TrueCar Gives Hyundai Top Performance Marks
TrueCar.com releases its "Performance Scorecards" for automotive manufacturers and brands, using 8 categories including pricing, sales, incentives, customer loyalty, market share and days in inventory. The brands that received the highest grades were Hyundai, Kia, and Scion. Brands with the lowest grades were Infiniti, Suzuki, Smart, and Saab. Overall, highest scorers among manufacturers were Hyundai, Porsche, and Honda.

Automakers Aim for More Intuitive Voice-Recognition Systems
The NHTSA has tentatively embraced voice recognition to reduce driver distraction, and automakers are working to make conversational commands easier. Ford and GM have embraced software that uses natural language for commands with Sync and OnStar and continue to work on the technology. Guidelines governing voice technology are expected from the NHTSA by 2014.

Building EVs May be Easier Than Selling Them
Consumers are questioning the practicality of owning an EV when charging, plug-in, or even getting home could be a serious problem. More EVs (representing only 1 percent of the market) are being built, and the range they travel is being extended, but the bottom line for owning one of these $30,000 - $50,000 cars is still: where can I get my next charge…!

Weather Channel and Car Care Team to Educate Consumers
Having figured out that the Weather Channel reaches 62 million web consumers each month, CarCare.org has entered into a collaboration that presents tips on what to do to protect the longevity of a vehicle on the Weather Channel website. "The partnership between weather.com and the Car Care Council is a true win-win opportunity," said Rich White, Car Care Council executive director.

NC Dealers Navigate a Tough Wholesale Environment
Typical of dealers everywhere is the rising wholesale price environment which is brought on by the scarcity of good used vehicles, leading to shrinking profit margins and shrinking opportunities to fill their used car lots. But North Carolina dealers showed determination as they hunker down and prepare for the “new reality” of smaller profits, fewer opportunities and around $1,500 more per car average.

Rental Dealers Face Federal Oversight On Recalled Vehicles
Rental firms like Hertz (not Avis or Enterprise so far) are now supporting legislation that would require vehicles returned to their lots to be inspected and fixed before putting customers behind the wheel. The NHTSA has been investigating such companies for allowing recalled vehicles to stay on their lots instead of fixing safety-related repairs, which could become a safety hazard to renters.

EVs Fate Still Rocky but Here to Stay
A couple of years ago, automakers felt electric vehicles were a “must” in the lineup, but a mass transition to EVs simply did not happen. Still, automakers are adding EVs to their lineups on a regular basis, the latest being AMP’s Jeep, Mercedes E-Cell, the Audi R8 and the BMW ActiveE, with a Honda Fit hatch coming this summer and the Cadillac ELR front-wheel-drive next winter.