Auto Transport Now More Convenient, Affordable and Flexible
 
A new generation of smart, customer-focused transport companies are making nationwide auto transport more convenient, safe and affordable than ever before. By leveraging the power and convenience of the internet, and by combining both short-distance truck and long-distance rail service options, they also offer the flexibility to use the shipping mode that best meets your price and timing requirements. How do you know which auto transport provider to use?

• Start with a reputable auto transport company. Find a transporter that is listed with the Better Business Bureau and is financially strong. They should be licensed with the FMCSA as a broker or carrier.

• Look for an auto transporter that offers the flexibility of combining both truck rail service options. With rising fuel prices, shipping by rail can help significantly reduce your overall shipping cost.

• Visit the auto transporter’s web site. Does it include easy-to-use online tools to obtain an instant price quote and estimated transit time?  Does it also offer the ability to track shipments online?

• Work only with an auto transport company who uses reputable, licensed and fully-insured trucking and rail service providers.

• If working with an environmentally responsible company is important to you, look for auto transport providers who are SmartWay Certified.

• Ask how the auto transporter will work with you to quickly and equitably resolve any claim, if damage occurs to your vehicle.

Make your final selection of an auto transport company based on which one offers the most convenient, affordable and flexible solution that best meets your price and timing requirements.
 
Visit shipcarsnow.com or call 1-866-207-3360 toll free for more information.
 

Volvo Sale has Ford Shuffling Exec Ranks
With sale of Volvo to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Ltd. in August, Ford shuffles some of its top execs. Jim Farley to become chief of global marketing, sales, service; Volvo Cars CEO Stephen Odell will become CEO of Ford of Europe; and Volvo CFO Stuart Rowley becomes CFO of Ford Europe. Ford to focus more on Latin America as well.
Detroit News, July 16, 2010

Toyota 'Not Anywhere Near Close' to Answers
While the company has completed its own investigation into unintended acceleration problems, Toyota will not reveal any results until the U.S. government completes its investigations (by several agencies) of more than 2,000 complaints.
MSNBC.msn.com, July 16, 2010

VW Aims to Sell Over 100,000 New Jetta Sedans in U.S.
Volkswagen AG says its goal is to sell 100,00+ of its Jetta sedans, revamped especially for the U.S. market and already accounting for half of VW's U.S. sales of 214,000 units in 2009. This slightly longer Jetta will be built at the new Chattanooga, TN plant.
Bloomberg.com, July 18, 2010

Mopar '10 Introduced By Chrysler
On July 7, Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, and Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of Dodge, introduced the Mopar '10. For the first time, Chrysler Group LLC will launch a special-edition Mopar version of a production vehicle. The Mopar '10, a Mopar 2010 Dodge Challenger, will arrive in dealerships next month.

Servicing all Brands Boosts Revenue, at a Cost
Franchise dealers selling large volumes of used vehicles can draw those customers back by servicing all brands. It can start with just simple lube jobs and increase to stocking parts and making large repairs. Revenue will jump but so will costs, including training.

Chrysler Not in a Rush to Replace Fallon
Chrysler is being patient in finding a new ad agency after dropping Publicis Groupe's Fallon recently. The automaker has local and national work in the can, and there are no immediate launches.

ShipCarsNow Helps Keep Dealer Costs Down

The weak economy and tight credit of 2009 left new car sales and auto production at lowest level in 27years, resulting in fewer used car trade-ins. In 2010, with low supply, wholesale prices for used cars are up. Car hauler like ShipCarsNow is working with used car dealers, remarketers and Internet auto auctions to offer affordable, reliable multimodal auto transportation services that include both truck and rail options. For solid, affordable car hauling solutions visit www.ShipCarsNow.com.

Get Red Flags Compliant -- It's the Law!

Simplify compliance with Red Flag Manager from Credco Services. Powered by Compli in consultation with Hudson Cook, LLP, RFM is an easy-to-use, online compliance application for drafting, rolling out, training, and monitoring your dealership’s Red Flag Program. You'll want to use Red Flag Viewpoint, an integrated online reporting dashboard that combines, summarizes and delivers easy-to-read reporting on your Red Flags compliance efforts. Visit CredcoServices for more info.

Compli Presents FREE Webinar on Avoiding Litigation

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) are the source of confusion and increased litigation around the country.  Join Compli and Guest Speakers: Talar Herculian and Sean Kundu, Partner and Associate at Fisher & Phillips, LLP, on August 4, 1 p.m. Eastern, to recognize and avoid potential pitfalls that exist within your business.  Click here (not a toll-free number) to register and obtain Webinar information. Live Q & A at end of session.

