Eco-Driving May Boost Truck Fuel Economy By 22%

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AppId is over the quota
By Danny King October 19, 2011

Drivers of heavy-duty trucks may boost fuel efficiency by as much as 22 percent by changing their driving and idling habits, according to a survey of almost 700 U.S. truck drivers. The survey results indicate that truck-driver training may have as much of an impact at cutting greenhouse-gas emissions as powertrain improvements and vehicle weight reductions. Such fuel economy improvements may save commercial truck operators more than $12,500 a year per truck, according to a report by San Diego-based SmartDrive Systems, whose products track individual driving habits for fleet operators. After two months of eco-driving training, the average driver surveyed by SmartDrive improved his fuel efficiency to 6.73 miles per gallon from 5.92 miles per gallon, the company said in the report.

The drivers who finished in the top 25 percentile of fuel economy reached about 8 miles per gallon, up 22 percent from what those drivers achieved prior to training. SmartDrive, which used sensors and recorders to track the drivers' habits and provide real-time feedback that the drivers use to adjust their methods accordingly, concluded that 80 percent of fuel waste stems from hard accelerations, hard braking, hard turning and the inability to maintain a constant speed, while the other 20 percent of waste comes from excessive idling. Tools such as on-board G-force sensors and GPS devices provided driving information, while on-board color coded LED light bars let the driver know if his or her driving was ecologically good (green), so-so (amber) or poor (red).

SmartDrive, which started the study in May 2011, said that, prior to training, the typical truck driver made a hard acceleration every 15 minutes, hit the brakes hard every 22 minutes and turned hard about once an hour. "The greatest opportunity in fuel efficiency comes from the way a vehicle is operated, particularly hard driving maneuvers," SmartDrive said in the report. "Identifying inefficient driving habits and reinforcing best practices leads directly to improved performance and reduced operating costs."

Public entities and private companies alike are looking to find ways to boost fuel economy for heavy-duty trucks, especially as fuel prices rise, because those trucks tend to be driven far more each year and provide far lower fuel economy than cars and light-duty trucks. Almost 101,000 medium- and heavy-duty hybrid trucks will be sold worldwide in 2017, up from less than 10,000 this year, green-technology research firm Pike Research said in a report last month. North America will account for about a quarter of the hybrid commercial truck sales in 2017, while Asia Pacific will make up more than 40 percent.

Such hybrid trucks are geared to meet more stringent greenhouse-gas emissions requirements. In August, President Obama announced the first-ever fuel-economy standards for work trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles. The rules, which cover the 2014-2018 model years, require: big-rigs to achieve up to a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions by model year 2018; heavy-duty pickups and vans up to a 15 percent reduction; and, vocational vehicles (including delivery trucks, buses and garbage trucks) up to a 10 percent reduction. Under the new national program, the model year 2014-2018 trucks and buses are estimated to reduce oil consumption by a projected 530 million barrels and greenhouse-gas pollution by approximately 270 million metric tons.

Still, the SmartDrive results will likely intensify the debate over whether federal regulations or increased driver training is the best way to boost truckers' fuel efficiency. Independent trucker Scott Grenerth, speaking in a Congressional hearing last week on a panel that included Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl, said certain greenhouse-gas emissions standards would be especially onerous for truckers because high fuel-efficiency requirements increase the average price of a new truck and force manufacturers into using powertrain technologies that are newer, less proven and may cost truckers more in the long term because of additional repairs and time out of service. Better training is a far better bet, he said. "With diesel at close to $4 a gallon, if I don't drive in a fuel-efficient manner, I'll drive myself out of business," Grenerth said. "Trucking will take every opportunity to improve efficiency without government mandates."

Danny King:  is a frequent contributor to AutoObserver.com.

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Despite Strong September, Economy Slows Car Sales

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AppId is over the quota
By Lacey Plache October 12, 2011

Consumer confidence, a strong stock market and employment gains bolstered car sales momentum in the first half of 2011, but the current economic environment no longer includes these factors. Instead, several negative factors are contributing to the erosion of new vehicle demand: falling confidence; limited wealth effects; and a floundering labor market recovery. And while buying conditions are improving for consumers, Edmunds.com expects these negative economic factors to remain dominant forces in the months to come. A growing recession risk at home and the European debt crisis pose additional threats to auto sales. Edmunds.com expects auto sales to grow, but at a slower pace than previously expected.

New Economic Forces In Play
Consumer confidence fell from 59.2 in July to 45.2 in August -- its lowest level and steepest fall since the recession. The uncertain economic environment played a key role in this decline. Stock market volatility, in particular, has dragged down confidence, beginning in May, when the market dropped sharply due to earthquake-induced production issues and high gas prices. The market rebounded briefly in July, thanks to reports of surprisingly strong second quarter earnings, but the debt ceiling negotiations and the downgrade of U.S. debt erased the effect of earnings season in August. A series of daily declines of 400-500 points rocked the Dow Jones Industrial Average leading to plummeting confidence. The market stayed volatile through September, amidst rising uncertainty regarding the European debt crisis, and confidence remained low.

Wealth effects will offer little support to car sales this fall. The sinking stock market eliminates a key recent source of wealth effects, created when the Dow soared from 10,015 in August 2010 to 12,811 in April 2011. Another key source, wealth from housing, remains unreliable as well. Strong housing prices buoyed confidence and auto sales pre-recession, but at this point, home values have yet to bottom out since the end of last decade’s bubble. Data from previous recessions caused by financial crises indicate that the housing market could be years away from full recovery, which will lead to a drag on consumer motivation to buy new cars for years to come.

