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By The Numbers

Did somebody say Mash Donald’s?

Marketplace Staff Aug 3, 2015
2 to 3 years

If you lease a car, that’s the amount of time before the auto industry can assume it’ll see you again as a repeat customer. It’s part of what some analysts call a brilliant marketing move. The rise in leasing started back in 2012 when car sales were way down. With car companies realizing they could sell used cars for a higher profit, they were able to drop the price of leasing, and thus people started to lease cars more frequently.

$30,000

That’s generally how much new electric cars cost. Many consumers are attracted to the energy-efficient vehicles because of the notion that owning and driving one helps the environment. But a new study shows that depending on where you live and where your energy comes from, the power plant generating the electricity to charge your car could be putting out more carbon emissions than a standard gasoline-fueled car.

$1.75 million

That’s how much the Triple Crown-winning horse American Pharoah took home for winning the Haskell Invitational on Sunday — the largest purse offered in the state of New Jersey. As the Wall Street Journal notes, a record-breaking 60,983 spectators turned out to watch the race.

0

That’s how many McDonald’s locations there are in Iran. It’s also how many KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut locations there are, though there’s plenty of pent-up demand. The New York Times reports some entrepreneurs in Tehran are capitalizing on that demand, with knock-offs like Mash Donald’s, Pizza Hat and Burger House. It’s not clear what will happen to these eateries now that there’s a nuclear deal in place, and McDonald’s is taking Iranian franchise applications.

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