Archive for December, 2010
December 31st, 2010 | 
Author: Slower Demand To Blame
The Canadian auto sector has been hit hard and is in danger of losing more workers. Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said that the problem is not in the value of the Canadian dollar or the loonie but the dwindling demand in the United States auto market.
“In the auto sector there is weakness. In the forestry sector certainly there is weakness” said Flaherty recently according to the Financial Post. “That has a lot to do with the reduction in demand in the U.S. economy. Most of the vehicles built in Canada are exported to the United States.”
The Big Three all have large manufacturing facilities in Canada. Several thousands of Canadian workers have already been dropped by Ford Chrysler and General Motors in their effort to cut down cost. The Big Three are still battling lowered sales and demand in the face of Asian automakers surge. These American automakers have been successful in producing and marketing large vehicles in the past but that day may be over.
The growing threat of global warming and the increasing price of petroleum fuel on the world market have forced car buyers to opt for smaller vehicles. Small vehicles consume less fuel than trucks and SUVs and also produce less greenhouse gases. This combination forced consumers away from large vehicles produced by the Big Three. This results to a massive workforce reduction on the Big Three’s assembly facilities in the United States and in Canada where engine parts Canada are manufactured.
There have been sectors like the Canadian Auto Workers Union which have been blaming the loonie for the woes of the Canadian auto sector. But Mr. Flaherty is quick to defend the Canadian dollar which reached its highest level against the US dollar on Friday. “There is market weakness in the auto sector and the government can’t correct that” said Flaherty. This statement after Buzz Hargrove of the CAW asked the government to take action against the Canadian dollar to protect the Canadian auto sector.
Hargrove had this to say: “You can’t ignore the fact that the unfair trade with Asia is undermining our industry killing our industry and there’s going to be more bad news. We need action by this government on the trade issue.”
“Why don’t we lower interest rates by a couple of percentage points and start getting the dollar back to where it should be” continued Hargrove. This problem is still seen to continue in the near future and the concerned sectors need to come up with a solution that will benefit all those concerned.
About the writer: Anthony Fontanelle is a 35yearold automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.
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Skoda Laura
Skoda is not a new name for Indians. The car has become quite famous in a very short period of time amongst the upper amp; upper middle class. The journey of Skoda Laura continues with the introduction of the 2009 Skoda Laura marking a significant milestone. The car is a symphony of contemporary styling unrivalled build quality frugal engines and luxurious interiors.
The 2009 Skoda Laura is available in three variants: Skoda Laura Laurin and Klement Skoda Laura Elegance and Skoda Laura Ambiente. These variants are available with a choice of three revolutionary engines: 1.8litre TSI Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Direct Injection 1.9litre TDI PD Turbocharged Direct Injection with Pump Duse and 2.0litre TDI PD that generate 160 bhp 105 bhp and 140 bhp respectively.
The artistically designed 2009 Skoda Laura offers a comfortable and pleasurable ride on all types of roads and sports a host of elegant and functional features. It is also packed with an assortment of advanced technologies that help heighten comfort levels. The car offers optimum safety with abundance of new and advanced safety and security features.
The TSI engine is a combination of turbocharger stratified direct fuel injection system and variable valve timing. The combination of these three advanced technologies ensures higher performance and better mileage. The turbocharger in the system helps improve engine efficiency and reduce fuel consumption by supporting complete combustion of injected fuel. The fuel stratified direct injection engine technology uses stratified charging to directly inject fuel in relatively small and precise quantity to ensure optimised combustion. Variable valve timing technology helps improve engine efficiency by monitoring the opening and closing of valves in accordance with varying speed.
The TDI Pump Duse engine is advanced diesel technology that plays a vital role in improving engine’s response and better acceleration. The Pump Duse technology was pioneered by Skoda Auto. It comprises integrated injector and pump unit for each cylinder in the engine and helps optimise combustion which in turn results in lower fuel consumption.
The 1.8litre TSI is available in the Ambiente with a 6speed fully synchronized manual transmission and the 2.0litre TDI PD is available in the Laurin and Klement with a 6speed automatic transmission. The 1.9litre TDI PD is available in both Elegance and Ambiente with an option of 5speed fully synchronized manual transmission and 6speed automatic transmission.
The finelytuned suspension system is specially designed for Indian road conditions with MacPherson strut in the front and multielement axle at the rear. Moreover the rack and pinion steering with electromechanic power steering and disc brakes add to the performance and efficiency of the car. The 2009 Skoda Laura is a blend of contemporary styling and dynamic contours. The elegant silhouette sloping roofline strong shoulder line and lower sills impart a sporty and elegant appeal. The exterior of the car is beautified with chrome front grille flared headlamps new taillamps with a chrome central insert and turn indicators in the external mirror.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Cardekho.com is the destination where one can purchase every type of new cars in india used cars in india. Know more about the upcoming Soda Laura Skoda Laura pictures at CarDekho.com.
