Well, this is new to me – Hummer apparently has been cut by General Motors. But I guess that’s not really the point of this post, even though it’s big news. There are major questions still on the table in regards to owners and dealers, with some dealers still hoping that GM will find another buyer for the brand name. Hummer currently has 153 dealerships, all of which that have their own dealer auto transport networks, and sixteen of those of those are stand-alone dealerships. High gas prices is among the largest reason why GM has stopped production of all Hummer products, and frankly who can blame them? Those things are freaking … [Read more...]
Toyota’s Problems Impacting Used Car Sales
April 4, 2010 By
Dealer auto transport networks don’t just ship new cars – many handle used cars that are sold on car lots, and they’ve been talking about the huge decrease in the amount of Toyota used cars that have been sold since Toyota found itself in trouble over their recalls. Sales of used cars are down 1.8% from last year, with prices down 1.3% since January 2010. This affects all of Toyota’s vehicles, not just the models that are affected by the recent recalls. Independent dealers still don’t have recall information or the parts to replace the affected vehicles either, which is definitely hurting the numbers that Toyota is seeing slip … [Read more...]
NADA Calling for Unity Between Dealers, Automakers
March 29, 2010 By
The North American Dealers Association is calling for unity in the industry, according to NADA’s official website. They are calling for dealers and automakers coming together and working closely together, no matter if the dealers have a separate dealer auto transport service or something else. This news comes after 2009’s terrible sales year and amidst over 2,000 dealerships closing across the United States. Ex-chairman John McEleney made his speech at the NADA convention in Orlando, Florida. McEleney praised dealers and their efforts in appealing their problems to Congress, with which lawmakers approved a measure which would give … [Read more...]
Ford’s Awesomeness May Be New Norm
March 27, 2010 By
Let’s face it – Ford is pretty awesome. They are the only company out of Detroit to not declare bankruptcy, didn’t want government aid, and is currently doing the best out of the three. Ford has been beating GM in US sales since late 2009, and this could be just the beginning – this is the first time that Ford has topped GM since 1998, and the last time before that was in 1970. GM is still in “turnaround” mode, however, and is looking to reclaim that top spot, though Ford has built their reputation up in the past few years. Nationwide auto shippers have noticed a huge increase in the number of Ford vehicles being shipped, while GM … [Read more...]
Experian Reports New Trends in Financing
March 19, 2010 By
According to Subprime News, captive finance companies have lost a huge share of outstanding loan balances in the third quarter of 2009, down 5.4% - or $12 billion – when compared to 2008 numbers. Outstanding balances in finance and other categories fell a whopping 22.7%, or $23 billion, in the same time frame. This trend is due mainly to troubled capital markets, and non-prime loans dropped by 12.8% while subprime numbers are down by 21%. So what exactly does this mean for you, the consumer? To be frank, not much in the long run. In the short term, financing numbers and APR rates have increased, putting increased pressure on current … [Read more...]
Toyota Gaining More Consumers?
March 17, 2010 By
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Toyota Market Share Drops in Wake of Recall
March 13, 2010 By
Edmunds.com has adjusted their automotive sales forecast for 2010, mainly because of Toyota’s huge recall problems. In other words, they’re going back on what they said before because Toyota is currently tanking faster than the Exxon-Valdez in 1989. They are also adjusting the true market value prices for the affected Toyota models, and Ford is forecasted to overtake Toyota as the second largest automobile maker in the United States market. The auto transport industry saw this coming, that’s for sure. Edmunds.com is not reporting anything that no one else saw, but their numbers are something that other people didn’t see. New … [Read more...]
US Vehicle Decline Still Declining Through 2020
March 12, 2010 By
Well doesn’t this just feel like rain on your wedding day? According to www.aftermarketbusiness.com, the Earth Policy Institute has said that cars scrapped are exceeding new car sales in 2009, which is the first shrinkage since World War II and that the US Vehicle fleet decreased from an all-time high 250 million vehicles to a much-lower 246 million vehicles. The United States currently has five vehicles for every four registered drivers, and four of every five residents in the United States live in cities where public transportation is expanding. In other words, cars aren’t selling and people don’t want them anymore. This shrinkage … [Read more...]
NHTSA Now Under Fire For Being Nice to Automakers
March 11, 2010 By
According to the New York Times the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has failed to subpoena Toyota’s records in the six years that the company has been suspected of withholding critical information. Now, the NHTSA is under as much pressure to perform as Toyota. But what concerns people the most is the fact that the NHTSA has opened six safety inquiries on Toyota since 2003 and closed each and every one of them with a pat on the back and a slap on the wrist. And now look what happened. This is just more proof that something is going on with the whole thing with Toyota, and the auto transport industry has seen something fishy … [Read more...]
New Certification Program from NSF International
March 10, 2010 By
According to the Auto Body Repair News NSF International has launched a new certification program. If you don’t know what NSF is, it’s an accredited standards writing organization based in Michigan and they are certifying certain aftermarket collision repair costs so customers don’t get completely axed by the repair company, as is known to occur from time to time. This is designed to verify quality and performance in the parts that are sold aftermarket, and the program has been instituted following concern over crash worthiness of certain parts that are important when it comes to the vehicle’s integrity. The program from the NSF … [Read more...]
