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Auto blog

Auto sales in March and first quarter down nearly across the board

Nearly every major automaker reported weak U.S. sales for March and the first quarter of 2019, citing a rough start to the year, but said a robust economy and strong labor market should encourage consumers to buy more vehicles as 2019 rolls on. GM, which no longer releases monthly sales figures, saw first-quarter sales fall 7 percent, with declines across all brands. Sales of Silverado pickup trucks fell nearly 16 percent and the high-margin Chevy Suburban large SUV dropped 25 percent. Ford also no longer releases monthly sales numbers, but is due to release its first-quarter sales figures on Thursday. According to industry data, Ford's sales fell 2 percent in the quarter and 5 percent in March. Ford representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FCA reported a 7 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and a 3 percent drop for the first quarter. All of FCA's brands dropped in March, except for Ram, which saw a 15 percent increase in pickup truck sales. "The industry had a tough first quarter, but with spring finally starting to show its face and continued strong economic indicators ... we are confident that new vehicle sales demand will strengthen going forward," FCA's U.S. head of sales, Reid Bigland, said in a statement. Toyota reported a 3.5 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and 5 percent for the first quarter, hurt by declining demand for its Corolla sedans and Camry vehicles. "While some of our competitors are abandoning sedans, we remain optimistic about the future of the segment," Toyota said in a statement. Nissan posted a 5.3 percent drop in sales in March, and its first-quarter sales were down 11.6 percent. Honda and Hyundai bucked the trend. Honda's U.S. sales rose 4.3 percent in March and 2 percent in the quarter, while Hyundai's were up 1.7 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Passenger-car sales suffered throughout the January-March quarter compared with the same period in 2018 as Americans continued to abandon them in favor of larger, more comfortable pickup trucks and SUVs, which are far more profitable for automakers. The battle for market share in the particularly lucrative large-pickup truck market intensified in the quarter, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram brand outsold the U.S.' No. 1 automaker General Motors' Chevrolet-brand trucks. The two automakers have both launched redesigned pickup trucks.

Robert Llewellyn fast-charges long-distance Leaf EV drive in UK

A British actor likely best known in his country for his role in the 1980s and 90s comedy series Red Dwarf has just made a pretty good case for driving green automobiles. Last week, Robert Llewellyn has completed an 862-mile round trip between London and Edinburgh in a Nissan Leaf and says he was able to save time by finding enough fast-charging stations the entire way, UK website Excite/Motoring says. Llewellyn, along with co-driver David Peilow, knocked out the London-to-Edinburgh leg in a single day, in part because of the British network of about 150 fast-charging stations. Llewellyn used his Twitter feed to update the general public of the two drivers' progress, noting that the first leg took about 13 hours. The round trip was completed January 26. Nissan can use all the positive publicity in can get, as UK sales of the all-electric vehicle failed to keep pace with the surging rate of demand in the US, where 2013 Leaf sales more than doubled from a year earlier to 22,610 units. In fact, in the UK, Nissan started offering incentives last month, things like free quick charging at Nissan dealerships, the ability to borrow gas-powered Nissans for free and free towing.

Nissan recalls over 120,000 Altimas due to... spare tire inflation?!

A pressure regulator that over- or underinflated spare tires for five days earlier this year has led to a recall of 123,308 units of the 2013 Nissan Altima. Sedans that were manufactured from March 21-26 are those possibly affected by the temporary tire snafu, the recall for which will begin on May 3.
Those notified of the issue can take their sedans to their local Nissan dealer, who will check the tire pressure and correct it if necessary, but we imagine owners can probably just whip out a tire gauge to check and adjust the inflation for themselves. Should you need it, there's an official notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration below with a few more details.