Sell Your Car At Your Own Risk!
What are the reasons that a private seller of a luxury/exotic automobile succeed or fail?
The answers are really quite simple yet baffling.
Too often a private seller gets caught up in an array of emotional thoughts that cloud the reality of what it takes to sell their car. They believe they have a luxury/exotic car that the world will come beating at their door or phone or email to buy. The fact is they just don’t know the industry and how to capitalize on it.
Selling your luxury/exotic car privately is no different than what a Dealer does on a daily basis with the exception that you are doing it once and now. So why do so many people waste their time and money on useless deadend car selling techniques? The answer is very simple THEY DO NOT KNOW ANY BETTER!
Here are some of the most obvious mistakes a private seller of a luxury/exotic car makes and ones you must avoid.
1. Placing the car for sale on an Internet site that does not specialize or focus their attention in luxury/exotic cars. Simply choosing a well known named Internet company who do not cater to luxury/exotic cars but instead will list any and every car make and model available lessen your chances of success by at least 75.
2. Not establishing a realistic budget in advance of selling the car. If a new private seller does not plan ahead with a budget to sell their car they will be caught in a tangled web of financial uncertainty of what to do without deciding how much to do it with. This is sure fire killer to ultimately selling your car at a loss and doing so in a time period much longer than you expected or wanted.
3. Not Understanding that selling your car has two primary factors. The first is that you have a new temporary business. The second is that it is a numbers game. Both of these factors will contribute your success or failure to sell your car. Here is what I mean.
Selling your car is no different than your local dealer selling their cars albeit on a much smaller scale. Both of your goals are to sell a car. They have to do it daily and you are doing it once now. So the business side is obvious and the same sell the car. Now combine that with factor two that it is a numbers game. In order for the dealer to sell cars they need the number of buyers to walk into their showroom and have as many people as possible hopefully drive out with a car. That is why they have a big advertising budget. You are no different. You also need the buyers as they do. However you do not have a showroom and you do not have deep pockets for an ongoing massive advertising campaign. Therefore you have to budget your advertising dollars as stated above more strategically to reach out to the right buyers to gain the advantage of the numbers of qualified buyers to sell your car. Since this is a temporary business for you unlike a dealer it is imperative that you make two very important business decisions.
1. How much will my advertising budget be?
2. What is the best way to reach out to the number of qualified buyers?
So have you decided on an advertising budget? Have you discovered the best resources to find the number of qualified buyers and by qualified I mean people who are serious buyers not just tire kickers?
Obviously I am asking you these questions in order for you to understand the realities of having your own short term business of selling your car so you can make intelligent decisions and ultimately sell your car in a shorter period of time and at the best price.
Additional Mistakes:
1. Not being available All the timeto communicate with potential buyers. Or in other words Hiding in plain sight. It is absolutely astounding that so many first time sellers do not make themselves easily available to prospective buyers. They list their cell phone yet they rarely answer on the first call. They list their email address yet they rarely check it or respond promptly. They think that by not responding promptly they are showing that they are not eager to sell the car. On the contrary an interested buyer is eager to want information and will quickly lose interest if there is a slow response and ultimately buy another car. In essence if you snooze you lose.
2. Not pricing the cat properly. We have seen all too often a car for sale by a private seller that is either way too high or well under priced. If you do not do your homework on pricing you are pricing your car out of the market. Quality research will result in a faster sale at the right price. The longer it takes to sell your car the more it depreciates on a daily basis.
3. Poorly written descriptions and selling points.
All too often a private seller believes that simply writing the basic details of the vehicle will be enough to get a person interested in the car. The details and specifics are important however they are not enough. A prospective buyer literally needs to be overwhelmed by what they read. It is the exciting car ad that truly catches their attention that will in turn make the prospect want to respond.
4. Getting emotionally involved with the car. If selling your car is your goal then separate the emotion from the reality. The more you are emotionally attached to your car the less likely you will make the right decisions on how to sell it. Remember selling your car is a temporary business.
5. Being a poor negotiator or too greedy. If you are not comfortable negotiating with someone you will probably end up selling your car at a price lower than what you really could have gotten. Conversely if you are too greedy you will not sell your car at all. Either learn the skills necessary to negotiate or rely on a professional to do it for you.
All of the points discussed above are the sure fire reasons that first time luxury/exotic car sellers succeed in failing to sell their car. Overcoming these issues is not as difficult as they may seem. You can do it on your own or hire an expert to help you.
We wish you the best in selling your luxury/exotic car.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Victor Martel is an expert in buying and selling luxury and exotic cars quickly and at the best price.You can learn more by visiting his website http://www.finestmotorsports.com. Also visit his blog at http://www.finestmotorsporsports.com/blog to understand the car buying and selling experience.