"Influence: How Women's Soaring Economic Power Will Change the World for the Better," is a book by Maddy Dychtwald that will hit shelves next month. In the book Dychtwald talks about women's economic emergence and effect they have on the current and future marketplace.
One chapter, that is of great interest to me, is on how women are shaping the automotive industry. Women purchase 52% of automobiles purchased in the United States and influence a staggering 85% of all sales. If that sounds like a huge number that's because it is. Those numbers place women in at least some if not all control over $80 billion dollars in spending on cars. Now that is buying power.
Unfortunately in a male dominated industry many dealers are missing the opportunity to connect with female buyers. Jody DeVere, president and CEO of Ask Patty, a site of women car experts that give automotive advice to other women, said "Men and women communicate differently and can misunderstand cues and signals," adding, "Men need to learn how to listen, and why. It makes women trust you and creates a relationship."
Until more women begin entering the industry, and some manufacturers are trying to promote it, the men need to start taking notice and making changes to how they take care of their female consumers.
With few dealerships and others in the industry slow to change Marti Barletta, president and CEO of The Trendsight Group, put it best, saying "When your starting at zero, doing even a little to appeal ao women in general can make a huge impact. The first 20 percent of your effort will get you 80 percent of your value. Most companies are not even in the beginning of the curve."
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Four-door Fiat 500 to Round Out American 500 Family
Fiat is rumored to be working on a new four-door 500 sub-compact. The 500 Multipla will complete Fiat's offerings to the American market. European markets are schedule to get the four-door 500s in 2011. Of course in Europe the Multipla will be classified as a small minivan. I wonder if that would make it a mini-minivan?
Chrysler had recently placed a 500 in front of a Italian Boutique in one Detroit suburb. They then recorded some video as passers by clicked photos of the 500 and took the time to check it out. However the video has been recently removed for view by Chrysler.
The question that will remain unanswered for some time is the reception the 500 line-up will receive here in the states. Will the American public, use to having lager vehicles, embrace the smaller more fuel efficient 500s?
Chrysler had recently placed a 500 in front of a Italian Boutique in one Detroit suburb. They then recorded some video as passers by clicked photos of the 500 and took the time to check it out. However the video has been recently removed for view by Chrysler.
The question that will remain unanswered for some time is the reception the 500 line-up will receive here in the states. Will the American public, use to having lager vehicles, embrace the smaller more fuel efficient 500s?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Queensland, Australia PD Plan foiled by Drivers
A facebook group popped up earlier this month by the name, Police Cars, Gotta catch'em all. The Queensland, Australia police department were trying to take covert ops to the level by deploying hidden speed cameras and increasing the amount of unmarked police cruisers with automated enforcement devices.
One thing I found amusing was the fact that the police department or other officials in Queensland were referring to the unmarked cars as "Q-Cars". This is a reference to the the heavily armed merchant ships, "Q-Ships", that were used to lure German U-boats to the surface so they could be destroyed. So are the Q-Cars destroying the bad driving habits of local drivers Queensland?
Members of the facebook group have been taking photos of the unmarked cars as they see them and posting the pictures to the page along with the location they were found in. Police officers have also been spotted by members of the group driving vehicles with bumper stickers and student driver emblems. Law enforcement is getting sneaky.
Here's a link to some of the pictures that have been taken and posted thus far. Unmarked Cars
One thing I found amusing was the fact that the police department or other officials in Queensland were referring to the unmarked cars as "Q-Cars". This is a reference to the the heavily armed merchant ships, "Q-Ships", that were used to lure German U-boats to the surface so they could be destroyed. So are the Q-Cars destroying the bad driving habits of local drivers Queensland?
Members of the facebook group have been taking photos of the unmarked cars as they see them and posting the pictures to the page along with the location they were found in. Police officers have also been spotted by members of the group driving vehicles with bumper stickers and student driver emblems. Law enforcement is getting sneaky.
