Archive for December, 2010

« Older Entries

Asian Brands to Showcase Concept Vehicles at New York Auto Show

December 31st, 2010


Asian car brands have been increasingly becoming popular in the United States. Aside from Toyota and Honda, other car manufacturers from the Orient are tightening their grips on the U.S. auto market. The popularity of these brands is due to the fuel economy and reliability that their car offers.

Aside from that, Asian branded vehicles are relatively priced lower than that of their U.S. counterparts. In the upcoming New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), these Asian brands look to increase their popularity among American auto enthusiasts by showcasing their concept vehicles at the said event. While these vehicles may take some time before they are put into production, their unveiling at the country’s largest motor show will increase the popularity of their brand.

One Asian brand that has been making waves in the U.S. auto scene is Honda. At the upcoming New York Auto Show, the company will unveil its Accord Coupe Concept. The concept vehicle will provide a glimpse of what the new generation Accord will be like. The concept vehicle is powered by a V6 engine designed to reduce fuel consumption and lessen harmful emissions.

The newest technology from Honda that will be showcased at the event is the Variable Cylinder Management. Aside from that, the concept vehicle will also be featuring Honda’s ACE Body Structure which is essentially a design system which gives the front-end of the vehicle the ability to absorb a substantial amount of energy in the event of front end collision.

Toyota, now the second largest car manufacturer in the world, continues its surge to get to the top of the list. Their good performance in terms of sale has been a gauge of how popular Toyota is in the United States. Their continuing quest for supremacy in the U.S. auto market leads them to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan with the Toyota FT HS concept vehicle in tow.

The Toyota FT HS is a hybrid sports car which comes combining the fuel economy of a hybrid electric vehicle with the high performance and good looks of a sports car. The concept is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated with an advanced hybrid system and a powerful battery pack. The concept vehicle is estimated to rocket to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in less than four seconds. Aside from that powerful acceleration, the concept vehicle is also estimated to have a very high top speed, thanks to its power output of nearly 400 hp. That amount of power and torque in a hybrid vehicle is unheard of before and only EBC Greenstuff brake pads can provide good stopping power to.

These concept vehicles are proof of the competition between the two Japanese car makers and their drive to increase their foothold on the U.S. auto market. Both the Honda Accord Coupe Concept and the Toyota FT HS will be showcased at the New York International Auto Show which will open its doors on the sixth of April and will end on the fifteenth of the same month.

By: Anthony Fontanelle

About the Author:
Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive.buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.



No comments »

Posted in Automotive

Tags:

International Truck and Engine Corporation to Enter RV Market

December 30th, 2010


The auto industry is a continually growing trade with companies expanding their businesses to other parts of the auto market. International Truck and Engine Corporation, a leading manufacturer of medium and heavy trucks, recently announced that they will be branching out their business in the RV territory.

The truck manufacturer recently entered into an agreement with Conquest Motorhomes which will see International Truck and Engine as the sole provider of chassis and cab to the Conquest. The Conquest Motorhomes is a division of Gulf Stream Coach, a leading manufacturer of recreational vehicles or RVs. This partnership between the two huge companies will surely make waves in the RV industry.

The partnership was announced by Steve Guillaume, the General Manager for Medium Truck, International and during the announcement, Guillaume was saying that: “This partnership is a tremendous growth opportunity for us. The Class C motor home market represents a substantial portion of a growing industry – approximately 33 percent of the total motorized RV market. Once again, International is challenging convention as this is a great opportunity to leverage the scale of our core business and generate growth outside of the commercial trucking sector.”

International will be providing cab and chassis for Gulf Stream’s Class C diesel motorhomes. International already received an order for 625 DuraStar(TM) chassis which shows that the partnership is indeed benefiting the two companies. The number of orders placed by Gulf Stream is expected to increase as time goes on and their partnership becomes stronger.

International Truck and Engine has been working with Workhorse Custom Chassis in order for International to break into the profitable RV industry. The effort paid off when they partnered with the leading manufacture of RV motorhomes. Models from the Gulf Stream that will be using the chassis from International Truck and Engine are the Super Nova and the Gladiator.

Jim Johnson, the Vice President of Operations, Conquest Motorhome Division for Gulf Stream Coach, has this to say about their partnership with International Truck and Engine: “When a leader in the commercial truck industry collaborates with a leader in the RV industry to build a great product, RV customers are going to be the big winners. Moreover, our industry is coming into its sweet spot for growth as population and demographic trends favor long-term RV market growth. Buyers aged 35-54 are the largest and fastest growing segment of RV owners. Every day, 11,000 Americans turn 50. This is a huge plus for International, because the International nameplate is viewed very favorably by that demographic.”

