Online Car Auction » Automotive

Finding Great Deals on Used Motorcycles

Online Car Auction — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:20:52 +0000

Jay Gaulard asked:

There are many little-known resources for finding pre-owned motorcycles for sale. If you have decided to start your search for the perfect bike, there will be many factors to consider. If you want something very specific, you may be better off hiring a broker to help you track down and acquire that special motorcycle. If you are not as picky or find yourself on a budget, you may find the following list of resources very helpful in finding a suitable bike at a great price.

Police Auctions

Motorcycles, dirt bikes and scooters that have been seized at crime scenes or confiscated for other official reasons usually become government property that is then sold to the public at auction. Most of the time you don’t hear about these auctions because they generally have very little publicity. Many municipalities have information about police auctions on their Web sites. They may post auction dates or even list individual property for sale. If your local government’s Web site doesn’t have this information posted, you can call the Sherriff’s office or highway patrol to inquire about auctions. Make sure to ask about special requirements and other information you may need to purchase a motorcycle at auction.

Ebay

When using Ebay Motors or other popular auction Web sites to search for a used motorcycle, keep in mind that the bikes you come across can be located anywhere in the world. Of course, there are search parameters you can determine to ensure that the results delivered are all within a certain number of miles from your home. You can decide how far you are willing to drive to pick up your motorcycle and search Ebay for bikes within that distance.

If you are into restoring vintage bikes or customizing Harley Davidson motorcycles, you may be willing to pay for shipping costs provided you find a great deal. If this is the case, Ebay and other auction sites are great places to find what you are looking for.

Online Classifieds

Because posting ads on online classifieds sites is free or very cheap, the best deals can generally be found here. One of the benefits of using online classifieds to find your motorcycle is that you can search locally or regionally. Depending on which site you use, you can search the top two or three larger cities that are closest to you. Again, this will depend somewhat on how far you are willing to travel to check, test drive and ultimately pick up your used motorcycle.

Another benefit of online classifieds is that you can post a listing yourself. For little to no money, you can actually place an online classified ad stating exactly what you are looking for in terms of a used motorcycle. Responses will typically come in the way of emails or telephone calls from prospective sellers who may have a used motorcycle that you may be interested in. Consider this “putting out your feelers,” and do it regardless of what other (more aggressive) search methods you employ.

Yard/Garage Sales

Looking for a used motorcycle by visiting yard sales or garage sales in your local area can be fun, but very time consuming. Unless you live in an area where there are very many motorcycles, you may spend a long time looking at yard sales. On the other hand, if you have already placed an online classified ad, are searching Ebay daily, and also happen to visit yard sales in your neighborhood on the weekends, then you’re only helping to increase your chances of finding a truly great deal on the motorcycle of your dreams.

Also keep in mind that by visiting yard sales, you may come across an opportunity to buy a bike that the seller hadn’t yet considered selling. Many people invest in motorcycles on a whim, without truly weighing out all the pros and cons. Having a motorcycle takes a lot of time and money, and many people end up dropping the hobby. If you visit a yard sale and notice a motorcycle parked in the garage, looking like it’s just gathering dust, it doesn’t hurt to ask about it. You may stumble across a great deal!

Used Bike Lots

Used bike lots are a great place to see many used motorcycles in one place. As with cars, you must realize that buying from a dealership will generally be more expensive than buying your motorcycle from a private seller. On the other hand, buying your motorcycle from a bike dealership will give you the opportunity to purchase a warranty.

If there isn’t a used motorcycle dealership near the town or city where you live, you may need to travel a bit to get to one. This might be well worth it if you’d like to choose from a large selection, be able to test drive your new bike, and deal with an established business.

Motorcycle Message Boards

Motorcycle message boards are a great forum for finding information on where to get certain bikes or bike parts. The motorcycle enthusiasts that frequent these message boards can be novices or very knowledgeable, but they share your passion. Posters may have great ideas about where you can find a great deal on a used bike, they may actually know of a motorcycle for sale that is a great deal, or, they may even have a motorcycle for sale that you might be interested in.

