More than one in 10 buyers of the Buick Regal end up selling their car within the first year, according to an iSeeCars analysis.
The report suggests the Regal may top the list of buyer’s remorse, with a 10.4-percent trade-in rate during the first year. Another General Motors vehicle, the Chevrolet Sonic, is second on the list with an 8.9-percent jettison rate. Both are more than three times the industry average of 2.7 percent.

“iSeeCars.com analysts think the fact that consumers are giving more of these cars up than the average is directly linked to quality or perceived quality of the cars,” said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly, as quoted by Forbes. “Because purchasing a new car is expensive and something most people tend to spend a lot of time on, it stands to reason they would make a change shortly afterward if they felt the quality was lacking.”

Most of the models on the list received low scores in initial-quality surveys, such as the JD Power rankings, however the analysts admit that certain vehicles can also receive high early trade-in numbers when a next-generation model arrives with significant upgrades. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which ranked fifth on the list, is viewed as one potential example.

The trade-in rates were determined by comparing new-car sales against used-car purchases for each model, with data limited to the 2014 model year.

Hyundai is celebrating the Sonata‘s 30th anniversary this week, three decades since the midsize sedan was introduced in 1985 for buyers in Korea.
The model is credited with helping the Korean automaker grow in terms of both sales volume and reputation, at home and abroad. It has since tallied more than 7.3 million sales, spread across seven generations.

The sedan switched from rear-wheel to front-wheel drive for its second generation, introduced in 1988 as Korea’s first independently-designed model. The third-generation introduced several technological upgrades, such as automatic side mirrors and anti-lock brakes, while the fourth generation was powered by a new engine developed in-house.

The fifth-generation Sonata was introduced in 2004 with global ambitions, adopting a more European design theme and offering a wider range of safety features. The sixth generation switched to Hyundai’s Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy, achieving record sales and introducing a hybrid variant for the first time.

The model is now on its seventh generation, further refining the company’s current design language. The 2015 refresh received a slight price break to further promote sales, with upgraded interior features and a few exterior tweaks.

“The Sonata has been a huge factor in Hyundai’s growth not only in the U.S., but around the world,” said Hyundai Motor America chief Dave Zuchowski. “During its 30-year history, we have been able to craft and evolve Sonata to the ever-changing needs of our customers. And, with the Sonata family growing this summer to include the all-new Sonata Plug-In Hybrid, we’re expanding an already diverse lineup with something for everyone.”

The US market accounts for nearly a third of the Sonata’s total historical sales, with more than 2.3 million units sold throughout the 50 states. The total includes more than 80,000 hybrid models.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into a potential botched recall from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
The inquiry is focused on a July 2014 campaign that aimed to resolve a wiring-related defect that had led to fires in a handful of 2011-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs. The fires had been traced to an electrical short in the vanity lamp wiring for either of the sun visors, which were mounted to the headliner with metal screws that could pierce the wiring.

FCA developed a remedy that relies on a plastic guide installed on each sun visor to route the wiring away from the attachment screws, preventing the wires from being shorted. Service technicians have been instructed to lower the headliner and reroute the wiring through the guide.

Despite the seemingly straightforward fix, the NHTSA has received eight reports of fires occurring after the remedy was installed. The agency only received six complaints of fires before pushing for the first recall.

“I was driving my vehicle when I noticed a small amount of smoke that seemed to be coming from the air system … Smoke billowed and I noticed fire on the passenger side sun-visor area,” on complaint read. “The current recall on the passenger side sun visor for this recall was repaired at the dealership three weeks ago.”

The NHTSA notes that no crashes or injuries have been blamed on the post-remedy fires, but the agency is nonetheless opening another inquiry to investigate the effectiveness of the initial fix.

Recent reports suggest the NHTSA is considering reopening a separate investigation into Jeep fuel-tank fires, which led to a $150 million wrongful-death judgement against the company, and another inquiry is attempting to determine if the new Jeep Cherokee is prone to engine-compartment fires. The company also recently issued a second recall for more than 700,000 minivans and SUVs that suffered from ignition-switch malfunctions, after the initial fix failed to completely resolve the problems.

Photo by Mark Elias.

Hummers have become an increasingly rare sight since the off-road brand closed its doors nearly five years ago, but a new report has revealed just where to find the remaining examples of the Army-tough SUVs.
For whatever reason, Spork Marketing recently decided to team up with GMPartsCenter.net, an e-commerce retailer of OEM General Motors replacement parts, to track down the locations of the remaining Hummers. The two parties scoured four years worth of parts ordering data to determine the largest pockets of Hummer ownership.

Although California has some of the highest gas prices and the toughest emissions laws, The Golden State emerged as the number one location in the nation for overall Hummer ownership. Texas, long known for its love affair with big trucks, was a close second, followed by Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.

On a per capita basis, Connecticut was actually tops for Hummer ownership, with New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota and Louisiana (where some Hummers were made) rounding out the top five.

Not surprisingly the United States laid claim to having the most Hummers, followed by Saudi Arabia, Japan, Russian and England.

Jason Lancaster, President of Spork Marketing, admits the study wasn’t exactly scientific, but he believes the results are an accurate reflection of Hummer ownership.

“The assumption is that every search for Hummer parts represents a Hummer owner,” he said. “While this assumption probably isn’t 100% correct – many people in the US and Canada don’t search for replacement parts online – we’re looking at four years of search data. We feel pretty good about the trends the data reveals.”

When gas prices return to $4 per gallon, we have a feeling the junkyard could become an increasingly popular spot for Hummer’s notoriously thirsty vehicles.

The Chevrolet Spark EV reportedly experienced explosive sales growth last month, with a nearly ten-fold increase in US deliveries.
General Motors sold 920 electric Sparks in April, up from 97 units in April 2014 and 151 units in March 2015, according to Autoblog. Despite availability in just California and Oregon, the latest numbers beat even the Volt’s monthly performance across the entire country.

The surge appears to have been driven by a new lease program that allows participants to pick up the Spark EV for just $139 per month, with no initial down payment. The retail sticker price was also cut by $1,675 to $25,995 (including freight), but 94 percent of the April sales are said to have been retail leases.

“In those states which offer Spark EV, you can get a 1LT Spark EV for less than a 1LT Spark, with more features,” said Chevy spokeswoman Annalisa Bluhm. “Factor in that you will save approximately $82 per month by abstaining from gas, and it’s easy to see why people went crazy for the Spark.”

The gasoline-powered Spark does not appear to be facing the same demand, as total nameplate sales were down by 36 percent in March. Excluding the EV, the remaining Spark sales fell by 24 percent in April.