Three new models which have remained in my mind as among the most outstanding for 2024 are the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring four-door, the ’25 Ram 1500 Crew Cab with the Hurricane 3.0-liter inline-6 twin-turbo engine and the ’24 Kia EV9 seven-passenger SUV electric crossover.

The Honda Civic, 3 inches longer and 300 pounds heavier, averaged 47.5 miles per gallon from its 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine with two electric motors. The Ram 1500’s I-6 engine, replacing the famed Hemi V-8, has equaled the bigger block in power and exceeded it in fuel efficiency in drives I made in Poudre Canyon and out east to Grover. The Kia EV9 electric displayed amazing instant torque from its high-voltage battery and dual-motor powertrain, was very effective with firm lane-correction and assist, and carried us in bumper-to-bumper traffic to Buc-ees in its opening week in March.

As we head into Year 2025, here are a few other highlights from the past year:

Most affordable – The Buick Envista, built in South Korea, with a 120-horsepower, 3-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, at $29,215.

Priciest – The Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 SUV 4Matic electric, $121,765.

Most powerful – Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric, 641 hp, 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds.

Crunch sound – The noise of the minivan’s tires breaking through an icy snow cover, occurring on a bitter-cold 7-below-zero night in late January 2024 aboard the new Toyota Sienna AWD hybrid van. The Sienna churned steadily on through the crusted snow and provided good grip on cornering.

Book signings – Fun gatherings at my two former hometowns; an Alfa Romeo Stelvio carried us to Sterling in February and a Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 electric made the run to Wray in September. These were for the book, “2,600 Cars and a Dog Sled, Bud Wells’ 67 Years in Newspapering and Automobiles.”

Booking closed – Projected to be the biggest signing session of all at the Colorado Convention Center in April for the Denver Auto Show, it ended with a thud when I passed out 10 minutes into the event. I was driven to St. Joseph Hospital emergency, treated and released.

Timber!!! – The Warn Zeon 10-S winch at the front of the Ford Bronco Everglades 4WD sport ute let us fell a tall aspen tree in June at the corner of our residential property in Greeley. The project was directed by Bill Allen and Dale Wells.

Lifetime achievement – I had no idea who was being honored when Mary Conway began talking of the award at the annual Christmas party of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press in December; when she mentioned the “Sterling Journal-Advocate in 1956” I knew and was thrilled and will cherish this all my remaining days.

Hall of fame – It was my privilege to nominate Tom Botterill for induction into the Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame; he was one of the first prominent car dealers in Denver, serving the city for more than 40 years until retiring in the mid-1940s. Others honored in 2024 were John Bowell, Ed Bozarth, Mike Feeley, Art Stapp and Steve Taylor.

Out of state – Driving the Subaru Ascent at Palm Desert, Calif., vacationing with Kim, Missy, Dale and Sandy.

Jan’s favorite – The Honda Civic Hybrid.

Best greeting – Happy New Year!

Chrysler as an automotive nameplate was established in this country 100 years ago.

The first car of that name, the Chrysler Six Model B-70, was unveiled in January 1924, by Walter P. Chrysler and his Maxwell Motor Co. Mr. Chrysler continued to build cars of the Chrysler name, though waiting into the next year before reorganizing his company into the Chrysler Corporation in June 1925, the year in which the Chrysler brand is expected to base its centennial references.

Two significant innovations of the first Chrysler automobile in 1924 were a powerful, high-compression engine and the first use of four-wheel hydraulic brakes in a moderately priced vehicle ($1,565). Features also included replaceable oil and air filters, shock absorbers and an internally-lit dashboard with temperature gauge.

With the Chrysler car well-received since its debut, the year 1928 served as a springboard to corporate success when the company purchased Dodge Brothers and introduced two new products – Plymouth for the low-end market and DeSoto as a medium-price choice.

One of the original Chrysler dealerships in Denver sat at 1000 Broadway, Cullen-Thompson Chrysler, which operated from 1925 to 1963. The near-40-year reign of Cullen-Thompson as Colorado’s premier Chrysler dealership came to an end when F.C. Cullen sold to Fo Farland and Temple Buell Jr. Cullen’s partner, Ward J. Thompson, had passed away in 1954.

