Niche Cars a Success Despite Lower Volumes

When developing cars that are never intended to appeal to a mass audience, automakers must be careful not to introduce a car so eccentric that it has no audience whatsoever. Even when deemed successful, these niche automobiles remain low-volume, bit players. They form the supporting cast of an automaker's lineup. Think of them as Wallace Shawns (read to the end) of the automotive world and not the Tom Cruises.

One such vehicle that dangerously toed the line when introduced was the Nissan Juke. Thought by many to be too crazy looking on the outside and too cramped inside, Nissan cast the Juke as an alternative crossover that it hoped would pull in buyers bored with the traditional Rogue crossover and Sentra compact sedan.

In 2011, 35,886 Jukes were sold. That's a miserable-sounding total when you consider Nissan sold 124,543 Rogues last year, but it was an unexpectedly fine performance from a car that is so peculiar. The Juke outsold the Mini Countryman and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport combined in 2011.

Safety Agency Agrees: GM's Front-Center Airbag Has Real Benefits

On the heels of Ford's airbag-like inflatable rear seat belts and Scion's rear-window airbag, GM introduced a front-center airbag that deploys between the front seats in its 2013 Acadia. Safety experts have lauded developments like side curtain airbags, which protect your head and lessen the chance of ejection during rollovers, but not all airbags are created equal. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told us last fall that knee airbags, for one, have yet to prove their worth. What about GM's front-center airbag? IIHS says there's no hung jury here: It's a safety improvement.

The airbag, which will be optional on the Acadia, deploys from the right-hand side of the driver's seat during a serious side-impact collision from either side, chief engineer Sue Eckel said. In a serious side-impact, the barrier between the seats can prevent two occupants' heads from knocking against each other.

Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Buick Regal eAssist, GS

Buick added two variants to the Buick Regal for the 2012 model year, including the eAssist and GS trims. The eAssist powertrain, which is GM’s second-generation mild-hybrid system, offers similar power but up to 36 mpg highway compared with the Regal's current standard four-cylinder. The top-of-the-line GS trim offers better power than other Regals, but it’s still not quite a performance machine, Cars.com Industry Analyst Kelsey Mays says.

2012 Buick Regal Review

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Sleek and stylish, the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is a compact crossover that can’t be missed, according to Cars.com Family contributor Sara Lacey. Its turbo four-cylinder will make any mom or dad happy to run Saturday errands in it, but the tight legroom in the backseat might have the kids complaining more than usual.

2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Review

Obama Budget Proposes Big Changes to Alt-Fuel Car Tax Credits

In the 2013 budget proposal delivered to Congress, the Obama administration is taking a new approach to incentives for electric and other alternative-fuel cars. Despite claims that these tax credits would go to bolster wealthy potential Chevrolet Volt buyers, these tax credits are focused on the companies that would make these cars, not consumers.

According to a summary of the changes prepared by Nissan (the builder of the all-electric Leaf):

• The proposal eliminates the current $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit and replaces it with advanced technology vehicle credit.
• There would be a maximum $10,000 per vehicle through 2016, with no cap on how many vehicles it might apply to; that would drop to $7,500 in 2017, $5,000 in 2018 and down to $2,500 in 2019.
• The credit would go to the vehicle's seller or to the financing company.
• The proposal's title suggests the credit would be tied to "production" of vehicles, but where that production would need to take place remains unclear.
• There's also a proposal to add incentives for alt-fuel medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that would aim to cover the added expense that often accompanies new technologies.

2012 Hyundai Azera Priced at $32,000

When the 2012 Hyundai Azera goes on sale later this year, it will have an easy-to-remember starting price of $32,000, excluding an $875 destination fee. There's only one option package, and it adds $4,000 of tech and luxury features for a range-topping price of $36,000.

The Azera sits in an odd place in Hyundai's lineup. The 2012 Hyundai Genesis starts at $34,200, and it packs more power but has fewer luxury features — there's no standard touch-screen or navigation system, for instance.