The lack of substantial job growth further threatens vehicle sales in the foreseeable future. To return to 2007 employment levels, the economy still needs to recover 6.5 million of the 8.6 million jobs lost from 2008 to 2010, not accounting for interim population growth. At the rate of 250,000 jobs added per month (considered a healthy rate for a recovery), the economy would not recover these jobs for nearly two and a half years. Job creation has reached that level in only a handful of months of the recovery to date. Despite strong job growth from February to April 2011, the economy added only 120,000 jobs per month, on average, through September.

September Sales Not Inevitable
Lower supply and higher prices for many vehicles have dragged down new car sales since the real impact of the Japanese earthquake hit the U.S. market in May. The used car market undoubtedly captured some sales, although tight supply and high prices for used cars would have limited this loss. Consumers accounted for other sales by “pulling ahead” in March and April in a rush to buy Japanese cars before anticipated shortages occurred. But, a significant portion of sales -- perhaps as many as 200,000 to 300,000 -- also represent purchases that consumers delayed until buying conditions improved. Edmunds.com expected this deferred demand to boost sales in late summer and early fall after Japanese production returned to more normal levels.

New vehicle sales performed in line with expectations in July, driven by increased availability. Toyota and Honda raised incentives in July to remain competitive and in anticipation of greater supply. Increased auto production generated growth in jobs and wages, and thus, economic momentum.

Then came August. The Japanese recovery moved with full steam ahead while wave after wave of uncertainty hit the U.S. economy, beginning with the prolonged debt ceiling negotiations and the threat of default by the federal government on its debt. Standard and Poor’s rating agency downgraded U.S. debt due to the contentious political environment, even though the government narrowly avoided a debt default. All the while, a debt crisis raged across Europe, further threatening the U.S. financial system. Economists proclaimed higher odds of another recession, with some even claiming the dreaded double-dip had already begun. Accordingly, consumer and business confidence plummeted. August car sales dipped just slightly from July levels, but failed to grow as expected.

July indicated one path for car sales and the economy overall for the coming months. August’s results suggested quite a different one. But even with September’s apparent success, the rebound fell below expectations from earlier this year. Although the Japanese recovery is in full swing, the economy has not followed with its own recovery, which took a toll on August and September auto sales growth. Unless the key economic factors driving sales improve in the months ahead, the economy will continue to dampen auto sales momentum.

Lacey Plache:  is the Chief Economist for Edmunds.com. Follow @AutoEconomist on Twitter.

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Ford’s CEO sees sunny outlook for economy

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Sukree Sukplang / Reuters

Ford CEO Alan Mulally smiles during an interview in Bangkok.

The economic outlook might look gloomy for most of us, but Ford's CEO Alan Mulally still has a sunny disposition, telling reporters Thursday that he thinks the U.S. economy will continue to expand.

He also said that the second-largest U.S. automaker is sticking to its target of adding 7,000 jobs in the United States over the next two years.

Mulally told a small group of reporters in Bangkok on Thursday that he sees an economic expansion in the U.S. and not a double-dip recession, as some have predicted.

"In the U.S., we're still seeing economic expansion," Mulally said, according to Reuters. "We're very encouraged by the recovery even though it is slower than in the past."

Reuters added that Ford had said in January it would add the 7,000 jobs in 2011 and 2012. According to its 2010 annual report, there were 75,000 employees in Ford North America.

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Safety Over Fuel Economy?

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By Jeremy Anwyl September 30, 2011

In a previous column, I raised the question of how consumers will react to a new generation of Corporate Average Fuel Economy-mandated high-tech, higher-mileage, smaller and less safe vehicles. This has stirred up some debate and is a question I will explore in more depth in future columns. For now, I will talk more fully about the issue of safety. Safety ties to the issue of CAFE, as it is believed that one of the ways that car companies will respond to higher fuel-economy standards is to reduce the weight of vehicles offered. Lower weight equates directly to higher mileage. The ways to accomplish a weight loss are to offer smaller vehicles or to build vehicles using lighter-weight materials (high tensile steel, aluminum and particularly carbon composites) – or to build vehicles employing a combination of smaller size and lighter materials. These materials offer real fuel savings, but they also raise a vehicle’s cost.

Over the years, studies have generally shown that larger, heavier vehicles are safer in the event of an accident than smaller lighter vehicles. I say generally as safety is a complex topic. Here I am focusing on lower rates of injury or fatalities in the event of an accident. It gets complicated as accidents frequently involve two or more vehicles. When one of the involved vehicles is large and the other is small, you would see a different outcome than when both are small or when both are large. It has also been shown that the shape of the vehicles involved can be significant. We can even debate whether it is the vehicle’s size that matters, or its mass -- or perhaps it’s both.

Even acknowledging the complexity of the issue, we can draw some general conclusions. When considering the vehicles that manufacturers will have to offer in the future, it is also worth noting that the trend over the past decade or so is clear. The average vehicle is getting heavier -- by almost 1,000 pounds between 1991 and 2011. This is because meeting safety standards generally adds weight with the addition of air bags or incorporating roll-over cages for example. Another factor for the weight gain is that consumers continually demand more features on their vehicles. I mention this because when we assume that vehicles will be smaller and lighter in the future we should be clear. This is a marked reversal of what we have seen over the past 20-plus years.