I (Bud Wells) was inside the famed dealership in Denver with my father, Dale Wells, in 1945 at 8 years of age, and again in 1953 at age 16 with an older brother, Armor.

My family’s association with Chrysler dated back to 1935 when my father was awarded franchises for Chrysler and Plymouth automobiles at Wray, Colo. Dad also acquired Ford and Mercury franchises for Wray in 1939. My oldest brother, Gene Wells, operated a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth operation at Holyoke, Colo., from 1952 to 1988.

Trucks and SUVs/crossovers claimed almost four/fifth of the light-duty vehicle sales market in the U.S. in 2023, as overall sales jumped about 13 percent from 13.8 million in 2022 to 15.6 million last year.

Among pickup and crossover models posting major gains in ’23 were:

• Ford F-Series,
• Chevy Trax,
• Honda Civic and CR-V,
• Infiniti QX60,
• Nissan Rogue,
• Subaru Forester and
• Tesla Model Y.

The sharp dropoff in popularity of four-door and two-door sedans and the declining number of those nameplates available were reflected in the fact only 10 cars models sold more than 100,000 units for the year; 10 years ago, in 2013, 23 car models surpassed the 100,000-mark in sales.

Top sellers the past year were:

• Toyota Camry for cars,
• Fords F-Series for trucks,
• Toyota RAV4 for SUVs/crossovers and
• Chrysler Pacifica for minivans;

all four are repeat winners from a year ago.

Among pony cars, Ford Mustang outsold the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro, after finishing second to the Challenger the past two years. The Jeep Wrangler retained its lead over the strong, relatively new Ford Bronco, 156,581 to 105,665.

Consistent in sales were three Subaru crossovers – the Outback with 161,814, the Crosstrek with 159,193 and the Forester with 152,566.

Following are sales by model category for 2023:

www.KBatCommunications.com

Colorado Journalist, Bud Wells, Releases New Book:

2600 Cars and a Dog Sled

Revving up the excitement just in time for the holidays, Bud Wells, longtime Colorado automotive journalist and aficionado, unveils his latest book: 2600 Cars and a Dog Sled. This book promises to be a game-changer for car enthusiasts and those looking to embrace Bud’s interesting history and 67 years in the newspaper industry.

Exploring the roads less traveled and the highways that wind through the majestic Rocky Mountains and beyond, 2600 Cars and a Dog Sled is more than just a book – it’s Bud’s journey.

To know Bud is to know his love of cars and we invite you to explore the brand new book at www.BudWellsBooks.com  As his wife, Jan, always says: “Bud can remember every single car he’s ever driven.” The book is a lovely reflection on Bud’s years in the Colorado newspaper industry and his love of cars. Full of Bud’s dynamic driving experiences, industry anecdotes and featuring prominent Coloradoans detailing their favorite cars to Bud – we know you’ll love it.

For media inquiries or author interviews, please contact:  Kristin Battenfield    303.903.9981   [email protected]

We’re all saddened by the death of John Fielder, Colorado’s eminent nature photographer.

Jan and I, daughters Kim and Kathy and son-in-law Bill Allen were in line at Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley a couple years ago for John Fielder to sign our copies of his new book, “Weld County: 4,000 square miles of grandeur greatness and yesterdays.”

He had just signed a book for Tom and Jana Caldwell, we stepped up, I said, “Bud Wells,” and he said, “Ah, my favorite car guy.”

Then, in a much quieter voice, he added, “Few people know this, I’m somewhat of a car guy, too.” And since that moment, John and I have been on the same page.

So much so that in early May, he sent to me a photo of him with his car and a bylined accompaniment to be used as lead-in for a chapter entitled ‘My Favorite Car’ in my book “2,600 Cars and a Dog Sled,” scheduled for publication in September or early October.

