Day: September 4, 2021

INDIANA IN-DEPTH: Chip shortage puts news, used vehicles in high demand | Across Indiana

By Betty C. Morrow 2 weeks ago

Currently in the market for a new or used car? If so, be prepared for some sticker shock, at least for the foreseeable future.

According to the analysts at automotive resource company Edmunds, new car inventories have been strained for months due primarily to a combination of global semiconductor chip shortages and supply chain disruptions connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After digging into the potential impacts of those factors, the company recently reported that new vehicle inventory at dealerships nationwide was down by 48% this spring compared to a year ago, with inventories continuing to fall in the summer. And while the company does predict that new car inventories will begin to steadily rebuild beginning in September, the anticipation is that inventories will remain well below their pre-pandemic levels through 2022.

“New vehicles — particularly new trucks and SUVs — are basically the 2021 equivalent of toilet paper and

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Car Hacking Danger Is Likely Closer Than You Think

By Betty C. Morrow 2 weeks ago
  • Connected cars are great, until they’re not. A recent Detroit Free Press article shows that vehicle hacks are more common and more dangerous that most people realize.
  • There were at least 150 automotive cybersecurity incidents in 2019, part of a 94 percent year-over-year increase since 2016, according to a report from Upstream Security.
  • Oh, and here’s a phrase we’re loath to see, even though we’re likely to come across it plenty more in the future: ransomware for cars.

    It is impossible to remotely hack into an unconnected car. But if you’re not driving the latest vehicle from Tautology Motors, your vehicle is likely at risk from some sort of digital intrusion. In fact, almost every car on the road today, if it can connect, can be hacked to some degree.

    That’s the opinion of Moshe Shlisel, the CEO and cofounder of GuardKnox Cyber Technologies, a company that focuses on

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    Labor Day Weekend Car Sales Could Be Slow

    By Betty C. Morrow 2 weeks ago

    Car buyers could find it tough to locate the traditional Labor Day weekend deals that had been a hallmark of the auto retailer calendar until the COVID-19 pandemic as dealers struggle to keep their lots full amid supply chain bottlenecks this year.

    Many dealers have such low supplies this weekend they are actually cutting their advertising budgets this month and closing up shop Friday and Saturday rather than welcoming streams of buyers, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

    The pandemic forced many car factories to shut down in early 2020, but even as they’ve tried to restart production over the past year, a global computer-chip shortage has hampered U.S. auto production and led to a shortage of available new cars.

    “Customers are walking in and saying, ‘Hey, I really want this vehicle.’ Well, yeah, so do we,” said Scott Smith, president of Smith Automotive Group, which operates

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