| Cash For Clunkers Helps Ford To July Gain |
20 Aug |
Ford Motor Co. on Monday will post a single-digit sales gain over the same month a year ago, the first monthly sales gain the automaker has posted since 2007.
Company officials said Sunday they attributed the sales gain to the Federal Cash for Clunkers program, as well as a feeling among a growing number of consumers that the worst of the Recession is behind them.
All automakers will post July sales on Monday.
The Cash for Clunkers program, signed into law in late June, allowed dealers in July to give consumers with old vehicles not worth much in a trade an additional $3,500 or $4,500 above their own incentives courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. The program, modeled after similar programs in Europe, is part of the economic stimulus.
Under the program, a buyer who trades a vehicle that gets 18 mpg or less for a car with a mileage improvement of more than four miles per gallon but less than 10 were eligible for $3,500; a buyer whose new vehicle was rated 10 miles per gallon or better than the old one was eligible for $4,500; an old pickup truck could be swapped for a new one with just a 2 mpg improvement for $3,500. If the pickup or SUV being bought is 5MPG more, the benefit is $4,500. Heavu Duty trucks and some commercial vehicles have different rules. The trade in vehicles have been old with high-mileage because there is no other trade-in value on the car, unless automakers and dealers add to the government rebates (which most have).
The Clunkers program is estimated to have been a part of more than 200,000 sales in July. It proved so popular that the House of Representatives scrambles Friday to pass a bill authorizing an additional $2 billion. The first $1 billion was exhausted on Friday after just a week of the government processing applications. The U.S. Senate will take up the vote thos week. President Obama has said he will sign the bill.
Though the bill was written to give preference to people trading in old pickup trucks and full-sized SUVs for new ones, the results favored cars. The top vehicle traded in under the Clunkers program was the Ford Explorer SUV, most of them from the 1990s when Ford was selling around 400,000 a year. The top vehicle purchased under the program was the Ford Focus. There were no pickups in the top ten vehicles purchased under Clunkers. And there was only one SUV, the Ford Escape crossover, which is offered in a hybrid version.
read comments (0)| Test Driving A Lexus LS 600h |
19 Aug |
If you do not want to contribute to the environmental pollution and degradation and feel guilty for using your polluting vehicle, some new options have popped up for you. Hybrid cars have become a popular and alternate option to common vehicles. Hybrid cars are known for their environment friendly operation and minimum use of natural resources i.e. gasoline.
There is a huge variety of hybrid cars available in the UK market. The actual number of these cars would be at least in dozens as every company is trying to catch up with the popularity of hybrid vehicles. Lexus is among those companies who first ventured into this business and have carved a strong niche for themselves. Luxury sedans of Lexus, branded under Lexus LS 600h sell like hot items due to their excellent driving record and less emissions.
If you have decided to buy a Lexus LS 600h for yourself then you will first need to inspect the vehicle. A test drive is the best way to do that. This way, you can understand the vehicle on a personal level and can test all the devices, speed and performance of the car. Test-driving a Lexus LS 600h requires some smart approach from your side.
You can look into the braking power and transmission system of the car. Try applying quick brakes in a succession and changing gears rapidly to understand the dynamics of the car. Also, try to look into the steering wheel and its attitude. LS 600h cars have a firm, but comfortable steering wheel that is very easy to navigate. Additionally, the automatic transmission means that you will have minimum hassle in driving the vehicle.
Another thing to look for in a test drive is the fuel economy. These cars are equipped with advanced fuel trackers that help you in getting information about the total amount of fuel used and remaining. Additionally, the emission factor is also displayed on special monitors. These monitors are updated as you drive through and give you exact details of the gases emitted from your car.
As you will be driving a hybrid vehicle, it would be a best idea to switch quickly to electric mode. After all, hybrid cars are meant to be driven on electric driver-motors in most cases. These electric motors have specially designed batteries that are strong enough to last for 300,000 miles or more.
You can test the power of these batteries by taking a longer test drive and fully utilising the electric system to find more about the vehicle. You can check the speed, acceleration, brakes, and transmission system while on the electric mode.
- You should not panic or return the car quickly. Test drives are meant to be the actual litmus test before buying a vehicle. Take some time to examine every aspect of these cars so that you can understand their specifications. Lexus LS 600h will most probably past all these tests as they are built near to perfection.
