Automobile Retailers

Long-haul trucks may be experiencing some growth, but SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) suggests that the sales of standard trucks and SUVs for personal use are taking a huge tumble in the market.

SEMA’s research was conducted between the top-20 selling pickups from January to April 2008 relative to the same timeframe in 2007. Pick-up sales have dropped 17% compared to last year’s sales, but there has been some good news for the Toyota Tundra, which was up 25%, and the Ford Ranger, which was up 12%. Every other truck on the market suffered from the 17% plunge, however.

It is the SUV industry that took the biggest hit. Driving through any suburban area might not exemplify this notion, but SUV sales dropped a massive 27%. Only two SUVs survived the plunge: Toyota’s Sequoia, which was up 17.9%, and the Chrysler Aspen, which was up 11.3%.

It’s not all bad news, though. CUVs are growing. The crossover market has experienced growth because of the squeeze at the pumps, as consumers still want to drive something they feel protects them from the rigours of the road and from inevitable accidents. In this respect, the CUV has taken its rightful place and may well exceed the SUV and truck market with another good year.

Consumers are buying CUVs at a steady rate and, once again, Toyota is experiencing growth in this sector in contrast to other companies. The Scion xB is near the top of the list, joining the popular Ford Edge and Suzuki XL-7. The Jeep Patriot has experienced significant gains as well, almost tripling its output from the previous year.

The biggest drops on the market are easy to spot and easier to rectify. The Nissan Titan and Dodge Dakota “led the way” in the truck category, each dropping a whopping 42% in sales compared to last year’s same time period. As for SUVs, the Jeep Commander dropped a massive 44.4% with Toyota’s FJ Cruiser behind it with a 39.1% drop. Most CUVs saw growth, with a rare exception being the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which while being all the rage when it first came out is now down 35% from last year.

Reading the title, one might think I’m describing some sort of Conan-esque mythological character. Instead, the Axor is the name for the new Mercedes-Benz commercial truck. The launch for the Axor came this week as Benz unveiled the new 6×4 monstrosity to the public.

While the truck industry’s sales are expected to drop, Mercedes-Benz still expects to sell around 8% more than last year. With business projections looking up, Mercedes-Benz is putting a lot of stock into its new Axor. So far this year the over-3.5 ton truck segment experienced growth of about 10% compared to the 15.43% fall in the passenger market, which is good news for producers of large trucks.

The Axor was built by Mercedes-Benz to fill the gaps between the premium Actros tractors and the Atego trucks. Targeted by and large at fleet customers looking to outfit their repertoire with a solid brand name, the Axor is a simple truck. A manual gearshift is used instead of the electronic paddle shift on the Actros, making driving the truck easier for the big rig drivers. The Axor is powered by a 12-litre straight-6 engine.

While learning about the Axor may not mean that much to the average driver who doesn’t take long-haul trips across the country, it is interesting the note the growth in the transport truck sector and how Mercedes-Benz has risen to the challenge of creating a powerful production truck for fleet consumers.

The release of the Axor comes on the heels of the news that the 40-ton Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor-trailer combination made the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most economical truck of its class. Consuming 19.44 litres of diesel per 100km was good enough to get put in the book. The Actros was tested for a seven-day round-the-clock examination.

So with Mercedes-Benz certainly making waves in the world of transport trucks and producing fuel efficient big rigs to fill market gaps, other facets of the company will likely reflect the success. Keep your eyes on Mercedes-Benz.

Going to the dealership to get a new car can be a daunting experience. But it really doesn’t have to be. In fact, with a few tips, you can actually get a great deal on a car that you really want. Before you get nervous about the thought of visiting a dealer, consider these suggestions.

1. Have an idea of the type of car and model you want to buy. Don’t just show up at the dealership without researching the types of cars that fit your lifestyle and budget. That’s the easiest way to spend more than you can afford. Are you looking for a performance vehicle or a family van? Do you want a six-cylinder or eight-cylinder engine? Would you prefer a hybrid or a fuel-powered vehicle? Narrow it down and then you can just tell the dealer so he can point you in the right direction.

2. Shop for cars on the web first. Before going to your local dealer, see if any particular auto companies are offering cash rebates or other incentives. This might factor into your decision of the type of car you want to purchase.

3. Time your purchase just right. You can usually get better deals at the end of summer and at the end of the year when dealers are trying to make room for new inventory.

4. Be prepared. The best thing you can do in order to get a great deal is be informed. There’s an adage that says something about information being the best tool for negotiating. That’s true in any business transaction, especially when buying a car. Know what other dealers are charging for the same models and other bits of information so you can make the best and most informed decision.

Now that you know how to get a great deal, why not visit a local Pontiac dealer and check out their inventory? There’s never been a better time than the present!

Despite not falling with the rest of the car companies for several years of declining sales, time and space finally caught up with Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and the company has started reporting declining sales for the past five months. Armageddon is truly upon us!

