Blair Stover Car Fanatic

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The auto industry and Millennials have been atop news headlines lately and with the rise in auto sales it seems that the two are on the same wavelength when it comes to the new car industry. A deeper look, however, seems to show that Millennials do not care about the auto industry as much as the industry would like them to.

In fact, “Generation Y” has lost the respect of automakers in the past decade or so and that is mainly because of the fact that the generation doesn’t share the passion for vehicular freedom like their parents did.

Why is that? Who can really say but the evidence points towards the internet and specifically to social media interconnecting people over vast distances. If you combine that with the “green” factor and how “Generation Y” considers the vehicles of today to be too expensive, then you should have no problems seeing that the nostalgia behind purchasing a first car is a memory that is held by the older generations.

Automakers are working with other entities that are better equipped to understand how Millenials think because the industry desperately needs to find out what makes the younger generations want to buy. technology evolves, personal transportation will have to evolve as well or it will disappear, a fact auto makers recognize and are desperately trying to play to. Most automakers even have social media for individual dealerships now, as well as commercials targeting younger audiences and sponsorship of bands and events in desperate attempt to connect with the current generation.

Will the fate of the industry be balanced through today’s younger generation? Only time will tell.

 

It’s a car. It’s a plane. It’s both. But to be quite honest the Terrafugia Transition is really (let’s not lie to one another here) a small airplane with retractable wings that can drive ever so awkwardly on a wide street. In fact, you could take an ultra light plane, fly it around for a while and then load it into the back of your truck and do the same thing, but nobody would call the pairing a “flying truck,” or even a “driving plane.” Regardless, marketing and gadgetry have somehow melded together so that more than 100 otherwise sane persons have plunked down ten grand cold American cash for the honor of being on the pre-order books.

Once the project gets off the ground and production starts up, those lucky “early adopters” will only be looking at forking over another $269,000 for the world’s first so-called car-plane. The Transition has completed a grand total of one test flight so far, at 1,400 feet above ground, for eight long minutes.

American federal red tape being what it is, the plane-car is facing its stiffest hurdles from the highway authorities, who have already exempted the thing from several automotive musts, like stability control, heavy tires and safety glass. The car-plane’s mpg is about 35 mpg on the ground. It hits a top speed of 115 mph in the air and 70 on the surface of the earth.

Some experts question not the air- or land-worthiness of the Transition, but wonder about the mental health of the organization that is trying to market a small, expensive aircraft in a struggling economy. The last decade has seen a steady drop in the number of pilot licenses issued, the number of small planes sold, and the number of people who want to spend money on gasoline powered anything.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s just plain crazy. That’s the ticket. But some will buy the Transition, and we can’t wait to see one drive 5 mph through a school zone, or try to park in a compact spot at the mall. Roger, Roger.

The General Motors Volt has made a powerful show this year as it was titled “Car of the Year” at the Geneva motor show this year. This title was earned along with Volt’s somewhat restyled European version, the Ampera.

American sales of the Volt have proven low however, despite the accolades, with less than eight thousand sold in 2010. The batteries in the car (that are backed up by a gas-powered engine) caused safety concerns for many prospective buyers. The battery issues have since been remedied, but other factors have hampered sales.

Being an electric car, the Volt continues to be much more expensive when compared to diesel or the average petrol car. Its beginning price range is about $58,000, which puts it up in the upscale sports car category, along the ranks of BMW’s 5 Series.

GM has altered their original production plans of 60,000 units (with 15,000 of those planned for Europe). The new plan is to consider sales before over-producing. As gasoline prices are so much higher in Europe, the Volt/Ampera is expected to sale better there. Furthermore, the second production generation of the Volt is expected to be much less expensive and is due out in about three years.

Low sales of the car are not too upsetting. The Volt was designed for the halo effect. It was never meant to be a high selling car, but rather one to boost the image of the brand. Additionally, this brings in buyers who may have typically snubbed a certain brand, in the past. Midwest American’s are buying the Volt, but consumers in the larger coastal cities are proving to continue their preference of foreign brand cars.

Cars are very smart these days. The driver can connect with satellite radio, have the car parallel park itself, ask a car for directions, or talk to other drivers on the phone using Bluetooth connections. While this is all very cool, to some it is a bit alarming. Scientist are becoming more and more concerned that the entertainment computers in vehicles could be manipulated to command safety computers.

