2012 Model Year

Cook's Corner, in Orange County, has long been a haven for area motorcyclists. But the legendary Trabuco Canyon roadhouse was more jammed than usual Wednesday. Scores of bikers had gathered to get a glimpse of two new motorcycles unveiled by Harley-Davidson Motor Co. for the 2012 model year: a laid-back Sportster called the Seventy-Two and a Softail Slim retro bobber. Harley-Davidson typically introduces all of its new models and updates at a single event in the summer. But with the market still soft in a tough economy, the Milwaukee manufacturer has in recent years wheeled out new bikes in the off-season.

U.S. auto sales surged in August with the Asian brands rebounding quickly from problems that have hurt their results in recent years. American Honda Motor Co. said its U.S. sales soared almost 60% to 131,321 vehicles last month compared to the same period a year earlier. "It's clear that demand for Honda products continues to be strong, and we're on track to post our best yearly sales results in four years," said John Mendel, American Honda's executive vice president of sales.

Big, boring and slow. That's the formula for teenage drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit that analyzes auto safety and driving issues. "The vehicle choice for teens is especially crucial because of their higher risk of getting into a crash," said Russ Rader, the institute's spokesman. The highway safety institute agreed with many of the findings of Consumer Reports, which this week issued its list of the best cars for teen drivers and emphasized how important the electronic stability control safety feature is for young and new drivers.

Car buyers are trading down to smaller vehicles and are finding that they are just as satisfied as they had been with larger autos, according to a study by market research firm J.D. Power and Associates. In its 2012 APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) Study, J.D. Power found that 27% of new-vehicle buyers during a four-month period earlier this year replaced an existing vehicle with a smaller new auto. Only 13% went in the opposite direction during that time period.

Hyundai Motor America is adding to the plethora of monthly statistics it reports: the average mileage per gallon for the cars it has sold. That sales-weighted number serves as a yardstick for how close automakers are getting to the new fuel economy standard, which federal regulators have set at 34.1 miles per gallon for 2016 vehicles. The 2012 model year fleet requirement is 29.7 mpg. It's a slick marketing move that works to the advantage of the South Korean company and is unlikely to be adopted by other automakers, said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with auto information company Edmunds.

There's a law of diminishing returns for environmental regulation: As more specific rules are applied to ever-smaller details, the negative consequences can outweigh the benefits. California air and energy regulators, whose pioneering methods of reducing pollution and greenhouse gases have made residents justifiably proud, are approaching that tipping point. Even as the California Energy Commission considers new efficiency standards for big-screen televisions that could end up deterring innovation and undermining its own goals, the state Air Resources Board recently made a similar mistake on automobile windows.

Imported models took all 13 spots on the U.S. insurance industry's list of safest vehicles this year, mainly because of a new requirement that all cars and sport utility vehicles on the list have systems to keep them stable in an emergency. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety isn't bashful about its reasons for pushing electronic stability control. Its studies show that as many as 10,000 fatal crashes a year could be prevented if every vehicle had the safety feature.

Federal regulators unveiled new fuel economy labels that could make it easier for new-car buyers to compare fuel-efficient vehicles and gas-guzzlers. In the most extensive overhaul of the decals in 30 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation said Wednesday that 2013 model year cars and trucks will have more comprehensive labels detailing projected fuel costs and emissions. In addition to the miles per gallon, the labels will show, on a scale of 1 to 10, how a vehicle stacks up against competitors for smog, tailpipe emissions and fuel economy.

Car buyers are trading down to smaller vehicles and are finding that they are just as satisfied as they had been with larger autos, according to a study by market research firm J.D. Power and Associates. In its 2012 APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) Study, J.D. Power found that 27% of new-vehicle buyers during a four-month period this year replaced an existing vehicle with a smaller new auto. Only 13% went in the opposite direction during that period, while 60% purchased a vehicle in the same size class of the auto they were replacing.

When it comes to sales of electric vehicles, Nissan's Leaf is charging ahead. Nissan Motor Co. has sold 4,134 of the battery-powered electric cars this year. General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet, by comparison, has sold 2,745 of its Volt car, which is technically a plug-in hybrid because it runs on electricity for about 40 miles before a gasoline-fueled generator kicks in to extend the vehicle's range. Fans of the pure electric vehicles, rather than plug-in hybrid models such as the Volt, should be pleased, said Mike Omotoso, an auto industry analyst at J.D. Power & Associates.