Danny Green is a car dealer. Now buy Luxury Convertible with huge discounts.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/test-driving-a-lexus-ls-600h-1059244.html
| Custom Jeep Seat Covers: The Quality Protection at Affordable Rates |
17 Aug |
Do you own a jeep? Then, you know how tough it’s to maintain your jeep seats. Being the open vehicle and their diverse use, the seats of your jeep are vulnerable to varieties of abuses and hazards. However, there are certain jeep seat covers that provide complete protection against such abuses and keep your seats comfortable and appealing.
Markets are full with varieties of seat covers. While some are reliable, others are not that effective. Therefore, for a typical jeep owner it’s not an easy task to select the best jeep seat cover that can offer reliable protection against varieties of hazards.
The multipurpose vehicles are used in many different activities. These are used in farming, safari, construction and many other activities besides transportation. Are you concerned about the protection of your jeep seats? Get custom-made seat covers that are especially prepared for your jeeps.
When it comes to protect your original upholstery against varieties of internal and external elements that damage your jeep seats, it’s necessary that you cover your original upholstery with an effective seat covers. Thanks to the some manufacturers of repute, you have an excellent opportunity to choose the best seat covers from that wide range of options available. Among others, some of the best custom-tailored jeep seat covers are Neoprene seat covers, Velour seat covers, Genuine Leather seat covers, Tweed seat covers, and Leatherette seat covers etc.
Custom-tailored seat covers available in several color options. You can select the best color and patterns of your choice and taste. With custom fitting and complete covering, exceptional breathability, water resistance, great UV protection, and strength, the custom made jeep seat covers provide optimum protection and greater appeal inside your vehicle.
So, get the custom-fit jeep seat covers, protect your original upholstery, and get enhanced look and feel inside your jeep, that is at affordable cost.
Rachel Kadin is passionate about jeeps. Whether it is Neoprene seat covers, Ballistic seat covers, Tweed seat covers or Poly Cotton seat covers, he writes extensively on Jeep seat covers and other auto accessories.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/custom-jeep-seat-covers-the-quality-protection-at-affordable-rates-1059035.html
| Introducing the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle |
14 Aug |
Amid much fanfare, Nissan finally showed off the first of several new electric vehicles this morning at the opening of its new global headquarters in Yokohama. Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, a longtime skeptic on hybrids, is betting that the Leaf and other EVs, will quickly become mass market hits, and even suggested that fully electric models could account for 10% of all car sales by 2020.
The car looks much like other mass market models. Despite its name, its design doesn’t scream “eco-car” and, unlike some electric vehicles of the past, space inside isn’t compromised. Capable of seating five, Ghosn and three Japanese politicians with connections to Yokohama, including former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, emerged from the “blue earth” colored Leaf with ease after it appeared on the stage.
The grand entrance was followed by short video featuring an assortment of schoolchildren explaining how good the green Leaf is for all our futures. One youngster, presumably of his own free will, even compared it to an angel coming down to Earth.
Ghosn, though, focused on the practicalities, reiterating Nissan’s plan that the Leaf, which runs a 100 miles on a single charge, excluding the cost of the batteries will cost no more to buy and run than a traditional gasoline-powered car. Zero-emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, he said, are a bonus. Charging time is seven hours, although a 30 minute quick charge can get batteries back up to 80%.
Key to its success will be bringing down the cost of the batteries, which currently cost around $10,000 per car to make. Sensibly, Nissan plans to lease the batteries to customers rather than try to sell the car at an inflated price. Initially, the carmaker will share the burden by taking advantage of government subsidies and cheap loans to ensure sales are profitable from day one. The challenge will be to get costs down to a sufficient level by the time governments begin scaling back state incentives. Mass production should help. Ghosn, once again emphasizing the importance of affordability, said that the cost of leasing the batteries and the electricity used to charge them will be less than what ustomers spend on gasoline for regular cars.
Even if the economics remain challenging–no other automaker is yet following the mass-market approach of Nissan and its alliance partner Renault–the Leaf is an enjoyable drive. I tried out a version of the car, albeit with a different body, earlier this week on a Nissan test track. The acceleration and handling were impressive and, importantly, it felt steady and secure. In terms of size, the version I drove, which measur4.4 meters long by 1.7 meters wide, was perfectly comfortable. Indeed, when I them drove a Nissan Tiida (Versa in the U.S.) a few minutes later, I realized I much preferred the EV.
