Auto News 5

If it were up to me, I'd nominate the current Dodge Charger for induction into the Police Car Hall of Fame. That's assuming there was such a place, which there isn't. That doesn't mean the police-package Charger doesn't belong there, though, or that it wouldn't be worth waiving the imaginary Hall's eligibility requirement that a model be retired for five years before consideration.

July was another torrid month of new-car sales, even if it was not quite as hot as June. The annualized sales rate receded a bit from nearly 16 million to just under 15.5 million units -- still much better than last year. In 2012, July was a bit of a trough, so the year-over-year comparisons look particularly rosy (the industry as a whole was up 14%). Of the big six carmakers, GM, Toyota, and Honda saw the biggest gains. The latter two were large enough to reorder the positions of the top carmakers. Toyota nudged ahead of Ford, and Honda passed Chrysler. Even so, all manufacturers were ahead of last year. Pickup trucks continue to power ahead, but fuel-efficient subcompacts also did well. Incentives were up slightly, as the 2013 model year winds down and carmakers begin to clear out inventory. The better news is that carmakers -- even the domestics -- did not lean heavily on fleet sales, which were a smaller percentage of the total than they have been in recent months.

July was another torrid month of new-car sales, even if it was not quite as hot as June. The annualized sales rate receded a bit from nearly 16 million to just under 15.5 million units -- still much better than last year. In 2012, July was a bit of a trough, so the year-over-year comparisons look particularly rosy (the industry as a whole was up 14%). Of the big six carmakers, GM, Toyota, and Honda saw the biggest gains. The latter two were large enough to reorder the positions of the top carmakers. Toyota nudged ahead of Ford, and Honda passed Chrysler. Even so, all manufacturers were ahead of last year. Pickup trucks continue to power ahead, but fuel-efficient subcompacts also did well. Incentives were up slightly, as the 2013 model year winds down and carmakers begin to clear out inventory. The better news is that carmakers -- even the domestics -- did not lean heavily on fleet sales, which were a smaller percentage of the total than they have been in recent months.

July was another torrid month of new-car sales, even if it was not quite as hot as June. The annualized sales rate receded a bit from nearly 16 million to just under 15.5 million units -- still much better than last year. In 2012, July was a bit of a trough, so the year-over-year comparisons look particularly rosy (the industry as a whole was up 14%). Of the big six carmakers, GM, Toyota, and Honda saw the biggest gains. The latter two were large enough to reorder the positions of the top carmakers. Toyota nudged ahead of Ford, and Honda passed Chrysler. Even so, all manufacturers were ahead of last year. Pickup trucks continue to power ahead, but fuel-efficient subcompacts also did well. Incentives were up slightly, as the 2013 model year winds down and carmakers begin to clear out inventory. The better news is that carmakers -- even the domestics -- did not lean heavily on fleet sales, which were a smaller percentage of the total than they have been in recent months.

Although diesel-powered cars are becoming less of an oddity in the U.S., they are still relatively rare in the sport-utility segment. The Porsche Cayenne clatters a bit at start up and idle but otherwise drives like a gas-powered vehicle. Acceleration is less explosive than in the Cayenne S and GTS but it still gets to 60 mph in a respectable 7.2 seconds. Acceleration is most impressive from a stop and all-wheel drive prevents embarrassing tire squealing off the line.

Although diesel-powered cars are becoming less of an oddity in the U.S., they are still relatively rare in the sport-utility segment. The Porsche Cayenne clatters a bit at start up and idle but otherwise drives like a gas-powered vehicle. Acceleration is less explosive than in the Cayenne S and GTS but it still gets to 60 mph in a respectable 7.2 seconds. Acceleration is most impressive from a stop and all-wheel drive prevents embarrassing tire squealing off the line.

Although diesel-powered cars are becoming less of an oddity in the U.S., they are still relatively rare in the sport-utility segment. The Porsche Cayenne clatters a bit at start up and idle but otherwise drives like a gas-powered vehicle. Acceleration is less explosive than in the Cayenne S and GTS but it still gets to 60 mph in a respectable 7.2 seconds. Acceleration is most impressive from a stop and all-wheel drive prevents embarrassing tire squealing off the line.

Although diesel-powered cars are becoming less of an oddity in the U.S., they are still relatively rare in the sport-utility segment. The Porsche Cayenne clatters a bit at start up and idle but otherwise drives like a gas-powered vehicle. Acceleration is less explosive than in the Cayenne S and GTS but it still gets to 60 mph in a respectable 7.2 seconds. Acceleration is most impressive from a stop and all-wheel drive prevents embarrassing tire squealing off the line.