The partnership between these two companies will surely benefit the consumers of the RV industry. With the combined expertise and experience of the two companies, they can provide good service to their consumers. Innovations in the RV industry in terms of chassis design may also be a result of this partnership. With reliable chassis, as reliable as Nissan struts, and the know-how of Gulf Stream in motorhome manufacturing, the partnership can indeed bring the RV industry to a profitable future.

By: Ryan Thomas

About the Author:
Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car aficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine.



No comments »

Posted in Automotive

Tags:

Understanding Massachusetts’ Minimum Auto Insurance Coverage Laws

December 30th, 2010


If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident in Massachusetts due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to claim monetary compensation for those injuries. If you aren’t certain how to go about recovering this settlement, or where the compensation will come from, know that Massachusetts’ auto insurance coverage laws have created standards of minimum auto insurance coverage. These dictate how much damage your auto insurance will cover.

Minimum Auto Insurance Coverage in Massachusetts

Massachusetts’ minimum auto insurance coverage is to designed to protect you against injuries and damages caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver.

The minimum for Massachusetts’ auto insurance coverage is:

• $20,000 Minimum with a $40,000 limit for bodily injury liability
• $5,000 limit for property damages
• $20,000 Minimum with a $40,000 limit for uninsured motorist bodily injury liability
• $8,000 limit for Personal Injury protection

Massachusetts’ Auto Insurance Coverage and Subrogation Action

Because Massachusetts is a no-fault state, you are able to gain compensation for medical bills and other covered expenses from your insurance company after being involved in an auto accident. There are, however, some circumstances-including medical bills that are more than $2,000-where you may need to file an additional personal injury claim against the other party or their insurance company.

Where the no-fault plan falls through is on the part of your insurance company. While you may receive immediate cash benefits, the insurance company is taking the immediate hit of cash loss. It is for this reason that you will, without a doubt, hear the term “subrogation action” at some point in conversing with your insurer.

“Subrogation” means to change places with another. For your insurer to take subrogation action is for your insurer to stand in your place. This process requires that the other driver be found at fault, and be made to pay a compensational sum to your insurer, who is now being reimbursed for the money paid out for your medical bills and other damages.

When Dealing with Subrogation Action, Seek an Experienced Attorney

Again, subrogation requires a lawsuit settlement against the other driver. This can complicate an already complicated legal process if you are also suing the other driver or insurance company. The best, most effective action you can take is to hire a personal injury attorney with experience in this area who can protect you from unexpected and damaging outcomes that could arise from your subrogation claim. An attorney will be able to best advise you on the appropriate actions for your specific subrogation and auto insurance claims.

By: Thomas M. Kiley

About the Author:
If you have been seriously injured as a result of someone else’s negligence in Massachusetts, visit http://www.tomkileylaw.com/swat/index.cfm to learn about your rights and options under the law.

Massachusetts personal injury lawyer, Thomas M. Kiley, has been representing individuals against insurance companies since 1976. He was referred to as the “Million Dollar Man” in a featured article by the Boston Herald Sunday Magazine in it’s “Personal Best Series.” This was based on his record of obtaining million dollar verdicts and settlements in complex cases in which he represented injured victims against insurance companies.

Mr. Kiley is a respected member of numerous professional organizations including the American Association for Justice, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, and the Massachusetts Bar Association. He has achieved the highest possible rating (AV) for both legal ethics and ability by Martindale-Hubbell, the definitive guide to America’s leading lawyers and law firms.



1 comment »

Posted in Insurance

Tags:

The Auto Trader Guide

December 30th, 2010


There’s a lot of auto classifieds out there, though very few of them ever get as big or as popular as the UK-based Auto Trader. Auto Trader was originally a magazine for car trading, buying, and selling that was first published in the UK. However, in a few years, the magazine had already expanded into other territories and has separate editions for each of those countries. Also, it has maintained a significant presence online, consistently appearing as one of the top results on both Yahoo! and Google when auto classifieds are searched.

Like your usual auto classifieds, Auto Trader has comprehensive and updated listings on cars for sale and people looking for specific cars to buy. What it has that most others do not have are listings for car parts and accessories. Not many auto classifieds actually advertise parts, which is a sad thing. That gives this magazine and website an advantage when it comes to dealing with people who collect classic cars. Since parts for older cars like Cadillacs and Chevrolet Impalas are not as easy to come by as parts for more recent makes and models, the ads for various parts make the magazine an excellent online resource for those who need a replacement part that’s rare and hard to find. The magazine makes it an almost ideal place for collectors to get the parts they need to keep their beloved machines in tip-top condition.