We can have a vigorous debate about the actual size and weight of vehicle in the years to come. Will the batteries in electric vehicles and hybrids actually push up weight? Will new ways of fabricating carbon composites allow greater rates of adoption? For the purposes of discussion, however, we can draw some generalities. To start with, I am drawing upon the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database of fatalities and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) recent status report. The IIHS has done a nice job of showing how fatalities increase with declining weight. The study pointedly states that SUV drivers are among the least likely to die in a crash.

Our analysts did a simple extrapolation using this data. If we assume that new light duty vehicle sales in 2020 are 17 million units and the average vehicle weight has dropped by 1,000 lbs, then the data shows that 240 extra deaths will occur. And this number increases each year. Assuming 17 million units are sold each year, the increase would be another 240 deaths -- 240 in 2020, 480 in 2021, etc.

We can quibble about the assumptions. Perhaps the reduction in weight will not be 1,000 pounds, although vehicles would likely be trending heavier without the new standards. Perhaps we will be selling more than 17 million new vehicles. (Let’s hope so.) Perhaps new safety technologies reduce crash rates. You can do your own math. The point is that when we want higher mileage and fewer fatalities and injuries, we are pulling in opposite directions. That's something we should think through.

Jeremy Anwyl:  Chief Executive Officer of Edmunds.com. Follow @JeremyAnwyl on Twitter.

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NEW AUTOMOBILE, Ford’s CEO sees sunny outlook for economy

Sukree Sukplang / Reuters

Ford CEO Alan Mulally smiles during an interview in Bangkok.
The economic outlook might look gloomy for most of us, but Ford's CEO Alan Mulally still has a sunny disposition, telling reporters Thursday that he thinks the U.S. economy will continue to expand.
He also said that the second-largest U.S. automaker is sticking to its target of adding 7,000 jobs in the United States over the next two years.
Mulally told a small group of reporters in Bangkok on Thursday that he sees an economic expansion in the U.S. and not a double-dip recession, as some have predicted.
"In the U.S., we're still seeing economic expansion," Mulally said, according to Reuters. "We're very encouraged by the recovery even though it is slower than in the past."
Reuters added that Ford had said in January it would add the 7,000 jobs in 2011 and 2012. According to its 2010 annual report, there were 75,000 employees in Ford North America.

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Economy hike for Nissan Juke

The two engines that Nissan will provide power Juke crossover consumption, after the Japanese company of drive efficiency through an optimization program.

5-Liter turbo diesel thanks to the revised gear ratios, 1, 6-liter gasoline and dCi models with manual transmission equipped now cleaner and more fuel-efficient.

See pictures of the Nissan Juke

The 1, 1.6-litre petrol variant is now 47.1 mpg on the combined cycle - an improvement of 2.3 mpg - and is 139 g / km CO2, a reduction of 8 g / km. As a result is 1, 6-liter gasoline model now in UED band E, which means that less will be £ 15 costs a Juke taxes.

Fuel consumption for the 1, 5-litre dCi has improved from 55.4 mpg to 57.6 mpg on the combined cycle and emissions fell to 129 g / km of 134 g / km. That diesel-powered Juke UED band from e to D, and now cost to tax £ 95 per year.

On-the-road prices for the juke - created a year ago this week in the life - remain unchanged, despite the changes. This means the gasoline version costs from £ 13.995 for the entry-level Visia-variant, with the oil burner prices starting at £ 14.795.

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Positive sign for economy: Solid car sales

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AppId is over the quota
DETROIT — Car buyers shrugged off bad economic news and a major East Coast hurricane last month, lifting U.S. sales for most automakers.

General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and Nissan all reported surprisingly strong sales results for the month Thursday. Toyota and Honda, however, continued to be hurt by model shortages from the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Both reported large sales drops.

Industry analysts had expected a weaker August because of consumers' anxiety about the economy and Hurricane Irene, which forced many dealers to close during the key final weekend of the month.

But Don Johnson, GM's U.S. sales chief, said other factors are making cars more attractive to buyers, including new products, low interest rates and stronger household budgets.

"Consumers are being cautious, yes, and appropriately so, but they are not retrenching," he said. "All indications to us are that the industry is going to continue to slowly grow through the rest of the year."

Story: Gas prices near a Labor Day weekend record

Chrysler sales led the way in August with a 31 percent increase from a year earlier, and significantly the automaker outsold Toyota for the third time in four months last month. GM's sales rose 18 percent, Nissan was up 19 percent and Ford reported an 11 percent increase. Toyota sales were off almost 13 percent, while Honda sales were down 24 percent.

"The 'new GM' is making the strides it promised. About the only negative signs on GM's spreadsheet of August sales were for models being discontinued or soon to be replaced," said car research site Edmunds.com's Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs.

Honda and Toyota lost sales because of parts shortages caused by the earthquake. Dealers ran short of many top-selling models. Sales of the Toyota Corolla compact were down 19 percent, while Honda Civic sales were off 47 percent. Both companies expect better sales in September because their factories are returning to normal production.

Chrysler reported its strongest August since 2007 with sales led by Jeeps and minivans, while Ford said sales of its redesigned Explorer sport utility vehicle quadrupled over last year. Nissan's sales were fueled by subcompact and midsize cars such as the new four-door Versa and Altima sedan.

GM's big increase was sparked by the Chevrolet Cruze compact, which accounted for one in every 10 GM vehicles sold. The Cruze, introduced last year, has been a top seller for the company since the start of the year, giving the company its first strong product in a growing market. Cruze sales topped 20,000 for the fifth straight month. Buyers also went for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain small crossovers.