In April, Toyota reported sales of 217,700, marking a 4.5 percent drop compared with last April. The April results followed U.S. sales declines of 10.3 percent for March, 2.8 percent in February, 2.3 percent in January and 1.7 percent in December, according to Automotive News Data Center. This makes for compelling news for those who have monitored Toyota for quite some time.

To many, Toyota’s forward-thinking sales processes and development of new models to meet consumer wants and needs has made them virtually bulletproof. The development of the stellar Scion brand, for instance, has added more to Toyota’s portfolio and has made them a frontrunner in the field of economy cars. Toyota competes in almost all of the automotive segments, from SUVs to small cars, and the downturn in sales is surprising given their record.

However, the downturn in sales for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. isn’t surprising when one considers the industry on the whole. The economy is having a drastic effect on the entire industry, causing companies to lose major ground with the majority of their sales divisions. The wave of economic strife was bound to catch up to Toyota eventually, just as it has with every other car company. Despite some companies posting upturns in sales for small periods, the car sales business has overall been a tough one to navigate and an even tougher one to predict as of late.

Still, Toyota remains as one of the world’s leading competitors when it comes to selling cars that consumers want. Recent surveys of customer satisfaction had Toyota ranked at the top in the United States alongside the always popular Ford and the Scion model continues to appeal to a younger generation. Once (or if) the economy shifts back to “normal,” Toyota will likely come out on top again.

Your radiator and cooling apparatus is one of the most important parts of your car. I found this out the hard way by letting mine run dry. The sad thing is that the coolant is such an easy thing to check and maintain. Instead of waiting for your coolant to run dry and damaging your engine, here are some tips to help you avoid such a catastrophe.

• Look for the coolant reservoir underneath your hood. Most cars have a transparent container so you can see the level of coolant you have. Make sure you keep it filled to the appropriate line.

• Always check the level of the coolant after your car has been sitting for a long time. In other words, only check it when the engine is cool.

• Only add a 50/50 mixture of coolant and distilled water to the container. You can buy pre-mixed solutions at any auto parts store or get pure coolant and mix it with water. Don’t use tap water, though, as some of the chemicals could harm the radiator.

• Never open the radiator cap when the engine is hot. The pressure could create a burst of water exploding through the opening and it could cause serious burns and injuries. This is sometimes true for coolant reservoirs. Read the owner’s manual for your particular model before unscrewing either lid.

• Don’t leave any coolant where pets or kids can get to it. It’s highly-toxic and can be fatal if ingested.

• Monitor your coolant level so you know if you have any leaks. If so, get it fixed as soon as possible. A slow leak could result in thousands of dollars of damage if not repaired right away.

Don’t let that new or used car from your local Pontiac dealer go to waste. Remember to check the coolant and keep it maintained so you can get many years of enjoyment from it. It only takes a minute, but that one minute can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

It’s tax refund time!

Refunds, coupled with Bush’s proposed economic stimulus package, have a lot of people excited about a drop of extra cash in their mailboxes. But will the economic stimulus package work to rectify the sinking stone of the American economy or will over-spending simply lead to more trouble?

Naturally many companies want people to believe the former and want people to spend and spend some more on a variety of products and services. Paying bills with the stimulus package, which totals around $600 for some people, is a big no-no according to major corporations. Buying fancy toys is a positive outcome that will help save us all from the downturn in the economy. Better yet, buy a car or put a down-payment on something you’ve been looking at. Spend and spend some more, America.

Of course, most expert economists doubt that the stimulus package will do much to rectify the plunging economy. Instead, it’ll likely continue to foster America’s philosophy of debt and will impact individuals with lower incomes even more. Credit card debt is already a huge problem in America and, with more money being pumped in by a treasury that can simply print money when it’s convenient, things are quickly losing value.

That doesn’t mean owning things can’t be fun. Consider putting a down-payment on a Mercedes-Benz or another model. Buying a car, any car, has probably never been more convenient for the consumer. Entering a lease agreement can be fun, too, especially with warranties and other safeguards covering your butt during all of the trouble spots of car ownership.

So it’s reasonable to assume that car dealerships are sparking up the big money discounts at this time of year. Tax refund time is a fun time for your local Mercedes-Benz dealer and it can be a great time for you, too, even if your visit simply culminates in a test drive and some drooling over an A-class model.

The differences between car companies is, like the differences between American presidential candidates, becoming harder and harder to discern. Companies come out with subcompact models that parallel other subcompact models from other companies, making the disparity between Ford, Toyota, Honda, and other companies all the harder to spot. It’s a lot like choosing between Clinton or McCain.

The average consumer is now basing his or her car purchase on different factors, eliminating the need for car companies to do most of their work in production. What matters most to consumers of cars now is what happens to the car when it leaves the lot and, yes, how the car makes the driver feel. Does the car instil confidence in the driver? Does it make the driver feel proud to drive it? Those are the factors that are proving to be most influential in the business of car shopping.

Now the questions about the car have more to do with whether or not the car offers general satisfaction to the driver and less to do with how good the tires are. Of course, all of the minute factors of the car come together to formulate consumer satisfaction in a roundabout way, but most consumers are more concerned with cars that have fewer problems and more special features.

