Toyota, Lexus top resale values list; Some trash talk
The sticker price and the “out the door’’ price are two of the big numbers that car buyers must consider. Another should be depreciation or the resale value after a certain number of years.
Editors at Kelley Blue Book say the average 2014 vehicle will retain 39.7 percent of its original value after five years, meaning today’s $50,000 new car will be worth about $19,850 in 2019.
This is the 12th year Kelley Blue Book has made the awards and it’s the third straight year that Toyota (best brand) and Lexus (best luxury brand) have topped the lists.
Toyota and Lexus finished high enough in many of the individual categories to have the overall highest scores, but a look at the Top 10 cars on the list shows no Lexus models and only Toyota trucks and SUVs.
The top 10 (in alphabetical order): Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, Silverado 1500, Dodge Challenger, Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner.
Some Trash (Truck) Talk
Trash talking is big in sports, though it generally amounts to nothing more than a lot of hot air.
Trash talk, however, is quite real in every community where both solid waste and recycling trucks amount to major capital expenditures.
So here’s a salute to Republic Services, Inc., of Fall River, which has serviced the South Shore and South Coast of Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island customers for 60 years.
The company this month is deploying a fleet of 56 new trucks that run on compressed natural gas (CNG), replacing a fleet of diesel-powered trucks and resulting in a cleaner, safer, and more efficient operation.
In addition, Republic has installed a natural gas fueling station to support its new fleet. The station allows the trucks to fuel during non-peak hours.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each new CNG-powered truck reduces ozone-contributing emissions by up to 80 percent when compared with the vehicle it’s replacing.
A December to Remember
The entire auto industry might give Lexus a thank-you for helping create end-of-the-year sales awareness in this century. Actually, the industry has paid Lexus the ultimate compliment; the airwaves are full of take-offs on the Lexus theme.
Lexus has made its annual “December to Remember’’ advertising campaign a staple of the holiday season, showing its cars (always in white) with large red bows on top.
The company kicked off this year’s series of season ads with “Precision,’’ showing a young woman on a treadle-powered sewing machine making ornate oversized red silk bows to put atop vehicles.
As she cuts and sews, the spot shows the interior stitching, exterior lines, and signature headlamps of a Lexus IS sport sedan. As she pushes the sewing machine’s pedal, the camera cuts to the driver of a Lexus IS pushing the car’ gas pedal.
By the time this appears in print, two additional spots—“Artistry’’ and “Craftsmanship’’—will be airing.
The first has a designer designing the bow as shots of an ES luxury sedan show its design elements; the other has an entire family assisting in the bow in an RX luxury crossover.
Hyundai’s Fuel Cell Project
Most of the world’s automakers have a fuel cell project in the works.
We had the pleasure of driving a totally roadworthy Honda FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle years ago. The only things keeping it from being on the market were production costs and refueling infrastructure.
The fuel cell creates electricity from hydrogen with only water as a byproduct.
Today, production costs remain high but the projection is that they will drop when economy of scale kicks in. However, there still isn’t a refueling infrastructure.
“The investment is huge, so one or two companies cannot do this,’’ Kwon Moon-sik, Hyundai president of research and development told Automotive News. “Only government decisions can do this.’’
However, government sometimes needs a push.
Hyundai will be doing just that when it starts putting 1,000 fuel cell-powered Tucson compact crossovers on the market during the coming year.
Coming Attractions
You have to suspect that New England is a target market for the Polar Edition of the Jeep Wrangler that’s hitting showrooms about now.
The edition’s Polar Badge shows the map coordinates of Vostok in Antarctica, a spot few owners will ever visit.
The Jeep will be available in both two- and four-door Unlimited versions and feature a three-color hood decal, 18-inch gloss black wheels, and a body-color hardtop.
Inside, there are black leather heated seats with polar white stitching and Polar logos. The black and white theme is carried throughout the interior.
Not aimed at winter is a special edition of the 2014 Honda Ridgeline pickup.
The Ridgeline, a continuing evolution of the truck introduced in 2006, continues as a five-passenger vehicle that’s the most car-like of pickups.
The SE (special edition) features a black trim package around head and taillights and back grille, and 18-inch alloy wheels with black-trimmed spokes.
Available SE colors are black, white, and silver, all with a black leather interior. Price with leather and navigation will run $38,335.
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