The thought of him participating in the upcoming book was mentioned earlier this year; here is his response:

“Hi Bud…it is good to hear from Colorado’s car guy. What a great career you’ve had. Thanks for pat on back and for keeping my love of cars to vest. For sure happy to contribute as you ask. Can there be a caption that explains my connection with sports cars (I grew up in Charlotte and was smitten when Holman Moody Racing allowed me and my high school buds to sit in 1967 Ford GT40s they were preparing for Le Mans!)? This would help anyone perhaps who sees me driving a sports car as antithetical to my environmentalism. What is deadline for a photo? Thanks, John

He sent an excellent photo of him and his car in the first week of May, and I sent back this note:

A great photo, John, excellent text to accompany it, what a wonderful lead page it will be for a chapter on ‘Favorite Cars.’ I wish you improved health and my prayers will be with you. – Bud

On May 10, I received this note from Fielder to explain a photo he sent of the Porsche and old tractors – “I took the car east and driving through Bennett I found this field of old tractors and sent it to my car friends with a note that I had outrun them all…”

Our last exchange was in late May: John, a wonderful piece by Bruce Finley (Denver Post). I was thinking back to my start at the Sterling Journal-Advocate in 1956. Our cameras were two 4X5 Speed Graphics, nice to have the large negatives, but lugging those heavy cameras and the wood slides, my gosh. I finally bought in 1964 a Yashica Mat, cheaper version of Rollieflex, and used it for several years. – Bud

And this response from Fielder: “Hi Bud…so you were a trooper hauling a 4×5 just like me. Welcome to the sheet film world. Mine was a German Linhof and I used it for 25 years. Bulletproof for wilderness pitfalls, literally. I needed it for the amount of detail it could capture…” – John

John Fielder sent photo and accompanying text to me to fill a lead page in the chapter My Favorite Car for the book, “2,600 Cars and a Dog Sled: Bud Wells’ 67 Years in Newspapering and Automobiles,” scheduled for publication late next month or early October.

For more information, contact Bud Wells at [email protected].

Twenty-five years ago, it was the panoramic convex mirror (a ‘fisheye’ mirror) attracting attention in the 1998 Ford Windstar minivan.

Today, it is a feature called FamCam, a black disc in the headliner of the 2023 Chrysler Pacifica that contains cameras for viewing each seat in the rear of the van.

It was and is all about “keeping an eye on the kids” in the second and third row of seats.

The disc, positioned overhead between the second and third row of seats, will show an overall image of the rear seats, and a zoom option will focus on any one of the individual seats, including even a rear-facing child seat. The images are viewed on the infotainment screen in the front dash of the minivan. Infrared camera views are provided in nighttime driving.

The Ford convex mirror from the late ‘90s dropped down out of the overhead console to give the driver virtually complete view of the inside of the minivan. It gave a wide-angle reflection of everyone, from the  front-seat passenger to those in the second and third rows. It covered from side-to-side, top-to-bottom.

The Ford Windstar was produced from 1995 to 2003. In calendar year 2000, the Windstar sold 222,298 minivans, second only to the Dodge Grand Caravan, which sold 285,739.

The FamCam interior camera in the 2023 Chrysler Pacifica is part of an optional Uconnect Theater Family Group, which for an added $3,295 also includes 19 Harman Kardon speakers with subwoofer, power-folding third-row seat, integrated vacuum, seatback video screens and Blu-Ray DVD player.

The Honda  Odyssey and Kia Carnival also have optional rear-seat viewers; Honda’s is called Cabin Watch and Kia’s is Passenger View.  

I was readying the coffee, with cinnamon rolls on the table, as I awaited arrival of five old friends at my home in Greeley on a Friday morning.

The five are among dozens of drivers who through the years have delivered new cars to me from Automotive Media Solutions and Drive Shop for reviewing, something I’ve done off and on for 45 years.

Responding to my buzzing cell phone, I heard one of them, “We’re turning the corner toward your home, look out your kitchen window.”

I was surprised, for it wasn’t five men in one car, it was the five guys in five cars – all classics.

