Would you like a little enjoyable news for driving this fall? Gas prices have fallen 15 cents per gallon in the last five weeks, and prices should continue to drop more. According to AAA, the cost of gas should fall because of lower crude costs, a slowdown in demand and a transition to cheaper cooler-weather gas blends. Let’s look at what to expect from the upcoming Fall 2019 gas prices.

What’s to Come?

According to the association, the average across the country should fall to $2.40. It currently is at about $2.60. Some states, especially in the South, may have prices dip below $2.00 a gallon.

Gas prices go up in the summer for several reasons.

The most common reason for gas prices to increase in the summer is that more people are traveling and taking vacations. This leads to increased demand, which will translate to higher per-gallon prices of gasoline. In recent years, travelers have learned to space out their vacations more, which helps to reduce the demand.

Gas prices go up during the summer months because of environmental regulations. In 1990, the U.S. government passed the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Protection Agency mandates specific gasoline blends during the summer. From April through September, only reformulated gasoline blends are allowed. These fuels are more expensive to produce. The cost is passed on to the customer, and gas prices go up.

This unique blend of fuel also results in lower mileage than winter blends. As a result, drivers buy more gas during the summer, increasing price.

Fall 2019 Gas Prices

After Labor Day, drivers can expect to see relief at the pump. The summer boost in gas prices will back down. More efficient winter blends will be available. All of this should lead to dropping gas prices in the fall of 2019. If you were going to rush out and buy a 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, you might not need to.

Volkswagen is finally changing its logo. This is the first major logo redesign for the car manufacturer since 2000. Let’s take a closer look at the new VW logo.

New VW Logo

The VW logo that has been in effect since 2000 is a blue, bulbous sign. Its new one will be a flat simplified black and white logo. The logo will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It has already debuted on a small scale and placed on prototype cars already. You can also see it in the VW Hello Light advertising campaign.

VW’s Hello Light campaign features a flat, matte finish. Still, the logos that are physically put on the cars are different. The black background has a glassy, almost mirror-like finish while the older logo has a three-dimensional surface. It also appears brighter on the top left portion of the sign.

The new logo that is coming out is two-dimensional. Its flat appearance seems to mimic technology companies’ logos, such as Apple. It also contains a thicker outer ring.

Logo Differences

You will notice some other differences among the VW logos. For example, the dealership logos will vary from those placed on the actual vehicles. Many dealerships continue to present the three-dimensional VW logo. However, the vehicles have the new black and white logo.

The first Volkswagen vehicle to fully roll out with the updated logo will be the upcoming VW MKVIII Golf.

Other automotive brands are redesigning their logos at the same time. The most noticeable company changing its logo, during the same time frame, is Lotus. They have a new flat design on theirs, as well.

Are you excited about all the new changes coming from Volkswagen? We particularly like their first convertible crossover, even though we won’t see it in the States.

Honda revealed that it has some new airbag technology coming down the pipeline. The Japanese automaker plans to protect vehicle occupants better in the 2020 Honda lineup. These baseball mitt airbags aim to reduce road fatalities. Let’s get a closer look at what the company plans to introduce.

What are Baseball Mitt Airbags?

In all fairness, the airbags aren’t actually called baseball mitts, that’s just what they look like. The Honda engineers worked on creating new safety technology to protect more lives. By minimizing the lateral force applied to a person’s head upon impact, this airbag provides more cushioning, especially if the head starts to rotate or slide off the protective pillow.

With a conventional airbag design, there is one inflatable section. In the newer version, four major parts make up the product. There are three inflated areas and one central chamber that has two side pockets. There’s also a sail panel, which stretches between the side compartments. This is the part that operates like a baseball mitt.

During a collision, the devices literally catch the head of a driver or passenger. It offers superior protection from the three sides and prevents sharp rotations. Otherwise, the person risks breaking their neck. For the most part, this new system should keep the head in place.

You can see this airbag in action with the following YouTube video.

What Do You Think about New Safety Tech?

We’ve seen a lot of innovations come and go, without preventing many injuries. Just look at the knee airbags! While this design seems like a great option, it’s going to require some time to be sure. In conjunction with some driver assistance systems, it appears that Honda is taking great strides to create safer vehicles. What are your thoughts? Would you pay more for safety equipment like these new airbags?

Are you a fan of the Lincoln Continental? If so, we have some news that might disappoint. It turns out that this long-standing model might be discontinued.

Death of the Lincoln Continental

It’s been a long time coming, especially with the poor full-size luxury sedan’s sales numbers. Still, we don’t have solid proof – yet.

Some Ford sources say the automaker plans to create a pair of battery-powered crossovers at the Flat Rock, Michigan facility. While this might not seem like a big deal, it is if you consider that’s where Ford now builds the Continental.

While this model sold more in December when the 80th Anniversary Edition with suicide doors were released, the sales continue to trail off.