Here's a link to some of the pictures that have been taken and posted thus far. Unmarked Cars
Friday, April 16, 2010
2010 Jeep Wrangler Sahara - Ridelust.com review
2010 Jeep Wrangler Sahara: RideLust Review
Posted in: 4x4, Car Buying, Chrysler, General, Jeep, RideLust Review by Kurt · Leave a reply
Thumbs Up: You’ll run out of nerve before the 2010 Jeep Wrangler runs out of capability.
Posted in: 4x4, Car Buying, Chrysler, General, Jeep, RideLust Review by Kurt · Leave a reply
Thumbs Up: You’ll run out of nerve before the 2010 Jeep Wrangler runs out of capability.
Thumbs Down: Optioned out, they can get expensive quickly.
Buy This Car If: You want to go off-roading top down, you appreciate a ride with personality and you want an SUV that can be uniquely your own.
At first, I just didn’t understand the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Sahara’s appeal. It had too many compromises for my practical sensibility: it’s got four seats, but getting into or out of the back with the hard top on requires some agility. Rear seat in place, you won’t be carrying much luggage in the rear hatch. The venerable 3.8 liter V6 motor is hardly state of the art, and fuel mileage isn’t great partially because it’s mated to a four speed automatic transmission. Supremely capable off-road, it’s on-road ride comfort isn’t what most drivers are used to. The icing on the cake for me was the window sticker; as equipped, this 2010 Sahara Edition Jeep Wrangler had a $31,190.00 price tag. Sure it’s got a good nav system and a decent stereo, but that’s a big check to be writing for a daily driver with more than a few quirks.
After a few days behind the wheel, I began to get it: very few people buy a Jeep Wrangler for its practicality, and most Wrangler buyers could care less about ride comfort. Like Harley Davidson motorcycles (another iconic brand), Jeep Wranglers are generally bought for entertainment, or in recognition of their astonishing heritage. If you need passenger and cargo room with go-anywhere capability, you buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee. If you want top down, off-road fun, you buy a Wrangler. In fact, the Jeep Wrangler is the last of the convertible SUVs, which should make your new car shopping list that much shorter.
It didn’t take long for the Wrangler to win me over, once I figured out the secret. Is it crude? Sure it is, but that’s part of the Wrangler’s personality, part of its appeal. You get the sense that, should something break on the Jeep, it could be fixed trail-side with a bit of JB Weld, some Gorilla Tape and a multitool. If you don’t like any one thing about the Wrangler, there’s an aftermarket company that sells just what you’re looking for to address it. In reality, the Jeep is a blank canvas, just waiting for an owner to personalize it. Besides, the Wrangler has more history behind the marque than any other vehicle still in production.
Rear seat in place limits cargo room, but...
Folding the rear seat forward gives you more than 2x the space
So what about the motor? Jeep Wranglers now use a 3.8 liter V6 that’s been in the Chrysler parts bin for a while. In stock form, it makes 205 horsepower and 240 ft-lbs of torque, which is fine for most owners and good enough to get you from zero to sixty in under ten seconds. If you want more grunt from your Jeep, the Wrangler responds really well to intake and exhaust system upgrades, which won’t break the bank. Personally, I’d really like a diesel or turbo diesel motor option, such as the new 2.5 liter Delta motor from Fiat. Hint, hint, Chrysler.
Chrysler's 3.8 liter V6 replaced the old inline six in 2007
I put around two hundred miles on the Wrangler, and it was plenty comfortable for multi-hour driving. The hardtop sealed well and made highway driving more enjoyable; if you live in a cold climate, or regularly park your Jeep outside overnight, the $1,625.00 hard top is a must-have option. Driver and passenger seats are supportive, but would benefit from additional lumbar support and a little more side bolstering. I much prefer cloth seats over leather, especially in a truck that’s going to get dirty, and the Jeep’s were nicely finished in a two tone, stain resistant fabric. The in-dash nav system was fairly intuitive, and the seven speaker Infinity sound system was far better than I expected.
