2010 Kia Soul Exclaim Hatchback 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Minivan market not what it used to be, but margins make up for it

Residual values for last year's minivans are higher than they were in 2000.
Much like the station wagon was the shuttle of Baby Boomer generation, the minivan has been the primary means of transport for Generations X and Y. Just as the boomers abandoned the Country Squire, though, those kids that were toted around in Grand Caravans and Windstars are adults, and they certainly don't want to be seen in the cars their parents drove.

Consumer Reports says infotainment systems 'growing first-year reliability plague'

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (right) is out, and the top two spots look much the same as last year's list with Lexus and Toyota in first and second place, respectively. However, there are some major shakeups for 2014, with Acura plunging eight spots from third in 2013 to 11th this year, and Mazda replaces it on the lowest step of the podium. Honda and Audi round out the top five. This year's list includes six Japanese brands in the top 10, two Europeans, one America and one Korean.
Acura isn't the only one taking a tumble, though. Infiniti is the biggest loser this year by dropping 14 spots to 20th place. Other big losses come from Mercedes-Benz with an 11-place fall to 24th, and GMC, which declines 10 positions to 19th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not traditional mechanical bugs hauling down these automaker's reliability scores. Instead, pesky problems with infotainment systems are taking a series toll on the rankings. According to Consumer Reports, complaints about "in-car electronics" were the most grumbled about element in new cars. Problem areas included things like unresponsive touchscreens, issues pairing phones and multi-use controllers that refused to work right.

2023 New York Auto Show Live Updates: Hyundai's surprise, Nissan's super stand, '24 Wrangler

The 2023 New York International Auto Show shifts into high gear Wednesday, April 5, and our reporters are already in the city, with events unfolding even as we speak. We'll being seeing cars in person, interviewing automaker insiders and snapping photos of vehicles and all the other oddities that pop up at an event like this and we'll be giving you live updates and color from the show floor along the way.  Ram, Hyundai, Subaru, Kia, VW and Jeep are all expected to show something new this week, and other automakers are known to be hosting off-site events that may produce news — expected or otherwise. Genesis has already revealed its GV80 Coupe, for example, along with the fact that it has been confirmed as a production model. And we're just getting started.  Read on below for our observations from the show floor and points beyond: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.     Green New York Auto Show Genesis Hyundai Jeep Kia RAM Subaru Volkswagen Concept Cars Electric Future Vehicles