Auto sales had been a bright spot for the U.S. economy through May, but began sputtering in the summer as consumer confidence waned and a March earthquake in Japan caused shortages of Honda and Toyota models. Then came the hurricane, which forced many East Coast dealers to close in the month's final weekend. Normally buyers come out on the last weekend, lured by deals and advertising.

Story: Toyota, Honda facing tough new challenges in the US

Even before the storm, J.D. Power was forecasting total sales of 1.07 million for the month. While that forecast is 4 percent higher than August last year, it's still a much slower pace than at the start of 2011.

Sales could improve this fall when automakers offer sweeter deals and a wider selection of models.

Cash-back offers, low-interest loans and other deals have been scarce this summer because of the model shortages. But they're expected to return as Honda and Toyota replenish their dealer lots in September and October and try to win back market share lost during the earthquake shortfalls.

Toyota will also begin selling its new Camry sedan in October, which could lift sales.

The industry remains cautious. The unemployment rate is stuck at 9 percent, food and clothing costs are going up and consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in more than two years in August.

To boost next month's sales and help people whose cars were damaged by the hurricane, GM is offering to defer payments for 90 days. It's also giving $500 toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle. The offer is for areas designated major disaster areas by the federal government.

Sales of GM's full-size pickup — the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado — rose 10 percent after being slow for much of the year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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European car show upbeat, despite economy

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AppId is over the quota
FRANKFURT — Stock markets around the globe are plunging, consumers are retrenching and the threat of another recession seems to be on everyone’s mind these days.

Well, almost everyone. Optimism is the mood of the moment as the biennial Frankfurt Motor Show gets under way this week in Germany.

Never mind that Ford warned recently about sales missing estimates. No matter that automotive executives are watching the economic problems that are threatening to tear the European Union apart. Ford “comes to Europe with optimism,” insisted Stephen Odell, CEO of Ford of Europe, in a speech previewing the carmaker’s new line-up at the German car show.

In fact, Ford may have more reason for optimism than other automakers. The automaker has regained significant sales momentum this year after years of sales and market share declines that only complicated the problems it had in its home market. It has been sitting in the number two spot in Europe, this year, just behind Volkswagen AG — which is itself likely to be the second-largest automaker in the world when the numbers are added up for 2011, thanks to Toyota’s crushing production problems following the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

It’s not surprising, of course, to hear manufacturers speak of their hopes and aspirations — it’s what economists suggest consumers want to hear. And nothing spurs optimism more in the auto industry than new sheet metal. This year, there’s plenty of it on show in Frankfurt.

After delaying the introduction of many new models during the worst of the global economic downturn, manufacturers have opened the spigot on their product pipelines. Some 100 new vehicles were launched during the two media that came ahead of the show’s official opening to the public, according to estimates.

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Perhaps the only ones visibly worried about the increase in car introductions were the 10,000-odd reporters gathered in the German financial capital to try to cover the event. Organizers have this year had to double up many of the news conference slots. Most of them were also cut short to just 15 minutes. That was complicated by the fact that it’s nearly a kilometer from one end of the sprawling Frankfurt Messe exhibition center to the other.

In hopes of standing out from the crowd, carmakers have been forced to stage advance “backgrounders,” hoping to get journalists to write more about their products than those of their competitors. The Internet is filled with more than a few “leaked” images that appeared to be stage-managed by the manufacturers themselves.

On the night before the first official media day, there were long lines of limousines and buses outside most of Frankfurt’s major hotels escorting reporters to parties where they could take a look at products they might not get to see during the frenzied media previews.

Volkswagen, for example, provided a look at all its dozen brands’ offerings, including the new production version of the VW Up! microcar, as well as a pair of battery-powered vehicles from its upscale Audi brand.

There are no formal plans to put the A2 show car and Audi Urban Concept vehicles into production — yet. But it’s clear that the various Volkswagen subsidiaries, from pedestrian Seat to luxurious Audi, are convinced that European buyers will continue to look for smaller and greener products that can help them navigate crowded urban roads and survive record fuel prices that, in some national markets, have topped $10 a gallon.

Story: BMW’s Tron-like future cars

Small and fuel-efficient models are everywhere to be found at the various Frankfurt halls, and even luxury automakers are acknowledging the trend. Lexus has a new version of its GS450h hybrid. And Jaguar’s concept offering, the C-X16, would be, if it went into production, the smallest model the British marque has turned out in over half a century.

Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, has a striking liquid silver-painted concept dubbed the F125! (exclamation points are in high demand this year). The F125! can run on clean, light hydrogen gas, while BMW stages the formal launch of its new “i” brand with the debut of the i8 and i3 battery-powered cars.

In typical form, the German marques dominate Frankfurt, much as the French brands show off every even year when the event moves to Paris. But with 50 different brands on display in Frankfurt, Teutonic carmakers are getting plenty of competition this year.

The Koreans are proving particularly aggressive, with Kia revealing a coupe-like sport sedan dubbed the GT and Hyundai revealing the i30, which will also be sold in the U.S. as a wagon version of the wildly popular Elantra.

Story: VW recalls 30,000 Jettas to fix long tailpipes

The move by Hyundai underscores one of the significant changes that has reshaped both the auto show circuit and the industry as a whole in recent years: In decades past, a sizable majority of the products shown in Europe would never cross the Atlantic. But these days carmakers are pushing for ever-improved economies of scale, and that means more global products.