What impressed me the most was the overall improvement in build quality. I’ve driven pre-JK series Jeeps, and was always less than impressed with how well they were put together. Even new ones squeaked and rattled off a dealer’s lot like a chorus of chipmunks on speed. Not so with the new Wranglers; their build quality is rock solid, and the Sahara never had a squeak or rattle, even over rough pavement. The dash and surround is multi-textured hard plastic, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s easy to clean and visually more appealing than acres of solid plastic or cheesy faux woodgrain. Instruments are clear and well laid out, with the space between the speedometer and tach reserved for warning lights. The trip computer in this Sahara version gave me a readout on miles traveled, time elapsed, MPG since reset, direction traveled and outside temperature.
I averaged 20.6 miles per gallon in a mix of city, highway, 2wd and 4wd driving, far better than the EPA estimate of 17 mpg combined. As you would expect from a vehicle with a short wheelbase and a high center of gravity, it can feel twitchy over uneven pavement (or in crosswinds) until you get used to the handling. The ride certainly isn’t car-like, but it’s not unpleasant, either.
On sunny days when you want to drop the top and head for the beach or the trails, there is no substitute for a Jeep Wrangler. The Wrangler will get you anywhere you need to go, limited only by your off-road driving skills and sense of self-preservation. It’s easy to drive in the loose stuff, and even the stock tires give a decent amount of grip in sand. Surprisingly, they weren’t noisy on the highway, either.
This is why people buy Wranglers. You won't get this view from a 911 GT3.
The 2010 Sahara is as luxurious as you can order a Wrangler, and features color matched fenders, two toned seats, height adjustable driver’s seat, power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry, an alarm system, a seven speaker sound system with subwoofer, Sirius satellite radio, traction control and 18” wheels. All Wranglers now get four wheel disc brakes with ABS, stability control with rollover sensor and hill start assist. They’ve earned a five star rating for frontal impact protection.
So in the end, I came to terms with the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. I’m not ready to go out and buy one just yet (although my wife is damn close), but I have to say I was more impressed with it than I expected to be. Personally, I’d opt for a less equipped model with the six speed transmission and the hard top, and I’d be ordering parts from the aftermarket as soon as I got back from the dealer (because I can’t stand a blank canvas). If Chrysler drops in a diesel motor, I’d be hard pressed to ignore the Wrangler much longer.
On sunny days when you want to drop the top and head for the beach or the trails, there is no substitute for a Jeep Wrangler. The Wrangler will get you anywhere you need to go, limited only by your off-road driving skills and sense of self-preservation. It’s easy to drive in the loose stuff, and even the stock tires give a decent amount of grip in sand. Surprisingly, they weren’t noisy on the highway, either.
This is why people buy Wranglers. You won't get this view from a 911 GT3.
The 2010 Sahara is as luxurious as you can order a Wrangler, and features color matched fenders, two toned seats, height adjustable driver’s seat, power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry, an alarm system, a seven speaker sound system with subwoofer, Sirius satellite radio, traction control and 18” wheels. All Wranglers now get four wheel disc brakes with ABS, stability control with rollover sensor and hill start assist. They’ve earned a five star rating for frontal impact protection.
So in the end, I came to terms with the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. I’m not ready to go out and buy one just yet (although my wife is damn close), but I have to say I was more impressed with it than I expected to be. Personally, I’d opt for a less equipped model with the six speed transmission and the hard top, and I’d be ordering parts from the aftermarket as soon as I got back from the dealer (because I can’t stand a blank canvas). If Chrysler drops in a diesel motor, I’d be hard pressed to ignore the Wrangler much longer.
Monday, April 12, 2010
License Plate Vigilantes
Websites are popping up that offer individuals money for reporting license plates of vehicles in their neighborhoods. Apparently some of the sites are suppose to make it easier for repo companies to locate vehicles when someone defaults on their loan.
Sounds like an easy way for those dealerships that like to tell their customers to just let their car go back to make a quick buck.
Other sites however say that the license plate number collecting will help police officers locate vehicles when Amber Alerts are issued. How ever I'm sure that law enforcement groups would be using this information for other purposes as well.
The latter does sound like a good reason for collecting the information. After all, who wouldn't want to help a child be found that was kidnapped or gone missing? You would think there would be a better way of going about getting the informaiton collected though.
"Hey honey, you take one side of the street and I'll take the other. Just tell Fred we're checking to see if anyone's license plate numbers are being used on stolen cars or something."
