June 8, 2010
BMW ponders new ways to sell cars
BMW is looking at how it can sell cars in future to counter the increasing diversity and complexity of its latest models.
The new 5 Series is a classic example of how the character of the car can be changed, depending on the options fitted to it. Things such as electronic chassis and steering control systems can make a big difference to how the car drives – and that is before buyers start looking at the vast range of comfort and luxury features also offered.
‘How do we satisfy the need to ensure our customers are able to buy the right car? There is no way that can be done out of a set of demonstrators at one point,’ admitted Ian Robertson, the board member for sales and marketing.
‘No single dealership will be able to have all vehicles present, so an electronic display of vehicles is becoming increasingly important. We have to find other solutions.
‘There is a massive list of options. It is too complicated,’ he said. ‘One way might be to follow the German example and group various options together. For instance, if a customer buys one option it might illustrate that he is clearly interested in safety, so we package related items with it.
‘What is certain is that we need to find different ways of handling it.’
The Aussie police suffer with the Mito
Australian law enforcement officers have taken delivery of their latest crime fighting tool and it’s an Alfa Romeo Mito – not the most impressive police car, but certainly the coolest police car, better than our Astra Diesels.
The broad-shouldered law enforcement community in Sydney has just acquired a beige Mito. A fine car, undoubtedly, but one we fear will not strike sufficient fear into the hearts of hardened Aussies crim-types.
The New South Wales police say the Mito will be used in ‘community outreach and safety awareness programs’, sadly denying locals the arresting spectacle of seeing the little Italian in hot pursuit of a joyridin’ ute.
So, to our question of the day: what’s the most unimposing police car you’ve seen round your way? Yeah, we’re talking less scary than an Astra diesel, kids.
May 25, 2010
Wider cars blamed for more accidents
Experts say wider vehicles, designed to have extra safety features and enhance comfort are a “major contributory factor” in crashes on minor rural roads where one in 40 accidents occur.
They are also a hazard in urban streets where the conversion of houses into flats means roads are lined with parked vehicles.
The problem has been managed on main roads by widening lanes Rules on lane sizes were changed in 2005 so that major A roads and motorways are now 3.65 meters wide. But smaller rural and urban are just 2.43 meters wide on average.
Accident management firm Accident Exchange says motorists are finding it increasingly difficult to judge the width of their car and advises drivers to exercise caution.
The company’s claims experts calculate accidents caused by ‘narrow road blindness’ on country lanes leave drivers with bills averaging £2,300 for repairs to bodywork panels.
“The ever increasing waistline of the modern car is a major contributory factor in crashes on Britain’s roads,” said claims settlement director Lee Woodley.
BMW spokesman Gavin Ward said legislation has forced car makers to fit larger wing mirrors and thicker windscreen and door pillars.
May 18, 2010
Ashes to Ashes fires up the Quattro
Following the massive success of Ashes to Ashes the prices of used Audi Quattro’s have more than doubled in recent months.
DCI Gene Hunts red Audi Quattro has become something of icon in recents years and this seems to have caught the imagination of the nation.
But be warned: don’t expect the four-wheel drive Quattro to re-enact the show car’s lairy sideways action. According to the crew’s chief mechanic Guy Bostock, their Quattro stunt car has been heavily modified by the guys behind the Bond films, who have converted it to two-wheel drive.
Their are apparently 3 quattro’s on sale on Autotrader – happy hunting.
April 27, 2010
Porsche recalls all Panamera cars
2010 has certainly been a year of the recalls and it isn’t stopping anytime soon; with Porsche being the latest major manufacturer to have to recall an entire fleet of their new uber expensive 4-foor Panamera.
It’s not the biggest recall in history as their have only been 4,000 sold so far world wide and only 400 in the UK so far.
A spokesman said the “precautionary” recall was because seatbelt mounts on the Panamera, launched in September 2009, could fail when the front seats are adjusted in an extreme forward position.
“There have not been any accidents,” the spokesman told AFP.
Porsche is targeting 20,000 Panamera sales a year and is counting on the car to boost growth and profits after the global recession sent the global luxury auto industry into reverse.
Volkswagen in December acquired a 49.9 per cent stake in Porsche’s sports car operations for 3.9 billion euros ($A5.63 billion) as part of a complex merger expected to be finalised in 2011.
The recall is the latest blow to automakers after recent accelerator and brake problems tarnished the reputation of Japan’s Toyota.
April 16, 2010
What is AIS ?
Auto Industry Sustainability is a non-for-profit project from Autoebid. It will be the first ever analysis and comparison tool which will give the green credentials of new ultra low carbon cars, so users will be able make the necessary rational decisions when it comes to purchasing a new ultra-low carbon cars.
We aim to make AIS an important tool for any car lover. The car industry will be changing over the next decade and we aim to help make this transition as smooth as possible. Some of the changes will come from the auto industry, from government and manufacturers.
AIS will help to create a database to facilitate the new car buyer of the future. No longer will a car be chosen purely on the basis of how fast it is or what new gismos are on it – the future will require us to know more about where the car came from, the complete breakdown of its carbon footprint at every step of manufacturing. So we can make an informed decision and have confidence in the manufacturers production methods.
We believe this information will become very important in years to come – and new green car buyers should be able find out the level of sustainability with regards to their future green car.
