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What’s this, an actual decline in the average new-vehicle transaction price (ATP)? Apparently, yes, said KBB, which reported that the ATP in March was down from the month before. It’s been almost two years since that happened.The decline was only 1.1 percent, meaning the average price is still high, at just over $48,000. But it’s the first sign that the relentless upward pricing pressure is starting to fade away.You can probably guess the reasons, which center on increased new-vehicle supply compared to the last few years of the global pandemic. And once shoppers have options, dealers can’t use as many price-increasing tricks.It’s been a while—20 months, to be exact—but the average price of a new car is once again below the official sticker price. For almost two years now, the average new car price has kept climbing and climbing, assisted by plenty of dealer markups that regularly reminded us that car shopping is a perfectly good way to get frustrated on a Saturday. But, according to data from Kelley Blue Book, the average new-car buyer paid less than the sticker price in March. As KBB’s Twitter account said, “Whew.”The average transaction price (ATP) for a new vehicle also dropped in March, down to a still-high $48,008. Compared to February, though, it’s down 1.1 percent. Go Ahead, ShopNew-car prices started skyrocketing in the early days of the pandemic when supply-chain problems and strong demand pushed them up, and then they just sort of kept rolling. Back in the first quarter of 2021, for example, General Motors said its transaction prices rose by an average of $3500 per vehicle compared to the previous quarter. Before the pandemic, in 2019, the average prices were up $1800 compared to 2018, then went up another $3301 in 2020 and another $6220 in 2021.This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Ahem. *Ray of sunshine appears. Heavenly organ chords play* For the first time in almost 2 years, the average new car buyer paid less than sticker last month. Less than sticker. Whew. https://t.co/tUgDKpgAZB— Kelley Blue Book (@KelleyBlueBook) April 13, 2023The Return of IncentivesHere in 2023, the supply of new vehicles is climbing back up, and shoppers once again feel like they have some choice in what to buy. That is forcing manufacturers to once again offer up incentives, and KBB data said the average incentive discount last month was worth 3.2 percent of the transaction, for an average discount of $1,516. KBB said it saw average price drops at many dealerships, including Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, and Volkswagen.”More vehicles on dealer lots—and on their competitors’ lots—means dealers simply don’t have the pricing power they did six months ago,” Rebecca Rydzewski, research manager of economic and industry insights for Cox Automotive (which owns KBB), said in a statement.Is a $50,000 Average Price Coming?Where we go from here is the big question. The head of sales for Toyota North America, Jack Hollis, said in March that he expects new-car prices to top an average price of $50,000 sometime in 2023. That doesn’t seem outlandish, given December’s ATP of $49,501. Understanding how new vehicle prices are changing means breaking them down by category. The average new luxury vehicle, for example, cost $65,202 last month, effectively even with the February number. Prices for electric vehicles are headed up slightly, with an average price of $58,940 in March. It was $313 lower in February. The average price for a non-luxury vehicle in March was $44,182 and has been on a downward trend since January.This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

Lego Technic has revealed its newest set: a 1:10-scale version of Peugeot’s 9X8 Hybrid Hypercar set to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The 1775-piece model measures 5.0 inches high, 9.0 inches wide, and 19.5 inches long. It was built through a collaboration between Lego and Peugeot Sport, and from photos it seems they’ve done a fantastic job replicating the car’s design ethos as a sleek, futuristic racer. We’re especially fond of the glow-in-the-dark lighting elements up front, giving the Lego Technic 9X8 a more realistic vibe. It’s not just the design Lego got right. The building block company also managed to fit a scale version of the V-6 engine sending power to the rear wheels, along with a replica of the electric motor sending power to the front wheels (though there’s no actual battery power, unfortunately). Open Gallery“Our two brands have come together to create a product that celebrates a new era of hybrid racing and engineering,” Lego designer Kasper René Hansen said in a statement. “Re-creating the shapes and details of such an elegant car using Lego Technic elements wasn’t an easy feat, but it’s been an honor to work so creatively with the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies on this one and I’m proud that together we have been able to build the hypercar for real in Lego Technic form.”Lego says the Technic 9X8 will go on sale at Lego stores and Lego.com starting May 1, priced from $199.99.More Lego CarsRoad & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing. More

