Auto Transportation Blog

Roush is well-known for its supercharged Mustangs as well for its popular propane-powered fleet vehicles. But now, the California Air Resources Board has granted them their approval for converting both the Ford F-250 and the Ford F-350 to propane power as opposed to gasoline. Roush is based in Concord, North Carolina, which is slightly northeast of Charlotte, and has long been known for their performance upgrades on Ford Mustangs. This is great news as well for consumers who want to get a performance vehicle but are afraid that they won’t pass CARB regulations – now they don’t have to worry about it!

CARB originally approved the Ford F-150 last year, but the F-250 and F-350 have a larger, 5.4L engine (the F-150 only has a 4.6L engine), and this made it difficult for Roush to get anything done regarding the larger vehicles. Roush dealerships have already started a program to convert the vehicles and have them shipped through their dealer auto transport service, so check around to see if there’s a Roush dealer in your area that you can get your vehicle converted at. However, power loss can occur, though this is rare.

Finally, some great news! Apparently Dow Chemical is going to be bringing a ton of new jobs to Michigan as they are currently looking to get into the lithium-ion battery craze that has been sweeping the nation. The project is currently underway, with jobs already being found, and will last for at least the next 15 years, if not more. The project will also create 320 full-time jobs by the end of February 2014, and there are already jobs in cities such as Flint and Lansing.

According to Dow the average weekly wage will be around $730 with an additional $85 in weekly health care benefits on a brand new, 400,000 square-foot facility which will be constructed starting in May 2010. Another facility, identical to the first, will be built in the next few years, and will make enough batteries to power 60,000 full-electric vehicles by 2015. Dow will also receive an estimated $4.3 million in property tax breaks, which is probably a great idea considering the economy in Detroit right now isn’t the best. But for nationwide auto shippers that specialize in hybrids and full-electric vehicles (like companies that ship for Tesla), this is great news as well, because it means job security for at least the next 15 years.

This just tickles me pink.

Edmunds.com has said that the entire automotive industry should be aware of the accelerator issue that has plagued Toyota for God only knows how long. But, according to Edmunds, Toyota isn’t the only company with acceleration problems – all six major American companies have problems, apparently, and they’re calling now for a comprehensive plan on fixing the issue across the entire board. Nationwide auto shippers have long known that Toyota was going to be hurt by this, as Toyota’s sales numbers and shipping numbers have been down for quite some time.

But the reason why Toyota is taking the most flak, even though all major companies have the same problem, is that Toyota has the highest stack of complaints to the Nation Highway Transit Safety Administration – even before the recalls and the mess of media attention. Toyota had the highest number of complaints with 532, though Ford had 339 and Chrysler had 156. GM had the lowest number with 134, but this begs the question – what the hell is going on in Detroit? Why is it that every company can’t make a damn gas pedal that doesn’t stick or an engine that doesn’t rev up randomly? It seems like a simple thing, seeing as how they’ve been making vehicles since the turn of the 20^th century.

Oh well, I guess – we’ll just have to be careful. But come on…it’s not that hard to fix. Except you’re Toyota, because it seems like they can’t fix anything as of late.

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 gas-guzzlers of the highest caliber – try driving one through the streets of New York City or Miami, too! People think a lot like me when it comes to Hummer vehicles, and it shows: Hummer sales have dropped more than any other brand over the past two years, and GM has had plans on cutting the brand name since 2008. They had a deal going with Chinese manufacturer Tengzhong, though the Chinese government (in its infinite wisdom) didn’t approve the deal, and now owners are worried about replacement parts and resale values. GM, however, has said they will still honor warranties and service plans, though how long that will last remains to be seen.

So…wait…Hummer’s gone? Figures.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Ford sold more vehicles than GM for the first time in over a decade. Numbers don’t lie – Ford sold 43% more vehicles than they did a year ago, with over 142,000 vehicles being sold in February, compared to just 99,000 last year. GM sold a little less than Ford did, but that doesn’t mean that Ford isn’t going to celebrate – the last time they outsold GM was when GM workers were on strike.

