Are Hybrid Sales Running Out of Gas?
Every car company hopes for hit models that are in high demand, and long windows of time in which it doesn’t have to offer sales incentives. Hybrid cars and SUVs have been among that exclusive club. But auto makers investing in the vehicles are seeing some cracks in consumer demand as more people question hybrids’ financial payback.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Impact of Hybrid Vehicles
Last week, as part of a speech on his Advanced Energy Initiative, President Bush called for increased spending on scientific R&D and incentives for makers and consumers of alternative sources of energy in order to reduce the United States’ dependency on foreign sources of energy. The most promising breakthrough in alternative energy, the president said, is the hybrid vehicle. As interest in hybrid vehicles grows, it also raises many questions both for consumers and the technicians who must eventually repair these cars.
The Little Hybrid Engine that Could
One of the most impressive cars at last week’s Philadelphia Auto Show doesn’t come from Japan, Germany or Detroit. It came from the auto shop at West Philadelphia High School. The car — designed and built by students in the school’s Academy for Automotive and Mechanical Engineering — delivers more horsepower than some Porsches and gets gas mileage comparable to a Toyota Prius. It runs on fuel made from soybeans.
J.D. Power Report: Sales of Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Expected to Grow 268 Percent by 2012
U.S. hybrid-electric vehicle sales volumes are anticipated to grow by 268 percent between 2005 and 2012, according to the most report from J.D. Power and Associates. According to J.D. Power’s Automotive Forecasting Services Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Outlook, hybrid vehicle sales are expected to grow from approximately 212,000 vehicles in 2005 to 780,000 by 2012.
Survey Finds Pessimism Among Auto Industry Executives
Automotive executives think their companies will make even less money in the next five years as competitive pressures intensify worldwide, and they predict more consolidation and bankruptcies in the industry, according to the seventh annual Auto Executive Survey by KPMG LLC, to be released to the public today. “Expectations for future profits are clearly falling almost everywhere in the car business,” a report summarizing the survey findings says.
Study Shows Chinese Auto Industry Expanding, Facing Challenges
A new study released by IBM and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT) reveals the Chinese automotive industry is facing a number of significant challenges as it continues its expansion. The need to adapt to a market economy, a lack of technology and knowledge transfer from joint ventures, and infrastructure, air quality and oil supply challenges all combine to create an uncertain future for the Chinese automotive industry, according to the study.
Northwood University and Cerritos College to Offer Bachelor’s in Automotive Marketing
Officials at Northwood University in Midland, MI, and Cerritos College’s Automotive Technology Division in Norwalk, CA, will partner to provide the first West coast presence for Northwood.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Ways WDs Are Handling Rising Gas Prices
As if trying to succeed in this industry wasn’t challenging enough, the past few months have made it even more difficult as gas prices have risen to more than $3 per gallon in some parts of the nation. Today, the national average for a gallon of gas is $2.77, nearly double what it was just one year ago. Every driver in the U.S. is feeling the pinch and taking steps to ease the burden, but what do you do if your business relies on a vehicle (or a fleet of vehicles) to transport parts to jobbers and installers? We asked three WDs from across the country how they are dealing with the rising cost of fuel.
California International Auto Show Kicks off 2006 North American Auto Show Season
Southern California’s premiere auto show, the California International Auto Show (CIAS), announced today a series of new vehicle launches and the all-new Auto Show Underground that will highlight the hot automotive customizing market, celebrity and exotic cars, hybrids, classics, and the latest automotive accessories. Coming off a highly successful 2005 auto show season, this year’s CIAS is poised for tremendous growth with an exciting auto show schedule planned for manufacturers, media and consumers alike.
Automotive Training Managers Council Fall Conference Scheduled for October 2-4
A tour of the Chevrolet Corvette plant in Bowling Green, KY, in celebration of 50 years of the small block engine; hybrid technology service issues and a presentation on advanced technology training for independent repair shops are just some of the industry-related highlights for the Automotive Training Managers Council (ATMC) Fall Conference to be held Oct. 2-4 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, TN. The theme for the Music City, USA location is: “Working in Harmony through ATMC: OEM, Fleet and Aftermarket.”