Among its competitors — such as the Ford Taurus ($25,555) and Chrysler 300 ($27,470) – the Azera is more expensive, yet it's more affordable than the Toyota Avalon, which starts at $33,195. Still, that's an unusual position for a Hyundai. Keep in mind that once you option the contenders with the same features, they all cost more than the Azera.

The Azera comes well-equipped with the following features: 

Hyundai Prices 2013 Genesis Coupe at $24,250

Hyundai's refreshed-for-2013 Genesis Coupe will start at $24,250 when it goes on sale next month. The base price is for the 2.0T model; the 3.8-liter R-Spec starts at $28,750. This a steep increase over the 2012 model's pricing of $22,250 for the 2.0T and $26,750 for the 3.8 R-Spec.

For 2013, the Genesis Coupe gets more aggressive styling, including a revised front end and new designs for the headlights, hood, grille and fog lights. The engines also get more punch for the new model year: The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder now makes 274 horsepower (on premium gas), up from 210 hp. The 3.8-liter V-6 gets direct injection this year and makes 348 hp (with premium gas), up from 306 hp.

Both engines get a new eight-speed automatic transmission option for 2013. With it, the V-6 now achieves 18/28 mpg city/highway, and the four-cylinder gets 20/31 mpg.

Cars.com News Briefs: Feb. 14, 2012

Here's what we have our eye on today:

New cars are becoming more affordable for families, according to Comerica Bank. The average consumer spent $1,050 less (or about 4%) on a new car in the last quarter of 2011, making the average new car the most affordable it's been since mid-2009, Comerica says. The average new car consumed about 23.1 weeks of median family income during the tail end of 2011. Overall, cars and financing are far more affordable today than they were in 1997, when it took about 31.5 weeks of income to buy a car, and in 2006, when it took 27 weeks of income.

Another boon for car shoppers — and the nation — is news that the new-car fleet is more fuel efficient. The average fuel economy of all the cars sold in January averaged 23 mpg, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. The average fleetwide fuel economy figure is the highest seen since March 2011, and it is tied for the second-highest figure ever recorded by the university. Last year, the average fuel economy was about 22.5 mpg; in 2010, it was 22.1 mpg. The rise in efficiency is attributed to more efficient new-car models and shoppers opting for more fuel-efficient options.

As Tesla Motors preps production of its first in-house-engineered Model S electric sedan, the carmaker is expected to continue to hemorrhage money, according to analysts speaking with Bloomberg Business Week. Financial experts expect the company's losses to increase about 34% (on a per-share basis) compared with the same quarter last year. The losses have continued to widen, and were expected, as Tesla continues to install expensive equipment in its San Francisco Bay-area factory and assemble supplies in preparation for the start of production of the Model S in July. Tesla is also spending about $150 million in research and development on a new crossover model, the recently announced Model X.

Commuters suffering from crummy roads might take solace in the fact that President Barack Obama's latest budget pledges to nearly double highway spending, according to Bloomberg News. In the budget proposal, six-year outlays for new road construction are pegged at $476 billion, with an immediate $50 billion injection for roads today. The budget also calls for a dramatic increase in financing for toll roads and other private road projects. The Senate and House have also proposed their own highway spending plans that promise much less.

Recall Alert: 2012 Subaru Legacy, Outback

Subaru is recalling 381 Legacy and Outback vehicles from the 2012 model year because the side curtain airbags may not inflate, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In the affected vehicles, which were built from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23, 2011, the airbags contain the incorrect propellant mixture. As a result, there may be an insufficient output of compressed gas, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Subaru will notify owners in early April, and dealers will replace one or both side curtain airbag modules for free. Owners can call Subaru at 800-782-2783 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Movers and Losers: January 2012

As we move forward into 2012, there is more reason to be optimistic about car sales. The amount of time it took for a new 2012 model to be sold went from 35 days in December to 34 days in January, keeping a breakneck pace versus last January’s 40-day pace.

Leading the list of fast sellers were the overly practical, somewhat boring group of crossovers and compacts as well as luxury nameplates, again almost all SUVs and crossovers.