coming battery-electric Volvo XC90 replacement, thought to be called the Embla. Polestar will double its attack on the Germans next year with the Porsche Macan-rivaling Polestar 4.

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The supercar formula has been to preen a retiring model with runout trim boasting more power and handling, then have the next-gen model pick up where that special edition left off. So it will be with the 2023 Honda Civic Type R. The automaker has finally divulged that the rorty coupe will be revealed on July 20 at 10 p.m. for the East Coasters, 7 pm. for the West Coasters. Until then, we’ll have to nibble on this tease of the frontal aspect that is merely the potatoes hiding the meat. What we’ll be chewing on until the 20th is Honda’s line that we’re about to get “the most powerful Honda-branded production vehicle ever offered in the U.S.”

The baseline was established by the 2021 Civic Type R Limited we called “an instant classic.” It made 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Yes, that’s the same output as the standard Civic Type R. The Limited got more out of its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder output by losing around 50 pounds, employing revised software for the adaptive dampers, and getting shoed in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. The diet and recode helped, to be sure, but Bibendum’s extra grip over the Continental SportContact 6 tires on the standard Type R made the real difference that shrank lap times. After losing the front-wheel-drive production car record at the Nürburgring to the Renault Megane, Honda wasn’t afraid to share how much testing the Type R Limited went through at the ‘Ring. But for reasons known only to Honda, the carmaker never announced a lap time. 

The 2023 Type R isn’t out yet, and Honda’s already talking about breaking the previous-gen lap record at Suzuka by 0.873 second. The questions now are how much extra horsepower and what kind of tires made it happen. Of course, we’ll also be wondering whether the new Type R comes in closer to the last Type R’s $39,500 MSRP or the Type R Limited’s $46,000 price. Let the guessing begin.

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Malia Obama was spotted enjoying a meal at Chick-fil-A on Thursday, despite the fast food chain – which is run by a conservative and devout Christian who has publicly bashed same sex marriage – donating millions of dollars to anti-gay groups in the past.

The eldest daughter of Former President Barack Obama, 24, hit up one of the chicken restaurant’s drive-throughs in Los Angeles, California, before dropping off her younger sister, Sasha’s boyfriend, Clifton Powell Jr., at the airport.

And while her father has helped bring LGTBQ+ rights to the forefront, Malia didn’t seem to mind that Chick-fil-A’s right-wing owner has spoken out against the community numerous times in the past.

We’re also kind of surprised she’s not driving a Tesla….Didn’t see her as a VW girl.

Also, cool she does what she wants and isn’t worried about the repercussions from the Woke mob. But we’re sure she’ll take heat for this visit. Get the popcorn…

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