The smallest offerings, such as the Mercedes A- and B-Class models, still aren’t coming to the U.S., although that might change if fuel prices at home keep rising, company officials suggest.

Ford’s pre-show preview brought the unveiling of the Evos, a stunning coupe-like sedan with four gullwing-style doors.

“This is the new face of Ford,” said the carmaker’s global design chief J Mays. Although the car’s gullwing doors are “just showbiz,” according to Mays, Ford sources confirmed that many of the Evos’ design details will reappear on the stage at the Detroit Auto Show next January in the form of replacement versions of the U.S. Fusion sedan and European Mondeo.

Once completely separate vehicles, the two cars are now distinct only in their nameplates. By developing common vehicles that can be sold around the world Ford can afford to develop more niche vehicles to target selective groups of consumers.

That’s a strategy that most makers are now adopting, which is why there are 100 or more products all vying for attention in Frankfurt.

The Frankfurt Motor Show, the world’s biggest auto show, runs until Sept. 25.

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Positive sign for economy: Solid car sales

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
DETROIT — Car buyers shrugged off bad economic news and a major East Coast hurricane last month, lifting U.S. sales for most automakers.

General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and Nissan all reported surprisingly strong sales results for the month Thursday. Toyota and Honda, however, continued to be hurt by model shortages from the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Both reported large sales drops.

Industry analysts had expected a weaker August because of consumers' anxiety about the economy and Hurricane Irene, which forced many dealers to close during the key final weekend of the month.

But Don Johnson, GM's U.S. sales chief, said other factors are making cars more attractive to buyers, including new products, low interest rates and stronger household budgets.

"Consumers are being cautious, yes, and appropriately so, but they are not retrenching," he said. "All indications to us are that the industry is going to continue to slowly grow through the rest of the year."

Story: Gas prices near a Labor Day weekend record

Chrysler sales led the way in August with a 31 percent increase from a year earlier, and significantly the automaker outsold Toyota for the third time in four months last month. GM's sales rose 18 percent, Nissan was up 19 percent and Ford reported an 11 percent increase. Toyota sales were off almost 13 percent, while Honda sales were down 24 percent.

"The 'new GM' is making the strides it promised. About the only negative signs on GM's spreadsheet of August sales were for models being discontinued or soon to be replaced," said car research site Edmunds.com's Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs.

Honda and Toyota lost sales because of parts shortages caused by the earthquake. Dealers ran short of many top-selling models. Sales of the Toyota Corolla compact were down 19 percent, while Honda Civic sales were off 47 percent. Both companies expect better sales in September because their factories are returning to normal production.

Chrysler reported its strongest August since 2007 with sales led by Jeeps and minivans, while Ford said sales of its redesigned Explorer sport utility vehicle quadrupled over last year. Nissan's sales were fueled by subcompact and midsize cars such as the new four-door Versa and Altima sedan.

GM's big increase was sparked by the Chevrolet Cruze compact, which accounted for one in every 10 GM vehicles sold. The Cruze, introduced last year, has been a top seller for the company since the start of the year, giving the company its first strong product in a growing market. Cruze sales topped 20,000 for the fifth straight month. Buyers also went for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain small crossovers.

Auto sales had been a bright spot for the U.S. economy through May, but began sputtering in the summer as consumer confidence waned and a March earthquake in Japan caused shortages of Honda and Toyota models. Then came the hurricane, which forced many East Coast dealers to close in the month's final weekend. Normally buyers come out on the last weekend, lured by deals and advertising.

Story: Toyota, Honda facing tough new challenges in the US

Even before the storm, J.D. Power was forecasting total sales of 1.07 million for the month. While that forecast is 4 percent higher than August last year, it's still a much slower pace than at the start of 2011.

Sales could improve this fall when automakers offer sweeter deals and a wider selection of models.

Cash-back offers, low-interest loans and other deals have been scarce this summer because of the model shortages. But they're expected to return as Honda and Toyota replenish their dealer lots in September and October and try to win back market share lost during the earthquake shortfalls.

Toyota will also begin selling its new Camry sedan in October, which could lift sales.

The industry remains cautious. The unemployment rate is stuck at 9 percent, food and clothing costs are going up and consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in more than two years in August.

To boost next month's sales and help people whose cars were damaged by the hurricane, GM is offering to defer payments for 90 days. It's also giving $500 toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle. The offer is for areas designated major disaster areas by the federal government.

Sales of GM's full-size pickup — the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado — rose 10 percent after being slow for much of the year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

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European car show upbeat, despite economy

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
FRANKFURT — Stock markets around the globe are plunging, consumers are retrenching and the threat of another recession seems to be on everyone’s mind these days.

Well, almost everyone. Optimism is the mood of the moment as the biennial Frankfurt Motor Show gets under way this week in Germany.

Never mind that Ford warned recently about sales missing estimates. No matter that automotive executives are watching the economic problems that are threatening to tear the European Union apart. Ford “comes to Europe with optimism,” insisted Stephen Odell, CEO of Ford of Europe, in a speech previewing the carmaker’s new line-up at the German car show.

In fact, Ford may have more reason for optimism than other automakers. The automaker has regained significant sales momentum this year after years of sales and market share declines that only complicated the problems it had in its home market. It has been sitting in the number two spot in Europe, this year, just behind Volkswagen AG — which is itself likely to be the second-largest automaker in the world when the numbers are added up for 2011, thanks to Toyota’s crushing production problems following the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

It’s not surprising, of course, to hear manufacturers speak of their hopes and aspirations — it’s what economists suggest consumers want to hear. And nothing spurs optimism more in the auto industry than new sheet metal. This year, there’s plenty of it on show in Frankfurt.