Newspaper

Your local newspaper is a great place to search for motorcycles for sale right in your area. The motorcycles advertised in the newspaper classifieds may be listed by dealerships or private sellers. The benefit is that every motorcycle listed here will be close to your geographical location.

Shopping for a Deal

No matter where you decide to start your search for a used motorcycle you will increase your chances of finding what you want if you employ two or three of the methods. Make sure to do your homework by having an idea of what you want and what to look for. Also, make sure that you test drive the motorcycle and feel comfortable with the price and deal.

Mercedes-Benz Online Car Auction

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How To Find The Right Car For You

Online Car Auction — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:49:24 +0000

Neil Teasdale asked:

There is no argument that housing prices have continued to rise over the last couple of years making it the largest single purchase most people will make in their lifetime. However with the prices of the average new car now nearing $30,000 they are definitely the second largest purchase many of us will make by far. By keeping this in mind you can help ensure that this important decision should be made carefully and not in a hurried or rushed, knee jerk decision that many car dealerships seem to bully most of their customers into.

To make sure that you don’t make a mistake and that you buy the best possible vehicle for you and that it will accomplish all that you need it to you should do a little research and some soul searching as well.

To start, consider your present situation of whether you are single or have a family. If you have a family and this will be the primary mode of transportation to shuttle everyone out and around then you may want to consider a minivan. For those soccer moms and hockey dads out there the new dual sliding door or even the single sliding door minivans offer serious convenience, plenty of room and decent fuel economy considering the load you can handle with it.

If you, like many others can’t quite see yourself in a minivan you may want to consider a sport utility which are really growing in popularity. The great thing about these vehicles is that they are available in all makes and in several price ranges to cater to everybody’s budget. You can choose between a smaller, cheaper sport utility like the Ford Explorer, or get into a larger vehicle like the Chevy Suburban or maybe a Ford Expedition. Either way you get some of the convenience features of the minivan with that rugged jeep type of look.

If you are an outdoors mountain junky that enjoys going camping and hanging out with friends in the woods or going on weekend surf trips you may want to consider the sporty new Nissan Pathfinder or another 4×4 vehicle that can get you to where you need to go without the worry of how you’re getting back out. The Pathfinder is designed with the outdoor lover in mind with built in roof racks and storage standard. However with any vehicle that you may be considering don’t be talked into 4-wheel drive unless you really need it and intend to use it regularly. There are some big things to consider with a 4-wheel drive like, 4-wheel drive transmissions add thousands to the price, is much heavier, and will also cost you more money for insurance and gasoline due to decreased gas mileage.

Deciding on a color may seem easy right now but if you change your cars every couple of years then you have to keep resale value in mind. Although many will say color is a matter of personal preference there are a few guidelines you should follow for particular types of vehicles if you are concerned about resale value. Regardless what type of vehicle you purchase stay away from “out of the norm” colors like purple or yellow unless you plan to keep the vehicle forever. Another color that has been proven to be “cold” for resale in light blue or “ice blue” as it is known in the industry. If you plan to trade every 2-4 years you are far better off choosing a normal color like white, silver, beige, etc. If you are planning to buy a sports car you will definitely want to stay with white, red, or black.

For your interior choices you may have the choice of leather, vinyl or cloth. Although leather is really nice and smells great to most, you must be the type of person who will take the time necessary to maintain leather, also keep in mind that leather can be unbearably hot in the summer and unless the seats are heated, they are very cold in the winter. If you do plan on getting into a sports utility or something similar then check out the vinyl, it’s cheaper than leather but is really durable and you don’t fell you’re going to rip the seat every time you get in the car or truck.

You will also want to take insurance cost into consideration when choosing a car, especially if buying for a teenager. Overall, sports cars and 4-wheel drives are more expensive to insure, not too mention a lot more to fix if you run into any repair issues.

