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Why some car parts are still hard to find

Sep 18, 2023
Dealers are still playing catch-up after the chip shortage and suppliers are building parts for new cars rather than those on the road.
Dealerships are hesitant to sell high-demand parts to repair shops. Instead, they're prioritizing putting those parts into new cars.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Car parts have gotten more expensive, and so has labor. But cars themselves have also gotten more complicated to fix.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Cars: Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em

Aug 15, 2023
Affordability has broken down, but the costs of not having your own vehicle are even higher for many. Marin Cogan of Vox explains.
The average new car costs a record $48,000 — up 25% between May 2020 and May 2023. During the same time, used car prices soared 50%.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Why have car repairs gotten so expensive?

Aug 7, 2023
The cost of car maintenance and repair is rising much faster than inflation.
Aside from the rising price of spare parts, repair costs have gotten more expensive because newer cars are more complicated to fix. 
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

After years of not being able to get them, Americans want their wheels — no matter the cost

Jul 6, 2023
New light vehicle sales, including cars, SUVs and pickups, were up about 20% in June from this time a year ago.
Lots of consumers feel confident they’ll have the money to buy vehicles they might have once considered unaffordable.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Why are used car prices still so high?

Jun 13, 2023
The microchip shortage of recent years put the brakes on the production of new cars. That's making for a low supply of used cars now.
While used car prices are down from their pandemic peak, they're still about 40% higher than before COVID, according to government data.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

What's driving car prices ever higher?

Apr 6, 2023
The new entry-level price for a new vehicle is $25,000, auto research site Edmunds says.
Ford is one automaker that has moved its focus from smaller, more affordable sedans to trucks and SUVs.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Automakers have a lot more chips now, but buyers may be in short supply

Jan 3, 2023
Dealers are figuring out how to balance the supply of vehicles with softer consumer demand.
Rising prices and interest rates have pushed buyers into the used vehicle market or out of the  automotive market entirely.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Demand for electronics is falling. But some types of semiconductors are still in short supply.

Oct 7, 2022
Samsung and AMD say demand is weakening for high-end devices like laptops and smartphones. But vehicles still face semiconductor shortages.
While chips for computers are no longer in high demand, supplies are tight for lower-end chips that go into vehicles.
Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images

Adaptive headlights will soon make night driving brighter without blinding others

Sep 14, 2022
The technology, new to the U.S., can potentially make driving at night safer, says David Aylor of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Adaptive beam headlights use a forward-looking camera to detect other vehicles and "create a shadow in the area of that car," says David Aylor of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Feng Li/Getty Images

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