What we think is going to happen is that Ford’s production will end in late 2021. Then, Flat Rock will be revamped to accommodate electric vehicles.

Future Ford Electric Vehicles

So, what about those electric models? They should be Ford and Lincoln crossovers, currently featuring the names CDX746 and CDX747. While Ford initially planned to build them in Mexico, they changed the destination to Flat Rock instead.

We expect that these vehicles will closely resemble the Lincoln Nautilus and Ford Edge. At first, the automaker plans to produce 65,000 a year.

Surprisingly, the Continental should continue to survive in China. While they could import them to America, we don’t think the sales volume or the trade war will make that possible.

So, who will take over in the luxury large car department? There are still plenty of contenders. According to U.S. News & World Report, five other cars currently rank higher than the Lincoln model. These include the Audi A7, Genesis G90, Kia K900, BMW 6-Series and the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class.

Does this news surprise you or were you expecting to hear this long-time model would eventually fall away?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the 2019 Audi E-Tron as a Top Safety Pick+. The E-Tron is Audi’s first all-electric vehicle and it is the first electric vehicle to have won the IIHS honor.

2019 Audi E-Tron Crushes the Competition

We’ve told you about the 2019 E-Tron in our 2019 EV Lineup post. Some other cars from our listing have attempted to earn this prestigious honor and failed. Some of its competitors included the Tesla Model S and the Chevrolet Bolt.

The IIHS also rated the Audi E-Tron very high in the category of crashworthiness. This model comes standard with the unique E-Tron Pre-Sense Front automatic emergency braking system. This system avoided crashing at 25 mph and slowed down to just one mile an hour before crashing in the 12-mph test.

The E-Tron had somewhat of a rough start. The launch date occurred later than planned because of legal problems with Audi’s CEO. Then, a battery shortage pushed the launch date back even further. After the E-Tron was finally rolled out, there was a recall on many of the vehicles. This was caused by a risk of the vehicle catching on fire.

The Audi E-Tron is a luxury electric vehicle and only competes with a few other models in the space. Its main competitor is the Jaguar I-PACE. More competition is on the way in the near future, though. Both the Porsche Taycan and the Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV are two major rivals arriving soon.

What Do You Think?

This shows how important the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety results can be. The Audi E-Tron is number one in the category and stands alone at the top. Time will tell how the new competitors perform in the IIHS tests.

With these new results, would you be more apt to invest in the luxury electric Audi? This Audi starts at a price of $75,000 and features a range of almost 205 miles on a single charge.

According to a recent study conducted by the IIHS (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety), knee airbags don’t prevent injury from occurring in an accident. In fact, they can make injuries even worse.

Knee Airbags – Helpful or Not?

Airbags at the knee deploy from the lower half of the dashboard. With this design, the risk of leg injury is lessened. Manufacturers of these airbags also state that the legs remain stabilized more during a crash. The thought is that this minimizes the injuries suffered in areas such as the chest and abdomen.

The report concluded that the benefits of this safety feature are minimal, at best. The study looked at data from more than 400 crash tests, as well as data from real-world accident reports. The results evaluated vehicles that have knee airbags installed and cars without.

In the crash tests conducted by IIHS, knee airbags had a minor effect on injury. With the small overlap test, leg injury risk actually increased, specifically for injuries to the lower leg and right femur. In the real-world crash data, knee airbags showed a decrease in the overall risk of injury of just a half of a percentage point, which is not statistically significant.

The IIHS study showed that these airbags may just be a waste of space. Other options would be more space-effective and useful. Some other choices include structural strengthening of the chassis or altering the position of the suspension in the vehicle.

Thankfully, this safety measure is not standard in most cars, and there seems to be little incentive to put them in more.

Maximum Safety

To stay safe on the road, it makes sense to choose a vehicle with advanced driver assistance features. Modern cars come with many options, all geared toward keeping you safe. It no longer makes sense to add airbags throughout the vehicle that don’t seem to work.

We’ve gotten a glimpse of the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet on the road. This convertible version of the T-Roc is the first convertible crossover. It opens in nine seconds and closed while on the move – even while traveling up to 18.6 mph. Of course, we don’t get this model in America, but it’s a glimpse of what might be to come.

Let’s take a closer look at the VW T-Roc Convertible.

Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet

The VW convertible comes complete with rollover protection and a reinforced windshield. It comes with two gas engines: the 1.0-liter three-cylinder or a 1.5 four-cylinder. It also has 10 cubic feet of trunk space.

The two available design packages include the Style Package with 17-inch wheels, leather interior and ambient lighting. The R-Line comes with standard fog lights, leatherette sport seats and 17-inch wheels. Both of these packages also include low-speed emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist and the option to upgrade to 19-inch wheels.

We will get a better look at this model during the Frankfurt Motor Show next spring.

VW SUV Success

While we can’t expect this VW SUV model to make it to our shores, it does show how invested the company is in their SUV lineup. They already have a lot of success with the Tiguan and Atlas. We wonder if they could throw a convertible top on one of them for us?