Another good move before you head to the car dealership is to consult a local mechanic and ask them what cars they have the most problems with. They can tell you which cars they see with the most problems and what the common problems are. Not only will you get an idea of what cars are good but more importantly, which cars to steer clear of! (Excuse the pun)

So as you can see, walking into a dealer and buying the first thing they push on you can be a bad move unless you have money to burn. Take the time to think it over and come up with some guidelines of your own that cover your present situation so that your new car purchase will be a pleasant one and not the car buying nightmare you hear about more often than not.

Volkswagen Online Car Auction

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Tips to Sell Your Car Online

Online Car Auction — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:11:48 +0000

Tom Tessin asked: Honda Online Car Auction addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Ftheonlinecarauction.com%2Fblog%2F2007%2F12%2Ftips-to-sell-your-car-online%2F'; addthis_title = 'Tips+to+Sell+Your+Car+Online'; addthis_pub = ''; Tips to Sell Your Car Online is a post from: Online Car Auction

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Luxury Car Auctions Can Save a Bundle

Online Car Auction — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:55:47 +0000

Robert Meyer asked:

Although today’s economy is in a slump and many people believe a recession is on the way, there is still a strong demand for luxury automobiles. Of course, savvy buyers continue to look for great bargains when they purchase their cars, which is where the new website, Best Luxury Auto Auctions, comes in. Online auction sites are increasing in popularity, since consumers are always looking for the best deal in today’s economy.

Today customers are no longer willing to pay the high prices that high end luxury automobiles used to command, although discounted luxury autos still have quite a market. For this reason, many consumers are finding this new site to be an excellent place to purchase the autos they want for prices that truly are affordable, even in today’s economy.

There is presently an abundance of luxury automobile for sale. Many of the cars available are a result of the poor economy. Many individuals are forced to rid themselves of the burden of a large car payment. Other just choose to lighten their financial load. Oftentimes they are willing to sell at a loss. This presents a great opportunity for the prospective buyer.

A good place to start to look for a luxury car for sale is the internet. Look for online auctions at places like eBay Motors. Oftentimes you can find a bargain. In these tough economic times many luxury car owners are cutting expenses by eliminating their luxury car payment. That can mean a real bargain for you. A good place to begin your search is Best Luxury Auto Auctions.

The auto auction is where many used car dealers go to find deals for their company. This usually consists of the used car sales manager heading to the auto auction and buying the cars that he or she thinks will turn the biggest profit for their dealership. These auto auctions usually take place about once a week, and can be attended by only authorized car dealers. This is not the same as a car auction which can be attended by the general public. The main purpose of this sort of auto auction is to allow car dealers to buy and sell used cars for their lot.

An auto auction is an event that every car dealer has taken part in at one point in time, and probably will again sometime in the near future. This is one of the best ways for them to make money, and turn a large profit for their respective dealership. If you are authorized head to your local auto auction today and make some money!

The online auto auction is becoming increasingly popular for the average buyer looking for a good deal. Saving of 50% and more are not uncommon. This writer bought a 2002 Honda Accord a year ago and saved over 50% off the NADA suggested price.

If you are looking for a new or used European, Japanese, or American luxury car, such as an Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Hummer, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, or Roll-Royce a great place to start your search is Best Luxury Auto Auctions. You can bid on the car of your dreams or buy it outright.

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Sourcing Parts At Reasonable Prices For Your Classic Corvette

Online Car Auction — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:52:37 +0000

Terry Z. Voster asked:

With any classic vehicle finding a source of auto repair parts can be a major concern. So it is with classic Chevrolet Corvette as well as Chevrolet Stingray autos.

Corvettes have always had distinctive wheel covers and are a refreshing change from slotted mag wheels. The wood steering wheels add a rich touch if you are lucky to ever find one.

Interest has been spread into the 1968 and later models, especially car equipped with the lift out roof panels. In these cars, the excellent General Motors (G.M.) Turbo Hydra-matic transmission was the desired feature. Indeed one of the most valuable vehicle of this group has been the 1970 LT-1 350. Chevrolet itself had offered some good gymkhana suspension parts for this group of cars that are relatively inexpensive and greatly improve handling qualities.