Auto Transport by Rail Saves up to 30 Percent
By Wally Koster

Today, as more used car dealers keep one eye on online auto auctions as a source for late-model inventory, and the other eye on their bottom line, they’re discovering that rail transport can be a surprisingly economical, dependable and hassle-free solution.

Rail Transport is Economical
With an expected steady decline of inventory, possibly through 2011, used car dealers who don’t shop online auctions for quality, low-mileage inventory are missing a huge opportunity -- as well as important added profit potential. Online auctions can significantly expand a dealer’s trading area and car haulers that offer long-distance rail service as well as short-distance truck transport can affordably deliver the cars and trucks they buy online, wherever they are located.

Fuel Savings Add Up
Because railroads now move a ton of freight nearly 410 miles for each gallon of diesel fuel used, shipping a car or truck by train for moves 500+ miles can often lower auto transport costs by up to 30 percent. Even at a time when the year-to-year average used vehicle retail selling price is up almost 10 percent (NADA News), and average gross profit per used vehicle is up over 40 percent, every dollar saved in shipping still adds profit on the bottom line.

Online Convenience
A new generation of car haulers  makes it easy for used car dealers to place orders online, get instant price quotes and estimated transit time for door-to-door pickup and delivery anywhere in the country. Truck transport is usually recommended within a 250-mile radius of the pickup point. Rail, or a combination of truck and rail transport, is recommended to more affordably ship longer distances.

Rail Transport is Dependable
Over the last five years, almost 75 million import and domestic cars and trucks were sold in the United States. Over 70 percent were moved from manufacturing or assembly plants to dealerships across the country by rail transport. That’s almost 53 million factory-new vehicles shipped and more than 99% arrive damage-free. So, it only makes sense for used car dealers to also consider rail transport.

Wally Koster, staff writer for ShipCarsNow, can be reached at marketing@shipcarsnow.com or call locally at 248.629.9207.

All it takes is a tiny little memory chip, with wireless programming, to allow technicians to upgrade the functionality of a vehicle from somewhere other than the service bay at your dealership. It's a whole new world -- a new way of looking at servicing vehicles with drivers in the fast lane of society. So along comes a memory chip capable of holding the serial number, customer information, board revision and other pertinent information which allows the technician to access the file even when there is no power. Click here or click on the image for a look at future fascination that is here today!

Telematics Move From Info-Gadgetry to Mainstream "Must" 
Navigation systems may soon regularly interface with safety systems

Telematics started out as a gimmick, the GPS as a gadget that added fun to the street search crowd. But providers are now looking beyond gadgetry to a new level of value -- the potential for improving safety on the road.

“Telematics technologies can give drivers a range of input beyond the active safety sensors in the vehicle,” said Jim Nickolaou, Controls and Software Lead Tech Engineer for Active Safety & Autonomous Driving at General Motors.

Telematics can re-route drivers away from congested areas, warn them when they are driving too fast. Over time, maps will become more sophisticated, providing information such as elevation data.

Says Robert Schumacher, General Director of Advanced Product Development & Business Strategy at Delphi Electronics & Safety, “When you’ve got elevation data, you can adjust shifting so electrified powertrains can run more efficiently.” This tight linkage between telematics, navigation, and powertrains underscores the industry’s drive to link many different systems to improve overall vehicle performance. READ MORE...

Today's Complex Transmission Systems Get More Complex
The Chevy Volt is a horse of a different color

Hybrid electric vehicle transmissions generally fall into two categories: the "parallel" hybrid or the "series" hybrid. The former blends the power from the electric motor and the internal combustion engine, while the latter keeps the two separate. But along comes the Chevy Volt, with a 53kW gas engine generator and a 16kWh lithium ion battery pack. It appears to fall under the category of being a "series" hybrid, but that may not necessarily be so. From the beginning, GM has insisted that the drive system in the Volt is...different.

So what can we come to expect of the Chevy Volt Voltec drive? Probably almost anything, when it hits the market later this year. But it does appear that this "series" hybrid has a bit of "parallel" in its bones -- and this can make a big difference in mileage, so it seems.Yes, you'll want to READ MORE...

It also appears that Chevy Volt owners are going to have the ability to "fill up" in their own garages. At least 4,400 Chevy Volt owners will get a free home charger. Others will have to pay about $2,000 for one. Exactly how will that work? Click here. And if you'd like to see the upcoming Chevy Volt in action (video) click here or on the image!