As far as their site is concerned, CarMax can confirm the wandering thoughts on which cars are being searched for today. And the two popular cars are the hybrid and diesel vehicles, two cars that cater to cheaper fuel that is easy on the pockets.

This is not entirely surprising considering that this trend has been all over the news and rampant among automotive discussions. People are becoming wiser, turning to these vehicles mainly because fuel is getting costlier by the day. Motorists are shifting towards alternative vehicles but you can be assured that a lot of the famous car brand names still come up.

Popular hybrid vehicles on carmax.com include the Toyota Prius, Lexus RX400h and the Honda Civic hybrid while popular diesel vehicles include the Ford F350, Dodge Ram 3500 and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

As you can see, the big name cars are still there. This stems from the fact that these auto manufacturers were ready since the whole fuel issue hit us. So with this post, you now have a guide for yourself in case you are looking for a reliable car to use.

(Source) Press

Tags: auto manufacturers, car brand, carmax, diesel vehicles, dodge ram 3500, ford f350, honda civic, honda civic hybrid, hybrid vehicles, lexus rx400h, motorists, pockets, popular cars, toyota prius, two cars, volkswagen jetta, volkswagen jetta tdi

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Car suppliers and traders can look forward to better trading using iConnect which has announced a no-charge Automotive Bailout Program. The auto industry today is in need of financial bailouts themselves and this new service from iConnect should be cheered on by local auto manufacturers, suppliers and traders.

Any company that does business in the automotive arena can apply for iConnect’s EDI Bailout program through the iConnect website at www.iConnect-corp.com. Companies that are selected will be able to exchange electronic documents such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping schedules and ASN’s electronically with its trading partners.

iConnect founder and CEO Kishor Sapre says, “Many automotive companies and suppliers are in need of a bailout today — a financial bailout as well as a bailout from inefficient and costly business processes. We hope to provide them with both.”

(Source) Press

Tags: auto industry, auto manufacturers, business processes, car suppliers, electronic documents, financial bailout, iconnect, invoices, kishor, local auto, trading partners

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1394 Automotive will be holding an Automotive Technology seminar this April 30, to strengthen its hold as one of the leaders in global standard in-vehicle networking. The 1394 Trade Association will sponsor an Automotive Technology Seminar April 30, featuring presentations by industry leaders and the latest products and innovations.

The seminar begins at 1 pm Thurs., April 30 at the Dearborn Inn Marriott. It will provide the industry with a comprehensive view of the 1394 Automotive standard and use cases for the vehicle.

Topics to be covered include network applications; standards overview; interconnect system solutions; 1394 device technology; software; testing/diagnostics; and a system overview. For more information about how to attend visit http://www.1394ta.org/Events/Q22009_TechSeminar.html. Registration will be available on site on the day of the seminar.

“Auto manufacturers can’t afford multiple networks that will be obsolete in a few years after initial platform launch,” said Max Bassler, chairman of the 1394 Trade Association. “They want a single customizable in-vehicle network that will allow multiple ECUs, including driver assistance, navigation, Internet use and high quality audio/video modules to communicate seamlessly. Outside connections to the world will interact and communicate over the 1394 Auto in-vehicle network.”

(Source) Press

Tags: auto manufacturers, automotive technology, bassler, device technology, driver assistance, industry leaders, internet use, multiple networks, network applications, software testing, system overview, system solutions

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Bright Automotive is busy developing their own version of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that will achieve 100 mpg for the average customer. Also, the name has been finally revealed. The car will be called the IDEA. A concept version of the IDEA will be shown to the public for the first time on April 21, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

“We named our first vehicle the IDEA because of the role it will play in helping revolutionize American transportation and moving the country toward a more secure and sustainable energy future,” said John Waters, CEO and President of Bright Automotive. “We know it is possible to achieve dramatic, breakthrough fuel efficiency and deliver tremendous customer value. This is the compelling idea that drives our company and it is fully captured in our first vehicle.”

Bright Automotive (www.brightautomotive.com) has the most experienced PHEV, hybrid and electric vehicle team in the industry. Waters developed the battery pack for General Motors’ first production electric vehicle, the EV1, and other company executives and engineers have spent years working for major auto manufacturers and suppliers. Bright Automotive will begin high volume production by the end of 2012 – with an annual run rate of 50,000 units. To produce its vehicle, the company plans to create over 5,000 jobs by 2013.

(Source) Press

Tags: american transportation, auto manufacturers, battery pack, capitol hill, customer value, dramatic breakthrough, electric vehicle team, EV1, fuel efficiency, General Motors, high volume, hybrid electric vehicle, john waters, major auto, MPG, phev, sustainable energy future, volume production

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Advertising may be a tactic that most auto companies are trying to cut down on but make no mistake about it, there are some who have kept up with the advertising prowess to ensure that they get noticed. comScore, Inc. today released the results of a study of online automotive advertising, based on data from the comScore Ad Metrix service, including the debut release of data from comScore’s new product-level dictionary.

The study revealed that Ford Motor Company was the top auto advertiser in January with 481 million display ad impressions, followed by Toyota with 384 million and General Motors with 316 million. The top ten auto manufacturers accounted for 58 percent of the 1.9 billion ad impressions in the segment, with the “Big Three” U.S. automakers (Ford, GM and Chrysler) accounting for 26 percent.

Automotive advertisers delivered nearly 2 billion ad impressions and reached 120 million people, or 65 percent of the total Internet audience, in January 2009. This represents a decline of 43 percent in online ad impressions for the auto industry versus January 2008.

“The collective online advertising strategy of automakers shows a low level of online advertising for their green models and higher levels for their heavier gas consumption vehicles,” said Jeff Hackett, comScore senior vice president. “While SUVs may still drive a larger share of sales for the automakers, comScore research has shown that online is an effective brand-building medium and now might be a good time to begin shifting allocation of dollars and mindshare towards the models of the future.”

(Source) Press

Tags: advertising strategy, auto advertising, auto companies, auto industry, auto manufacturers, automakers, automotive advertising, debut release, ford motor, ford motor company, future source, gas consumption, General Motors, impressions, internet audience, jeff hackett, mindshare, prowess, senior vice president, top auto

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Job cuts seem to be common in the news these days. And for Nissan Motors, addressing a sales slump means cutting down manpower to help curtail costs.

With the continued decline in car sales, Nissan has no choice but to cut manpower costs for its Sunderland which employs around 5,000 workers. 1,200 jobs are to be cut as Britain joins the ranks of businesses experiencing difficulties in light of the bad economy we are in today.

“It is essential we take the right action now to ensure we are in a strong and viable position once business conditions return to normal. Unavoidably, this means we have had to make some very tough decisions in recent weeks.

“However by doing so, we are helping to safeguard our long-term future which I believe is extremely positive.”

Job cuts in the auto sector are measures that many car companies hate to do. But if they want to continue operating, such measures have to be done even if it means laying off some workers.

(Source) AFP

Tags: auto manufacturers, auto sector, business conditions, car companies, car sales, economic slump, job cuts, manpower costs, Nissan, nissan motors, sunderland

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