Where can you find used parts for your classic Corvette? First of course are local swap meet and car clubs in your area. If you can shop close to home better be it.

You actually hold and fondle the part, inspecting it yourself. Why have to arrange and pay shipping charges. As well you may make valuable contacts for your Corvette restoration projects. Often one local contact will lead to another good source for parts as well as classic car restoration expertise.

Next on the list are magazines – such as – Corvette Enthusiast, Vette and Corvette Fever. It might be said that Corvette websites on the internet might be next on your list. However the actual magazines may provide a source for you first. Why not whittle down your Corvette resource list first rather than searching through the websites that may or may not have stock and be of the stature they claim. Websites can be made and put up easily. Magazines articles usually have current sourced lists; will place the vendors in some ranking. If there are ads – those ads have to paid for – which is an indication of the solvency and current resources of the firms involved. As well you may get additional good tips form the articles in the magazine. Classic car magazines such as Hemmings are also very useful.

Next for resources are actual websites devoted to this passion. The sites can be Corvette specific – such as vetteweb, the general motors website itself, The Corvette Club of America etc. Google the term “Corvette Links”, “Chevrolet Corvette Links” or “Stingray Links”. One link will always lead to more and additional links. Corvette enthusiasts are like that – always trying to be helpful and to share.

A terrific resource always is eBay. EBay is the premier online auction site. It can easily be found on the web at its home of ebay.com as well as various worldwide specific sites – whether they be ebay.ca in Canada or ebay.uk in the United Kingdom. EBay has both its original sales areas as well as the more specific and distinct eBay motors. The beauty of eBay is that somewhere in the world someone may have exactly the part, component or technical manuals that you are looking for.

In essence it may be “just lying around” and be of found money to them and yet be exactly what you require. It may be that that item is not available in your local area or the locals may want a killing for it. Either way eBay can be a very useful resource. Some of the items on eBay are on an auction basis; some are on a “buy now” price. Some are both. The beauty of eBay is that it has advanced features which may make your search for that exact hard to find Corvette car part easier. You can conduct product searches on eBay easily and specifically. If you are an eBay member (no cost to register), then you can have the eBay system email you the moment someone lists that part. Then you can either bid on the item, or if it is a buy now you can choose to purchase it. In addition eBay has a buyer request area where you can put out feelers and a request if anyone has that part or knows of contacts or leads that have that component available. Remember though with eBay that shipping costs are major component of the final and real cost of any good purchased. All that matters, if evaluating cost, is what the product costs when it arrives at the door of your shop.

Lastly never forget your local or area Chevrolet dealer themselves. There is both an amazing and remarkable amount of early Corvette parts still in the parts inventory of some Chevrolet dealers as well as some General Motors Chevrolet dealers who specialize in classic Corvette and Corvette Stingray car, mechanical as well as body parts.

Jaguar Online Car Auction

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How I Made $100k at Car Auctions

Online Car Auction — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:21:09 +0000

Chris Chamberlain asked:

In 2002 I had no money but needed a new car badly. I spent months researching car auctions and eventually found a few in my area. I bought a 1997 Jeep Cherokee with 90k miles for $4500. There was an almost identical model on ebay with a starting bid of $10k. Then I saw the opportunity to make some money from this venture… So a month later I bought a 1999 Impala with 40k miles for $4,300 and sold it 2 weeks later on Craigslist for $7,900. After that I was hooked. Now I’m flipping over 10 cars a month for about $1500 profit each.

Of late I have been receiving numerous phone calls and even emails from everyone wanting to know how earn some extra money by buying and selling cars, so I’ve put together this guide on how to get started (check out my website for more).

Just like any other business, making money buying and selling cars is not necessarily as easy as one would think and it cannot be explained through a phone call or even by an email. I could fill 1000 pages with tips, tricks and methods for successfully buying at car auctions and I some point I might…but for now I can offer some key points for getting started and answer some of the bigger questions out there.