Apart from cars, Auto Trader has also expanded its borders to deal with other means of transportation. For example, most auto classifieds do not bother to list down larger vehicles like trucks and the few that do only do so sparsely. In contrast, the magazine, with their website, has an extensive section on trucks, ranging from trucks for sale to truck parts, and even some tips on how to pick the kind of truck that you need. Not only that, the site also has a separate set of search customization options designed specifically for sorting through different types of trucks rather than cars, giving that section a more dedicated feel. Furthermore, the availability of the section for trucks, farm vehicles, and motorcycles, gives a definite sense of these vehicles being considered equally important to the car sections, and not just as interesting afterthoughts.

When one considers it, such sections are not all that surprising. Auto Trader is just expanding to include all major forms of private ground transportation. However, when one takes a look at the section devoted to boats, it does create a tendency to raise eyebrows. One could argue that the website is expanding a little too much by taking in a spot in the boat trade but one can’t argue with the fact that their coverage is extensive. It is clear that the website for boats was designed with as much consideration and care as their car-oriented sites.

Auto Trader has gone through a lot of changes since it first appeared but its core, the auto classifieds, has remained firm. Auto Trader remains one of the top car classifieds in the UK and they have not shown any signs of slowing down. In fact, it appears to most observers that they are intent on expanding further, in the hopes of eventually getting a piece of the market share in the US.

By: Micah Bleecher

About the Author:
For more valuable information on Auto Trader [http://classifieds.itrustmotors.com//cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi?db=cars] and Auto Classifieds [http://classifieds.itrustmotors.com//cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi?db=cars], please visit [http://classifieds.itrustmotors.com//cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi?db=cars].



No comments »

Posted in Automotive

Tags:

Nissan To Build Diesel Auto For U.S. Market

December 29th, 2010


The Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced its plan to build the first diesel-powered vehicle in North America in the next few years. The decision is anchored on the growing competition and the move of automakers towards fuel efficiency.

Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of the Nissan of Japan and the Renault of France, intimated the details about the company’s diesel strategy in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. Ghosn is amenable that the auto industry may have been shortsighted in fighting increased fuel-economy standards.

Like other automotive executives, Ghosn is striving to satisfy the increasing consumer appetite for fuel-efficient cars. Additionally, the fuel efficiency demands in Washington have to be solved immediately before global warming and oil-dependence issues cripple the industry.

In a meeting with editors and reporters in the industry, Ghosn said that the auto industry brought some problems on itself by fighting fuel-economy regulations over the years. “The car industry… because it has been a little bit shortsighted, saying all the time” that a change in fuel-efficiency standards “is not possible, this is too expensive, this is not going to happen, put itself in a situation where everybody is focusing on the car industry,” Ghosn said. “The carbon dioxide emitted by a car looks more damaging than the carbon dioxide emitted by everybody else.”

Ghosn said any push for tougher fuel-economy rules – known as the corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE – should be accompanied by tougher limits on other carbon-dioxide-emitting industries. “If you take up CAFE for the car industry, just make sure that the other industries also have something similar,” Ghosn said. For the new diesel-powered vehicle, the automaker is likely to use the expertise of Renault which is its alliance partner.

In 2005, sixty three percent of the Japanese automaker’s product lines in Western Europe were equipped with diesel engines. With the shift to greener and cleaner engines, other automakers are now planning more diesels in their lineup. DaimlerChrysler, Honda, and Volkswagen are just some of the automakers working with that goal in mind.

As the auto industry continues to produce more-efficient vehicles, Ghosn urged lawmakers and regulators to make rules that simply do not favor one technology over another. “At the end of the day, it’s about carbon dioxide emissions,” Ghosn said. “Let’s talk about performance, let’s not talk about technology. The competition will be on technology.”

Ghosn became famous largely for rescuing Nissan, which was near bankruptcy in 1999. His plan was built largely on catering to Americans’ desire for speed and horsepower during the craze for trucks and sport-utility vehicles in the 1990s.

Ghosn has ridiculed hybrids in the past, saying that their high prices did not make good business sense. Ghosn said that he was not convinced that hybrids were the answer to U.S. fuel-efficiency needs. But now, he is singing a new tune. “There are a lot of technologies on the table and we are working on a lot of them,” he said.

This year, Nissan is introducing its first hybrid which is a version of the Altima sedan. It will not fascinate enthusiasts just because of Nissan tail light, but would catch attention because of its green technology mated to superb performance and appearance. The hybrid technology is licensed from the Toyota Motor Corporation.

By: Ryan Thomas

About the Author:
Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car afficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine.You can also visit Nissan tail light for more information.



No comments »

Posted in Automotive

Tags: