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On the week, the national gas price average is two cents cheaper at $2.90. Today’s national average is only one cent more expensive than a month ago, but 60 cents more expensive than a year ago.

Nationwide, 44 states have less expensive or steady gas price averages compared to last Monday. However, the cheaper trend may be reversing. Gasoline demand spiked in the latest Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) report, in fact setting a new all-time record at 9.88 million b/d for the week ending June 8. As demand skyrockets, U.S. gasoline inventories plummeted 2.27 million bbl, to land total inventories at 237 million bbl, which is 5.7 million below stocks last year at this time.

“If demand continues to strengthen and inventories decrease in the weeks ahead, motorists can expect gas prices do a reversal and start to increase again,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA gas price expert. “AAA expects the national gas price average to range between $2.85 and $3.05 through Labor Day, likely seeing the summer’s highest prices in June.”

Moving into this week, another factor that will influence gas prices in the near and long-term will be outcomes from the June 22 OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria. The cartel, along with other major producers including Russia, will discuss increasing oil production ahead of the year-end scheduled dissolution of its production reduction agreement. Some reports indicate that OPEC could be looking at an increase of 300,000 to 600,000 b/d to help ease global crude price gains that have grown since the cartel put its production reduction agreement into place at the beginning of 2017. An increase in production would likely decrease crude oil prices and encourage cheaper gas prices.

Quick Stats

The nation’s top 10 most expensive markets are: Hawaii ($3.73), California ($3.71), Washington ($3.45), Alaska ($3.43), Oregon ($3.32), Nevada ($3.31), Utah ($3.19), Idaho ($3.19), Connecticut ($3.11) and Arizona ($3.07).
The nation’s top 10 largest weekly changes are: Ohio (-10 cents), Florida (-5 cents), Delaware (-5 cents), Indiana (+5 cents), Virginia (-5 cents), Utah (+4 cents), Maryland (-4 cents), Iowa (-4 cents), Kansas (-4 cents) and Illinois (-4 cents).

Lauren Fix joins Boom Bust to talk about Tesla and other Auto Industry news. Here is the inside scoop on Elon Musk's trip to China and future plans to build a factory in China.

The national gas price average is $2.87, which is a penny more expensive on the week. Pump prices in nearly 30 states are seeing a jump of as much as eight cents, a dozen states saw prices drop and another dozen states’ gas price averages remain stable from last Monday.

“Demand for gasoline this summer remains very strong week-over-week, driving gas prices higher alongside rising crude prices,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “Today motorists are seeing gas for $2.76 or more at 56 percent of gas stations across the country.”

Today’s gas price average is six-cents cheaper than last month, but 61-cents more expensive than at the same time last year.

Quick Stats

The nation’s top 10 largest weekly changes are: Delaware (+8 cents), Michigan (-7 cents), Ohio (+6 cents), Indiana (+5 cents), Maryland (+4 cents), New Mexico (-3 cents), Pennsylvania (+3 cents), Georgia (+3 cents), Kentucky (+3 cents) and Oklahoma (+3 cents).

The nation’s top 10 least expensive markets are: South Carolina ($2.53), Alabama ($2.53), Mississippi ($2.55), Louisiana ($2.58), Arkansas ($2.60), Missouri ($2.61), Tennessee ($2.61), Oklahoma ($2.62), Virginia ($2.62) and Kansas ($2.66).

West Coast

Pump prices in the West Coast region are among the most expensive in the country: Hawaii ($3.73), California ($3.66), Washington ($3.44), Alaska ($3.40), Oregon (3.32), Nevada ($3.24) and Arizona ($3.00). Most prices in the region have declined on the week, with Arizona (-2 cents) leading the group.

Inventories of gasoline in the region fell for a third consecutive week, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) petroleum status report for the week ending on June 29. Dropping by nearly 150,000 bbl, total inventories now sit at 30.5 million bbl. However, inventories are approximately 2.2 million bbl higher than they were at this point last summer, which will likely help prices stabilize if there are any major supply disruptions in the region this week.

FELTON, California, July 3, 2018 - The Global Rear Spoiler Market is anticipated to reach USD 7.30 billion by 2025 with the contribution of growing demand for the SUVs and MPVs from the young generation. A Rear Spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device that helps in spoiling the opposing air movement across the body of the vehicle. The spoilers present on the front of the cars are called as air dams that are essential for the engine cooling and high speed stability.

Some spoilers are fitted on the cars just for designing purpose or for improved aerodynamics. A rear spoiler supports in increasing the efficiency and decreasing the drag. The spoilers improve the traction capability of a car, improve the visibility of the car and reduce the weight of the car, technically. The Rear Spoiler Market is predicted to grow considerable at CAGR of 7.9% primarily owing to the manufacturing of plastic spoilers.

At present, several cars are well-furnished with Rear Spoilers to improve the fuel efficiency and reduce the rate of accidents. Most customers install the rear spoilers for designing purpose, which is a reason for increased demand. The bulk manufacturing of composite materials is anticipated to diminish the cost of raw materials in near future. This will ultimately reduce the overall cost of rear spoilers and produce a higher demand over the years.

The rising demand from SUVs (sports utility vehicles) and high-speed vehicles is expected to support the rear spoiler industry growth significantly. The carbon fiber, which is mostly used in the manufacturing of rear spoilers is preferred by the aftermarket since the customization is carried out by the independent service providers. The rear spoiler also possesses features like high strength, durability, improved finishing and appearance and lightless.

Browse 69 page research report with TOC on "Global Rear Spoiler Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/rear-spoiler-market

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 27, 2018) –Apple CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto are less distracting to drivers when compared to built-in vehicle infotainment systems designed by automakers, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. While many of today’s infotainment systems create potentially unsafe levels of distraction by allowing drivers to perform complex tasks like programming navigation or sending a text, CarPlay and Android Auto were 24 percent (5 seconds) faster on average than the vehicle’s native system when making a call and 31 percent (15 seconds) faster when programming navigation. This difference is critical, as drivers who take their eyes off the road for more than two seconds double their risk of a crash. AAA is encouraged by these findings, as they indicate that popular infotainment systems can be designed in a way that is less distracting. Distracted driving is responsible for more than 390,000 injuries and 3,500 deaths every year.

“Google and Apple are proving that it is possible to reduce the level of demand in-vehicle infotainment technology places on drivers,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “While improvements are necessary before any of the systems can be considered safe to use while driving, this research shows that smartphone-based software has the potential to offer a simpler, more familiar design that is less confusing to drivers, and therefore less demanding.”

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety teamed with researchers from the University of Utah to evaluate five vehicles – 2017 and 2018 models – to determine the amount of visual and mental demand placed on drivers by CarPlay, Android Auto and each vehicle’s native infotainment system. While CarPlay and Android Auto can still create potentially unsafe levels of distraction and should not be used to perform complex tasks when behind the wheel, they decrease the demand placed on drivers compared to similar technologies offered by automakers.

Researchers found that CarPlay and Android Auto did not differ significantly from one another in the level of overall demand. A rating scale was used to measure the visual (eyes-off-road) demand, cognitive (mental) demand, and the time it took drivers to complete a task using the systems. The scale ranged from low to very high levels of demand. A low level of demand equates to listening to the radio or an audiobook, while very high demand equates to an industry standard that produces demand similar to balancing a checkbook while driving. Both CarPlay and Android Auto generated an overall moderate level of demand while the native vehicle systems created very high levels of demand for drivers. AAA recommends that industry strive to design in-vehicle technology systems that do not exceed a low level of demand.

• Unique pairing of two performance legends – the final 2017 Dodge Viper and final 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon – was a highlight at Barrett-Jackson Northeast auction in Connecticut

• 100 percent of $1 million hammer price for both of these iconic muscle cars benefiting the United Way

• 'The Ultimate Last Chance' lot included several pieces of memorabilia, such as authentication kits for each vehicle containing custom build sheets, authenticity letters, certification cards, iPads with videos and pictures, and other custom branded items

It was the type of offering that makes bidders and fans stop and pay attention: the last of two record-setting performance legends – the final 840-horsepower 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and the final 645-horsepower 2017 Dodge Viper – sold as a pair at the Barrett-Jackson Northeast auction at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut on Saturday, June 23.

The bidding was spirited, befitting the combined 1,485 horsepower of the cars on the stage. When the hammer dropped to end the "The Ultimate Last Chance" auction, the top bidder became the new owner of the Dodge Viper and Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, and the United Way was the winner, receiving 100 percent of the hammer price. The final price ranked as the highest during the four-day Barrett-Jackson auction.

At $2.85, the national gas price average is five cents cheaper than a week ago, 12-cents less than a month ago, but 58-cents more than a year ago. Gas prices have consistently been declining since Memorial Day. On the week, 49 states saw pump prices drop with and motorists in Indiana and Michigan saw double-digit declines.

Gas prices may be poised to drop even more following OPEC’s announcement that the cartel will increase production by 1 million b/d in the second half of 2018. However, that number may be revised closer to 600,000 b/d, as there is speculation that some producers – including Libya, Venezuela and Iran – will not be able to meet the quota increase. Regardless, the production increase is expected to decrease crude prices and in turn drive down gas prices later this year.

“The OPEC production increase will help to offset concerns of shrinking global supply caused by high global demand this year,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “For drivers in the U.S., pump prices likely will not see an impact immediately. Changes, and most likely not dramatic ones, are anticipated to hit pump prices late summer or early fall.”

The cartel made the production decision after the U.S., China and India voiced support for an increase to prevent an oil deficit that could stifle economic growth in the latter half of 2018. The production increase will occur ahead of this December’s expected dissolution of OPEC’s production reduction agreement, which has worked to reduce global oil supplies and increase the global price of crude since the beginning of 2017.

The following is an opinion editorial provided by Glen De Vos, Aptiv's chief technology officer and president, Mobility and Services Group.

DUBLIN, June 22, 2018 - In 1999, Aptiv (then Delphi) put the first radar on a car. Ever. It was a 1999 Jaguar, and we joked that if you bought the radar, you got the car for free. With that first system, we took a technology from aerospace and put it on a car. It was a revolutionary break-through, and is one that has since saved countless lives. But, as the joke implies, it was very expensive at the time.

That's how it goes with most technology when it's first introduced – expensive and only available on premium or select vehicles. But over time as the technology proliferates, production volumes increase, and continuous improvement in the technology makes its impact, prices invariably come down. Just think of flat-screen TVs. When they were first introduced, they were astronomically expensive. Now, flat-screens are norm and affordable for all market segments. We call this phenomenon the democratization of technology – a progression in which the tech becomes available and affordable to all. The phenomenon is no different with automotive technology.

When the radar was introduced to the automotive space, it was a radical leap forward from the anti-lock braking and traction control systems that represented the early steps in 'active safety' technology. It also represented a completely different approach from 'passive safety' systems – e.g. seatbelts and airbags, where the technology worked to keep passengers protected during a crash. Now, we have technology that proactively helps prevent crashes.

VW Group and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler have been arrested. Volkswagen has been trying to protect top brass in the emissions cheating scandal. Find out more on the scandal, diesel fuel, a Tesla car on fire and other auto industry news with The Car Coach, Lauren Fix.

MCLEAN, Va., June 21, 2018 -- In the June 2018 Used Car and Light Truck Guidelines Industry Update, analysts at J.D. Power Valuation Services note the used vehicle market turned a typical performance in May. As a result, the J.D. Power Valuation Services' Seasonally Adjusted Used Vehicle Price Index remained flat, compared to April at 117.0. May's index increased 3.1 points year over year, and 2.5 points above where it sat in January.

Highlights from the free monthly report also point out:

Wholesale Prices Decline in May

Prices fall by an average of 1.7%

Used Vehicle Price Index Remains Unchanged

Index holds at 117.0