After delaying the introduction of many new models during the worst of the global economic downturn, manufacturers have opened the spigot on their product pipelines. Some 100 new vehicles were launched during the two media that came ahead of the show’s official opening to the public, according to estimates.

Living in poverty Cartoons: Poverty is no laughing matter, but these cartoons may help ease the pain.

Extreme couponing sparks backlash Maybe we should be working longer The economic toll of single parenthood USPS needs to act more like a business

Perhaps the only ones visibly worried about the increase in car introductions were the 10,000-odd reporters gathered in the German financial capital to try to cover the event. Organizers have this year had to double up many of the news conference slots. Most of them were also cut short to just 15 minutes. That was complicated by the fact that it’s nearly a kilometer from one end of the sprawling Frankfurt Messe exhibition center to the other.

In hopes of standing out from the crowd, carmakers have been forced to stage advance “backgrounders,” hoping to get journalists to write more about their products than those of their competitors. The Internet is filled with more than a few “leaked” images that appeared to be stage-managed by the manufacturers themselves.

On the night before the first official media day, there were long lines of limousines and buses outside most of Frankfurt’s major hotels escorting reporters to parties where they could take a look at products they might not get to see during the frenzied media previews.

Volkswagen, for example, provided a look at all its dozen brands’ offerings, including the new production version of the VW Up! microcar, as well as a pair of battery-powered vehicles from its upscale Audi brand.

There are no formal plans to put the A2 show car and Audi Urban Concept vehicles into production — yet. But it’s clear that the various Volkswagen subsidiaries, from pedestrian Seat to luxurious Audi, are convinced that European buyers will continue to look for smaller and greener products that can help them navigate crowded urban roads and survive record fuel prices that, in some national markets, have topped $10 a gallon.

Story: BMW’s Tron-like future cars

Small and fuel-efficient models are everywhere to be found at the various Frankfurt halls, and even luxury automakers are acknowledging the trend. Lexus has a new version of its GS450h hybrid. And Jaguar’s concept offering, the C-X16, would be, if it went into production, the smallest model the British marque has turned out in over half a century.

Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, has a striking liquid silver-painted concept dubbed the F125! (exclamation points are in high demand this year). The F125! can run on clean, light hydrogen gas, while BMW stages the formal launch of its new “i” brand with the debut of the i8 and i3 battery-powered cars.

In typical form, the German marques dominate Frankfurt, much as the French brands show off every even year when the event moves to Paris. But with 50 different brands on display in Frankfurt, Teutonic carmakers are getting plenty of competition this year.

The Koreans are proving particularly aggressive, with Kia revealing a coupe-like sport sedan dubbed the GT and Hyundai revealing the i30, which will also be sold in the U.S. as a wagon version of the wildly popular Elantra.

Story: VW recalls 30,000 Jettas to fix long tailpipes

The move by Hyundai underscores one of the significant changes that has reshaped both the auto show circuit and the industry as a whole in recent years: In decades past, a sizable majority of the products shown in Europe would never cross the Atlantic. But these days carmakers are pushing for ever-improved economies of scale, and that means more global products.

The smallest offerings, such as the Mercedes A- and B-Class models, still aren’t coming to the U.S., although that might change if fuel prices at home keep rising, company officials suggest.

Ford’s pre-show preview brought the unveiling of the Evos, a stunning coupe-like sedan with four gullwing-style doors.

“This is the new face of Ford,” said the carmaker’s global design chief J Mays. Although the car’s gullwing doors are “just showbiz,” according to Mays, Ford sources confirmed that many of the Evos’ design details will reappear on the stage at the Detroit Auto Show next January in the form of replacement versions of the U.S. Fusion sedan and European Mondeo.

Once completely separate vehicles, the two cars are now distinct only in their nameplates. By developing common vehicles that can be sold around the world Ford can afford to develop more niche vehicles to target selective groups of consumers.

That’s a strategy that most makers are now adopting, which is why there are 100 or more products all vying for attention in Frankfurt.

The Frankfurt Motor Show, the world’s biggest auto show, runs until Sept. 25.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

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Positive sign for economy: Solid car sales

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
DETROIT — Car buyers shrugged off bad economic news and a major East Coast hurricane last month, lifting U.S. sales for most automakers.

General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and Nissan all reported surprisingly strong sales results for the month Thursday. Toyota and Honda, however, continued to be hurt by model shortages from the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Both reported large sales drops.

Industry analysts had expected a weaker August because of consumers' anxiety about the economy and Hurricane Irene, which forced many dealers to close during the key final weekend of the month.

But Don Johnson, GM's U.S. sales chief, said other factors are making cars more attractive to buyers, including new products, low interest rates and stronger household budgets.

"Consumers are being cautious, yes, and appropriately so, but they are not retrenching," he said. "All indications to us are that the industry is going to continue to slowly grow through the rest of the year."

Story: Gas prices near a Labor Day weekend record

Chrysler sales led the way in August with a 31 percent increase from a year earlier, and significantly the automaker outsold Toyota for the third time in four months last month. GM's sales rose 18 percent, Nissan was up 19 percent and Ford reported an 11 percent increase. Toyota sales were off almost 13 percent, while Honda sales were down 24 percent.

