Auto Trends

Big 5 bets on smaller, easily accessible stores

2013-05-20 00:00:00

Sometimes smaller is better. That's the philosophy of Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp., which owns 415 sporting-goods stores in 12 states, about half of them in California. The El Segundo company believes that operating a large number of easily accessible,...

Tesoro is cleared to buy BP's Carson refinery, Arco stations

2013-05-17 18:30:00

Tesoro Corp. won federal and state clearance for its purchase of BP's Carson refinery, Arco stations and other assets for $2.4 billion, an acquisition that would further concentrate the state's fuel-making capacity into only two players — Tesoro and...

As Memorial Day nears, California gasoline prices rise above $4

2013-05-17 08:45:00

Summer is coming. The long Memorial Day weekend is just two weeks away and, of course, average gasoline prices in California are back up above $4 a gallon. On Friday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in California was $4.062, up 7.6...

Young people driving less, transportation planners clueless, report says

2013-05-15 10:58:00

Millennials are possibly the first generation who could sing the Beatles classic "(Baby You Can) Drive My Car" and really mean it. Millennials are the children of baby boomers and Generation X, and they are radically altering the way the nation...

Honda to boost Acura brand, build new electric-augmented NSX in Ohio

2013-05-14 12:11:00

Honda's overhaul of its luxury Acura brand will include a redesigned and electric-augmented NSX supercar, which will be built in a $70-million refurbished plant in Marysville, Ohio. Acura sales in the U.S. were up 14% in the first four months of the...

Healthy crossover sales a boon to April auto results

2013-05-01 14:21:00

Lower gas prices and a rebounding economy are pulling more auto buyers into crossover SUVs and boosting pickup truck sales, April auto sales data indicate. Honda, Nissan and Subaru reported monthly sales Wednesday, showing increases from April 2012 to...

Has the Apple stock 'slingshot' begun?

2013-04-29 09:50:00

This post has been updated. Back in December, while I was�writing a story about the extraordinary volatility of Apple's stock, one trader used the term "Apple slingshot" to describe the ups and downs of its shares.� Basically, the idea is that the...

Competition for truck buyers heats up

2013-05-04 05:00:00

Trucks are the hottest segment of the U.S. auto industry this year, as housing and construction rebound and small businesses open the purse strings to replace aging equipment. Sales are up 11% through the first four months of this year, far above the...

Stocks surge to new highs after hiring climbs

2013-05-03 15:02:00

Stocks surged to all-time highs Friday when a surprisingly good jobs report finally gave investors a clear sign of U.S. economic strength after weeks of conflicting signals. The market jumped from the opening, traders donned party hats, and a wave of...

When design leads function

2013-05-10 00:00:00

Chicago entrepreneurs Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak managed to launch a line of audio products during the recession. Their folding cardboard speakers made Time magazine's 2009 list of best inventions. National television exposure on the "Today" show...

Mazda6 injects fun into a family sedan

2013-04-26 18:24:00

If Mazda can't figure out a way to sell its excellent all-new sedan — the 2014 Mazda6 — the automaker should just give up selling cars altogether. Mazda has no problem building great vehicles. It just can't seem to sell them. The company has...

U-Haul pursuit prompts jokes, ends peacefully with 'pit' maneuver

2013-04-25 09:51:00

The latest trend in Southern California police pursuits, it seems, is using a U-Haul. For the second time in a week, chase-captivated residents flipped on their televisions Wednesday night to watch authorities in hot pursuit of a stolen U-Haul truck....

Trending on: Google Trends Richard "Dick" Trickle -- who parlayed a legendary reputation as a short-track driver into a full-time career on stock car racing's biggest stages in the 1990s -- died Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, a North Carolina sheriff's office said. He was

2013-05-16 00:00:00

Nissan's Altima gets 38 mpg on the highway, and it received a Top Safety Pick + award from the IIHS. Over five years, the Altima's ownership costs total $34,404.

2013-05-03 14:53:00

The exterior's coupe-like styling, with a gradually sloping rear window and short trunk lid, is in keeping with the current trend among European luxury cars.

2013-03-01 14:32:32