| 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.
read comments (0)| 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.
Posted by carC in General on 08 14th, 2009
| Getting the Best Gas Mileage in Your 4Runner |
25 Jul |
Having an SUV, even a fairly small one such as a Toyota 4Runner, can mean spending a lot of money in gas each month. Luckily, there are ways to maintain your gas mileage so that you don’t put a penny more than you have to into your tank.
Here are a few tips for getting optimal gas mileage in your 4Runner or another SUV.
- Remember you’re not in the Indy 500. Driving at the posted speeds can improve your gas mileage because the lights are often timed so that you’ll hit fewer reds. This means less gas wasted starting and stopping. Also, when you do have to stop for a light, avoid accelerating too fast, as this burns even more gas.
- Keep your tires inflated properly. You should be checking your tires at least once a month, perhaps more. Some experts suggest checking your tires every time you get gas, but this actually isn’t best, because your tires need to be COLD (i.e., not driven yet that day) when you check their pressure. If your tires are low on air, you can lose a lot of fuel efficiency.
- Keep your car maintained and running right. Regular maintenance should always be done on time, and any necessary repairs should be made as soon as possible. The better your car is running, the better your gas mileage will be.
Posted by ks in Trucks on 07 25th, 2009
| Pick 6 New Jersey – How To Win Today |
21 Jul |
So many people are playing the Pick 6 New Jersey-How to Win Today in hopes of snatching the grand prize worth millions of dollars. This is probably because this lottery is so easy to play and the jackpot prize is really big. There have been several strategies that avid lotto players came up with to get the prize.
Before learning what those strategies are, here are some concepts that one has to understand to increase the chances of winning. Basically, the numbers in Pick 6 New Jersey-How to Win Today are randomly picked. People who facilitate the game will assure everyone that no trick has been done during the draw. Although the numbers were picked without any order, their arrangement was created in a way that can be used as a basis to win the jackpot. In addition, there were studies conducted on more than 150 varied lotto games since the mid 50’s which led to the conclusion, “That which is most possible will happen all the time and that which is least possible will take place the least often”.
To make the story short, one has to use a probability method to determine the winning numbers. If one has already picked a six number combination and this hasn’t been winning, this is a sure sign that moving on to a different number combination with the help of the probability method would be a great idea.
Another strategy to win the game is the Odd-Even Lotto. In this strategy, a combination of odd as well as even numbers is selected, this is because having an all odd or even numbers in one draw happens rarely. A good combination is to have three odd and three even numbers, two odd and four even numbers or this could be the other way around with two even numbers and four odd numbers. The chance of these combinations to come out of the draw is relatively high at 80%.
Meanwhile, using the High-Low Pick 6 strategy to beat the odds in Pick 6 New Jersey-How to Win Today would require 49 numbers in every box that should be divided in a couple of parts namely, the high parts or the low parts. It is rare to have all high numbers or low number in one draw. A good combination is to have 3 high numbers and 3 low numbers or two high numbers and four low numbers and vice versa. This will yield more than 75% chance of getting the jackpot prize.
There are two more strategies to win the lottery. These techniques are Lotto Number Sum Advice and Lottery Group Strategies. Be forewarned though that a lot of paper is needed to perform these winning techniques. To do a Lottery Number Group Strategies, one has to research and pay close attention on previous winning number combinations and jot these down. Look for 6 numbers that appears several times on all the winning combinations and use these to win the prize.
Finally, in Lotto Number Sum Advice, 6 numbers are selected then these are added. If the sum is within the range of 115 and 185, one has 70% of winning the jackpot.
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Posted by admin in Uncategorized on 07 21st, 2009
| Top 10 Motorcycle Blog |
10 Jul |
Here is a list of Top 10 motorcycle blogs from blogs.com.
Posted by admin in Motorcycles on 07 10th, 2009
| Writing my Thesis on Car Dealership Business Model |
26 Jun |
It seems like I have been in school forever, but I know that I will have a great career someday. That someday is getting a little closer now that I have finished my undergraduate degree and have started my masters. I know that there are a couple more years yet, but the end seems a lot closer.
Needless to say, I needed to come up with a topic for my thesis paper and I decided to do it on the car dealership business model. I wanted to compare and contrast how new and used dealerships operated, and what an entrepreneur would be looking at in terms of investment and return on that investment.
I had decided that I was going to check out as many places that sold new cars in Fort Worth to see if the owners or managers would be interested in doing interviews with me. I had good responses from all the dealerships I visited there and a big thank you goes out to all who participated.
I had to look in the phone book to find a used car dealership in Fort Worth since I didn’t know where to find one. Once I made a list and contacted the owners, I had good participation with them as well.
Now that I have most of my research completed, all I have to do is write up a 40 page essay. Doesn’t that sound like fun?
Posted by ecar in Parts & Accessories on 06 26th, 2009
| Traveling with Children |
23 May |
Before we had children, traveling meant adventure, romance, excitement and relaxation. Whether traveling on a once in a lifetime trip or a spur of the moment getaway, packing and planning took mere moments compared to what we need to do to travel with our two children. While the trips are a little lower key now, we take time planning details like whether a hotel provides cribs and high chairs or the Cancun car hire has car seats available for private use.
We recently went on a trip to Cancun, Mexico for our family vacation and we worked with our travel agent to ensure the hotel we chose was family friendly. Needing family style dining and onsite child care, we made choices based on how the children would fare on our vacation. Our travel agent made sure we had a refrigerator in our room and a suite so we could put the children to bed and watch television or chat without interrupting their much needed sleep. After a full day at the pool and on the beach, the children needed a good night’s sleep in their own room while we enjoyed some time together. As the Cancun rental car dropped us at the airport, we reflected on how different our travel plans are since our children came into our lives.
Posted by ecar in Recreational Vehicles on 05 23rd, 2009
| Uniqueness |
23 Apr |
One of the downsides to modernity is the corporations and factories. I’m not really a hippie, and this certainly isn’t going to be a tirade aimed at modernity and the establishment. Deep down, I have to admit to myself that I’m glad to have easy access to the means for satisfying all of my material needs. People make factories because it’s a fabulously efficient way to produce goods that people want and need. The downside, to me, is a lack of customizability.
I like to think of myself as unique, and it’s depressing to think of everyone using, wearing, driving, everything made from the same mold. I customize where I can. For example, I drive a Corolla that’s twelve years old, but I added my own Toyota accessories to it. The result is a car that doesn’t look quite exactly like everyone else’s. I mean I also switched out some more basic Toyota parts for ones that I think are enough better to warrant the effort. But I really like my wacky green seat upholstery. People always comment on it if they ride in my car. Yes, they’re all genuine Toyota parts, but it almost looks like I did it myself, since you can find such weird parts online that you never see in a car lot.
Posted by E-car in Parts & Accessories on 04 23rd, 2009