"The 'new GM' is making the strides it promised. About the only negative signs on GM's spreadsheet of August sales were for models being discontinued or soon to be replaced," said car research site Edmunds.com's Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs.

Honda and Toyota lost sales because of parts shortages caused by the earthquake. Dealers ran short of many top-selling models. Sales of the Toyota Corolla compact were down 19 percent, while Honda Civic sales were off 47 percent. Both companies expect better sales in September because their factories are returning to normal production.

Chrysler reported its strongest August since 2007 with sales led by Jeeps and minivans, while Ford said sales of its redesigned Explorer sport utility vehicle quadrupled over last year. Nissan's sales were fueled by subcompact and midsize cars such as the new four-door Versa and Altima sedan.

GM's big increase was sparked by the Chevrolet Cruze compact, which accounted for one in every 10 GM vehicles sold. The Cruze, introduced last year, has been a top seller for the company since the start of the year, giving the company its first strong product in a growing market. Cruze sales topped 20,000 for the fifth straight month. Buyers also went for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain small crossovers.

Auto sales had been a bright spot for the U.S. economy through May, but began sputtering in the summer as consumer confidence waned and a March earthquake in Japan caused shortages of Honda and Toyota models. Then came the hurricane, which forced many East Coast dealers to close in the month's final weekend. Normally buyers come out on the last weekend, lured by deals and advertising.

Story: Toyota, Honda facing tough new challenges in the US

Even before the storm, J.D. Power was forecasting total sales of 1.07 million for the month. While that forecast is 4 percent higher than August last year, it's still a much slower pace than at the start of 2011.

Sales could improve this fall when automakers offer sweeter deals and a wider selection of models.

Cash-back offers, low-interest loans and other deals have been scarce this summer because of the model shortages. But they're expected to return as Honda and Toyota replenish their dealer lots in September and October and try to win back market share lost during the earthquake shortfalls.

Toyota will also begin selling its new Camry sedan in October, which could lift sales.

The industry remains cautious. The unemployment rate is stuck at 9 percent, food and clothing costs are going up and consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in more than two years in August.

To boost next month's sales and help people whose cars were damaged by the hurricane, GM is offering to defer payments for 90 days. It's also giving $500 toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle. The offer is for areas designated major disaster areas by the federal government.

Sales of GM's full-size pickup — the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado — rose 10 percent after being slow for much of the year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

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European car show upbeat, despite economy

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
FRANKFURT — Stock markets around the globe are plunging, consumers are retrenching and the threat of another recession seems to be on everyone’s mind these days.

Well, almost everyone. Optimism is the mood of the moment as the biennial Frankfurt Motor Show gets under way this week in Germany.

Never mind that Ford warned recently about sales missing estimates. No matter that automotive executives are watching the economic problems that are threatening to tear the European Union apart. Ford “comes to Europe with optimism,” insisted Stephen Odell, CEO of Ford of Europe, in a speech previewing the carmaker’s new line-up at the German car show.

In fact, Ford may have more reason for optimism than other automakers. The automaker has regained significant sales momentum this year after years of sales and market share declines that only complicated the problems it had in its home market. It has been sitting in the number two spot in Europe, this year, just behind Volkswagen AG — which is itself likely to be the second-largest automaker in the world when the numbers are added up for 2011, thanks to Toyota’s crushing production problems following the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

It’s not surprising, of course, to hear manufacturers speak of their hopes and aspirations — it’s what economists suggest consumers want to hear. And nothing spurs optimism more in the auto industry than new sheet metal. This year, there’s plenty of it on show in Frankfurt.

After delaying the introduction of many new models during the worst of the global economic downturn, manufacturers have opened the spigot on their product pipelines. Some 100 new vehicles were launched during the two media that came ahead of the show’s official opening to the public, according to estimates.

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Perhaps the only ones visibly worried about the increase in car introductions were the 10,000-odd reporters gathered in the German financial capital to try to cover the event. Organizers have this year had to double up many of the news conference slots. Most of them were also cut short to just 15 minutes. That was complicated by the fact that it’s nearly a kilometer from one end of the sprawling Frankfurt Messe exhibition center to the other.

In hopes of standing out from the crowd, carmakers have been forced to stage advance “backgrounders,” hoping to get journalists to write more about their products than those of their competitors. The Internet is filled with more than a few “leaked” images that appeared to be stage-managed by the manufacturers themselves.

On the night before the first official media day, there were long lines of limousines and buses outside most of Frankfurt’s major hotels escorting reporters to parties where they could take a look at products they might not get to see during the frenzied media previews.

Volkswagen, for example, provided a look at all its dozen brands’ offerings, including the new production version of the VW Up! microcar, as well as a pair of battery-powered vehicles from its upscale Audi brand.

There are no formal plans to put the A2 show car and Audi Urban Concept vehicles into production — yet. But it’s clear that the various Volkswagen subsidiaries, from pedestrian Seat to luxurious Audi, are convinced that European buyers will continue to look for smaller and greener products that can help them navigate crowded urban roads and survive record fuel prices that, in some national markets, have topped $10 a gallon.

Story: BMW’s Tron-like future cars

Small and fuel-efficient models are everywhere to be found at the various Frankfurt halls, and even luxury automakers are acknowledging the trend. Lexus has a new version of its GS450h hybrid. And Jaguar’s concept offering, the C-X16, would be, if it went into production, the smallest model the British marque has turned out in over half a century.

Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, has a striking liquid silver-painted concept dubbed the F125! (exclamation points are in high demand this year). The F125! can run on clean, light hydrogen gas, while BMW stages the formal launch of its new “i” brand with the debut of the i8 and i3 battery-powered cars.

In typical form, the German marques dominate Frankfurt, much as the French brands show off every even year when the event moves to Paris. But with 50 different brands on display in Frankfurt, Teutonic carmakers are getting plenty of competition this year.

The Koreans are proving particularly aggressive, with Kia revealing a coupe-like sport sedan dubbed the GT and Hyundai revealing the i30, which will also be sold in the U.S. as a wagon version of the wildly popular Elantra.

Story: VW recalls 30,000 Jettas to fix long tailpipes

The move by Hyundai underscores one of the significant changes that has reshaped both the auto show circuit and the industry as a whole in recent years: In decades past, a sizable majority of the products shown in Europe would never cross the Atlantic. But these days carmakers are pushing for ever-improved economies of scale, and that means more global products.

The smallest offerings, such as the Mercedes A- and B-Class models, still aren’t coming to the U.S., although that might change if fuel prices at home keep rising, company officials suggest.

Ford’s pre-show preview brought the unveiling of the Evos, a stunning coupe-like sedan with four gullwing-style doors.

“This is the new face of Ford,” said the carmaker’s global design chief J Mays. Although the car’s gullwing doors are “just showbiz,” according to Mays, Ford sources confirmed that many of the Evos’ design details will reappear on the stage at the Detroit Auto Show next January in the form of replacement versions of the U.S. Fusion sedan and European Mondeo.

Once completely separate vehicles, the two cars are now distinct only in their nameplates. By developing common vehicles that can be sold around the world Ford can afford to develop more niche vehicles to target selective groups of consumers.

That’s a strategy that most makers are now adopting, which is why there are 100 or more products all vying for attention in Frankfurt.

The Frankfurt Motor Show, the world’s biggest auto show, runs until Sept. 25.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Read More

Positive sign for economy: Solid car sales

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
DETROIT — Car buyers shrugged off bad economic news and a major East Coast hurricane last month, lifting U.S. sales for most automakers.

General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and Nissan all reported surprisingly strong sales results for the month Thursday. Toyota and Honda, however, continued to be hurt by model shortages from the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Both reported large sales drops.

Industry analysts had expected a weaker August because of consumers' anxiety about the economy and Hurricane Irene, which forced many dealers to close during the key final weekend of the month.

But Don Johnson, GM's U.S. sales chief, said other factors are making cars more attractive to buyers, including new products, low interest rates and stronger household budgets.

"Consumers are being cautious, yes, and appropriately so, but they are not retrenching," he said. "All indications to us are that the industry is going to continue to slowly grow through the rest of the year."

Story: Gas prices near a Labor Day weekend record

Chrysler sales led the way in August with a 31 percent increase from a year earlier, and significantly the automaker outsold Toyota for the third time in four months last month. GM's sales rose 18 percent, Nissan was up 19 percent and Ford reported an 11 percent increase. Toyota sales were off almost 13 percent, while Honda sales were down 24 percent.

"The 'new GM' is making the strides it promised. About the only negative signs on GM's spreadsheet of August sales were for models being discontinued or soon to be replaced," said car research site Edmunds.com's Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs.

Honda and Toyota lost sales because of parts shortages caused by the earthquake. Dealers ran short of many top-selling models. Sales of the Toyota Corolla compact were down 19 percent, while Honda Civic sales were off 47 percent. Both companies expect better sales in September because their factories are returning to normal production.

Chrysler reported its strongest August since 2007 with sales led by Jeeps and minivans, while Ford said sales of its redesigned Explorer sport utility vehicle quadrupled over last year. Nissan's sales were fueled by subcompact and midsize cars such as the new four-door Versa and Altima sedan.

GM's big increase was sparked by the Chevrolet Cruze compact, which accounted for one in every 10 GM vehicles sold. The Cruze, introduced last year, has been a top seller for the company since the start of the year, giving the company its first strong product in a growing market. Cruze sales topped 20,000 for the fifth straight month. Buyers also went for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain small crossovers.

Auto sales had been a bright spot for the U.S. economy through May, but began sputtering in the summer as consumer confidence waned and a March earthquake in Japan caused shortages of Honda and Toyota models. Then came the hurricane, which forced many East Coast dealers to close in the month's final weekend. Normally buyers come out on the last weekend, lured by deals and advertising.

Story: Toyota, Honda facing tough new challenges in the US

Even before the storm, J.D. Power was forecasting total sales of 1.07 million for the month. While that forecast is 4 percent higher than August last year, it's still a much slower pace than at the start of 2011.

Sales could improve this fall when automakers offer sweeter deals and a wider selection of models.

Cash-back offers, low-interest loans and other deals have been scarce this summer because of the model shortages. But they're expected to return as Honda and Toyota replenish their dealer lots in September and October and try to win back market share lost during the earthquake shortfalls.

Toyota will also begin selling its new Camry sedan in October, which could lift sales.

The industry remains cautious. The unemployment rate is stuck at 9 percent, food and clothing costs are going up and consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in more than two years in August.

To boost next month's sales and help people whose cars were damaged by the hurricane, GM is offering to defer payments for 90 days. It's also giving $500 toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle. The offer is for areas designated major disaster areas by the federal government.

Sales of GM's full-size pickup — the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado — rose 10 percent after being slow for much of the year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Read More