David Leggett's automotive industry blog - from just-auto.comDavid Leggett's automotive industry blog - from just-auto.com'Going green'- July 3, 2008 I have just been reading Dealer Update (a UK automotive retail sector publication produced by Trader MediaAuto Trader group). Through Auto Trader's UK website they carried out a survey on attitudes of retail buyers to green cars and issues. The survey results reinforce what the cynics say. Most people, it seems, don't want to pay extra to be good to the environment. In choosing a car, price is by far the most important consideration. It was the most important single feature.http://www.just-auto.com/blogdetail.aspx?ID=1859 Oil on the rise- July 3, 2008 I see oil has hit $145 a barrel. And the European Central Bank is potentially about to make things worse by raising interest rates. That, some say, will make the dollar even weaker and send even more of the speculators' money into oil, pushing the price up further. And, if that happens, 'cost-push' inflationary pressures are fuelled everywhere - including in Europe. Putting interest rates up in Europe to be 'tough' on inflation might not be the thing to do right now....http://www.just-auto.com/blogdetail.aspx?ID=1858 Fiat 500 picnic- July 2, 2008 Apologies if you can't open the below link - there might be cookies that mean I'm signed up but you're not (it's voodoo). The Fiat press release provided me with 30 secs of amusement though. Fiat is planning an international series of events for the birthday of the 500. Here's a flavour: '....each "500 PICNIC" is aiming to satisfy specific national tastes by featuring local attractions: for example, in South Africa, where the initiative coincides with a commercial debut of the FIAT 500,...http://www.just-auto.com/blogdetail.aspx?ID=1857 Spanish data- July 2, 2008 Just found myself trying to find out a little more about the Spanish car market last month (it was down a whopping 31% on last year) and to my great suprise the just released data was very easy to find on the ANFAC website. Not only that, but there's some good detail, too. A friend of mine who purchased a property there a couple of years ago has been crying into his San Miguel beers lately - house prices are plummeting and the construction sector is grinding to a..http://www.just-auto.com/blogdetail.aspx?ID=1856 Russia: SUV heaven- July 1, 2008 As we await the horror stats on the June US light vehicle market (Chrysler has announced a plant closure on the back of yet another truck sales mauling), here's something that provides a contrast. I came across an article in The Moscow Times which highlights the perceived benefits of SUVs in Russia - despite higher pump prices there also. SUVs are very hot sellers in Russia currently. Obviously, there are plenty of Russians with money and SUVs are apparently very well...http://www.just-auto.com/blogdetail.aspx?ID=1855 Electric personal mobility vehicles- July 1, 2008 Respected Brit inventor Sir Clive Sinclair reckons we'll eventually be flying around in personal mobility vehicles powered by electricity. That won't be for quite a while if ever I suspect, but I wonder how funny his much joked about C5 looks now Not quite as crazy as it once did. We were also wondering how the Segway is doing and then came across this, a gyroscope-stabilised motorised unicycle that looks like it might have featured in a Star Wars film. I guess you could say it looks wheelie...http://www.just-auto.com/blogdetail.aspx?ID=1854 Hydraulic Hybrids- July 1, 2008 Someone has just posed a question. What happened to Ford's plans for a 'hydraulic hybrid' F-150 The basic idea of this technology is that electrical energy is stored in hydraulic cylinders to assist powertrain performance. A few years ago this technology was said to offer the possibility of better performance than even lithium-ion batteries can muster. Ford was said to be taking it seriously and working on a military application, but there was plenty of development work to be done. It's...http://www.just-auto.com/blogdetail.aspx?ID=1853 |