Posts Tagged ‘cars’

Today in Tapping the Brakes… Spain Slows Down to Save on Gas

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

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(photo credit: masochismtango)

Sustainability is in again! While China tries to prevent its economy from growing out of control, Spain is slowing down for a totally different reason.

  • Uprisings in the Middle East – particularly Libya – have hit Spain in the gas tank, and transit authorities are already trying to adapt. Beginning March 7th, drivers will have to slow down from 120 to 110 kilometers per hour on most main roads.
  • Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister says the measure is extreme, and promises to change back as soon as possible. Supporters say that by saving at the pump, citizens will spend more of their money “going for tapas” and strengthening the economy.
  • According to one estimate, the new speed limit will reduce fuel costs by 15%. But Spaniards are skeptical, and some say this is just a sneaky way for the government to raise revenues by handing out more speeding tickets.

Facts & Figures

  • Spain usually imports 13% of its oil from Libya
  • Other measures in place are designed to cut total national fuel consumption by 5%
  • 110 kilometers per hour is equivalent to 68 miles per hour

Best Quote

“We are going to go a bit slower and in exchange we will consume less petrol and pay less money.” – Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, Deputy Prime Minister

>> What do you think?

Could a small change in the speed limit be a sustainable way of reducing dependence on oil?

Sharing the Stuff That Drives Electric Cars

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

“Xatori, a Silicon Valley software start-up, aims to create a network of electric car enthusiasts who make their household power outlets and home chargers available for drivers who need to top off their battery or who find themselves out of range of the few public-charging stations currently available.”

What do you think?

Would you ever pay for a total stranger’s gas? What about letting them charge their phone in your garage?

Are electric car owners just more generous?

Volkswagon Wows With 300MPG Car

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

“Volkswagen has made a car it says can travel 313 miles on a gallon of diesel, and that emits just 24 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre travelled.

The XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre two cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor. The car is constructed around a carbon fibre reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weight to just 795 kilos. German rival BMW is also making an electric carbon fibre car, while Mercedes is to make carbon fibre parts.”

What do you think?

What influences your taste in cars?

Ford Gives The U.S. Hope

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Ford reports an exceptionally strong first half of 2010 and causes optimism for the U.S. auto industry.

  • Ford’s second-quarter earnings were much stronger than expected and the company is on track for “solid profits” in 2010.
  • Ford plans to discontinue its Mercury brand and sell Volvo to China’s Geely in the 3rd quarter because it wants to focus on mass marketing Ford and Lincoln brands.
  • Ford was the only large U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy in 2009, and is therefore in greater debt than GM and Chrysler.
  • Ford paid back 7 billion dollars of debt in the 2nd quarter (now $27.3 billion in debt) and plans to continue debt reduction.

Facts & Figures

  • Second-quarter net profits were $2.6 billion, compared to $2.26 one year ago.
  • Ford revenue increased by $4.5 billion to $31.3 billion.
  • This is the 4th consecutive quarter that Ford has reported profits.

Best Quote

“We delivered a very strong second quarter and first half of 2010 and are ahead of where we thought we would be despite the still-challenging business conditions.” -Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Co., Chief Executive

Audi Is Catching Up To BMW And Mercedes

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Audi sales continue to exceed expectations as it plans to emerge as a luxury car leader.

  • Thanks to very strong car sales, Audi’s second-quarter earnings were “very significant” when compared to those of 2009.
  • Sales of new Audi’s reached a record high in 2008 when more than 1 million cars were sold.
  • Demand for luxury cars declined when the economy fell, but has since recovered faster than expected.
  • Audi plans to reach 1.5 million cars sold in 2015, but now thinks it will do so much earlier.
  • New models, the small A1 and luxury coupe A7, have just been released.

Facts & Figures

  • In the first half of 2010, Audi’s car sales jumped 19% to 554,950.
  • Audi is owned by Volkswagen.
  • Audi plans to sell about 200,000 A7 cars over the course of 7 years.

Best Quote

“We will exceed the 1 million [car sales] significantly this year.” -Rupert Stadler, Audi, Chief Executive

Toyota Plans More Extensive Vehicle Testing

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

In order to fight doubts about the quality or safety of its new vehicles, Toyota looks to increase the time it takes to test new models.

  • In the last generation of vehicles, there were definite safety and quality issues resulting in massive recalls.
  • As a result, Toyota plans to increase the length of time new car models are tested by 2-6 months.
  • Toyota is trying to prevent increasing the overall time it takes to develop a vehicle, but instead shorten other parts of the process to allow for more testing time.
  • The Toyota brand fell from 7th to 21st overall in its Initial Quality Survey of new vehicles last month.

Facts and Figures

  • Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles due to problems related to unintended acceleration, steering, braking, and gas-tank flaws.
  • Toyota’s market share is 15.1%, down from 17% 6 months ago.

Best Quote

“As we looked at this past generation of vehicles it did seem to be all about the growth of the company, and there were lapses. We are definitely reforming the processes to be ultracareful.” – Randy Stevens, Employee at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, MI

Hybrid Recall – Environmentalists In Danger Behind the Wheel

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Environmentally conscientious drivers liable to be harmed by the source of their enviro-friendliness!

  • On February 11th, 2010, Japanese car manufacturer Toyota recalled 400,000 Priuses and other hybrid models in response to allegations and customer complaints of brake deficiencies.
  • A software glitch in the cars’ braking systems apparently causes brief, terror-inducing delays in the braking capacity on bumpy or icy roads. However, to date, no accidents or injuries have been reported.
  • Over the past several months, Toyota owners have experienced other problems with the quality and safety of their various models, leading to over 7 million Toyotas being recalled.

Facts & Figures

  • The braking glitch fix takes approximately 40 minutes.
  • The recall applies to 223,000 hybrids that were sold in Japan, 133,00 Priuses and 14,500 Lexus HS 250h vehicles in the U.S., and around 53,000 Priuses throughout Europe.
  • In 2009, Toyota recalled roughly 3.8 million of its vehicles to fix floor mats that would “entrap” gas pedals.
  • Toyota has received over 80 complaints on the 2009-2010 Corolla concerning the car’s “hard-to-handle” steering.

Best Quote

“If the company had paid more attention to consumers’ viewpoint, it could have realized that there was a safety problem.” – Ryusuke Itazaki, Chief of the Recall Department at Japan’s Transport Ministry

Ford for Facebookers

Friday, February 12th, 2010

American automakers shift their focus to smaller vehicles and younger consumers. Who’s buying?

  • Ford, Chrysler and GM are attempting to expand their consumer base by utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook.
  • Dealerships are remodeling their stores and lots, so they no longer resemble truck lots and instead have a clean, modern aesthetic intended to appeal to people who buy small cars.
  • Salespeople are being taught how to effectively discuss potential buyer concerns, such as fuel efficiency, as well as how their cars compare to Toyota’s and Honda’s.

Facts & Figures

  • In 2009, small cars made up 19% of the 8.65 million light vehicles sold in the U.S, which pickups and SUVs composed 46%.
  • Only 7% of “millennials” (people born between 1979 and 1985) consider a Ford when shopping for a small car.
  • Ford will send a social media consultant to its largest 800 dealerships – about 25% of its stores, to build an online infrastructure within the company.

Best Quote

“Gas prices and lifestyle changes are going to push more people into small cars.” – Tony Pack, General Manager of “Five Star Ford” in Dallas, TX