Of course, that’s just a dream that won’t happen. Maybe with enough pressure, we can convince them to bring us the T-Roc. We are sure it would be well received and create a following. It’s possible they could do something with the Tarek if they wanted to.

This news comes on the heels of the announcement that VW says goodbye to hybrid production. Let us know your thoughts and the latest style and if American models might adopt it.

FCA thinks they may have a fix for Jeep death wobble. This terrible problem shows itself when a violent vibration starts at high speeds. This complaint is heard often from Jeep Wrangler owners. It also has been recorded in several brands of vehicles that have solid front axles, like heavy-duty pickups.

Fix for Jeep Death Wobble

The Jeep Wrangler uses a solid front axle mostly because it gives better articulation when driving off-road. It also provides the proper protection for parts like the drivetrain when you hit rocks or hard items.

The NHTSA has looked into the Jeep’s death wobble. They have said it does not cause a huge safety risk, despite the major lawsuit. There also have been no injuries or accidents related to it. However, people continue filing complaints to the automaker, NHTSA and on social media sites.

Jeep has finally narrowed down the issue to the steering damper. They said that there were design issues that allowed air at colder temps to get into the damper. When this happens, vibration will not be reduced or controlled at specific frequencies.   

They also said that if you hit bumps on the road and conditions are just right, the suspension starts a chain of events that turns into the wobble. Complaints seem more prevalent in the fall and winter seasons, which further proves that it begins when it’s cold out.

The manufacturer redesigned the steering damper. Now, owners should get a notification that a fix is available at no cost. Jeep also noted that the problem remains isolated to the JL Wrangler that introduced in 2018.

Having Trouble With the Death Wobble?

Do you think Jeep has fixed this? Have you had your JL Wrangler in the shop for this fix? If so, let us know if your car has stopped experiencing death wobble in the comments below.

Two of the top automakers decided its time to get rid of the hybrid vehicle and put everything they have on electric cars. Both GM and Volkswagen announced that they have to work harder at meeting emission standards around the world. Here’s why they say goodbye hybrid vehicles and what’s coming next.

Goodbye Hybrid Vehicles

Both of these automakers believe that the standard is heading toward electric. Hybrids aren’t going to be popular in the marketplace soon.

Not everyone agrees with this assessment. In fact, both Toyota and Ford plan to continue manufacturing hybrid cars. Ford keeps dumping more money in a hybrid F-150 while Toyota invests in the Prius.

GM killed off the Chevy Volt last year when critics said it was too expensive. The tax credit was also once $7,500 but is dropping once again to $1,875. As a manufacturer sells 200,000 electric cars, the tax credits diminish.

Part of the concern is that China plans to implement new regulations. These would create fines for automakers that fail to sell a particular number of zero-emission vehicles.

Overall, we can’t say that the news is a surprise. It was only a matter of time before some manufacturers decided to do away with these vehicles. Still, we are shocked that it was GM and VW that took the first step.

Current Hybrid Lineup

If you are still in the market for a hybrid vehicle, we have some information for you. We’ve posted the 2019 Hybrid SUV & Crossover Lineup and the 2019 Hybrid Car Lineup. Both of these offer a complete rundown of the available cars still on the market for the 2019 model year. We will post the 2020 hybrid lineup as soon as we know what vehicles will make it and which will be discontinued.

What are your thoughts on this news? Did you think hybrid vehicles would last forever, or did you see this coming?

If you are a fan of hatchbacks, you will be sad to hear that the 2020 VW Golf R won’t exist. Volkswagen decided to pull it off the market for a year before releasing a full redesign in 2021. We personally think that the Mk7 Golf R remains one of the best hatchbacks on the market, so this is disappointing news.

No 2020 VW Golf R for America

Hot hatches just aren’t a big seller in the United States, so the business decision seems wise. VW didn’t want to invest time and money into a vehicle that won’t sell like crazy while they tweak the new design.

For the 2020 model year, the best Golf will be the Value Edition. It will contain heated seats, Wi-Fi, 16-inch alloy wheels and keyless entry. You can also get the e-Golf, which is battery powered. Look for this in the SE and SEL Premium trim. You also have the option to get a Golf GTI S or SE.

We also know that there won’t be a SportWagen or Alltrack for the 2020 model year. These are even less popular than the hatchback versions.

SUVs continue to be the biggest desire of the American public. They’ve become a staple of families and have taken the place of many wagons or minivans. The good news is, we will see the 2021 VW Golf R, which we look forward to. It’s going to be the Mk8 Golf and we should see it within the next year. Until then, enthusiasts will have to settle for used models or hold out for a new option.

2020 Volkswagen Lineup

The upcoming 2020 VW lineup does offer a lot to get excited about. Updated models coming out include the Atlas, Arteon, Jetta, Passat and Tiguan. Are you disappointed with the news or do you think that the current lineup offers enough?