The five old autos and the driver of each:

1946 Hudson Commodore 6 driven over by Mel Bacon of Brighton. Bacon has a collection of 19 classic cars, including these five and several Kaiser/Frazer models.

1949 Packard Custom 8 driven by Dick Husted of Littleton.

1957 Cadillac Sedan deVille driven by Lorren Ballard of Roxborough Park.

1963 Ford Galaxie convertible driven by Norm Fryer of Arvada.

1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk driven by Jim Rudolph of Littleton.

The automobile beauties were pulled over and parked in a line along the curb in front of my home as I walked down the driveway to greet them. A neighbor, Wayne, from across the street walked over for a close inspection of the parade.

The weather was nice, relatively warm (a rarity this spring); numerous people walked by and stopped to admire the cars, as they were parked out front for more than an hour. Several persons driving by stopped and took photos.

The old models, deserving lots of TLC, were driven only 40 miles per hour from their facility in Brighton to Greeley; the drivers got waves and thumbs’-up signals and an occasional honk of a horn while being passed by other motorists.

Jan was having tea that morning with our daughter Kathy Allen, though she returned home in time to greet the guys and capture the accompanying photo of the six of us.

I then enjoyed a short drive in the Packard with Jan in the front passenger seat, Bacon and Husted in the backseat. I’d forgotten, but to start a ’49 Packard, the driver must push the accelerator to the floorboard – the starter button was positioned at floor level beneath the pedal. I quickly remembered the effort it took to turn that big, heavy sedan without power steering.

The five guys have been drivers for Automotive Media Solutions, owned and operated by Paul Shippey.

New-car sales in Colorado, like elsewhere in the country, took a hit in 2022 – all except the oncoming electrics.

“We’re seeing a substantial increase in registrations of battery electric (BEV) and hybrid vehicles in our state,” said Tim Jackson, president of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.

While total registrations declined from 223,985 in 2021 to 194,188, a drop of 13.3 percent, the electrics and hybrids jumped 25 percent to 34,416.

Led by Tesla, market share by the battery electric vehicles climbed to 8.1 percent on 15,818 registrations in 2022, an increase of 48 percent from the previous year.  Gas/electric hybrid vehicles claimed 7.2 percent of the market in ’22 and plug-in hybrid vehicles earned 2.4 percent. Tesla registrations climbed to 8,226 in Colorado, an increase of 1,695 units from 2021.

Kia was the lone brand to show significant increase last year over 2021, a gain of 695 units; Mitsubishi gained by 56 units and Mini Cooper by 34. Major losses were Honda by 6,719 units, Ford 3,121, Subaru 3,093, Ram 2,897, Chevrolet 2,695, Jeep 2,055 and Buick 1,028. 

Toyota, Ford and Subaru were top three brands in registrations for the year.

1. Toyota led with 28,031 registrations;
2. Ford had 21,960;
3. Subaru 18,170;
4. Chevrolet 12,515;
5. Hyundai 10,944;
6. Jeep 10,719;
7. Honda 10,595;
8. Kia 10,178;
9. Tesla 8,226;
10. GMC 7,790;
11. Ram 7,735;
12. Nissan 7,177;
13. Volkswagen 6,389;
14. Mazda 5,372;
15. BMW 4,456;
16. Mercedes 3,796;
17. Audi 3,323;
18. Lexus 3,222;
19. Volvo 2,042;
20. Dodge 1,116;
21. Cadillac 1,109;
22. Acura, 1,061;
23. Buick 1,042;
24. Porsche 1,010;
25. Lincoln 944;
26. Land Rover 865;
27. Genesis 634;
28. Mini Cooper 604;
29. Mitsubishi 573;
30. Infiniti 571;
31. Chrysler 359;
32. Jaguar 153;
33. Alfa Romeo 110;
34. Maserati 78.

Among individual models, the top five sellers in 2022 were the:

• Ford F-series,
• Toyota RAV4,
• Ram pickup,
• Subaru Crosstrek and
• Chevy Silverado.

Interestingly, only 13.1 percent of sales in the U.S. last year were cars, the other 86.9 percent were pickups and SUVs.