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The national gas price average, $2.64, represents a seven-cent drop on the week as domestic gasoline stocks built by a surprising 4.4 million bbl, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest data. Contributing to the build was at least 1.2 million b/d of imports at U.S. ports. With the large bump, stocks now sit 235 million bbl – a U.S. stock level not seen in nearly five months (end of March).

“On the week, nearly half of all states saw gas price averages decrease by at least a nickel,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “While gasoline demand increased week-over-week, it wasn’t enough to stay on pace with the huge jump in gasoline stocks. Therefore, pump prices continue to decline across the country.”

Today’s national gas price average is 13-cents less than a month ago and 21-cents cheaper than a year ago.

Quick Stats

The nation’s top 10 largest weekly decreases are: Ohio (-19 cents), Indiana (-17 cents), Illinois (-12 cents), Michigan (-12 cents), Kentucky (-10 cents), Florida (-7 cents), Oklahoma (-7 cents), Louisiana (-6 cents), Missouri (-6 cents) and Georgia (-6 cents).

The nation’s top 10 least expensive markets are: Louisiana ($2.27), Mississippi ($2.28), South Carolina ($2.31), Alabama ($2.31), Arkansas ($2.32), Oklahoma ($2.34), Tennessee ($2.37), Texas ($2.38), Missouri ($2.39) and Kansas ($2.41).

Great Lakes and Central States

Motorists in five Great Lakes and Central states saw significant – double-digit – declines at the pump this week: Ohio (-19 cents), Indiana (-17 cents), Illinois (-12 cents), Michigan (-12 cents) and Kentucky (-10 cents). These states not only lead the top 10 list for weekly declines in the country, but also lead the largest monthly decline with savings as much as a quarter since this time in July: Illinois (-33 cents), Michigan (-32 cents), Ohio (-29 cents), Indiana (-30 cents) and Kentucky (-24 cents).

While all states in the region saw declines at the pump, they were not all significant. South Dakota saw the smallest decrease of just a penny. Gas prices in the region range from $2.79 in Illinois to $2.39 in Missouri.

Gas prices declined as gasoline stocks in the region jumped by 1.1 million bbl to bring total levels to 50 million bbl. The increase in stocks was supported by a 5% increase in regional refinery utilization, which was reported at 100% by the EIA. The Great Lakes and Central states are well-known for weekly volatility. While this week is starting with significant savings for much of the region, there is the potential for this coming week to bring increases.

Seeing your child off to college is an emotional transition, especially if they are going far away from home. Sending them away in the family vehicle can create even more worry and stress. A little advance planning and a well-maintained vehicle can offer peace-of-mind to parents.

Get a sendoff vehicle inspection: College is a busy time for students and it is likely that car care at college will not be top of mind. Be sure to schedule a thorough vehicle inspection before packing up the car so you can rest easy knowing your child is driving a road-ready vehicle.

Make an emergency plan: Discuss a plan with your child in case they experience a roadside emergency. Be sure they know who to contact for roadside assistance and stock the car with an emergency kit, including jumper cables, emergency flares, a flashlight with batteries, blankets and extra clothes, water and non-perishable snacks, a first aid kit, a portable USB charger and a fully charged cell phone. To be prepared for inclement weather, include an ice scraper, a snow brush and small shovel.

Hit the books: Encourage your child to learn about auto care by reviewing the Car Care Council’s online Car Care Guide and becoming familiar with the owner’s manual. The printed Car Care Guide fits easily in a glove compartment and covers the most common preventive maintenance occasions and procedures that should be performed to keep cars safe, dependable and efficient.

Stay on schedule: To stay on top of routine vehicle maintenance, sign up for the council’s free Custom Service Schedule and receive email service reminders and recall notices so that you and your child are aware of any issues and can address them in a timely fashion.

That little engine part called the spark plug performs a huge job in delivering a vehicle’s power, performance, dependability and fuel efficiency and, according to the non-profit Car Care Council, should be replaced periodically.

“Spark plugs are one of the hardest working parts of a vehicle. A spark plug can fire 400 times per minute per cylinder or 1,600 times a minute on a four-cylinder engine,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “Many car owners delay spark plug repair on their vehicles, even after they have failed. This is a mistake since fouled, damaged or worn out spark plugs can lead to engine damage, reduced fuel efficiency and poor performance like misfiring, hard starting and sluggish acceleration.”

If you spot any of the following symptoms, the Car Care Council recommends having your vehicle checked to prevent more costly problems from developing.