I’ve bought a lot of the ebooks out there and they all gave good tips on how to purchase at car auctions but that was all. I was paying $19-$30 for a guide that didn’t actually list any of the auctions that I should be buying at. So I started compiling a list of list of every single car auction by state and agency…(on my site).

What made me to choose this business:

The main and important reason I chose this business I was looking for a way to generate sustainable passive income. There are so many fantastic deals at so many auctions but the vast majority of the population will never know.

I also know that car market is HUGE. Almost everyone who owns a car these days buys a different car every 5 years or so. There is absolutely no question on the size of the car market and demand for consumers. There is always demand for a good deal on a good car – even if it’s not one that you would drive, just remember, someone will pay for it. One good thing about a tough economy is that a lot of people will be looking someone who can give them a good deal on a car.

The first step is to find a list of auctions in your area. A lot of counties have police auctions every month. Note – some of these auctions require a dealer’s license so you’ll want to check for that ahead of time. (Find a list at www.officialgovernmentgrants.com)

Once you find an auction, get a bid-list of the vehicles up for auction. For example, at a recent auction in my area there were 3 cars that got my interest:

- 2001 black Honda Accord with a little over 37k miles on it.

- 2003 white Chevy Impala with 90k miles on it.

- 2003 grey Ford F-150 pickup with 67k miles on it.

All three of these cars are popular models with under 100k miles and good colors (although I’m not crazy about the white Impala, it’s actually a fairly popular color).

There’s very little info other than the picture. The Impala and the F150 were likely government vehicles and the Honda was probably a seizure (in the photo it also looks like there were some ‘ground effects’ modifications – probably a drug dealer).

The Impala has almost 100k miles on it but the good news is that government vehicles are generally very well maintained which should help them sell quicker. These are all prime examples of good cars to try and buy at auction.

Now, we need to figure out how much to bid on each of these. At this point it’s worth it to discuss some of the different auction formats. Many government auctions are ‘sealed bid’ which means you submit a bid along with other people without seeing what their bids are. Then, the highest bid wins. These auctions are tougher for obvious reasons.

The other type of auction are what’s known as the standard ‘dutch auction’ in which the bid starts out at a certain price and various bidders offer higher prices until the car is sold. Unfortunately, this auction is a ‘sealed bid’ auction so I’ll have to really do my homework.

The trick with ‘sealed bid’ auctions is that you have to submit a bid that’s low enough to make a profit but high enough to win the car. In recent years, certain auctions have become more popular with what I call the ‘amateur buyer’. These are the people that bid more than the car is really worth. They win the car but they take a perfectly good money making opportunity away from you in the process.

Typically, for a ‘sealed bid’ auction I start with the Kelley Blue Book value to get a general idea of the price. Keep in mind – this is really just a quick starting point. What you really want to know is what the dealers are paying for these vehicles. Dealers are paying a price to make a profit – and that’s what you want to be paying…because that means you’ll be making a decent profit.

How do you find this out? Call the loan department of a local bank and ask for the Manheim Market Report (MMR) price. Most banks have subscriptions to this data which will tell you the average prices that similar vehicles have been selling for at auctions.

So for the 3 cars that I’m interested in I get the following MMR prices:

2001 black Honda Accord EX with 37k miles: $7,630

2003 white Chevy Impala with 90k miles: $1,950

2003 grey Ford F-150 pickup with 67k:$4,100

Now since the Honda Accord is such a popular model and this one is not a ‘public’ vehicle and looks like it’s had some upgrades (ground effects) – this car will probably receive bids in the $8000 range. A quick look at ebay motors, http://cars.com or craigslist tells me that at that price I won’t be making a profit. I submit a bid of $7000 anyway.