Intriguingly, Ghosn once again took aim at hybrids, which he says have failed to become a mass market choice, noting that their global market share is just 2%. To me, that’s slightly disingenuous given that until recently only Toyota and, to a lesser extent, Honda were serious about gas-electrics. What’s more, Toyota expects to sell over a million hybrids a year in a year or so and both Toyota and Honda reckon hybrids will soon account for 10% of their sales. And hybrids, unlike EVs, aren’t hindered by short driving ranges, use batteries that cost a fraction of the cost of electric cars and don’t require billions of dollars of public subsidy. Ghosn, though, reckons that the only thing stopping EVs becoming a mass market phenomenon will be automakers’ ability to make them quickly enough. “The problem we have is will we have enough capacity,” he said.
| Cash For Clunkers Boosts Ford Production: "Eye-Popping" Sales in August |
14 Aug |
Ford Motor Co. is upping its production of fuel efficient vehicles in the third quarter to meet demand, the company, says for vehicles being purchased under the extended Cash for Clunkers program, as well as overall increased interest in new cars by consumers.
Cash for Clunkers is pushing August sales so far this month to levels not seen since before the global credit meltdown last Fall. In the first few days of August, Edmunds.com says the auto industry was cracking at a 16 million a year rate. That’s up from less than a 10 million selling rate in the first half of the year, and less than 12 million rate in July.
Ford senior sales analyst George Pipas says that it is too early to project the selling rate for August on the whole. “But I can tell you that retail sales we are seeing is eyepopping versus a year ago.”
Pipas said that he fully expected that sales will fallback when the government program expires. “But it’s hard to say to what level, because it is so dependent on the economy,” Pipas said.
Ford will build 10,000 more Focus sub-compact cars and Escape crossover SUVs than it had planned. In July, the first month of the government’s Clunkers program, the Focus was the top model purchased with the help of government rebates, while the Escape was the only utility vehicle to make the top ten.
The Cash for Clunkers program gives care and truck buyers either $3,500 or $4,500 toward the purchase of a new, generally more fuel efficient, vehicle. The engine in the trade-ins are destroyed and recycled, along with the rest of the vehicle, to prevent traded in vehicles from hitting the used car market.
Congress extended the program with $2 billion, on top of the original $1 billion, before breaking for recess.
Ford has not only benefitted from the government program, but also, the company says, in increased interest in its vehicles from higher quality ratings on its vehicles. Analysts also point to the fact that Ford has been picking off customers of General Motors and Chrysler who deserted those automakers in recent months as they went through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
Ford is the only U.S. automaker not to take a government bailout or file Chapter 11 this year.
The increased production will come after the Clunkers program has run out of money, but Ford says it will need it to replenish depleted inventories and deal with increasing demand for more fuel efficient vehicles as consumers anticipate higher gas prices with a recovering economy.
Ford economists have also said that demand for new vehicles, independent of the Clunker program, will be stronger in the second half of the year than the first half as consumers see investment portfolios bounce back with the stock market and job loss data from the government improve.
Ford is increasing its North American production to a total of 495,000 units in the third quarter, an increase of 18% from the same quarter in 2008. Ford also plans to produce 570,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter, a 33% boost from the same quarter last year.
One of the problems facing Ford and other automakers is that dealerships are running short of the models that are most commonly sought under the program. A request has been made by some legislators to allow consumers to get vouchers for vehicles dealers do not have in stock, so they can get the car they want before the Clunker fund runs out of money.
Japanese automakers have objected to that request, claiming it would create confusion among dealers and consumers. However, some Japanese automakers have models that qualify, but haven’t been as popular in the program, and are hoping that as models in demand run short, they can use the program to drive consumers to other less popular models.
“It’s another whole level of complexity in a very complex program already,” said Mike Stanton, president and chief executive of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood earlier this week asking that consumers be allowed to receive vouchers from the manufacturers for vehicles that have yet to arrive at dealerships. The current rules, though, require the vehicles to be at dealerships to qualify.
| Airport Rental Cars: Making It Easier |
10 Feb |
If you have every spent any time at a Florida airport, you know full well just how overwhelming it can be. It is one of the busier locations in the country and for that, there is no shortage of people standing at the easy rent a car desk waiting for their specific vehicle to be made available to them. If you do want to avoid this, there are several things to keep in mind. First of all, one of the best ways to cut down your time in line is to book your rental over the web. You can arrange online for many of the companies offering rental service at the airport.
In addition to this, Florida car hire that is booked in advance can help. Even if you do not want to use the web to help you, then at least give the cheap car rentals Florida agent a call and make arrangements ahead of time. When you do this, you will save a great deal of time. You may also be able to save some time by booking ahead, too. There is no reason to walk into any of the car rental locations without at least some plan already in mind!
