car buying
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It's the end of the road for Audi's European delivery option for buyers in the United States. Autoblog first reported last Friday the program came to an end with the conclusion of 2018. Motor Authority reached out to Audi for confirmation on the program's end and a spokesperson told us, "Due to recent changes in the distribution process and the manufacturing of key Audi models outside Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Audi AG has decided to end its European Delivery program for U.S. customers at the conclusion of 2018. As our product offerings continue to grow, we’re excited to find new and...
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Audi partnered with Amazon Go for non-traditional test drives
Shoppers at the Seattle Amazon Go store were treated to a unique experience on Nov. 9 and 10. Audi partnered with the store to offer test drives of the 2019 A6 sedan, but it was hardly the typical test-drive process. Instead, Audi filled shelves inside the Amazon Go store with key boxes. The boxes...
Sean Szymkowski -
Buy Bavarian: 2018 Audi RS 7 discounted up to $18,500
Shoppers who have an eye on a 2018 Audi can take advantage of some serious discounts through the end of November. The 2018 Audi RS 7 tops the list, with up to $18,500 in savings. CarsDirect reported Wednesday that the German luxury brand has issued dealerships "marketing allowance," which is...
Sean Szymkowski -
Volvo's Netflix-like subscription plan is finally delivering cars
Volvo announced its car-subscription plan, Care by Volvo, last year, but the service has been held up, frustrating some customers. Now it appears that hold-up has been regulatory in nature. Those issues have mostly been ironed out and subscribers are finally able to take delivery of cars through...
Sean Szymkowski -
California villa comes with garage space for 100 cars, vineyard
If you transform an industry, you're likely to earn piles of cash in the process. Willis Johnson did that with the salvage industry when he founded Copart in 1982. That's how he was able to afford this stunning 80-acre estate in Fairfield, California. And it's also why this estate boasts a pair of...
Jeff Glucker -
Working at Taco Bell gets you a $4,385 discount on a Chevy Corvette
We doubt many regular Taco Bell employees have a Chevrolet Corvette on their car buying list, but if they do, there's a sweet deal to be had. CarsDirect uncovered some of the strangest discounts on new cars, and Taco Bell employees are, for some reason, eligible for GM Supplier Pricing. That means...
Sean Szymkowski -
In an effort to embrace the ever-changing automotive industry, Porsche announced today its own vehicle subscription service: Porsche Passport. The service offers on-demand access and white-glove delivery to its entire lineup of vehicles for a monthly fee. Just like your smartphone, it will be easier than ever to jump from model-to-model in Porsche's vehicle portfolio. Porsche is far from the first brand to jump into subscription services, but it may have one of the most inclusive ones in existence today. Porsche says the month-to-month subscription program includes vehicle tax and...
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Someone paid $3,750 for a Mercedes-AMG S65 that once cost $200,000
Depreciation is the ninth wonder of the world. (Compound interest is the eighth, in case you're wondering.) When it comes to picking out some of the finest automobiles, their high asking prices may not always lead to sky-high residual values. In this case of this 2006 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, it sold...
Sean Szymkowski -
The Dodge Demon configurator has been unleashed
You know you want one. How could you not, really? I mean, there's never been a production vehicle capable of making 840 horsepower with a price under $100,000. If you truly want one, you're going to have to navigate ridiculous dealer shenanigans, budget for a near continual flow of tires, and...
Jeff Glucker -
Go inside the Rolls-Royce buying process
Most of us will never be fortunate enough to experience the Rolls-Royce buying process, but at least the brand is kind enough to show us how it all goes down. In this video, Rolls-Royce's Bespoke Sales Manager for North American and Europe, Nick Osy de Zegwaart, takes viewers inside the company's...
Sean Szymkowski -
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Order Guide Leaked
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray gets a few updates for its second model year.
Stephen Edelstein -
When Is A Wreck Not Worth Rescuing?
Taking on an automotive project vehicle is always an exciting undertaking. Sometimes a car might need a bit of bondo and paint, or it might need a whole lot more attention to make it right. For one automotive enthusiast Redditor, however, it's quite a bit more involved. It's not everyday that...