Chevrolet Performance engineers showed a camouflaged ZR2 Colorado to an assembled group of journalists that had just finished a first drive of the 2023 Colorado ZR2.They did not expressly admit that it was the new ZR2 Bison, but we discovered the word “Bison” on a sticker attached to one of the prototype DSSV Dampers that was on the truck.No longer an accessory showcase, the Bison is now a higher-performing ZR2 variant that rides on unique long-travel suspension and 35-inch tires that conspire to raise the truck an estimated two inches over a standard ZR2.play iconThe triangle icon that indicates to playMcCarran, Nevada—Just as we were catching our breath and celebrating the finish of a three-day Vegas-to-Reno off-road blast across the Nevada desert, Chevrolet Performance engineers rolled out a distinctive camouflaged ZR2 that sent our jaws dropping. That it had massive 35-inch tires (actually, LT315/70R-17) on beadlock-capable rims was unmistakable, but a quick look underneath showed this to be much more than a garden-variety ZR2 with taller tires.Two Inches Taller For one, the truck stood about two inches taller than a regular ZR2 parked next to it. The one-inch-larger radius of the 35s explains half of that, so the rest is an additional inch of suspension lift. The Multimatic DSSV dampers were engineering sample “take-apart” pieces, which indicates this new ZR2 variant will have unique suspension tuning, which makes sense considering the taller stance and larger tires.But it also appeared that the new high(er)-performance ZR2 also had extra suspension travel above and beyond the 9.9 inches of front travel and 11.6 inches of rear travel found on a regular ZR2. This speculation was not merely due to the higher stance and extra fender gap, but also by the presence of unique Chevrolet Performance–branded hydraulic front and rear bump stops, there to cushion the landing and soak up the extremes of compression travel when driven at high speeds off-road.Why We Recognized This as a BisonWhat makes us think this higher octane ZR2 is a Bison? For one, the new ZR2 Desert Boss is the accessory showcase variant this year, and that leaves headroom for the Bison to be transformed into an extreme performance model. Secondly, and most certainly, we found the word “Bison” on one of the ID stickers affixed to one of the tunable engineering-sample DSSV dampers.Inside, there wasn’t much to see except different seat trim: black with a dash of red. No badges or embroidered logos were in evidence. And we didn’t see anything remarkably different under the hood during the brief, almost accidental glimpse that we got. But that’s not definitive because the usual plastic cover was there, and the standard ZR2’s 2.7-liter turbo engine’s output—310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet—could be ratcheted up by less obvious means involving software and turbo boost.Now We’re ExcitedWhatever the engine story turns out to be, the prospect of a genuine ZR2 Bison with a tangible performance difference has our motor running. And that is exactly what we feel the new ZR2 Bison will become, thanks to the prototype we saw with a taller stance, 35-inch tires, and long-travel suspension with hydraulic bump stops. The mid-size truck performance wars are in full swing, and we’re here for it. Technical EditorDan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by Edmunds.com (no relation) to build a testing department. More

The never-ending TikTok-challenge saga is actually, slowly coming to an end.Hyundai has announced that its software updates, which make the cars no longer as easy to steal as they are in the popular videos, are now available for all affected models, a few months ahead of schedule.AAA also announced that it will offer owners of affected models insurance options, following the news earlier this year that both Progressive and State Farm either raised rates on the affected models or simply declined to offer new policies.Hyundai just finished rolling out a series of model-by-model software updates for the nearly 4 million of its vehicles that, until the update, remained vulnerable to an ultra-easy theft method popularized on TikTok. The ProblemThe software rollout started in February, and availability for the later models is happening a few months earlier than Hyundai’s previously announced schedule. Hyundai’s new code is meant for affected vehicles without a built-in electronic immobilizer. The update makes it so that the TikTok method won’t work because the cars now require a physical key to deactivate the new “ignition kill” feature. Hyundai (and Kia, which also has affected vehicles) has made it clear how important it is to install this update and said any Hyundai dealership could perform the update, which should take less than an hour.One Insurer That’s Not Walking AwayIn addition to that, the automaker announced last week it is partnering with AAA to offer insurance coverage for affected vehicles. That may not sound like much of a deal, but earlier this year, both State Farm and Progressive said they would no longer accept new policies for the easily stolen models or raised prices, so having at least one guaranteed coverage provider sure is better than none. Granted, now that the software solution is rolling out, the vehicles are no longer as virally tempting, which should mean AAA won’t have to pay out as many potential dollars to recover stolen Hyundais as insurers were facing before.Hyundai and AAA said the new coverage options would be available in “most” states, excluding Alaska, Massachusetts, and Washington, because AAA does not operate in those states. How to Know If You Have an Affected VehicleIf you have an affected vehicle or think you might, you can get more information at the official HyundaiAntiTheft.com website. If you aren’t able to get the software update for your car, Hyundai is offering a program for no-cost steering wheel locks or other anti-theft devices, like alarm kits. Every Hyundai vehicle built since November 2021 has a built-in engine immobilizer.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More