The Impala looks like my best bet at making a profit. While it does have 90k miles on it, that’s still under the important 100k threshold and because this is a ‘public’ vehicle it’s likely in very good condition and will not be getting as much interest as the Honda Accord. And – there is always demand for Impalas believe it or not. These are great ‘functional’ vehicles for people looking for cheap – reliable transportation. I don’t find any similar comps on Craigslist but a quick check on Ebay motors and http://autotrader.com shows several comps selling between 2.5k-4k. This is great news. I put in a bid of $1,500. If I can get my bid filled and then sell it for 3k then I’ve made an easy $1,400 (There’s a buyers premium of between 6%-10% at all these auctions).

The 2003 F-150 also looks like a decent money-maker if I can get it for a good price. Autotrader and Ebay show comps between 6k-10k. I put in a bid of 4k for this one.

The one good thing about ‘sealed bid’ auctions is that I know emotion won’t force me to bid more than I want to. I’ve already determined my ideal acquisition price and submitted the bid. Now all I have to do is wait and see if I get ‘lucky’.

One thing I didn’t go over is on site inspection. The auction site is required to tell you if they know of any problems with the vehicle (i.e. transmission was replaced, etc.). Also, they generally set aside a day on a weekend to visit the cars and visually inspect them – you can’t turn on the engine or get inside but you can look for any exterior indicators of damage. Also, the auction site will have each vehicles VIN number. Because the auction prices for these three are relatively low and the Impala and F150 are ‘government’ vehicles, I’m forgoing the inspection process. Note: I don’t recommend doing no due diligence…especially when you’re getting started. But, once you’re comfortable with the process and have bought and sold a few cars you’ll know the level of due diligence that should be done.

One last issue is whether or not you need a Dealer’s license to resell these cars. The rules differ by state. For example, in Florida it’s 3,in New York it’s 6, in Ohio it’s 5, etc. A lot of people get around this by selling some in a spouse’s name or a brother’s, parent’s, whatever.

The bottom line is you can easily sell a dozen or so cars before you’re forced to get a dealer’s license, if at all.

Well, hopefully this has helped learn a little bit about how to make a few thousand dollars at your local car auctions. For me it started as a search for a new car and now it’s replaced my day job. All it takes is a little time and research… www.OfficialGovernmentGrants.com is a good resource to start…

Chrysler Online Car Auction

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Drive in to a Great Deal at the next Auto Auction

Online Car Auction — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 01:24:06 +0000

Joshua Gore asked:

Everyone wants to get a good deal on their next vehicle (who wouldn’t…right?). When buying a vehicle from a dealer, the least you’ll pay for a vehicle is the dealer’s wholesale price (unless he’s flipped his lid of course!). How do many of the used car dealers get their vehicles? They buy them from auctions. This article is about the auto auctions that the general public are allowed to participate in. For someone living in Wisconsin, there are three common types of Auto Auctions that the public is typically allowed to participate in.

The first of three that I’ll mention is the ‘online auto auction’. Two examples are eBay Motors and Yahoo Auctions. There are many aspects of online auctions that are very similar to auctions that occur in public. The people involve bid on a specific vehicle, and when a time limit expires, the top bidder takes the vehicle.

Sounds pretty simple huh? Well there are a few things you are going to need to watch out for. First, you won’t see the vehicle until after you’ve bought it. This is probably the biggest drawback for obvious reasons. Second,it’s often the case that the seller won’t list the VIN#, so it’s impossible to locate the car’s history throu CARFAX. Third, you may have to drive quite a ways to pick the car up (or have it delivered to you which can be quite expensive).

The second of the three auctions I’m going to discuss here is the ‘public auto auction’. The public auto auction is very much what it sounds like. It is the public auction of automobiles. Dealers often auction their cars off beginning at wholesale price. This is a good place to get a decent deal, but most cars will end up being sold (if sold at all) at or above wholesale prices.

The third and final type of auction that I am going to talk about is that of ‘Police Auctions and Government Auctions’. There are typically two different types of vehicles up for auction here. First is the seized vehicle. These could be any automobiles either owned by or involved with someone who is participating in illegal activities. The second type of vehicle is that of the decommisioned vehicle. A good example of this would be that of a police car that had been used for five years and was replaced…the government would then auction the police car off. After attending a police or government auction, you’ll realize that the decommissioned vehicles often sell for much less than the seized vehicles.