Nationwide auto shippers have been watching Ford and GM for quite some time and have noticed how many new Ford vehicles have been shipped. Ford is anticipating even more strong sales, and their stock has risen to $12.68 per share in morning trading, which is a five-year high. Wall Street doesn’t lie, and the New York powerhouse is saying that Ford’s gains are only just beginning. The strength of Ford’s new products are definitely resonating with consumers as well, which means that even more vehicles could be sold as Ford continues it’s trek through this economic battlefield that they have been in for quite some time.

According to the Detroit News, GM’s sales in China have risen 51% from last year’s numbers, while Ford and Toyota also reported sales gains in the double digits. This comes in the face of decreasing momentum and sales in the United States and elsewhere, with GM selling over 174,000 in February in China, which was a company record for February sales; however, it was still below January’s record-setting number of over 219,000 vehicles sold. Nationwide auto shippers in China have also seen an increase in American cars being shipped across the country, though the numbers could be a reflection of even lower numbers to come.

Ford sold over 18,000 vehicles in February, and while it is a lot lower than GM’s number it is still a high for the company, who’s February numbers are usually only in the four-digit range. Toyota sold over 45,000 units as well, though that is down from the 72,000 they sold in January. No matter which way you stretch it, however, the companies had big gains in February and are still hopeful for the future.

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 dealers who have closed up shop a second change. Another big thing that proved that dealers and the auto industry as a whole could work together is the Cash for Clunkers program, passed this past year by lawmakers. NADA is hard at work with other things as well, and with new chairman Ed Tonkin now holding the reins it might be time that this unity could see a real chance to get off the ground.

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 has remained relatively stable.

Ford reported a huge increase in sales in February, up a whopping 43%, while GM reported a modest 20% increase. Any increase, of course, is great news for the American auto industry, but Ford’s increases are absolutely massive, and they’re also gaining more market share and more ground in consumer confidence, while GM is still slipping in both categories. Ford could even top Toyota if things keep going the way they have been – Toyota has been a major player for a long time in the US, and for Ford to reclaim the throne…well, the only thing we can do right now is watch and wait. But it is good news nonetheless.

Apparently Mercedes-Benz Financial has been talking about enhancing their lease turn-in process, with the head of Mercedes-Benz Financial talking about completely reworking the way that the lease system operates. Currently lease penetration is 50% of retail sales, and is also stating that three of four retail transactions in the United States occur at Mercedes-Benz dealers. This is a huge benefit to dealers, especially those with ties to nationwide auto shippers.

Mercedes-Benz Financial recently upgraded their First Class Finish lease program’s turn-in process, giving dealers new software for PDA’s as well as computers. Dealers can now can the VIN number on returned units, which helps eliminate the paperwork required for any inspections that might occur. This also saves valuable minutes and is virtually paperless, and can also be done at any Mercedes-Benz dealer, not just the one you leased the vehicle from (as was the case prior). This is a great idea – it’s a wonder that more dealers don’t do this. Currently dealers in major cities such as New York City and on west have implemented the program, with more coming by 2011.

Honda has been working to ensure that its image won’t be tainted like Toyota’s, especially after the Prius was recalled due to braking problems. The CEO of Honda has said that product quality is highly important to Honda and was crucial in the development of the new CR-Z hybrid that Honda has recently unveiled. Initial sales reports that Honda may be picking up many customers that Toyota has lost, especially in the United States, and Honda has made a point of showing off the new braking system that the CR-Z has, which is quite different from the one in the 2010 Toyota Prius that has been causing so many problems.

Honda dealers who have a dealer auto transport network have noticed a small increase in the amount of sales, most likely due to Toyota’s problems. But Honda hasn’t been the best of the best either – many of their newer products have received at best mixed reviews. But Honda is really hoping that things will change, and now the new braking system is going into all their hybrid vehicles. The CR-Z is currently sold only in Japan , though there are plans to introduce it to larger markets in the US (such as Chicago, for instance) by 2011.