OUTLOOK Halfords seen reporting solid full-year sales

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Halfords Group Plc., the car parts and bicycle retailer, is expected to again illustrate its defensive qualities in a tough UK trading environment when it updates on full-year sales on Thursday.

For the year to March 31 2008 analysts at Citigroup are forecasting total sales growth from the 450-store group of 7.3 percent, with like-for-like sales up 4.7 percent and gross margin down 10 basis points.

For the second-half period they expect like-for-like sales growth of 2.5 percent, excluding Easter.

Analysts at UBS expect full-year total sales of 800 million pounds, up 7.5 percent, with like-for-like growth of 4 percent and gross margin flat. For the second half they also expect like-for-like sales growth of 2.5 pct.

"We view Halfords as a relatively defensive stock within the retail sector, mainly due to its 30 percent exposure to car maintenance products," they told clients.


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Six Waukee students compete for top mileage

The pit crew doesn't know how many horsepower their engine will produce. They don't much care how fast their car will go. In this race, only one statistic matters - gas mileage.

Six Waukee High School students are working to build two ultra-efficient contraptions for the Ultimate Mileage Vehicle Competition, set May 9 in Altoona. With the help of industrial technology teacher John Kotz, the students will try to engineer their cars to go farther than the competition on just 8 ounces of gasoline.

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Ten technologically advanced green cars

It's no secret rising gas prices have consumers searching for more fuel-efficient vehicles that can reduce toxic emissions and pain at the pump.

Take the 1.8-liter, four-cylinder Nissan Versa. Last year its sales jumped 259% from the year before. No wonder: It's got an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) miles-per-gallon rating of 26 city and 31 highway. The Honda Fit, a similar vehicle with near-identical mileage, was up 101%.

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Automakers struggle to balance power, fuel-efficiency

VANCOUVER - Automakers are facing a strange dilemma these days: Consumers say they want green fuel-sipping, eco-friendly vehicles.

But those who can are still plunking down their money to buy high performance cars and SUVs that have the carbon footprint of a sasquatch.

"I think we can all observe what's happening," says Barry Engle, who took over as president of Ford of Canada in February.

"Up until now there certainly seems to be a preponderance of consumers who, on the one hand express interest in being more environmentally friendly and on the other hand are completely unwilling to give up any performance."

Perhaps it's not surprising after all. Public opinion polls have suggested people are concerned about climate change and want to do something.


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Thailand approves Toyota, Mitsubishi, Tata eco cars

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand has approved plans by Toyota Motor, Mitsubishi Motors and Tata Motors to build fuel efficient cars in the country, the state Board of Investment (BOI) said on Wednesday.

The projects meant a combined investment of 16.67 billion baht ($528.7 million), the board said in a statement.

The Thai unit of Japanese carmaker Toyota would invest 4.64 billion baht in a plant with the capacity to assemble 100,000 so-called eco cars a year expected to start production in 2012, it said.

Half that production would be for export, mainly to Southeast Asia and the Asia-Oceania region, it said.

Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) would spend 4.7 billion baht on a plant with an annual capacity of 107,000 eco cars, 88 percent of them for export, with production scheduled for 2010, it said.



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Maruti cuts prices of small cars by Rs 6,500 to Rs 18,030

New Delhi, Feb 29 (UNI) Country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd today said it has reduced prices of its small car from Rs 6,500 for Maruti 800 to Rs 18,030 for Swift Diesel (ex-showroom Delhi) after government today cut excise duty on small cars from 16 per cent to 12 per cent.

The company has announced price reduction in all the six models that qualify for the lower excise benefit: Maruti 800, Omni, Zen, Wagon R, Swift Diesel and Alto - India 's largest selling car.

Company Managing Director and CEO S Nakanishi said in a statement that in the short term, the reduction in excise duty will make small cars more attractive for customers and offset the negative impact of higher interest rates.

''This is an encouragement for companies like us, which are making major investments in capacity, research and exports,'' Mr Nakanishi said.


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Ford setting its sights on 'Millennials'

Ford is showing four-door and three-door Verve concept models in U.S. auto shows this year, sampling potential buyers' opinions. The company is counting on its European small-car expertise to stake a bigger claim in this important segment. Ford designers in Dunton, England, and Cologne, Germany, developed the common small-car platform to be used by the Verve. The company claims small-car leadership in Europe.

Driving the growth in the U.S. market is a group of young people ages 13-28, dubbed "Millennials." Today, this group stands 1.7 billion worldwide and will represent 28 percent of the total U.S. population by 2010, when today's 13-year-olds can drive.

Every day, 11,000 Millennials in this country come of driving age. When it's time to buy their first car, or Daddy buys that first car, nearly half of this group shops the small-car segment.


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