Pioneering company Telsa, who are at the forefront of the green technologies will be one of the first companies we will approach. We will look to contact the supply chain departments of Telsa to get a full breakdown of their carbon footprint during the production process of the full range of products.
Eventually we want to have this crucial information from every manufacturer so we can provide the best free comparison tool for the future.
March 22, 2010
Disgruntled employee disables more than 100 cars remotely
In what must be one the first cyber attacks to take place on cars – a disgruntled employee of Texas Auto Centre disabled a 100 cars by hacking into a web -based immobilisation system normally used to remind people to pay their auto payments.
The high tech crime unit managed to catch the 20-year-old Omar Ramos-Lopez, who was a former Texas Auto Centre employee, he sought revenge from the company and begun to brick the cars sold from dealerships in Texas.
“We initially dismissed it as mechanical failure,” says Texas Auto Center manager Martin Garcia. “We started having a rash of up to a hundred customers at one time complaining. Some customers complained of the horns going off in the middle of the night. The only option they had was to remove the battery.”
The hacker had managed to break into a system called Webtech Plus which is used as an alternative to repossessing vehicles that haven’t been paid for.
The incident is the first time an intruder has abused the no-start system, according to Jim Krueger, co-owner of Pay Technologies. “It was a fairly straightforward situation,” says Krueger. “He had retained a password, and what happened was he went in and created a little bit of havoc.”
March 12, 2010
New cars greener thanks to Government scrappage scheme
New cars got greener last year thanks to the Government’s “Cash for bangers” vehicle scrappage scheme, it has been announced today.
On average, new car emitted 5.2% less than the average car in 2008 – while this might seem a small reduction, it is biggest reuction seen since records begun 1997.
These figure were released by the society of Motor Manufactures and Trader (SMMT) and Paul everitt said the scrappage scheme was key contributor to the lower emission figure last year.
Mr Everitt said: “Since figures were first recorded in 1997, average new car CO2 emissions have fallen from nearly 190g/km to less than 150g/km – a 21.2% improvement.
“The industry is well on its way to meeting EU regulatory targets of a 130g/km fleet average by 2015, but the current rate of improvement must be maintained.”
He added: “While economic factors may have contributed to 2009′s success, in the longer term slower fleet renewal and a reduced willingness to invest in new technology may undermine this progress.
“Building consumer awareness and delivering effective mechanisms to influence buying behaviour through a long-term environmental tax regime and the Government’s recently announced ultra-low carbon incentive scheme, will become increasingly important.”
The Mini sector had the lowest average emissions last year – dropping 6.7% to 115.6g/km. Luxury car models – which averaged 250.3g/km last year – were the worst pollutants, although emissions in this sector were down 6% on 2008.
February 25, 2010
Motorists get up to £5,000 towards cost of an ultra-low carbon car
The government have just announced that green motorists will receive £5,000 to help them to buy a ultra-low carbon cars in 2011.
This follows the success of the scrappage scheme which finished today and gave motorists a flat rate price for their cars when purchasing a new one.
This new incentive will be distributed directly to the consumer at the point of purchase and should be available alongside a new range of eligable vehicles in 2011.
Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said:”Decarbonising transport isn’t an aspiration – it’s a reality. By this time next year, cutting edge motorists will be on the roads with these next generation cars they’ve purchased because of our help.
Part of the initiative will see the government invest £450 million to create a flourishing early market for low-carbon vehicles.
Also included will be a £30 million fund for a electric vehicle hubs – called Plugged-In Places – this will finally see a comprehensive infrastructure for charging cars in car parks, supermarkets, leisure centres and retail centres.
The first areas to receive the new infrastructure were named today as London, Milton Keynes and the North East.
Business minister Pat McFadden said: “We have already committed £450m to delivering our ambitious vision of supporting suppliers of low carbon technology, encouraging demand from consumers and enabling lead UK cities and regions to switch on charging infrastructure.
“The Government is focusing on this sector as a priority and we are committed to helping British businesses take advantage of the growth potential and job opportunities this presents.” he added.
A second competition for Plugged-in Places funding is to follow later in the year, with consortia from the West Midlands, Cornwall, Sheffield, the Lake District, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland having already confirmed their intention to bid for the next wave of funding.
February 3, 2010
New research suggests that Europeans will buy 10 million low carbon cars by 2015
New research by Frost and Sullivan has suggested that 80% of new cars sold in Europe will have CO2 emissions below 150g/KM by 2015.
“By 2015, the average car in Europe will be five per cent lighter, with 30 per cent lower CO2 emissions,” says Frost & Sullivan Programme Manager Vigneshwaran Chandran. “Downsizing, gasoline direct injection (GDI), and start-stop will be the key technologies helping original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) achieve emission targets by 2015.”
About 8-10 million cars are expected to be in the less than 120g/km CO2 emission band in Europe by 2015 – a significantly attractive market opportunity for both volume and premium manufacturers, says the research.
“Premium manufacturers such as Daimler and BMW are likely to use a combination of electric vehicles, hybridization, and downsizing to achieve their 2015 CO2 emission target of 130g/km, while volume manufacturers will use a mix of green technologies such as GDI, VVT and start-stop systems,” notes fellow analyst Hariher Balasubramanian.
The countries covered in this research service are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
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