In January, A National Academy of Sciences panel studied concerns relating to a finding by a United States regulator. The regulator discovered an unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corporation vehicles.

Even though safety computer systems are supposed to be kept separate from entertainment systems, it is not evident that this has been done adequately. While the National Academy agreed with the findings by the U.S. regulator that no evidence was found proving faulty electronics in the Toyota incidents, the concern still remains that someday safety computers could be compromised in cars by hackers.

Engineers, who recently gathered in Washington, express that while they are concerned, they wish to assist car makers in realizing vulnerabilities while they remain hypothetical. There is no documented case yet of hackers manipulating safety computers within computers, after all. This will hopefully soothe the fears of consumers who are aware of cyber attacks in other capacities.

It is feasible that thieves may gain access to opening and starting up a car. Thus, a hacker could access the components which become critical to safety. While these fears are simply hypothetical, they are in the process of being addressed at this time.

The big trends we will see this year begin with the 40 MPG bar. Hyundai has raised this bar with the release, in late 2010, of the new Elantra. This compact is the first model to prove a consistent fuel mileage over all trim levels. Hyundai and Kia both now plan to meet this new standard with nearly half a dozen 2012 models and no doubt other manufacturers will soon follow suit, as sales of these models are booming.

Along with this, consumers are demanding cars that are environmentally friendly. This is being taken a step further than the electric cars and hybrids with consumers investigating the types of materials used such as fillers, recycled materials, and the like.

Consumers are big into safety features as well. This coming year we can expect improved safety in the cars we test drive. While shopping around look for traction control improvements, roofing structures to better handle rollover accidents and side curtain air bags. Exciting upcoming changes include collision avoidance systems and inflatable seat belt airbags.

The made-in-America trend is growing. Buyers are interested in cars from the Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Chrysler. Along with this cars produced by Toyota, Kia, Honda, Hyundai and others are being built in the United States. Therefore, more cars are being made in America than in 2009 or 2010.

Finally, a trend this year is many car drivers are leasing, rather than buying. Lending companies are lowering lease rates due to the fact that many cars prove to retain great residual value three years out. Requiring a small down payment, or none at all, drivers are getting behind the wheel of cars they can afford to rent, but not buy.

A disturbing trend is for stolen cars to be taken from the driveways of the owners and almost immediately taken to scrap yards to be sold. These vehicles are sometimes sold and crushed before the owners can even make a report to the police. Because scrap metal can net the thieves a quick buck, it makes sense for them to do this.

Cars that are stolen and scrapped in this way though are much harder, if not impossible for police officers to recover. The owners have no way to identify the vehicles once they’re crushed and the owners are forced to wade through red tape with police officers and insurance providers alike.

Even though the car thieves don’t make as much as they would if they took the car apart and sold it for individual pieces of scrap metal and parts, the scrap yard and crushing route allows them to get the vehicle quickly disposed of and makes them virtually untraceable.

In many states, if the vehicle is more than eight years old, no proof of ownership is required to be given to the scrap metal dealer. The dealers also do not have to report the vehicle identification numbers to police so it truly is a crime that is not easy to trace.

While you may not be able to completely protect yourself from vehicle theft, you can take some steps like using a garage if one is available to park your car in. If you don’t have one, consider having a vehicle alarm installed. Also, if you have to use on street parking, try to park in a well lit area that has high foot or road traffic as this might deter a thief.

The Volt has gotten its first competition. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid is anticipated to attain the equivalent of 87 miles per gallon while operating in combined driving. In Hybrid mode, the Prius is expected to get 49 miles per gallon. This compares to the Volt’s 37 mpg while using only gasoline, or the equivalent of 93 mpg with electric power.

Both cars will have the benefit of driving entirely in electric mode while driving up to 62 miles per hour for trips of limited length. The Volt driver can travel up to fifteen miles in electric mode, while the Prius Plug-in driver can travel closer to forty miles.

When taking passengers along, more seating is offered in the Prius, as it will seat five. The Volt only has room for four.

The price base for the Plug-In is $32,000. Tax credits are expected to bring the car price down by as much as $2,504. The Plug-In was produced as an expansion on the Toyota Prius line-up, which was introduced in 2001. Since then, Toyota has sold over one million of this type of hybrid in the United States.

