New car sales have been in a downward spiral for over a year now, and the big beneficiaries appear to be used cars (and repair shops). A study by Manheim Consulting shows that the company's Used Vehicle Value Index has risen to a record high of 118.5 in the month of September, up 1.8% versus August. That's the ninth straight increase this year, as Manheim's index has steamrolled northward by 6.9% over the past 12 months.

New car sales have risen in part because many car buyers have decided to save money by buying used vehicles instead of new models, shrinking the supply of used vehicles on the market. And since fewer customers are buying new cars, dealers are left with fewer trade-ins. The month of September was especially impactful because many of the car-buyers who did buy new cars and trucks used Cash for Clunkers, and all of those vehicles ended up at the neighborhood crusher, not the used car lot.

Manheim's report also shows that both new and used vehicle inventories are down, which explains why new car incentives have been sliding as well. And with fewer incentives on new vehicles, used vehicles become a more attractive option, except there aren't many pre-owned units on the market. Used vehicles are going to auction with higher overall miles as well, a trend that is to be expected with the lack of vehicles coming off leases. According to Manheim, in January, the average auction car had about 51,000 miles on the odometer. That number has steadily increased over the past nine months to the point where an average auction vehicle now has closer to 63,000 miles on it.

With few used cars on the market and those models that are left tending to be of the higher mileage variety, it makes some sense that some automakers are becoming bolded in their volume projections for next year.

Source: AutoBlog

Chevrolet has unveiled an all-new rear-wheel-drive police car – the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV). As Ford still works on replacing the Crown Victoria, GM’s new police car is scheduled to join the law enforcement departments in 2011. Along with a number of special equipment offering, the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle will be available in a choice of V6 and V8 engines.

For those of you thinking that this is a Pontiac G8 in disguise – think again. The car is actually based on the Zeta-platform, which underpins the Chevrolet Caprice in the Middle East.

The 6.0L V8 engine, which offers fuel-saving technology like Active Fuel Management and E85 capability, produces 355-hp with a maximum torque of 384 lb-ft. Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle can catch criminals while going from 0 to 60 mph in the sub 6-second range.

GM says that a V6 choice will also be offered beginning in the 2012 model year. Press release at the source!

Source: eGMCarTech

During a live chat earlier this week, Maximum Bob Lutz said that the Pontiac G8 will be saved as a Chevrolet Caprice when GM kills the Pontiac brand at the end of this year.

“The G8 has finally been discovered by a broader percentage of the buying public. The owners are ecstatic about them, many calling it the best sedan they’ve ever driven,” said Lutz. “We consider it too good to waste. So we’re studying the feasibility of bringing it in as a Caprice for both law enforcement and the public.”

Writing over at GM’s Fast Lane Blog today, Bob Lutz said that the “G8 will not be a Caprice after all.”

“I’d mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste,” said Lutz. “That’s all still true. But I have to say that, with my new “marketing” hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today’s market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be.”

Lutz said that the GM must be very careful as to where it allocates its budgets for the time being. He said that for now the resources must be allocated elsewhere. He reinforced that the move does not mean that GM is backing away from performance or rear-wheel-drive.

“We have a tremendous RWD team in Australia that gave us the beloved G8, a team that we will tap into at some point again in the future for its expertise and sheet metal. Just not right now.”

Source: eGMCarTech

Bob Lutz is back, and after what seems like five minutes into his job as GM's new marketing kingpin, he's doing what he does best: making headlines. Rest assured that this is a good thing, as El Generalissimo Roberto Maximo told Automobile Magazine that yes, the Pontiac G8 will live on in the United States as the Chevy Caprice. So much for Fritz "I'm not a fan of rebadging" Henderson's statement to the contrary a couple of weeks ago.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet. It is kind of too good to waste," Lutz told the mag. As for the G8 being "too good to waste": Amen to that, Bob. This also makes us wonder if law enforcement-grade models will be part of the deal with Holden to continue production. Chevy Caprice police cars? That's got a very familiar ring to it. The next question is whether a U.S. Caprice would mimic the Middle East-market Caprice, which is based on the long-wheelbase Holden Caprice/Statesman, or whether it will simply be a Chevy-badged version of the standard-wheelbase Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8/Chevrolet Lumina. Frankly, as long as there's ultimately a Caprice SS that is identical to the Pontiac G8 GXP in every critical way, we don't care.

In his conversation with Automobile, Lutz also essentially confirms that next year's Cadillac CTS coupe will be joined by a V-series variant, saying that the CTS-V coupe was the car that had most of the Presidential Task Force members' tongues wagging during the product-pipeline tour they were given by GM. Lutz even hints that a CTS-V wagon is not completely out of the question. (We'll take the wagon in brown, with the stick, Bob.)

On the bad news side, in a separate blog post, Automobile reports that Lutz kind of throws dirt on the idea of an LSA-powered Camaro Z28 (though he doesn't specifically state that the program's toast). He says that for "mainstream" sports models like the Camaro, powerful sixes (like the one in the Camaro LS and LT) and turbo fours (like the one used in the now-dead Cobalt SS, HHR SS and Solstice GXP) are more indicitive of the automaker's future direction in that regard. Hmmm. Well then, how about bolting a blower to the direct-injected V6?

Welcome back, Bob. This sounds like it could get pretty fun.

Source:AutoBlog

Glow in the dark stuff was AWESOME back when you were 8 years old. If there was a choice between a normal toy or a toy that glows in the dark, it was a no brainer - that glowing piece of crap had to be yours. Clearly, some haven't grown past this stage and have decided that their vehicles need to glow. If you ever see a car with this paint at night, please kick the driver in the nuts. I okay it.

I don't know about you, but I've been dying to make fun of a new fad. Luckily I came into work today scouring the Interweb tubes and found a company that would renew my faith in douchebaggery. Feast your eyes on the Hillbank Motorsports hood for the 2005-2009 Ford Mustang, featuring a see-through window that'll allow you to show that your car DOES have an engine. Let's get all the aftermarket companies in on this. I want to see what my neighbors 1992 Honda Prelude has going on.. that thing sounds sick!

This is no joke. Nissan is enforcing the "No Rice" rule on their GT-R. Spied from an imported JDM GT-R's manual, this picture tells the new car buyer that they shouldn't be slapping park benches or over-done body kits on their ride. Hopefully this message is enough!

Source: CobbTuning

This is what happens when you get dropped on your head as a child. What you see pictured is a Mustang that's currently for sale by owner. From glancing at these pictures, one could assume that this car has some exciting stories behind it. Check out the link to see this car in all of its awesome glory.

External: [url=http://www.informationagencytimeplus.com/content/view/1112/41/]Mustang? For Sale![/url]

Print them out and store them in your glovebox! A member on LS1Tech decided to remake an older version of this ricer ticket, adding new items and making it more crisp so it can be printed out. Be sure to cite those that offend you in your local town.