Holiday car thieves had their busiest day in 2014 on, ironically, Labor Day, stealing 2,200 vehicles according to new data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). NICB’s 2014 Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report analyzes data from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which showed a total of 695,246 vehicle thefts for the year.
After Labor Day, New Year’s Day was the next most active holiday with 2,011 thefts. Halloween came in third with 2,010 thefts followed by Memorial Day with 1,933 thefts. Independence Day rounds out the top five holidays for 2014 with 1,877 thefts.
The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2014 were Christmas Day with 1,225 thefts and Thanksgiving with 1,384 thefts.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523155-nicb-holiday-vehicle-theft-report/
Luxury transportation is now more attainable than the days of “Daddy Warbucks.” In the midst of the holiday season, new-car shoppers can step up into a luxury car without breaking the bank by checking the expert recommended list of 10 Best Luxury Cars Under $40,000 from Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65119-kelley-blue-book-kbb-10-best-luxury-cars-under-40k-of-2014
Continuing a multi-year string of quality and reliability awards and accolades, J.D. Power’s 2017 Initial Quality Study (IQS) today recognized Kia Motors as the highest-ranking nameplate in the United States for the second year in a row. Kia’s improvement to 72 problems per 100 vehicles marks the best nameplate performance within the last 20 years of the study, driven by five segment awards – the most of any nameplate — for the Soul (Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle), Forte (Compact Car), Cadenza (Large Car), Niro (Small SUV) and Sorento (Midsize SUV). The Kia Soul took home an IQS award for the third consecutive year while Kia’s two newest models, Cadenza and Niro, were outstanding performers in their first model year, with the Kia Cadenza earning the top score among all models ranked in the study. Together with the Optima and Sportage , each of the seven award eligible Kia models included in the 2017 IQS study finished first or second in their respective categories.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8016954-kia-j-d-power-initial-quality-study/
The Mini Cooper Countryman is the only small car to earn a good rating among the latest group of 12 small cars subjected to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test.
Two electric models and a hybrid are in the mix, with varied results. The electric-powered Chevrolet Volt (with a gasoline engine “range extender”) earns an acceptable rating, while its battery-electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, earns a poor rating. The Ford C-Max Hybrid, a small four-door wagon, earns an acceptable rating. Another small four-door wagon, the gasoline-powered Mazda 5, is rated poor.
Volvo Cars and Swedish artist & producer Avicii announce a creative cooperation to celebrate their Swedish roots with a new recording and music video, due for global release on May 8th. The collaboration will form the basis for a global brand campaign entitled ‘A New Beginning’.
Stockholm-born Avicii, 25, has made a huge impact in the world of music in recent years, and is renowned for being one of the world’s top DJs, remixers and record producers. With a shared Swedish heritage, Volvo Cars and Avicii are now both entering a new phase in their existence.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7506451-volvo-avicii-a-new-beginning/
Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, today unveiled two new concept cars that move the Swedish brand in an audacious new direction and mark the official launch of its global small car strategy.
Today’s newly-revealed 40 series concepts demonstrate for the first time how Volvo Cars plans to expand into the large and lucrative global market for premium small cars with a range of vehicles that combine bold exterior and interior design with industry-leading connectivity, electrification and autonomous drive technologies.
The new concept cars will be the first built around Volvo Cars’ new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which has been specially created for smaller cars and which has liberated the company’s designers and engineers to explore bold and daring new directions.
“Each member of our product family has its own distinct character, just like the members of a real family. CMA has helped us to capture something special, something youthful in our new concept cars. They have an energy, a disruptive and engaging urban character that makes them stand out amongst the crowd. This is the flavour of small Volvos to come,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President, Design, at Volvo Car Group.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7837051-volvo-new-range-of-smaller-cars/
The Toyota Prius v is the only midsize car out of 31 evaluated to earn a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s first-ever headlight ratings.
The best available headlights on 11 cars earn an acceptable rating, while nine only reach a marginal rating. Ten of the vehicles can’t be purchased with anything other than poor-rated headlights.
A vehicle’s price tag is no guarantee of decent headlights. Many of the poor-rated headlights belong to luxury vehicles.
The ability to see the road ahead, along with any pedestrians, bicyclists or obstacles, is an obvious essential for drivers. However, government standards for headlights, based on laboratory tests, allow huge variation in the amount of illumination that headlights provide in actual on-road driving. With about half of traffic deaths occurring either in the dark or in dawn or dusk conditions, improved headlights have the potential to bring about substantial reductions in fatalities.
The 2014 model-year vehicles and brands (in both non-luxury and luxury categories) with the lowest projected ownership costs were announced today by Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. These awards are based on Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own data for new cars for the initial five-year ownership period.
While depreciation (or loss of value) and fuel costs may be the greatest expense incurred in owning a vehicle, there are other factors that can have a significant impact on a consumer’s pocketbook. Available on Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, 5-Year Cost to Own information takes into consideration depreciation, expected fuel costs, finance and insurance fees, maintenance and repair costs, and state fees for new models.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65344-kelley-blue-book-kbb-announces-2014-5-cost-to-own-award-winners
Months of speculation ended today after Volvo Cars unveiled its all-new Volvo XC90, delivering on its promise to introduce a visually striking, premium quality seven seat SUV with world leading safety features, new powertrain technologies, an unrivalled combination of power and fuel efficiency and a superlative interior finish.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7276259-volvo-XC90-world-premiere/
Sometimes, a reliable set of wheels is all that stands between a veteran and their dreams. This month, more than 100 veterans and their families will be getting keys to newly-refurbished vehicles as part of Progressive’s fifth annual Keys to Progress® event. This year, Progressive will donate its 500th vehicle. The vehicle giveaways will occur on November 9 at 68 locations across the country, including Progressive Service Centers, one-stop facilities where Progressive handles claims and coordinates repairs for customers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8204351-progressive-keys-to-progress/
NIRA Dynamics AB has now developed algorithms that can estimate the friction value between the road and the tires.
Experienced drivers perceive the road with nearly all senses: they see, feel and even hear the road. They use all this information to estimate the grip of the road and, based on their judgement, adapt their driving speed to the conditions.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/72762511-nira-dynamics-cars-tires-road/
Drivers of vehicles with good small overlap front ratings from the Insurance Institute from Highway Safety can expect to be protected well in a frontal crash involving the left corner of the vehicle. But how would the passengers sitting next to them fare in a right-side small overlap crash? A new study shows that good protection doesn’t always extend across the front seat.
The Institute conducted 40 mph passenger-side small overlap tests on seven small SUVs with good driver-side small overlap ratings. Only one of the vehicles, the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, performed at a level corresponding to a good rating, and the others ran the gamut from poor to acceptable.
The results have prompted IIHS to consider instituting a passenger-side rating as part of its TOP SAFETY PICK criteria.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7856251-ad-council-embrace-refugees/