Jeff Glucker -
Buick is fighting hard to overcome its image problem. Once considered a domestic luxury brand for those not quite affluent enough to purchase a Cadillac, in recent decades the Buick name has become synonymous with a mainstream product line and an aging demographic. Five years ago, the average age of its customers was 64, and few were looking to lease cars. Thanks to an innovative program called “Experience Buick,” the automaker’s lease rates are up from 14-percent in early 2012 to 36-percent at the end of last month, while the average age of its customers has fallen to 57...
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BMW Looks To Apple To Improve Customer Service
If you’re a fan of Apple and its products, chances are good you’ve shopped at an Apple retail store. If you’ve visited an Apple store to look at hardware, or to deal with a technical problem on an Apple product, you’ve probably encountered a product specialist known as an...
Kurt Ernst -
Subaru Allocating 2,000 More BRZs To The U.S.
If you’re in the market for a new Subaru BRZ, you’ve probably come to the realization that the rear-drive sport coupes are in extremely short supply. With demand outpacing deliveries, U.S. Subaru dealers have been asking for additional inventory since the car went on sale in April...
Kurt Ernst -
Jaguar Land Rover Pushing Dealers To Dual Brand Model
Jaguar builds luxury sedans, coupes and convertibles, but no SUVs or crossovers. Land Rover builds luxury SUVs and crossovers, but has no sedans, coupes or convertibles in its current range (and yes, we’re not counting the two-door Evoque and Evoque Convertible concept). That’s becoming...
Kurt Ernst -
Lincoln Hoping To Lure 'Cultural Progressives' With The 2013 MKZ
At a time when most automakers are going to extraordinary lengths to target Millennial buyers, luxury brand Lincoln is betting its fortunes on an entirely different demographic, one it’s calling “cultural progressives.” Per Lincoln’s own research, cultural progressives are...
Kurt Ernst -
BMW On Demand USA Offers Renters A Deal On The 328i
If you’d like to experience the joy of driving a new BMW 328i for a long weekend, BMW On Demand USA has a deal for you: rent the car for a three-day weekend, and the company will kick in a fourth day, free. If that’s not good enough for the savvy bargain hunters among you, BMW On Demand...
Kurt Ernst -
By the beginning of December, Tesla Motors will grow it’s retail presence from the current 14 stores in the United States to a total of 24 locations in North America. That’s an impressive amount of expansion in a very short period of time, and all of it is targeted at high-end retail shoppers. The first new store opens today, at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York. Following this, store openings are planned at upscale retail locations in Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Paramus, New Jersey; Morristown, New Jersey; San Diego, California; Miami Beach, Florida;...
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Volkswagen Group Scores Best Total Quality In Latest Strategic Vision Survey
Lead by the top-scoring Audi A8 Sedan, the Volkswagen Group has taken top honors in the latest Strategic Vision Total Quality Index (TQI) survey. TQI seeks to measure how closely the experience of quality matches a customer’s desire for quality, factoring in numerous variables (such as...
Kurt Ernst -
Cadillac XTS, Subaru BRZ Are June's Fastest Sellers
In the auto industry, the average length of time that a vehicle sits on a dealer’s lot before finding a buyer is known as Days-To-Turn (DTT). In the month of May, the average for all vehicles was 53 DTT, but for June than number crept just a bit higher to 55 DTT. Some vehicles, however...
Kurt Ernst -
Audi Launching New 'Audi City' Retail Concept In London
When it comes to shopping for a new car, the most enjoyable part of the whole process (for us, anyway) is the test drive. While most of us have learned how to do the dance with car salesmen, we wouldn’t really rate “personal contact” as one of our key reasons for visiting a...
Kurt Ernst -
Rolls-Royce's Largest North American Dealership Opens On Long Island
Given the emphasis that luxury automakers have placed on markets like China, it’s easy to believe that the North American market has been all but abandoned. If the opening of a new flagship Rolls-Royce dealer in Jericho, Long Island is any indication, nothing could be further from the truth...
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Officially Sold Out To Dealers
If you’re on the fence about buying a 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth hot hatch, we’ve got some bad news for you. Unless you can find a dealership with unsold inventory (and good luck with that), you’ll be waiting until the fall to take delivery of a Fiat 500 Abarth, in 2013 model year form...
Kurt Ernst