Rising fuel prices could influence car market

The current boom in diesel car sales could slow down, as the average price of diesel fuel at the end of June reached 132.27p per litre - 22.5 per cent higher than it was at the beginning of the year, according to figures from Experian, the global information services company.

The figures provided by Catalist, an Experian company, show the biggest increase in diesel fuel prices for the first six months of any year in the last decade.

The average price of petrol has also increased significantly to 118.9p per litre - 15.4 per cent higher at the end of June compared to the beginning of the year.

Furthermore, while both diesel and petrol prices have been rising, diesel prices have crept up at a faster rate over the last six months. There is now an 11.2 per cent difference between petrol and diesel prices, compared to a 4.8 per cent difference in January 2008.



Read More

Japan's New Green Car Push

A new version of the Prius, which promises to be lighter and more fuel-efficient than the current generation, should also appear in 2009, and a plug-in version, which like the Volt will use lithium-ion batteries, is due to arrive a year later. By 2010, Toyota is also believed to be planning two more dedicated hybrid models, including a new hybrid minivan.

Toyota Takes a Long-Term View

Toyota will start production of Camry hybrids in Thailand next year and in Australia from 2010, and is already building a new factory in Japan for nickel-metal hydride batteries used in today's hybrids. "Toyota will continue to increase production of its current hybrid technology and should be selling over 800,000 units a year before we even see the first Chevy Volt," says Kurt Sanger, an analyst at Deutsche Bank (DB) in Tokyo.



Read More

Electric dreams: Running on nothing

All a Roadster owner has to do is spend to maintain the car. And because it's electric, there are fewer moving parts in it than in internal-combustion vehicles, so maintenance is significantly much easier.

The response to the Tesla Roadster has been phenomenal. Since it started selling earlier this year, the car has not just been sold out, but there a one-year waiting list for those who are willing to wait to get one.

Being a sports car, and an electric one to boot, the car is not cheap. But surprisingly, it's no more expensive than less-efficient, worse-performing sports cars that run internal-combustion engines. At $109,000 (around P4.7 million), most of the Roadster price is due to the fact that the vehicle is, in fact, a performance sports car. And it's a sports car because Tesla wanted to prove a point about electric cars.



Read More

Car insurance

2 plead not guilty in shooting, carjacking - San Francisco Gate
Friday, August 15, 2008 (08-14) 12:35 PDT -- Two suspects indicted in connection with the carjacking of state Senate Pro Tem Don Perata and a gas-station shooting that left a 10-year-old boy paralyzed pleaded not guilty Thursday to the high-profile

Mich. woman sentenced as accessory in killing - Ann Arbor News
ALLEGAN, Mich. (AP) — A woman who police say knew her brother planned to harm his wife's ex-husband and then helped him after the former spouse's death has been sentenced to six months behind bars. Forty-year-old Lori Lathrop of Plainwell was

2:20 p.m.: Man escapes police capture during Banning car chase - San Bernardino County Sun
BANNING - Police are looking for a 42-year-old Banning man who led officers on a car chase after he tried to run another motorist off the road, officers said. Banning police attempted to pull over Shawn Denison after receiving a report that he and

You want cute? Get a puppy, forgo Fortwo - Arizona Daily Star
If you think the best part of any drive is the moment it ends, has Smart got the car for you. The company developed its tiny two-seat Fortwo for use in congested city centers where finding a parking space is cause for celebration. At 106.1 inches

Commentary: Abortion foes must be willing to speak out - The Daily Advertiser
It is my firm belief that the gift of life is one God's greatest gifts to mankind. I also firmly believe that aborting that gift is the second greatest sin against God and the first would be to hate Him. Jesus said, "Suffer little children come unto

Fashion accessory, not driving treat - Philadelphia Daily News
If you think the best part of any drive is the moment it ends, has Smart got the car for you. The company developed its tiny two-seat Fortwo for use in congested city centers where finding a parking space is cause for celebration. At 106.1 inches

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aSAJe5O0i.Zs&refer=germany

If you are in the market for a new or used car but need to get solid information about bad credit auto loan in New Jersey here are some tips that can help you.

Let Lenders Compete for Your Business Online

If you decide to look online for a loan, you will find that there are sites where you can apply for a loan and have lenders compete for your business. You only have to fill out one application and hundreds of lenders will evaluate your loan and give you an idea of the rates and terms you qualify for. To help you land favorable terms, shop around online and get pre-approved for a loan first. Then, see if the model you want comes with any incentives, such as 0% financing. It is difficult for a bank to beat that.

A great example is the Web site www.newjerseybadcreditautoloan.com which works with a nationwide network of finance companies and dealers to offer a free service focused on helping consumers with special financing needs.


Read More

BMW Unveils New 7-Series Sedan, Expects Profit Boost (Update1)

BMW's flagship model ``will contribute a great deal'' to achieving the automaker's 2012 profit targets, Chief Executive Officer Norbert Reithofer said at an event in Munich to introduce the car. The fifth generation of the 7-Series will go on sale this fall, with a range of new technology, including four-wheel steering, in-car Internet access, and a night-vision feature that warns drivers of people near the roadway.

The company has a program in place to cut spending by 6 billion euros ($9.4 billion), including the elimination of 8,100 jobs, to help increase its return on sales in automaking to 8 percent and 10 percent by 2012 from 6 percent in 2007. Since Munich-based BMW announced the target in September, oil futures have jumped 87 percent and steel prices have climbed 63 percent.



Read More

'New Happiness' returns to the basics

The car seems to come with the beautiful model, the perfect clothing, the glamorous cityscape, the perfect countryside, the group of uproarious friends. The beer isn't merely fermented barley - it's "the high life," somehow the golden essence of everything you want. As consumers, we're no doubt too experienced to accept such notions at face value. Still, we yearn, and so we listen. And buy. Of course, most of us are taught and believe that mere stuff won't make us happy, even if it can yield genuine pleasures. We have deeper or more profound longings than our longing for beer. We long to be loved, and to love, to know and be known, to do meaningful work, to find beauty or to achieve eternal happiness in ecstatic union with God. Even these get sucked into the economy. The Web site eHarmony markets true love.



Read More