1999 Volvo S80 Sedan 4-door 2.9l For Repair on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford tumbles to second worst in Consumer Reports reliability survey, list dominated by Japanese [w/video]

It's no secret that MyFord Touch has had its share of problems since being introduced, but the most recent reliability survey from Consumer Reports shows just how much this infotainment system has affected Ford. Just two years ago, the automaker was in the top 10 for the institute's reliability rankings, but since then, it has tumbled to the second-lowest rung just above dead-last Jaguar. In addition to MyFord Touch, CR also attributes a handful of new products that have had issues right out of the gate.
Compiled from 1.2 million subscriber surveys, this year's auto reliability survey heavily favors Japanese automakers, with eight of the 10 spots hailing from Japan. Toyota brands grabbed the top three spots (Scion, Toyota and Lexus - in that order) with Mazda, Subaru, Honda and Acura filling the next four spots. The only non-Asian automaker cracking the top 10 was Audi at number eight.
Audi climbed a total of 18 spots from last year, and Cadillac and GMC round out this year's top gainers breaking into the top 15. Helping Cadillac's upward movement, the CTS Coupe was named the most reliable domestic car. Lincoln, Volvo and Chrysler join Ford on this year's biggest loser list.

These are the cars with the best and worst depreciation after 5 years

The average new vehicle sold in America loses nearly half of its initial value after five years of ownership. No surprise there; we all expect that shiny new car to start depreciating as soon as we drive it off the lot. But some vehicles lose value a lot faster than others. According to data provided by iSeeCars.com, trucks and truck-based sport utility vehicles generally hold their value better than other vehicle types, with the Jeep Wrangler — in both four-door Unlimited and standard two-door styles — and Toyota Tacoma sitting at the head of the pack. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited's average five-year depreciation of 30.9% equals a loss in value of $12,168. That makes Jeep's four-door off-roader the best overall pick for buyers looking to minimize depreciation. The Toyota Tacoma's 32.4% loss in initial value means it loses just $10,496. The smaller dollar amount — the least amount of money lost after five years — indicates that Tacoma buyers pay less than Wrangler Unlimited buyers, on average, when they initially buy the vehicle. The standard two-door Jeep Wrangler is third on the list, depreciating 32.8% after five years and losing $10,824. Click here for a full list of the top 10 vehicles with the least depreciation over five years. On the other side of the depreciation coin, luxury sedans tend to plummet in value at a much faster rate than other vehicle types. The BMW 7 Series leads the losers with a 72.6% drop in value after five years, which equals an alarming $73,686. BMW's slightly smaller 5 Series is next, depreciating 70.1%, or $47,038, over the same period. Number three on the biggest losers list is the Nissan Leaf, the only electric vehicle to appear in the bottom 10. The electric hatchback matches the 5 Series with a 70.1% drop in value, but since it's a much cheaper vehicle, that percentage equals a much smaller $23,470 loss. Click here for a full list of the top 10 vehicles with the most depreciation over five years.

Volvo Cars leaps 22% in IPO stock debut — a big endorsement for EVs

Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson at the automakers' stock market opening bell on Friday in Stockholm. (Getty Images)   STOCKHOLM — Volvo Cars shares surged 22% on their Stockholm market debut on Friday after wrapping up Europe's biggest IPO of the year so far, in a boost for new issues markets and carmakers' vision of an electric future. The Gothenburg-based company cut the size of its listing and priced it at the bottom of a previously-announced range UPDATE 3-Volvo Cars gives itself $18 bln price tag as cuts IPO size - Reuters News on Monday, valuing it at just over $18 billion and making it Sweden's second largest listing yet. But the successful deal and strong market reaction — which propels the valuation to about $22 billion — is a lift for a European automotive industry that has embarked on a challenging transition towards electric vehicles (EVs). It also shows that while the euphoria over initial public offerings (IPO) in the first half of 2021 is over, the market is open for new listings of big companies with a story to tell. Volvo Cars Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said the listing showed a recognition of its transition plans, adding it would be key for Volvo to demonstrate it is on track to be the "fastest transformer." "There's a much bigger interest in the market to invest in electric car makers than in the conventional ones. So we better do what we said we would," he told Reuters in an interview. Shares in the carmaker, which is majority owned by China's Geely Holding, were trading at 64.70 Swedish crowns ($7.59) at 1057 GMT, after being priced at 53 crowns in the IPO. Polestar Apart from Volvo's commitment to becoming a purely electric carmaker by 2030, it also has a 49% stake in EV venture Polestar, which said in September it would go public through a $20 billion deal. Samuelsson said Polestar had a "good valuation." "They are already electric... showing in a way what the potential would be for Volvo if this (the transformation) is done in the right way." A source familiar with Volvo's transaction said the outcome of this week's IPO was good, even though investors had pushed back and forced Volvo to price at the bottom of the announced range. "The company had to compromise on size and the governance structure. They were hoping for a read across on Polestar, but they were clearly not getting that," the source said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.