AAA: How Much Is Too Much for Gas?

According to a new survey from AAA, consumers have a clear breaking point when it comes to gas prices. According to the group's newly developed consumer price index, more than half of U.S. drivers polled consider gas at $3.44 per gallon and above too high and will change their spending habits to accommodate the higher prices.

AAA asked the following question to 974 drivers throughout the country: "At what price do you start to consider the cost of gasoline to be too high?" About 62% said that when gas hits $3.44 per gallon they change their driving habits and lifestyle to offset the additional costs.

Audi Latest Automaker to Introduce Gas-Price App

Joining automakers such as GM and Ford, whose respective infotainment systems — Chevrolet MyLink and MyFord Touch — offer drivers the ability to find the nearest station with the cheapest gas, Audi has added an app to its lineup helping folks find where to fill 'er up frugally. The German automaker announced this week that, beginning in May, members of its A3 family of hatchbacks equipped with Audi connect will have access to Refuelling Stop, a new online service that provides information about where to find the cheapest gas.

According to Audi, the service consults an online database of gas stations and prices and matches the list to the driver's current location or destination. The driver can sort search results by price or distance, and simply click on the station and set it as the navigation destination. The system will even consider the type of fuel required by the A3, which can be premium or diesel depending on the engine.

Summer Gas Prices, Consumption Expected to Drop

If government projections hold true, Americans this year will pay the lowest summer gas prices they have in two years. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported this week that the price for a gallon of regular gas is expected to average $3.63 during the summer driving season, identified as April through September. Crude oil prices, which account for two-thirds of the price of gas at the pump and are a major contributor to price reductions, are expected to be lower in the summer, according to the EIA.

"The forecast reflects a small decline in crude oil prices and expected gasoline consumption, as well as higher gasoline inventory levels," the EIA said in a statement.

Americans' gas consumption is expected to be down 2% this year, despite a projected 3% increase in highway travel due to improvements in vehicle efficiency, the EIA stated. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, demand for gas during the 2013 summer driving season will be the lowest in a dozen years, and nearly 6% below the 2007 peak. Meanwhile, gas production is forecasted to increase by 3% as net gas imports decrease by more than 1% compared with 2012.

Toyota to Build 20 New Hybrids Globally by End of 2015

In less than three years, Toyota will have 20 new or redesigned hybrids worldwide — plus a hydrogen fuel-cell car. That's what Bob Carter, who heads automotive operations at Toyota's U.S. arm, told reporters this morning. Carter spoke at the National Automobile Dealers Association/J.D. Power and Associates' 2013 Automotive Forum on the eve of this week's 2013 New York International Auto Show.

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Despite the proliferation — if not the sales — of electric cars, Toyota believes "hybrids will remain a core technology" because they can be adapted to other environmental areas, Carter said. Given the number of cars from Toyota and its Lexus and Scion divisions, 20 hybrids seems like a more attainable goal than the automaker's gas-electric gauntlet thrown in 2006, which declared that every forthcoming redesign would include a hybrid version. Toyota backed off that pledge two years later.

AAA: Gas Prices Fall for First Time in Months

Spring has not yet brought respite from persistent winter weather across much of the country, but as the snowflakes fall, so have gas prices. According to AAA, today's national average price for a gallon of regular gas is just less than $3.67; that's nearly 2 cents less than a week ago, when the average price was more than $3.68 a gallon.

The drop follows months of steadily rising gas prices, a trend that culminated last month with a near-record 33-day stretch yielding a 14% spike. The downward trend began March 18 — the first time since Jan. 11 that the average price at the pump registered a month-over-month decline — when the national average had fallen five consecutive days and 17 of 19 days since the peak 2013 price of $3.79 on Feb. 27. Drivers in 28 states were paying less than they had a month earlier, with the greatest decreases enjoyed in Minnesota (13 cents), Michigan (12 cents), Ohio (10 cents) and Delaware (9 cents).

