European Brands Posted Mixed March Sales

The United States is no doubt the biggest auto market in the world and because of that fact, international brands have been trying to increase their shares in the U.S. auto market. Following the end of the month of March, car manufacturers, both domestic and international brands, have posted their sales figure for the month.

In connection with that, the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) reported that international brands have cornered 48.4 percent of the U.S. auto market. It can also be remembered that experts in the auto industry predicted that international brands will corner a major share of the U.S. auto market before the end of the year. Some of the international brands are of European lineage and in general, European car brands have mixed sales figures for March 2007.

Audi is one of the fastest growing European car brands in the United States. Last month the German company sold 8,020 units and that equates to the posting of an increase of 14.7 percent as compared to March 2006 sales. For the first quarter of 2007, Audi already sold 21,028 units which is an increase of 17.6 percent over sales for the first three months of 2006.

The A4/S4 models are the best selling cars for the German outfit. The two combined for sales of 3,783 units. The A4 sedan racked sales of 2,304 units last month. Meanwhile, the popular and award-winning Audi Q7 sport utility vehicle posted strong sales of 2,075 units.

BMW, another German brand, also posted increased sales last month. The company sold 25,325 units in the United States on the way to post a 3.4 percent sales increase compared to March 2006. The company has already sold 67,360 units for the first three months of 2007 which marks a 6.7 percent sales improvement over the 2006 first quarter sales. The BMW 3-Series is still the best selling model from the outfit with 7,195 units sold.

Another notable BMW model which posted strong sales for the month of March is the 5-Series sedan. BMW sold 4,297 units of the said model in the United States. SUVs from BMW also posted increased sales, with 6,579 units sold posting an increase of 18.9 percent compared to March 2006 SUV sales.

While Audi and BMW may be enjoying success in the United States, the same cannot be said of Volkswagen. Another German brand, Volkswagen posted a 16.3 percent sales reduction in the U.S. auto market. The company sold 17,355 units for the month of March. For the first quarter, Volkswagen has already sold 50,332 units and that is a reduction of 5.6 percent compared to the first quarter of 2006.

European brands like Audi and BMW has posted increased sales and Volkswagen posted reduced sales but one European brand remains flat in its sales output. Mercedes-Benz, another German brand, sold 21,627 units for the month of March.

While this may be an improvement over last year's March, the 0.9 percent increase shows that the brand is almost stuck as if the sales brakes have been applied. In spite of that, Mercedes-Benz managed to increase their year to date sales in the United States by 9.2 percent.

Roche Fleet Accommodates More Hybrid Vehicles

The global community is currently being confronted by a problem and that is the global warming situation. The increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases the surface temperature of the Earth. This problem is currently being addressed by the auto industry by developing fuel efficient vehicles which produces less greenhouse gases than their predecessors. These vehicles though needs to be used and replace the not so eco-friendly vehicles on the road today.

Helping car manufacturers put their green vehicles on the street are large companies with equally large fleets. It can be remembered that US President George W Bush commended UPS and FedEx for their use of hybrid vehicles on their fleets. Recently, another company took a step towards fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction by expanding their hybrid car fleet.

Roche, the well known Swiss pharmaceutical company, announced that they have increased the total number of hybrid vehicles on their fleet to 242 units. These vehicles are used by their sales representatives for different purposes. The company announced that with the increase in the number of their hybrid vehicles, they will be contributing to the battle against the threat of global warming.

More than a thousand tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be eliminated with the use of the 242 units of hybrid vehicles. Fuel consumption for the company will also be cut down by as much as 80,253 gallons of gasoline annually. And all in all, those statistics are going to make much of a difference in the long run especially.

Terry F. Yosie, the President and the Chief Executive Officer of the World Environment Center, have this to say about Roche's expansion of hybrid car fleet: "Roche's hybrid-car program demonstrates the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility. Roche is a leader among pharmaceutical companies striving to make a difference, and this hybrid car program is a prime example of how all companies can make a contribution." The World Environment Center is a not-for-profit, non-advocacy organization which is based in Washington, D.C.

In July of 2004, the F. Hoffmann-La Roche, also simply known as Roche, started their hybrid car plan by commissioning 20 hybrid vehicles composed of the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape hybrid vehicles. The performance and fuel efficiency of these hybrid cars, better even than a vehicle equipped with an AEM Acura Intake, made the company decide to expand the fleet.

