NEWS
By Ken Bensinger | March 4, 2009
After more than a year of declining sales, February provided a glimpse of even worse times to come yesterday as General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Chrysler reported declines of at least 40 percent in the U.S. market. Despite record incentives from carmakers, worsening economic conditions kept dealerships quiet and consumers in their older cars, making the past month the worst February since 1967, according to GM. GM said U.S. sales were down 53 percent for the month, with 127,296 cars and light trucks sold, while Ford's declined 48 percent, with 99,060 sales.
NEWS
By Paul West | February 4, 2009
WASHINGTON - With U.S. auto sales falling near a 27-year low, the Senate gave its approval yesterday to a proposal by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski to provide tax breaks to purchasers of new cars and light trucks. The Maryland Democrat's measure, which raises the price tag on the Senate's version of the economic stimulus package to almost $900 billion, would apply only to new vehicles purchased this calendar year. Mikulski said her plan "actually creates jobs" by stimulating employment in car making, sales and service.
NEWS
June 19, 2007
Maybe it's $3 per gallon gasoline. Or global warming. Or Democrats in charge of Congress. Or good advice from allies. Most likely, the decision by automakers to support a modest increase in fuel efficiency standards for the first time can be attributed to all of the above. It's a defensive strategy aimed at heading off a more ambitious proposal, which is the centerpiece of an energy bill that Senate leaders hope will win approval in that chamber by the end of the month. One of the tactic's targets is Maryland Democrat Barbara A. Mikulski, who has been sympathetic to industry warnings that tougher fuel standards would cost jobs.
NEWS
By Gus G. Sentementes | November 9, 2002
New-car sales in Maryland surged 28 percent in September, helping the state's automobile dealers post one of their best months ever, according to the most recent figures from the state's Motor Vehicle Administration. Motorists, enticed by low-interest financing deals and rebates, bought 39,740 new cars and light trucks in September, nearly 8,700 more than they bought during September last year. The last time more than 39,000 vehicles were sold in a month was in October last year, according to MVA figures.
NEWS
By Ted Shelsby | October 5, 2002
Spurred on by record incentives, Maryland consumers bought more new cars during August than during any month since last October, according to figures released by the Motor Vehicle Administration. Dealers sold 38,965 new cars and light trucks during August, a gain of 4 percent over a strong August 2001. For dealers, it was their best August since 1991, when the MVA resumed releasing title registration figures, which equate with sales. Anirban Basu, director of applied economics at Towson University's RESI economic research institute, said that while new-car sales are still a leading economic indicator, they are being influenced by the auto manufacturer's zero-percent financing plans and lucrative rebates.
NEWS
By Ted Shelsby | July 6, 2002
Maryland consumers tightened their purse strings slightly in May, producing the first decline in new-car sales in the state in eight months, according to figures released yesterday by the Motor Vehicle Administration. "Maryland's economy is very sluggish at this time," said Anirban Basu, director of applied economics at Towson University's RESI Research & Consulting. "We're still seeing large-scale layoffs, but we are doing better than most other parts of the country." Basu attributed much of this to Maryland's being in the top one-third of the states in the nation in terms of job growth.
NEWS
By Ted Shelsby | April 5, 2002
Maryland motorists continued their buying spree in February - both in the new-car showrooms and out on the used-car lots - at a pace that has astonished dealers, according to figures released yesterday by the state Motor Vehicle Administration. "I'm really surprised," said Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland New Car and Truck Dealers Association, as he looked at the MVA numbers showing a 4.3 percent gain in new-car sales and an 18 percent jump in sales of previously owned cars.
NEWS
By Ted Shelsby | January 12, 2002
New-car sales in Maryland jumped 17.3 percent in November over November 2000, according to figures released yesterday by the Motor Vehicle Administration. Lured by low-interest financing - zero percent on many models - motorists bought nearly 5,000 more cars and light trucks during the 20 selling days of November than during the corresponding part of 2000, which had 19 selling days. The November 2001 sales were the highest for any November since the MVA resumed releasing registration figures in 1991.
NEWS
By Charli Coon | July 24, 2001
LAWMAKERS in Washington, the city that gave us low-flow toilets, a mandatory drinking age and a national speed limit for our highways, want to mandate even higher fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks. Now, such a proposal may sound good. After all, anything that can save a few bucks at the gas pump should be encouraged, right? And if it helps us pollute less and cut our dependence on foreign oil, even better. What's not to like? Plenty. Take a look under the hood, and you'll see why the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)
NEWS
By Ted Shelsby | March 28, 2001
New-car sales dropped 13.5 percent in Maryland last month, but dealers aren't complaining. Despite the drop, sales were still considered fairly strong, said Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland New Car and Truck Dealers Association, a trade group representing the majority of the state's 350 new-car dealerships. Kitzmiller noted that sales in February of last year were exceptionally strong, rising 35 percent, and that a decline from those numbers was considered virtually certain.