14. September 2009 by admin.

Lexus is counting on buyers going smaller and more efficient in the years to come.  And why not?  With the success of the US governments clunker program and other incentives why wouldn’t someone buy a fuel efficient daily driver?

Lexus has released a picture of what they think the future of luxury hybrids will be, with the LF-Ch concept.  View the pics below and chime in with your opinions.  I personally don’t think anyone looking for expensive luxury would have any need for a smaller package.  But perhaps Lexus is hoping to flesh out a new niche, not yet attained by competing manufacturers.

Lexus LF-Ch Hybrid

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12. September 2009 by admin.

It’s always been a given in most business transactions that customers can return an item within a certain amount of time if they find they are unhappy with it. It makes sense to provide refunds for small items like toys or clothing, and is usually restricted to exchanges for larger items like furniture, mattresses, and appliances.

But it’s pretty much been out of the question for such a large purchase as a car - until now. General Motors announced today that it will offer a Satisfaction Guarantee to eligible buyers of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles that will allow customers to return their vehicle to their dealer between 31 and 60 days of purchase and receive a refund of the purchase price for the vehicle.

As part of its new campaign to put the customer first and help earn the company additional consumer confidence, this new Satisfaction Guarantee bolsters GM’s existing coverage, which already includes a transferrable100,000-mile/five-year (whichever comes first) limited powertrain warranty, roadside assistance, and courtesy transportation.

The announcement is part of a larger “May the Best Car Win” marketing campaign that demonstrates GM’s confidence in its vehicles when compared head-to-head with the most competitive vehicles in each vehicle segment.

And if nothing else, it’s a great way to get consumers onto Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac lots, instead of those of the import competitors. “We think if consumers give us a fair chance and look at the facts on the things that matter most to them, like design, fuel economy, warranty and safety, our vehicles are the best choices - that’s what makes an offer like this possible,” said Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, Marketing and Communications. After all, the best way to change a common perception is make people to take a look at the alternatives.

The Satisfaction Guarantee program begins next week and runs through November 30, and covers the vehicle purchase price and sales tax, but not other add-ons like accessories, negative equity on a trade-in or other fees. Of course, other restrictions apply. The offer covers 2009 and 2010 Model Year Chevys, Buicks, GMCs and Cadillacs (except medium duty trucks) and allows customers (one per household) to return their vehicle between 31 and 60 days with less than 4,000 miles if they are unhappy with their purchase.

“We’re putting our money down that if people buy one of our vehicles and don’t absolutely love it, we’ll take it back.  We will stand behind them both in the short-term and over the long haul,” Lutz said.

Combined with its online buying partnership with eBay in California (which has been extended through September 30),  this also seems like a good way to bolster sales in the wake of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program now that the Government is not subsidizing new car purchases. What are the chances that a buyer would actually RETURN the vehicle? Additional information will be available beginning Monday, September 14, online at www.Chevy.com/guarantee,  www.Buick.com/guarantee, www.Cadillac.com/guarantee, and www.GMC.com/guarantee. The guarantee sites won’t be live until Monday, but I’d imagine they’re gonna be full of fine print and legalese explaining what reasons do or don’t qualify as legitimate grievances.

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8. September 2009 by admin.

AAA projects the number of Americans traveling on vacation this Labor Day weekend will be impacted by when Labor Day falls on the calendar. Approximately 39.1 million travelers are expected to take a trip of 50 miles or more away from home, a decrease of 13.3 percent from 2008 when Labor Day travel was the highest this decade. Labor Day fell on September 1 last year allowing for a long weekend trip before a new school year started in many regions of the country. This year, however, Labor Day is September 7, when the school year has already started for many children.

Last year, 45.1 million Americans traveled during the Labor Day holiday weekend period; the most this decade. Despite this year’s sizeable projected decline of 6 million travelers, AAA said it expects more Americans to travel this holiday than were projected to travel over this year’s 4th of July holiday weekend. AAA projected 37.1 million Americans would travel during the Independence Day holiday; typically the busiest automobile travel holiday of the year. This will also be the third strongest weekend for Labor Day travel this decade. The second busiest year was 2003 when 41.6 million Americans took a Labor Day weekend trip. (For purposes of this forecast the Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as trips that include travel of 50 miles or more from home in one direction during the period from Thursday, September 3 to Monday September 7.)

 ”AAA expects this Labor Day holiday weekend to be the third busiest of the decade, even though the number of travelers will be down from one year ago,” said AAA President & CEO, Robert L. Darbelnet. “However, with Labor day falling a week later this year when many children will have returned to school, the decline may more to do with the calendar than with the economy. Our forecast shows Labor Day travel will be up over this summer’s 4th of July holiday and that’s a positive sign.”

Last Labor Day weekend the nationwide average price of self-serve, regular gasoline dropped to $3.68 per gallon after peaking at an all-time record of $4.11 per gallon on July 17, AAA said. This combined with the earliness of the holiday and the emergence of end of summer discounts on traveler, caused large numbers of travelers to make a last minute decision to take a holiday trip. This year, AAA expects the nationwide average price of self-serve, regular gasoline to be approximately one dollar per gallon less expensive than it was one year ago; or about $2.60 per gallon. Continued discounts and deals offered by travel providers will also make Labor Day vacations attractive, AAA said.