AAA: Gas-Price Ascent Won't Stop Anytime Soon

U.S. gas prices in recent months have been on a steady climb and this week has been no exception: The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline jumped by more than 3 cents to $3.78, according to AAA. That's more than 4 cents higher than the national average a month ago and more than 8 cents higher than a year ago when it was $3.70.

Recent weeks have seen some of the most dramatic gas-price increases in years, with a 33-day stretch measured earlier this month yielding a 14% spike; it was the longest such streak since the price increased 44 cents in as many days in spring 2011, according to AAA.

"This year's run-up is not only larger and faster than recent years but is beginning earlier," AAA said in a statement.

2014 Land Rover Range Rover Gets Supercharged V-6

For the 2014 model year, Land Rover is eliminating one of the two available V-8 engines on its flagship SUV, the Range Rover, and replacing it with a supercharged V-6. The new 340-horsepower, supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 replaces the 375-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 this year.

The new V-6, which Land Rover says has a zero-to-60 time of 7.1 seconds and top speed of 130 mph, will be offered alongside the 510-hp, supercharged 5.0-liter V-8, which carries over from last year; both engines will be paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The new V-6 loses about 10% and 11% in horsepower and torque, respectively, compared with its predecessor — though Land Rover estimates that fuel economy will go up by as much as 15%.

Continuing its emphasis on improved gas mileage — already boosted by the 2013 model year's 700-pound weight loss thanks to the SUV's new aluminum components — Land Rover claims the 2014 Range Rover gets 16/22 mpg city/highway, a 2-mpg improvement in both measures over the outgoing V-8. A new intelligent engine stop/start system reduces idling, also contributing to fuel efficiency and emissions reductions, Land Rover says.

EPA Estimates Your Share of Cost for Fuel-Economy Mandate

If you could double your new car's gas mileage, how much would that be worth to you? If you're thinking of a number somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,600, you'll at least be spared the sticker shock. The EPA projects new-vehicle prices will rise by that much to help automakers offset the cost of meeting 2025 corporate average fuel economy standards.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the EPA says that $2,600 — the projected average price difference between 2011 and 2025 vehicles — represents the most cost-effective route to meeting the federal mandate that automakers achieve a fleet average of 54.5 mpg by 2025. In real-world numbers that translates to about 40 mpg, up from about 20 mpg in 2010, the newspaper reported.

EPA-recommended fuel-saving measures include turbocharged, direct-injection engines in most gas-burning vehicles; eight-speed automatic transmissions in most vehicles; use of lightweight materials like aluminum; and more widespread sales of mild hybrids, hybrids and electric vehicles.

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Despite Efficient Cars, Savings at Pump Elusive

Despite reduced gasoline consumption, higher prices at the pump mean Americans are finding themselves with less money to spend elsewhere. That's according to a pair of reports issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental advocacy group.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Energy Department's report showed that U.S. households spent an average of $2,912 — or nearly 4% of their pretax income — on gas in 2012. That's the highest percentage in 30 years, even as Americans have cut down on fuel consumption through more efficient driving habits and higher-mileage vehicles, the Times reported.

Meanwhile, the Union of Concerned Scientists reported that Americans are likely to spend as much on gas over the life of their vehicle as their vehicle originally cost. For example, the report states if a driver bought a car in 2011 and drove it for 15 years (the average lifetime of a vehicle), the owner would spend more than $22,000 on gas.

Audi Announces Pricing for 2014 A8 L TDI

As expected, Audi will continue to expand its U.S. diesel line, led by the clean-diesel variant of the automaker's flagship luxury full-size sedan, the 2014 A8 L TDI. Pricing for the A8 L TDI, Audi recently announced, will start at $82,500, excluding a destination charge; for comparison, the Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec clean-diesel sedan starts at $93,000, excluding a destination charge.

The 2014 A8 L TDI has a new 3.0-liter clean-diesel engine paired with Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system. According to Audi, the sedan will boast the best fuel economy in its segment: an EPA-estimated 24/36 mpg city/highway. The 3.0-liter puts out 240 horsepower and 406 pounds-feet of torque, and Audi says it's good for a zero-to-60-mph time of 6.4 seconds.