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Paul and Todd from Everyday Driver | Autoblog Podcast #477

Episode #477 of the Autoblog Podcast is here. This week, Dan Roth is joined by guests Paul Schmucker and Todd Deeken of Everyday Driver to talk cars, podcasting, and more. It's a freewheeling chat, and it all starts with the Autoblog Garage - check it out! Check out the rundown with times for topics, and thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #477 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics EveryDay Driver In The Autoblog Garage 2016 Buick Cascada Ford Mustang Boss 302 vs. Shelby GT350 Hosts: Dan Roth Guests: Paul Schmucker, Todd Deeken Total Duration: 01:08:20 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Buick Ford buick cascada cascada

2019 Buick Regal TourX sells better than expected, has brand's wealthiest buyers

Being a wagon fan in America is tough, since it seems everyone prefers the higher ride heights and SUV looks of crossovers. But today we have some good news for wagon fans via Buick. Apparently the 2019 Buick Regal TourX is popular with well-heeled buyers, and it's been selling quite a bit better than Buick expected. A representative from Buick revealed that Regal TourX buyers have the highest average income of any of the brand's products. He even noted that TourX buyers' average income is higher than the Buick Enclave Avenir, the extra-plush variant of the three-row crossover and the most expensive vehicle in Buick's lineup. To put the price difference into perspective, the most expensive Regal TourX starts at $35,995, while the Enclave Avenir starts at $54,695. Besides selling to people of some means, the Regal TourX has proven to be more popular than Buick expected. Buick's representative said that initial estimates were that the wagon would make up about 25% of sales, but it's actually making up about 40% right now. Buick has sold 3,408 Regals in total this year, so that means about 1,400 of them were TourX wagons. That number doesn't quite translate over all of 2018 since the TourX was released a little later and the supply was still ramping up through the year. As such sales were closer to 3,000 out of a little over 14,000 for the whole year, or somewhere above 20%. But the increased percentage from the model's release is still impressive. Granted, sales still favor crossovers. Buick's least popular crossover, the Envision, sold about twice as many units as all Regals last quarter. Yet, we count this as good news on the wagon front. Better still, the TourX's top rival, the Subaru Outback, has moved 76,000 units so far this year. Times may be tough for the wagon fan, but there are still some small wins to celebrate. UPDATE: The estimate of Regal TourX numbers for 2018 was higher than actual sales as the TourX was launched later than all Regal models, and the supply wasn't up to full steam for the whole year. The corrected number is now in the text. Related Video:

GM program sees dealers taking on way more loaner cars

Given the volume of vehicles we're talking about, this is a significant development for GM's bottom line. Bring your car into the dealership for service, and you may need a loaner car in exchange. And with so many recalls being carried out, that means a lot of loaners – especially at General Motors dealerships. That could be one of the reasons why GM is massively expanding its loaner fleet program. While many Chevrolet and Buick-GMC dealerships have an on-site rental car location operated by a third party like Enterprise (which may or may not provide a GM vehicle), others manage their own loaner fleets. But while the range of dealerships operating such fleets was once small, reports Automotive News, the number has been growing rapidly: from the locations responsible for only 20 percent of those brands' sales two years ago to about 90 percent today. The impetus for that growth comes down to a massive expansion of GM's Courtesy Transportation Program. The initiative encourages dealers to ramp up their loaner fleet to a maximum size determined by GM, with a mix determined by the dealer itself, so that a showroom in Texas can be bolstered with a fleet of pickup trucks and a dealer in California can employ more Volt and Camaro Convertible loaners. The dealership gets a $500 credit for each vehicle its puts in its fleet, and can use those vehicles as loaners for service customers, as multi-day test drivers or to rent out separately. The vehicles remain in the dealer's fleet for 90 days or 7,500 miles, then they can be sold as used, but with new-car incentives. The dealer gets a fleet of loaners, customers get to use the loaners, try out a new car overnight or buy a barely used car with attractive incentives, and GM gets to clock more sales. But therein lies the kicker: the automaker counts the dispatch of the loaner new vehicle to the dealership as a new-car sale, which could end up distorting its sales figures. Counting loaner vehicles as sold vehicles is something of an industry-standard practice, but given the volume of vehicles we're talking about, this is a significant development for GM's bottom line. One dealership - Paddock Chevrolet in Kenmore, NY, for example - had no loaner fleet two years ago, but now runs a fleet of 50 vehicles. Multiply that by the 4,000 or so dealers GM has across America and you're talking about the potential for hundreds of thousands of these sorts of sales.