• Rattling, pinging or knocking noises. When spark plugs begin to misfire, you may notice unusual noises from the force of the pistons and combustion not working properly. Pistons travel at high velocities; if the spark plug fires at the wrong time, this could lead to constant rattling, pinging or knocking sounds.
• Hard vehicle start. If your car is having trouble starting or just feels disjointed and jerky, your spark plugs may not be working right. This can lead to misfires and erratic performance.
• Reduced performance. Spark plugs fire when you accelerate and change gears. If the spark that the plug generates isn’t functioning at 100 percent, your vehicle performance will be poor, and you’ll experience a sluggish and fuel-wasting drive.
• Poor fuel economy. Lots of things can lead to poor fuel economy. In the case of old spark plugs, fuel is wasted because your vehicle fails to receive the proper, heat-generating spark at the right time.

The Car Care Council recommends that consumers consult their owner’s manual for the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended spark plug replacement intervals. The council also recommends replacing all of the plugs at the same time and with the same type of spark plug that the vehicle was originally equipped.

“Replacing spark plugs is a relatively inexpensive maintenance task and can be performed by a do-it-yourselfer or by a professional technician at any auto repair shop,” said White.

Welcome Back Teachers!

In appreciation of your efforts in preparing for another school year, Desert Car Care wants to provide you with some auto service TLC!

Complimentary Oil Change & 15 Point Car Safety Inspection

Saturday, August 17, 2019
8 AM - Noon

95 N Dobson Rd
(480) 726-6400
www.desertcarcare.com

Enjoy music and refreshments while you wait!

• The Hungry Monk
• Coffee Run Mobile Expresso
• Vendors

Please bring your school ID. Complimentary oil change includes full synthetic oil and filter with a 15-point safety evaluation test. Both services are a $69.99 value! See website for details. First come first served - vouchers will be available for rescheduling if necessary.

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Record Honda truck sales plus strong Acura performance push American Honda trucks to best-ever July

Honda Civic continues stellar performance with 11% July sales increase

Honda CR-V sales top 33,000, as Ridgeline and Passport team to push Honda trucks to new July record

Acura ILX continues to demonstrate segment retail sales leadership with 40% jump

Acura RDX and MDX combine for nearly 10,000 units; MDX gains 9% in best month of 2019

"Despite industry headwinds, our strategic approach to the market continues to pay dividends for both the Honda and Acura brands," said Henio Arcangeli, Jr., senior vice president of Automobile Sales at American Honda Motor Co. "Honda strengthened its position as the #1 retail passenger car brand in America in July, even as we grow our SUV sales. Additionally, Acura maintained strong SUV sales and segment-leading performance from our gateway models which are key to bringing young buyers into the brand."

Honda

Honda trucks set a new July record, gaining 3.1% from strong performances across the lineup. Honda cars also delivered in July, with Civic gaining in double-digits, Accord topping 24,000 units and electrified models exceeding 5,000 sales.

Civic sustained strong momentum, up 10.9% on sales of 29,167 units. Despite somewhat tight supply, CR-V continued to lead Honda brand sales with 33,656 vehicles delivered in July. Ridgeline jumped 10.5% on sales of 2,749 vehicles. Pilot remained strong with 11,874 deliveries and Passport notched 3,511 sales, even as several new competitors enter the market.

Today’s national average is $2.73. While this is two cents more expensive than on the same day last month, it is three cents cheaper than last week and 12-cents less expensive than a year ago.

“Gas prices this month are on average a dime less expensive than in July 2018. These less expensive gas prices have encouraged summer road trips as evidenced by robust demand numbers since May,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “Right now, pump prices are poised to push even cheaper going into August.”

On the week, every state but Michigan saw gas prices trend less expensive. The majority of the top 10 states with the largest weekly declines saw gas prices move a nickel cheaper since last Monday.

Quick Stats

The nation’s top 10 largest weekly decreases are: Florida (-9 cents), Kentucky (-8 cents), Missouri (-5 cents), Iowa (-5 cents), Delaware (-5 cents), Kansas (-5 cents), South Carolina (-5 cents), Tennessee (-5 cents), Alaska (-5 cents) and Louisiana (-4 cents).

The nation’s top 10 least expensive markets are: Mississippi ($2.35), Louisiana ($2.36), Alabama ($2.38), Arkansas ($2.39), South Carolina ($2.40), Oklahoma ($2.42), Tennessee ($2.46), Texas ($2.48), Virginia ($2.48) and Kansas ($2.48).

South and Southeast

Gas prices are pushing cheaper across the South and Southeast. On the week, state averages are three to nine cents less: Florida (-9 cents) is seeing the largest decline followed by South Carolina (-5 cents) and Louisiana (-4 cents). These three states land on the top 10 list for the largest weekly decreases in the country.

New Mexico ($2.56) is the only state in the South and Southeast region to see cheaper gas prices on the week (-3 cents), month (-3 cents) and year (-18 cents). All other states in the region have cheaper averages on the week and the year. On the month, gas prices are as much as eight cents more expensive in these other states.

