Used car and light truck sales up 80% in 2011 compared to 2010. Aside from CarMax, Inc., the top sellers were private auto dealers and not the major car dealerships. More private dealers are increasing their exposure via their website sales and classified sales. If the trend continues, that will be good news for the auto transport industry. When people buy used cars online, they have better selections and better prices. This also leads to the need for auto transport of their new “used car” purchase.

---

Three major automotive manufacturers sign on for electric brake technology in their 2013 vehicles. While the manufacturers remain nameless at this time, this does show progress in auto technology. The electric brake technology, supplied by TRW Automotive, handles both the conventional braking and the parking brake in one package. This simplifies car design, reduces braking parts by almost 50% and reduces weight by up to 16 pounds. This will help auto transporters prevent roll-aways by automatically engaging when the door is opened or the seat belt is disengaged.

---

Bio-Fuel option pricing released by GM will be a hard pill to swallow. As usual, the green technology being added, offered and pushed by the government is still so expensive that it out prices is efficiency. The price tag to add this option to the Chevy Silverado 2500 or the GMC Sierra 2500 is $11,000. This also takes includes the installation of a type-3 tank in the truck bed. So if you need your truck bed space, forget this option. If you need this option, you probably already have or need a truck bed toolbox and from the looks of it, both cannot exist in the same truck bed. Additionally, the ROI looks to be 3-5 years depending on fuel prices and the need for extra vehicles dues to less bed space. Look for these vehicles to be transported to auto dealers without this package pre-installed.

---