Performance from the standard Prius can be expected by the Prius Plug-In next year. An on-board system for charging batteries has been added to the Plug-In in addition to a lithium-ion battery pack, weighing in at 176 pounds, that has been installed in the Plug-In model. Even so, the Plug-In hybrid weighs only 123 pounds over that of the Prius Liftback standard model.

Want to have a shiny looking car that looks like new? If you can afford it, visit the nearest car wash or detailing shop. But if you lack cash, you can still make your car look better with these quick detailing tips. Read on and learn how to bring out the best in your vehicle:

Begin with your car’s interior. In cleaning carpets and upholstery, concentrate on the driver’s area first. By starting here, this area will be the first to dry and you can use your car when you need it. To clean heavily soiled carpets or spills between the seats, completely remove the seat from the vehicle. This will help you clean the area thoroughly. It also gives you easy access to neglected areas that are difficult to reach. Before removing seats, watch out for wire harnesses in the carpeting. Unplug these first and reconnect them when putting back the seats.

Don’t forget to rinse mats, carpeting and upholstery after cleaning to eliminate any cleaner residue. This will keep the material cleaner for a longer time. If you forget this, the remaining residue will be a dirt magnet. Clean the windows after you’re through cleaning everything else inside. This will keep dirt away from them when you clean door panels and headliners. To clean windows, lower them slightly and start at the top edge of the window pane. Next close them fully to clean the remainder of the window. Now proceed with interior dressing and conditioning. While dressing, don’t put your favorite interior cleaner on the clear plastic panel covering the instrument panels. This will create spots or fog on the the plastic panel.

Before washing your car make sure to:

- Clean the engine bay to remove grease and dirt that may scatter to other parts of the vehicle.

- Place wet towels over the front fenders to prevent spotting and streaking that can occur with the use of strong cleaners and degreasers. This also prevents paint scratches as you lean over the fenders to clean the engine bay. -

- Protect your eyes with safety goggles and wear an apron to maintain cleanliness.

Be aware of computer and electronic modules located in the upper left- or right-hand corners of the engine bay. Avoid spraying them with water or you could destroy them. Instead, wipe them with a damp towel to eliminate dirt or dust. A dressed engine looks amazing but it easily attracts dust. To prevent this, remove the excess dressing using a clean towel.

The car has long, interesting history. The first vehicle that resembled a car was built in France in 1769 and weighed 8,000 pounds. Powered by a steam engine, it ran at about 2 mph and was used to haul canons around the city of Paris. However, other self-propelled designs with wheels may have existed as early as the mid-1600s.

Many other designs appeared in the 1700-1800s, most of which were powered by steam engines. But these designs were too heavy for most terrain and needed a flat surface, such as iron rails, to run efficiently. Consequently, this is where the railroad engine in the eyes of inventors began to take shape. In France, Etienne Lenoir, patented the first practical gas engine in 1862 by heating coal in a boiler. The large, heavy car produced 100 rpm from one-half hp. In 1868, Siegfried Marcus of Austria built a car with a clutch, which would later become standard for all cars running under their own power.  None of these designs, however, were practical enough to be manufactured en mass.

Then in 1881, the Daimler Motor Company began building petrol-powered cars for trams, fire trucks and carriages in Hartford, Ct. under the ownership of Steinway & Sons. The stage was now set for modern manufactures of cars and allowed Henry Ford to build his first car in 1896. Then in 1899, came the Olds Motor Company, which was the first mass producer of gasoline-powered cars in America. Ford followed and his success is legendary.

Later, many car and truck manufactures from the U.S. and Europe appeared producing a variety of styles with increasing power changing the patters of American life, which resulted in greater freedom to travel long distances without having to follow railroad tracks.  In the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s cars became luxurious and even more practical. More companies emerged such as Dodge, which eventually became Chrysler and Pontiac, Cadillac, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile, which eventually combined to make General Motors.

In the 1970s Japanese cars made it to the U.S. Nissan was one of the first flowed by Toyota, Mitsubishi, and others, which changed the market in terms of competition. At first these cars were not terribly reliable. But today Japanese cars are recognized as some of the finest made. Japanese competition has helped American car makers continue to produce high quality cars.