Sounds kinda crazy. The Better Business Bureau has decided it sounds crazy as well and is beginning to take a look at many of the sites.
Sounds like an easy way for those dealerships that like to tell their customers to just let their car go back to make a quick buck.
Other sites however say that the license plate number collecting will help police officers locate vehicles when Amber Alerts are issued. How ever I'm sure that law enforcement groups would be using this information for other purposes as well.
The latter does sound like a good reason for collecting the information. After all, who wouldn't want to help a child be found that was kidnapped or gone missing? You would think there would be a better way of going about getting the informaiton collected though.
"Hey honey, you take one side of the street and I'll take the other. Just tell Fred we're checking to see if anyone's license plate numbers are being used on stolen cars or something."
Sounds kinda crazy. The Better Business Bureau has decided it sounds crazy as well and is beginning to take a look at many of the sites.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Cash for Clunkers Impacts Pre-Owned Market
Over the past year pre-owned car prices have shot up at an alarming rate. A vehicle that could be purchased for $5,000 a year ago now cost around $8,000. Thats a 60% increase in just a year! Not only are the prices increasing but the availability of quality pre owned vehicles is on the decline and many dealers are pointing to Cash for Clunkers as the culprit.
Cash for Clunkers took about 700,000 trade-ins from the market. These potential trade-ins could have led to more pre owned sales for the industry. Many of the trade ins that I saw first hand were vehicles in very good condition. The lack of trade ins are also linked to the slow down in new car sales as well.
The only places currently benefitting from the purchasing slow down are repair shops. With consumers saving money by not purchasing new cars thy're spending more money to repair their old ones. Owners can easily put a thousand dollars into fixing their old car and get by for a year or two with the repaired vehicle.
The lack of trade ins has virtually eliminated the $4000 to $7000 pre owned vehicle range. They've become increasingly hard to find, and even harder to find ones in good condition. Paul Taylor, an NADA economist, said, "There are aproximately eight million cars that didn't come into the marketplace in 2008 and 2009." Obviously the 2009 number was hurt in large part from the Cash for Clunkers program.
So once again we're forced to re-evaluate the true benefits of the Cash for Clunkers program. It did help many people get into new vehicles as well as increase business for auto dealers at the time the program was running, but was that couple month increase worth the slow down in sales that has now been seen? Since the program ended, and I would have to look into all the going ons in the industry to be sure, I would bet that there has been many dealership closings, manufacturing facility closings, and employee lay-offs. The negatives on the economy would probably out weigh the positives once the numbers were crunched.
Many experts are predicting an increase in new vehicle sales for 2010 so pre-owned stocks should start to be replenished with fresh good condition vehicles.
Cash for Clunkers took about 700,000 trade-ins from the market. These potential trade-ins could have led to more pre owned sales for the industry. Many of the trade ins that I saw first hand were vehicles in very good condition. The lack of trade ins are also linked to the slow down in new car sales as well.
The only places currently benefitting from the purchasing slow down are repair shops. With consumers saving money by not purchasing new cars thy're spending more money to repair their old ones. Owners can easily put a thousand dollars into fixing their old car and get by for a year or two with the repaired vehicle.
The lack of trade ins has virtually eliminated the $4000 to $7000 pre owned vehicle range. They've become increasingly hard to find, and even harder to find ones in good condition. Paul Taylor, an NADA economist, said, "There are aproximately eight million cars that didn't come into the marketplace in 2008 and 2009." Obviously the 2009 number was hurt in large part from the Cash for Clunkers program.
So once again we're forced to re-evaluate the true benefits of the Cash for Clunkers program. It did help many people get into new vehicles as well as increase business for auto dealers at the time the program was running, but was that couple month increase worth the slow down in sales that has now been seen? Since the program ended, and I would have to look into all the going ons in the industry to be sure, I would bet that there has been many dealership closings, manufacturing facility closings, and employee lay-offs. The negatives on the economy would probably out weigh the positives once the numbers were crunched.
Many experts are predicting an increase in new vehicle sales for 2010 so pre-owned stocks should start to be replenished with fresh good condition vehicles.
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