Regardless of which auction you choose to buy your car from, you need to be very careful. I’d like to offer two tips.

1) Don’t buy a lemon

2) Never pay over blue book value for any of these cars

If you’d like to locate an Auto Auction near you, visit Wisconsin Auctions for a complete listing of the many public auctions going on throughout the wonderful State of Wisconsin! See you at the Auto Auction!

Oldsmobile Online Car Auction

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Toyota: 2007 Sales Forecast Still on Track

Online Car Auction — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 03:02:54 +0000

Mike Bartley asked:

The Toyota Motor Corp., which outpaced the General Motors Corp. in global vehicle sales in the first half of the year for the first time ever, set the full-year target late last year, Detroit News reported. The target is up six percent from the 8.8 million vehicles it sold around the globe in 2006.

GM has been auto industry’s global top seller for more than seven decades now. Currently, the Detroit-based automaker has made no forecast for this year’s sales. The Detroit-based automaker and its affiliates sold 9.1 million vehicles worldwide in 2006. But like the speedy Borla, GM is likely to be overtaken by Toyota.

On the other hand, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said that he was leaving the company’s sales target unchanged even though reviews were underway for all the regions. The largest Japanese automaker is seeing sales grow in the United Stated and other global markets. Escalating gas prices have produced fuel-efficient Toyota models such as the hybrid Prius and small cars Corolla, Camry and Vitz, which is also known as the Yaris.

Toyota plants were shut after a July 16 quake in north-central Japan, which damaged Riken Corp., a major auto parts supplier. The company said last Monday that 20 of its 31 assembly lines in Japan will be up by Tuesday. The closure has cost the Japanese automaker production of about 46,000 vehicles, and that number is expected to increase to about 55,000 overall, about 60 percent of them exports, Watanabe said. Toyota plans to catch up later this year on the lost production, he said.

Koji Endo, an auto analyst with Credit Suisse in Tokyo, said those vehicles amount to about three days of production, which can be easily made up on a weekend. “Overall, sales growth in North America, Russia, China and Europe is more than likely to make up for declines in Japan and Asia, and Toyota is likely to surpass its target,” he said. “Toyota has set a conservative target. There is hardly any negative impact from the earthquake.”

Outlining the Toyota’s midyear strategy, Watanabe said that the company will contribute more to efforts against global warming and pollution by working on new technologies, including plug-in hybrids. More common hybrids already in mass production, such as the Prius, switch between an electric motor and gas engine to produce superb mileage. Additionally, plug-in hybrids do not need to be plugged in to recharge.

Other automakers also are working on the development of auto plug-in technology. Plug-in hybrids are equipped with batteries that power an electric motor, with an internal combustion engine for use when the batteries run low. The batteries can be recharged using a standard wall outlet.

Toyota said that in June, sales of its hybrid cars had passed one million units – a milestone for the Japanese automaker that started selling the Prius a decade ago but dominates the hybrid market at the present time. Toyota’s 2007 global sales target would score the ninth consecutive year of global sales growth for the automaker.

Watanabe brushed off a question about the prospects of becoming number one in sales. “We must be thankful many customers are choosing to buy our products. “Being number one is a result of that,” he said. “Toyota will continue to work to become a good corporate citizen in the United States and follow its principle of producing cars where they’re sold.”

Watanabe acknowledged the Japanese market was tough, but said new models were being well received in Japan in recent weeks. As part of an effort to woo buyers, side airbags and curtain-shield airbags will be offered as standard features on upcoming new models in Japan, he said.

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Get More With the Acura Mdx

Online Car Auction — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 09:20:19 +0000

Jennifer Dylan asked:

Despite being in the industry for two decades, the Acura brand has still yet got a long way to go before it is able to actually send out vehicles to each segment there is in the automobile industry. But still, the brand, which works under the Honda Motor Corporation umbrella, is already trying to make sure that there are entrants to various segments which they can actually compete in.

