Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
Article by John Giamalvo
The Clash said it best in their 1982 song "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" During the past two years, I have spent a considerable amount of time visiting dealers for Edmunds.com. Inevitably, the subject of third-party leads comes up and results in a deep discussion ending with the question posed so eloquently by the Clash.
Dealers have become accustomed to measuring the success of their third-party lead programs in terms of cost of monthly leads versus number of cars sold. As BDC departments evolved and grew more sophisticated, dealerships added the matrixes of costs involved in "working" leads into the mix.
Edmunds Market Intelligence
We are pleased to announce that Edmunds.com Market Intelligence is now a monthly newsletter feature. It is our hope that you find this information useful to your business whether as a representative franchise or competitor.
Please note, this data is derived from the automakers' monthly press releases, and the figures are a combination of retail and fleet (rental, government, business, etc.).
What Edmunds Users Are Talking About
From The Edmunds Forums
Edmunds.com has one of the oldest automotive forums on the web. With over 1.5 million monthly visitors and thousands of postings, you can keep your finger on the pulse of current automotive developments by checking in here.
- 2011 Hyundai Sonata continues to be popular and interest in Turbo grows. More...
- Hyundai Genesis gains popularity; many are trading domestic vehicle to purchase Hyundai for the first time. But owners recommend changing tires. More...
- Increase in members talking about 2011 Toyota Avalon. Some issues being reported e.g. fairly large blind spot, compass and garage door opener. More...
- 2011 BMW 5-Series owners report alignment issue. More...
- Honda Civic Hybrid IMA Batteries and Transmission Failing. More...
Revealed: Ford Focus ST Hatchback
247hp Five Door may Come to the U.S.
Article by Inside Line
What is it?
2012 Ford Focus ST
What's special about it?
The car you see here, in all its big-wheeled, searing yellow-gold paint is technically a concept version of the upcoming Ford Focus ST. But this little hot hatchback, which will be unveiled to the world at the 2010 Paris Auto Show on September 29, is "lightly veiled" at most. Save for a bit of trim here and a brake caliper there, this is the new "global high-performance" version of the upcoming Focus that the company announced in March at the Geneva auto show.
Top 10 Sedans With the Lowest Insurance Expense for 2010
Article by Edmunds
It's probably obvious that a Mercedes-Benz S550 will be costlier to insure than a Mazda 3, since the former comes with a bigger price tag and potentially bigger repair bills. Still, pricey luxury cars aren't the only vehicles with a steep insurance expense. When setting rates, insurers consider how likely a model is to be involved in a crash, and for various reasons, some models have poorer records than others in this regard. Because of this factor, some bargain-priced cars — like the Mitsubishi Lancer or the Scion tC, for example — can be relatively expensive to insure.
Edmunds' InsideLine.com Names Top 10 "Most Fun Vehicles"
Article by Inside Line
For this, Inside Line's first ever 10 Most Fun Vehicles, we've constructed the ultimate car-evaluation tool. Thanks to the wealth of technical data available in our databases and the brilliance of our on-staff software engineers and algorithm writers, our computers can now automatically generate lists of the most fun vehicles currently on the U.S. market, using criteria including, but not limited to: availability of brown paint, cupholder count, overall width (in millimeters, including side mirrors), the attractiveness of its VIN sequencing and the depth of carpet pile of optional floor mats.
Edmunds.com Reports September Sales Soft Following Labor Day Weekend
Santa Monica, Calif. – September 16, 2010
Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, reports today that new car buyers flocked to dealerships for Labor Day weekend sales but have largely stayed away since then.
Video Highlights by 
2010 Toyota Prius PHV Prototype Road Test Video
Video Highlights by
Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid @ 2010 Geneva Auto Show
Video Highlights by
2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Video
Video Highlights by
2009 Nissan GT-R Road Trip Feature Video
Chrysler Product Onslaught: Can 'Refreshes' Do the Trick?
Article by AutoObserver
Last November, Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler Group LLC chief executive, said it would happen: under new management by partial owner Fiat Group, Chrysler's products would undergo a rapid revitalization to undo the neglect the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep model ranges suffered at the hands of prior owners Cerberus Capital Group LLC and Daimler AG.
Toyota Seeks to Double Scion tC Sales with New Version
Article by AutoObserver
Toyota hopes to breathe new life into its youth-oriented Scion brand by more than doubling sales of its volume-leading tC, which is redesigned as a 2011 model and goes on sale Oct. 1. At a test drive event in the Detroit area Wednesday, Scion chief Jack Hollis said the goal is to sell 35,000 to 45,000 units of the revised sporty tC coupe in its first full year of sales. Scion sold only 18,000 tCs in 2009, one of the worst years in recent memory for industrywide auto sales.
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