Energy Information Administration (EIA) data released last week shows that regional refinery utilization dropped for a second week, now down to 91%. Stocks dipped along with utilization, but overall levels remain close to the 83 million bbl mark. If utilization and stock levels continue to decline, the region could be poised to see some fluctuation in prices at the pump next month, especially as summer travel begins to slow and the school year begins.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 25, 2019) – New in-vehicle infotainment technology has the potential to increase comfort and extend mobility for older drivers, but first it has to stop distracting them. On average, older drivers (ages 55-75) removed their eyes and attention from the road for more than eight seconds longer than younger drivers (ages 21-36) when performing simple tasks like programming navigation or tuning the radio using in-vehicle infotainment technology, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles a driver’s risk of a crash.

“Voice-command functions found in new in-vehicle technology are intended to help drivers by keeping their eyes and attention on the road,” said Dr. David Yang, Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Unfortunately, the complexity and poor design of some of these systems could cause more harm for older drivers, in particular, instead of helping them.”

By 2030, more than one in five drivers on the road will be over the age of 65. With seniors becoming the fastest growing demographic in the U.S., finding ways to design technology to improve their comfort and safety is critical and may hold the key to enhancing the safe use of this technology for all drivers.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety partnered with researchers from the University of Utah to test the visual and cognitive demand created by the infotainment systems in six 2018 vehicles. Study participants in two age groups (21-36 and 55-75) were required to use voice commands, touch screens and other interactive technologies to make a call, send a text message, tune the radio, or program navigation, all while driving.

Researchers found that the technology created potentially unsafe distractions for all drivers, though this safety risk is more pronounced for older adults, who took longer (4.7-8.6 seconds) to complete tasks, experienced slower response times, and increased visual distractions.

Porsche Ranks Highest Overall in Study; Ram is Highest-Ranked Mass Market Brand; Ford Receives Most Segment-Level Awards

COSTA MESA, Calif., July 24, 2019 -- Improvements in infotainment systems and increased availability of advanced driver assistance systems are making customers increasingly satisfied with their new vehicles, according to the J.D. Power 2019 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study,SM released today.

The industry average satisfaction index score increases to 823 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 820 in 2018, with 22 of the 32 brands included in the study improving from last year.

"Every automaker is producing vehicles that consumers like, but some of them are doing it at a higher level than others," said Dave Sargent, Vice President of Global Automotive at J.D. Power. "Satisfaction with new technology is improving, but infotainment remains an area where automakers can get better. Owners have higher satisfaction if their vehicle is equipped with safety features such as blind spot monitor, collision avoidance and lane departure warning. This should serve as a positive sign for manufacturers, as these features are some of the early building blocks for fully automated vehicles."

Following are key findings of the 2019 study:

Scores in all 10 categories improve in 2019: The study examines 10 vehicle categories, all of which have improved in appeal from 2018. Categories showing the most improvement are infotainment (+10 points) and visibility and safety (+6).

Gap between luxury and mass market brands narrows: The average APEAL score for luxury brands is 853 points, compared with 818 for mass market brands. This gap of 35 points is the narrowest in the study's history and is down from 50 points just three years ago.

Satisfaction gap between cars and SUVs shrinking: The slowdown in industry improvement for 2019 vs. 2018 is primarily caused by a lack of overall improvement in cars, whereas SUVs improve by 7 points. Cars continue to outperform SUVs for fuel economy and engine/transmission, largely because cars are lighter than SUVs. However,

SUVs gain the advantage in most other areas, including driving dynamics; storage and space; visibility and safety; and seats. "Fuel economy will always be an important consideration for shoppers, but they are increasingly wowed by the capability of modern SUVs," Sargent said.

Highest-Ranked Brands

In general, larger and more expensive vehicles achieve higher APEAL scores than smaller and less expensive vehicles. A brand's ranking, therefore, is a function of the types of vehicles the manufacturer produces and how well it executes on those vehicles.

New Cayenne also wins top spot in its segment

ATLANTA, July 24, 2019 -- U.S. customers have rated Porsche highest among all automotive brands in the latest annual J.D. Power 'APEAL' (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) Study. In addition, the Porsche Cayenne took the top position in the 'Midsize Premium SUV' segment, the third straight year for the model line and the first entry for the new, third generation Cayenne.

The 2019 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study measures owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle across 77 attributes, ranging from the sense of comfort and luxury they feel when climbing into the driver's seat to the power they feel when they step on the gas. These attributes combine into an overall APEAL index score measured on a 1,000-point scale. The study, now in its 24th year, is based on responses gathered from February 2019 through May 2019 from nearly 68,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2019 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.

Porsche earned 891 points on the 1,000-point scale, improving 8 points over last year. This compared to the premium brand average of 853 and overall industry average of 823.