Aside from the proven fuel efficiency, performance of the hybrid cars was also found out to be of high level. Those reasons played a major role why the number of hybrid vehicle in Roche's fleet numbers 242 currently.

Jack Kace, the Vice President for Corporate Environmental & Safety Affairs of Roche, has this to say: "Roche is devoted to conserving natural resources and improving human health, and we believe in and practice environmental sustainability. The expansion of our hybrid vehicle program is a great example of this commitment. We are using less gasoline, reducing our emissions and reducing our fleet costs as well." Indeed, the expansion of the company's hybrid car fleet shows its commitment to the welfare of the current and subsequent generations.

Air Conditioning? Why Choose a Car With That?

Unless you live in the north of Russia, or plan on setting up home in Antarctica, where the thermometer never rises much above zero Celsius, there are going to be days that are hot enough to warrant having a system of keeping cool in your car. Affordable air conditioning has been around since the 1980s. Today, more and more cars are being fitted with what they call in the trade climate control as a standard feature, especially in countries that have warmer climates. So why choose a car that has air conditioning over one that does not? Let's look at some of the reasons.

First and foremost is comfort. On a hot day the last thing anyone would want to do is sit in a hot car for any length of time. That's because even when the outside temperature is only mildly hot, the inside of that tin box always gets much hotter. Despite having all the windows open, when a car is stationary and the sun is out, the front and rear windscreens of the car let all the heat in but don't let it out again. The metal shell of the car also heats up, with darker colours absorbing more heat than lighter ones. Whatever the colour, the end result is the same. The inside temperature rises to an unbearable level very quickly.

Before the advent of air conditioning in cars, the only way to cool down was to keep the car moving with the windows down. That might have been fine if your journey took you through the open countryside, but it was no joke being stuck in an urban traffic jam. To make matters worse, as temperatures began to rise, tempers began to flare. When the frustration of being delayed coupled with the oppressive heat, it produced many angry verbal and even the odd physical exchanges between motorists.

Then along comes air conditioning in the car. The change in the behaviour of motorists is magical. With the temperature inside the vehicle at a comfortable level, tempers are now much better kept and the whole driving experience is more comfortable and even the off traffic jam more bearable.

Another less well known use of air conditioning in the car is in damp weather. Nothing clears a misty windshield faster than a blast of dry air with the air conditioning full on. Side windows magically demist too, so it makes for safer driving. It also prevents that sometimes seen accident waiting to happen of someone driving down the road with their head poking out of window to see where they are going.

A lot of people are opposed to using air conditioning in their car because of the extra load its operation puts on the fuel economy. This is true while the car is stationary. They fail to realise however that when a car is in motion with the windows open, it uses almost as much additional fuel as it would with the windows up and the air conditioning switched on, due to the drag effect of the open windows. A car's fuel economy is rated with the windows closed because it's more aerodynamic.

These are some of the reasons why air conditioning in cars has become so popular in recent years making the driving experience much more appealing on hot, sunny days whether you are driving in the open countryside or fighting your way through the city streets.

Igniting a Spark

Your Volvo has thousands of parts in it. Some play a crucial role in the car, while others do not. Some are used all the time, while some are needed only for a specific time.

One of the latter is your Volvo's ignition coil. Also called a spark coil, the ignition coil is an induction coil in the automobile's ignition system. The Volvo ignition coil transforms a storage battery's 12 volts into the thousands (which sometimes could reach as high as 120,000 volts) needed to ignite the spark plugs.

Invented by A. Kent Atwater in 1921, the ignition coil is a simple transformer that has two sides: the 12 volt or primary side and the high voltage or secondary side. The primary side contains a few hundred turns of a large diameter wire and it builds up the magnetic field in the coils. On the other hand, the high voltage side contains thousands of turns of small diameter wire. The coil uses "electromagnetic induction" to create the high voltage. When the voltage in the primary side is turned off, the collapsing magnetic field in the secondary side induces a voltage in the secondary side, producing thousands of volts.

In older vehicles, a single, large ignition coil would serve all the spark plugs, distributing voltage via an ignition distributor. In modern systems, the distributor is omitted and ignition is controlled electronically, instead. Much smaller coils are used with one coil for each spark plug or one coil serving two spark plugs (so two coils in a four-cylinder car). These coils may be remote-mounted or they may be placed on top of the spark plug (coil-on-plug or direct injection). Where one coil serves two spark plugs (in two cylinders), it is through the "wasted spark" system.