A San Diego-based firm highlighted this shift with its Total Quality Index. The TQI is a ranking of 19 vehicle segments based around overall customer satisfaction. The firm surveyed around 20,655 owners on both problems and on how delighted (or not) they were with things like vehicle amenities, interior design, ergonomics, controls, entertainment systems, and standard features.

As far as the car companies that made the top of the list most often, Ford and Toyota were almost inherently locked together for the lead. Cars with the most customer satisfaction over longer periods of time included Toyota’s Scion xB and the Yaris, as well as Ford’s Edge crossover and Mustang convertible.

It seems that smaller, more economical cars like the Scion and the Yaris from Toyota are proving to be more satisfactory for consumers in the long run, which means good things for environmentally-friendly models built with a similar design. Small cars may soon replace the top echelon of the car business and may transform the field, as customer demand suggests that the tide is changing in what people want from their cars and, more importantly, from their car companies.

Since I posted a blog yesterday about more and more Americans doing their own car maintenance, I figured it would be a good service to give you some tips on how to do that. In addition to saving money by doing it yourself, you can also increase your gas mileage and feel a sense of accomplishment. So today’s installment includes some tips about changing your air filter.

• Changing your air filter is one of the simplest maintenance jobs you can do on your car. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, but you can save 20 or 30 bucks just by doing it yourself.

• If your car was made in the last couple decades, your air filter is located in a black plastic case with metal clips holding it on (under the hood, of course). You’ll even see a black plastic tube going into the case on some cars.

• If there is a nut on the top of the casing holding the unit on, unscrew it. Put it in a safe place so you don’t lose it.

• Undo the clips. Most of the time, you can simply do this with your fingers. Other times, you may need to pry them apart with a screwdriver. Afterwards, the top of the casing should pop off.

• Remove the filter from inside. Depending on the type of car, the filter will either be round or rectangular. Regardless of its shape, it has many pieces of folded paper surround by rubber.

• Put the new filter in its place the same exact way the old one was sitting. Replace the casing and don’t forget to put the nut back on the top if there was one. If the casing won’t fit when you replace it, you’ve likely put the filter in wrong. Keep trying until it fits.

With this and other DIY tips, you can get a vehicle from your local Pontiac dealer and do much of the maintenance yourself. You’d be surprised how much money you can save and how good you’ll feel about yourself, too!

It seems that college graduates who buy certain automobiles are getting a break from the stress and hassle of the school experience and the fiscal crunch of student loans. That break is coming from one of the unlikeliest places possible: car companies.

Many automakers are offering student drivers (recent college grads) a special rebate over and above the best price for a new car. So students are able to snag some cash back in return even after negotiating and bartering for a sweet deal on a new ride. In many cases, the manufacturer’s rebate isn’t even waived and students can come away with lots of cash back after making a car purchase.

Hyundai, for instance, is offering the 2008 HMFC College Graduate Program which gives students $400 in rebates as long as graduation took place in the last 24 months. The rebate program is also open to students who will receive their graduation certificate in the next six months. Who says education doesn’t pay?

Ford has the College Student Purchase Program. This offers rebates of around $500 on Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. Ford’s program is open to current students as well as to graduates of trade schools.

GM has an aggressive campaign in trying to lure recent grads. A special website has been launched to help students make decisions about buying a new car. Instead of offering a rebate, GM sells cars to qualified drivers at the supplier rate, which is generally significantly below the sticker price.

Toyota offers recent grads a $500 rebate on a new Corolla or Matrix. $400 rebates are available for any other car the automaker provides under Toyota’s Recent College Graduate program. It makes sense that Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion has a similar promotion, with the Scion College Graduate Program which delivers $400 cash back on the purchase of a new Scion.

In an effort to offset the amount of money they’re spending on fuel, more Americans are doing car repairs themselves instead of paying mechanics to do it.

A study by of more than 5,000 by 3M revealed this trend. The study found that more than 30 percent of today’s car owners are washing and detailing their car at home rather than taking it somewhere to have it done. In addition to that, nearly 70 percent of female baby boomers are also more likely to do this job at home to save money for their household.

But these aren’t just the lower-income households that are taking these measures. In fact, the families who reported incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 were the most prominent group that admitted to washing and repairing their cars at home to save money. Families making less than $35,000 were the ones putting their major focus on reducing fuel costs. More than 75 percent of those families are driving less while about 56 percent of them are keeping their cars in “tip top shape” to get the optimum gas mileage.

Here are some other interesting facts that the study revealed:

• 68 percent of all drivers in the United States are cutting back on driving as a direct result of soaring fuel costs.
• Women are leading the way in saving gas with 71 percent of them cutting back on driving. Only 65 percent of men admitted to altering their driving habits to save on fuel costs.

If you visit your local Pontiac dealer, you can get a great deal on one of the new fuel-efficient vehicles on the market today. You might still want to change your driving habits to save on fuel, but you won’t need to change them too much.