Only four percent of Holiday vacationers are expected to travel by airline for Labor Day trips, while those traveling by automobile will increase to 84 percent, AAA said. Automobile vacations will be taken by 32.9 million travelers and air trips by only 1.5 million travelers. This will be the lowest number of trips by air this decade for the Labor Day holiday weekend. Those traveling by other modes - which can include trains, cruises, buses, RVs, personal watercraft, motorcycles, or trips that use multiple modes of travel - are expected to account for 4.8 million or 12 percent of Labor Day holiday travelers.

Labor Day travelers will journey an average of 645 miles roundtrip this upcoming holiday weekend. More than one third (37 percent) of travelers will stay relatively close to home, with expected round trips of 250 miles or less. Slightly more than one third (34 percent) of weekend travelers will log between 251 and 700 miles. And 28 percent will travel over 700 miles round trip.

Travelers expect to spend approximately $968 per household this upcoming holiday weekend. Transportation and accommodations will account for 47 percent of trip spending, while food and beverage will absorb another 22 percent of the holiday budget. Shopping, entertainment and recreation will account for 27 percent of spending on average. “Other” spending is four percent.

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2. September 2009 by admin.

Car Care Essentials for Women

According to a study by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, nearly 9 out of 10 female motorists are involved in their household’s vehicle maintenance and repair. After all, we’re usually the ones who drop them off and pick them up from servicing! However, how much do most women actually know about what’s under the hood of their vehicle–and the care it requires?

According to a recent survey performed by Jiffy Lube International, only 33% of women could identify the serpentine belt (vs. 77% of men) and only 63% of women could point out the engine air filter (compared to 90% of men). While the survey did uncover that 97% and 91% of women can identify their car battery and engine oil dipstick respectively, there are still quite a few areas where they could use some additional under-hood education.  For example:

• — Nearly 3 in 10 women only care about their oil levels when they’re having it changed, though it’s actually best to make a habit to check your oil every time you fill up.
• – More than 1 in 10 (11%) women cannot identify the windshield washer fluid reservoir. This large plastic container is usually tucked off into a corner of the engine compartment and the cap or container may be pictured with spurts of water. It’s usually quite easy to find and refill yourself.
• – Only three-quarters of women can identify the transmission fluid dipstick. Find out how to check your automatic transmission fluid here at eHow.
• – Just three in ten (33%) can identify the serpentine belt. This single, continuous belt is used to drive multiple peripheral devices in an automotive engine, such as an alternator, power steering pump, water pump, A/C compressor, air pump, etc.

You can find the location of all these items in your vehicle’s owner’s manual, or ask the technician to show them to you next time you take it in for an oil change.

According to the Jiffy Lube survey, women were also tricked by a few myths:

• –35 percent of women believe that balancing the weight of people in their car will help their tires last longer (FACT: Keeping your tires properly inflated is the best way to maximize their safe performance and lifespan.)
• –28 percent of women thought using premium gas all the time makes their car run better (FACT: Premium fuel only benefits those high-performance engines whose manufacturers specifically require it. Most engines will run just fine on regular fuel.)

Want to ensure you keep your car running smoothly? Here are some tips to help women take better car of their cars. Follow the suggested maintenance schedule in your vehicle’s owner’s manual for proper intervals, and keep your receipts in a safe location so you’ll always know when services were last performed.

• –Create a preventive maintenance checklist - Have a car-care expert perform preventive maintenance services on a regular basis, such as topping off fluid levels, inspecting belts and hoses, checking tire pressure and the engine oil, and making sure all the lights work.
• –Check your engine air filter - The engine air filter is like the vehicle’s lung. Refer to your owner’s manual to see when it should be swapped out to ensure your car is ‘breathing’ clearly.
• –Check your engine oil and filter - Engine oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle. Check the oil level regularly and check your owner’s manual for when to change the oil and which grade to use.
• –Know how to check tire pressure and change a tire - Having a flat tire is never fun, but learning how to change it yourself can save a lot of time. Ask a car care professional to show you how. Make sure your tires are filled to the proper tire pressure as well. You can find the proper tire pressure in the vehicle owner’s manual or on a decal in the doorjamb or glove compartment. And don’t forget to check and fill the spare tire as well.
• –Clean and replace worn wiper blades - Wiper blades should be replaced every six months, or at least as you enter the winter rainy season. Check for cracks regularly, and clean dirty wiper blades with a wet paper towel.
• –Prepare ahead for emergencies - Make sure your vehicle emergency kit is restocked. If you don’t have one, create one with items such as bottled water, a flashlight and batteries, flares, duct tape, energy bars, a blanket, phone number for roadside assistance, and can of Fix-a-Flat.

None of these steps is particularly difficult. Be an empowered woman and learn these car care essentials. We want you to give the correct answers next time Jiffy Lube calls up with a survey!

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