In this arrangement, the coil generates two sparks per cycle to both the cylinders. The fuel in the cylinder that is nearing the end of its compression stroke is ignited, whereas, the spark in its companion nearing the end of its exhaust stroke has no effect. The wasted spark system is more reliable than a single coil system with a distributor and cheaper than coil-on-plug.

Where the coils are remote mounted, they may all be contained in a single molded block with multiple high-tension terminals. This is commonly called a coil-pack.

Your Volvo ignition coils are part of a larger system, which is the ignition system. The ignition system is part of an even larger engine system. The ignition system's primary responsibility is the timely burning of the fuel-air mixture in the engine. Your Volvo user's manual would carry the recommended service interval for your ignition system, including your Volvo ignition coil.

Your Volvo engine might run rough, buck, surge, stall or even get poor fuel economy. These are signs that your ignition system might need servicing as they are potentially an ignition system problem.

When this happens, drive to the nearest Volvo dealership and have a qualified technician take a look around. Your Volvo engine might be in problem in the long run.

Purchasing A Second-Hand Car Is A Great Way To Get A New Car Without Breaking The Bank

These days, purchasing a car can be a minefield of uncertainty - especially so for the majority of us who do not have detailed technical knowledge of the workings of the car industry. But having a basic knowledge of how the second-hand car industry works could end up saving you thousands of pounds; providing you do some careful research beforehand!

Due to the way that dealers classify the second-hand car market, motorists can often save themselves thousands of pounds on a second-hand car if they shop with care. Depending on such factors as age, mileage and condition of the vehicle, second-hand cars normally fall into one of three categories. The first of these categories is nearly new cars, which are those vehicles that are up to one year old, have very low mileage (usually sub-10,000 miles) and can cost thousands of pounds less than an equivalent brand new car. The old adage of a car being immediately worth three thousand pounds less the moment you drive it off the forecourt may no longer be true - but the principle certainly is.

The next category of second-hand car involves the most commonly seen used cars on the road today and constitutes the vast bulk of the second-hand car market. This category includes those cars which are one to three years old, are in good condition and have reasonably low mileage on the clock – making them excellent vehicles for the cost-conscious buyer. Most dealers will have a wide selection of cars of this type, and if properly checked over for faults and maintenance issues will usually constitute a safe purchase. Cars that are over three years old are generally a little more tricky with a much larger variance in quality; these cars may cost as little as £2-300, but as always at the lowest end of any market, you get what you pay for.

When looking for a second-hand car, a good piece of advice is generally to stick to independent dealers. This is because dealers with affiliations to major brands of vehicle generally receive a commission for every car they sell, and as such can often be even less impartial than non-affiliated salesmen. Affiliated dealerships are also generally less willing to consider other brands or other makes of car. However, although generally favouring one brand of car and being more expensive initially, the flip side of the coin is that affiliated dealerships (or "main dealers") do offer brand specific after sales care and servicing, hold a large stock of spare parts and offer good, multiple year warranties.

Another option to consider when looking around for a second-hand car is to cut out the middle man entirely and use the internet to search online. Online car buying has exploded in recent years and generally provides the cheapest way of buying second-hand cars, as advertising costs for both car sites and independent sellers are much cheaper than via traditional channels, as well as helping to avoid the high pressure sales environment that is often associated with buying a second-hand car.

Is It Worthwhile Insuring Your Personalised Number Plate?

There are available insurance schemes covering the loss of personalised number plates , but are they a worthwhile expenditure? Let us look at the potential circumstances which could result in a claim.
The first would be the theft of the registration number on it's own.To do this the criminal would nee your vehicle documents ( V5C log book,m.o.t and tax disc ) he would also have to forge your signature and change the address on your V5C.Unless you keep you V5C in the glovebox this is a low risk scenario.

Second would be the theft of the car with the number on it.Once again the thief would need your vehicle documents to be able to transfer the registration.It is no longer possible to obtain a duplicate log book as if someone other than you applies the DVLA will write to you immediately.If the car is not recovered you can get your registration number back through normal DVLA procedures although you will have to wait 12 months.Having insurance will not alter this rule.

Total loss is next.Assuming the car is a write off following an accident it should be easy enough to put the number on retention before you settle with the insurance company , do not part with the V5C until you have done this.

Failure to transfer the registration number before selling or trading the car is the last possible scenario.Registration numbers go with the car ( or more accurately the V5C ) sq it is recommended to always put the number on retention before you even advertise the car.Should the personalised number plate be lost through failure to do this it would amount to negligence on your part and it is unlikely to be covered by insurance.

In summary it seems , in our opinion , that insuring your personalised number plate may not be as worthwhile as it might appear as there are already procedures in place to protect you. In any event the DVLA know where all cars and registration numbers are and can therefore trace them and a personalised number plate is of no use to anyone outside the uk so what would a thief do with it?

Why Do Gas Prices Go Up in the Summer?

Summer gas prices are already well on their way. If you doubt this, just notice how prices are going up every week at the gas pumps. Every summer gas prices tend to increase for many reasons, but as regular consumers we don't worry so much about why the prices are going up. We worry more about what it's going to do to our budgets!

So why do gas prices go up in the summer? Many of you may not be aware of this, but fuel companies actually use a different blend in the winter than they do in the summer. In other words, the gas you pump into your car is different depending on the season that you are buying the gas. One cause of the increase in prices is because the different oil refineries actually have to shut down temporarily to switch the whole refinery over to the new blend. And whenever a refinery shuts down there is a dip in the available supply of gasoline to the market. So thinking about basic economics, whenever the supply of a rather inelastic product goes down and demand is still high, prices will go up.

According to an article from reason.com (http://www.reason.com/news/show/119300.html) the change in seasonal blends of gas is due to a regulation from the EPA that started back in 1989. This regulation set a cap on vapor pressure in gasoline. The main reason for this regulation was to reduce pollution. This regulation has effectively helped to reduce smog but has also made it more costly to make gasoline with a lower vapor pressure. According to reason.com, summer blends can cost between 3 to 15 cents more to product than winter blends.

There is also a logistical problem with switching over all of the gas stations in the country to the new blends as well. This is another reason why summer pricing really starts to take effect in spring rather than just in the summer.

So what can you do to survive the summer gas prices? In the end it comes down to improving your overall fuel economy. Try to stretch each gallon of gas out as long you can. Try a fuel additive, do some of the other tips you can find online, but do something to improve that gas mileage and you'll be spending less at the pump.

Audi to Expand Business in the US

German car makers have been known for their production of luxury cars. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW are known the world over for their production of luxurious vehicles.





In the past, Audi was shadowed by BMW and Mercedes-Benz in terms of sales. This trend though looks to be turning, with Audi now staking its claim as the fastest German luxury car maker.





While the sales of Audi is eclipsed by the thousand of sales of both BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Audi is now set to challenge the two car makers as the best German car maker. In the United States alone, Audi achieved an awesome feat by almost tripling its sales from 1997 to 2006 in 1997, Audi sold 34,160 units in the United States, small in comparison to the 90,116 units it sold in the country last year. The company has also set its sight to expand their lineup in the next eight years.





In that span of time, Audi plans to create 18 new models for their lineup. To increase their market coverage, the company is expected to increase its number of dedicated Audi dealerships. These exclusive Audi dealerships are planned to be set up on major cities in the United States. One of their vehicles to success in the near future is the company's first ever diesel engined race car.





Aside from their focus in the U.S. luxury car market, the company is also widening its coverage of the global market. The Audi AG reported good sales figures for the first two months of this year which means that they are performing well in the global market. For January and February, Audi AG sold over 144,000 vehicles which is nine percent higher than sales for the first two months of 2006. In February, the car manufacturer sold nine percent more vehicles compared to February 2006 and at the same time posted their best ever February sales.





In the United States, the Audi of America reported 6,609 units sold in the month of February, marking a 37.5 percent increase compared to February of 2006. For the first two months of the year, Audi of America sold 13,008 units which represent a 19.4 percent improvement over sales for the first two months of 2006. While Audi of America posted good sales figures, the country is not the biggest market for the luxury car maker, instead it is China.





In the said country, Audi sold 15,600 vehicles sold for the first two months if 2007. That figure only represents sales in mainland China and sales in Hong Kong are not included. In February alone, Audi sold 7,200 units in China, representing a 29 percent improvement over February 2006 sales. The high performance and the high level of luxury of their vehicles have played a major role in the company's surge. These vehicles are equipped with luxurious features which can be complemented with advanced safety features and highly efficient brake components like EBC brake rotors.