Jks 339153-unpainted - 04-06 Scion Xb Factory Style Rear Spoiler Plastic on 2040-parts.com

All used up: Pre-owned sales rise as consumers seek new-car alternatives

Used-car sales took a leap upward in April, and the trend is expected to continue at least until midyear as pent-up demand for affordable pre-owned vehicles jacks up at least one segment of the car marketplace. Sales of new cars continued an unabated slide toward what analysts say is a 30-year low in the United States, but used-car sales showed strength as buyers unable to finance new cars shifted their sights to less expensive used models. As a result, retailers such as the large Penske Automotive Group reported that despite an overall decline in sales in the first three months of 2009, improving used-car sales kept them in the black.

Will your next new car stop itself?

Last week in Park City, Utah, a group of us were discussing the chutzpah that some manufacturers have in charging hundreds of dollars for outboard mirrors that dip downward when the vehicle's placed in reverse. The consensus was, “Since the electric motors in the mirrors are already there, and the computers know the car's set to back up, it's only a line of code. A very expensive line of code.” The European Union seems to be thinking along the same lines.

Smart forstars concept

The Smart forstars concept is set to be unveiled the week after next at the Paris motor show. Clearly related to the For-Us concept seen at NAIAS in Detroit earlier this year, the grammatically-challenged Sports Utility Coupé concept, measures in at 3,550mm long, 1,710mm wide and 1,505mm high. It shares the same ‘smiley' front face as the For-Us, complete with rhombic front lamps which stand proud of the surface and a pixellated grille opening.