One segment that this Acura auto parts crafter has entered is the luxury car segment. Despite this one segment being quite a difficult one to be in, it seems like the brand has sure been prepared well with the Acura MDX vehicle. Of course, it would not be a big surprise since Honda, the Acura brand’s mother, has already been able to successfully bring luxury cars and versions to the market.

The very first Acura MDX came out in the market in the year 2001 and it was one of the very first in the auto industry to actually offer a vehicle that has got three rows of seats. And this is offered not as optional features but as a standard feature. If you would go back to the auto industry’s luxury car segment, you would find out that the Mercedes Benz brand has already brought about such a feature but they had only offered such a luxury in seating capacity as an option.

According to the brand, the Acura MDX is currently the second when it comes to sales. And perhaps this can be attributed to the very fact that this vehicle is the only one in the industry that offers a good comfortable seating capacity of seven passengers in its cabin. And for the 2007 model year, the Acura MDX has been created to have three rows of seats that does not sacrifice comfort, luxury, and space.

Take a ride inside the Acura MDX and you would most certainly find the front seats of the vehicle to be huge and quite comfortable to be in. They have also been designed to be deep and not stiff and they also do give you the right amount of support. But despite this, those passengers in the back also are embraced in the kind of luxurious comfort that luxury vehicles have.

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Chevrolet Cobalt is 4th Most American Car

Online Car Auction — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 13:30:02 +0000

Iver Penn asked:

Is the Chevrolet Cobalt American-made or not?

Now the internet world will be finding out what the folks in the Mahoning Valley have known for a long time, that the answer to the question is yes, the vast bulk of the Chevrolet Cobalt is American-made.

The General Motors Corp. Lordstown-built small car ranked fourth on the list released Friday by Cars.com among vehicles with the highest American content at 82 percent.

The study helps consumers identify the top ten vehicles which are truly the most American in terms of their parts (like GMC exhaust tip for instance), where they are produced, and their popularity with U.S. buyers. The study is the third done by the Web site since June 2006.

Cars.com’s American-Made Index highlights the cars that are built in the United States, have the highest amount of domestic parts, and are bought in the largest numbers by Americans. In order to make it to the list, cars must have a domestic-parts-content rating of 75 percent or more. Cars.com also used the figure alongside the window sticker of new cars to determine a car’s domestic parts content. If a car is going to be discontinued in the near future, it was also disqualified.

GM grabbed four of the top five spots, with Ford and Toyota both taking three spots, the study showed.

Ford’s F-150 pickup truck had the most American content at 90 percent. Japan’s Toyota Camry (75 percent) and Camry Solara (80 percent) were No. 2.

The Camry had less U.S. content than the Cobalt but outranked the Cobalt in sales, 144,362 to 79,257, for the year through May. Camry sales don’t include hybrid models.

Chevrolet’s Silverado 1500 pickup truck, built at Fort Wayne, Ind., and Pontiac, Mich., ranked third with 90 percent U.S. content.

The F-150 and Silverado rankings are based on estimated sales and/or production data,Cars.com said. The top four placers all held the same positions in the December study.

The Ford Focus, which wasn’t ranked in December, took fifth at 75 percent.

The next five were the Toyota Sienna, sixth; Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, seventh; Pontiac G6, eighth; Ford Escape, ninth, and Toyota Tundra, 10th.

The ranking wasn’t a surprise to Lordstown spokesman Tom Mock, as according to him, it just highlights the importance of the complex and the entire U.S. auto industry.

‘‘We think it’s important not just for manufacturers of vehicles but for manufacturers of parts, too,’’ he said. ‘‘For every job at Lordstown, 7.1 jobs are created in other industries, most of those in parts-related industries.’’

The Lordstown complex employs 5,000 hourly and salaried workers at the assembly and metal stamping plants, as well as nearby suppliers such as Intier and Lear.

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Chevrolet Cobalt is 4th Most American Car is a post from: Online Car Auction