Branding consultancy Interbrand has placed the Japanese carmaker in the top spot among carmakers, and sixth overall, in its latest global value report that was released today.
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A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) involving one- to four-year old vehicles shows that the situation has improved significantly in the past decade.
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According to automotive statistics website Polk online, in the first seven months of 2011, sales of non-dedicated hybrid models dipped 1.5% compared to last year. Analyst Tom Libby blames the sales slump on the lack of distinct styling; hybrid buyers want their cars to stand out from the crowd.
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UK-based Kantar Media Precis released the results of a study that looks into the number of online stories from websites, Tweets, blogs and other social media starting from two weeks before the first press day of the Frankfurt Motor Show on Aug. 30, 2011, until the end of the second press day on Sept. 14, 2011.
The study reveals that the most talked about model on the internet was the new Porsche 911 sports coupe, while next up was the Mercedes-Benz B Class small MPV, followed by the BMW i3 Concept hatch, the Audi Urban Concept studies and the Ford Evos Concept.
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The brand’s winning combination of aggressive yet attractive styling, “go anywhere” off-road ability, ruggedness and comfort have made Land Rover the powerhouse brand it is today – and a deserved winner. Land Rover UK managing director Colin Green is understandably over the moon:
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Today, J.D. Power and Associates reported that this trend is continuing in the first half of September, mainly due to the increasing inventory of many carmakers.
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The consumer watchdog is probing whether there is genuine competition between the major insurers – and if there is, why it isn’t offering adequate protection for consumers against massive rate rises.
In the past, the industry has been blaming fraud, the so-called “compensation culture” (which must share a room with the “nanny state” and the “me generation” at the Hoary Old Cliché Hotel) and the activities of accident management companies like RTR.
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The results are in, and –drumbeat please- the winner is the Ford Mustang that was found to be the “manliest car on the planet” with a net total of 21% of the vote.
Runners up were the Aston Martin DB7 (15%), Range Rover (13%), Dodge Viper (11%) and Hummer H1 (10%). On the opposite end of the spectrum – the world’s “least manly” cars – were the Volkswagen Beetle (31%), Mazda Miata / MX-5 (20%), Ford Ka (11%), Toyota Prius (9%) and Nissan Cube (8%).
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With regards to the first, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in the UK has analysed some 700,000 fatal road accidents that occurred over a four year period between 2005 and 2009.
Their so-called Licensed to Skill report aims to identify the leading causes of automotive accidents in the UK, the results of which may surprise you. License to Skill project manager Neil Greig explains:
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According to the latest data for 2008-10 models from HLDI, the Escalade is more than six times as likely to be stolen by thieves compared to the average vehicle.
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The 3,000 cars equipped with the Denso-developed technology will help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration assess whether it should make such systems mandatory in future vehicles in order to avoid accidents. The decision is not expected before 2013.
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Between June 2010 and May of this year, however, their collective market share has dwindled some 68% while that of three newer models have grown.
There’s the Audi A8, up 5% and the Jaguar XJ, up 12%. Both of these models could claim next to nothing of the market when they were launched but now look at them.
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And with some 52 million members, it’s also one of the world’s largest if not the largest automobile associations in the world.
Suffice to say, when the AAA speaks, the world listens. In a recent telephone survey of 1,009 adults in the continental United States, the AAA found that 12.5% couldn’t cover a US$1,000 (€701) car repair bill and 25% couldn’t cover US$2,000 (€1,402) car repair bill.
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In collaboration with the British government, the BMW Group launched a trial program in the UK with 40 pure-electric MINI E cars given to 62 citizens and 72 pool users over two six-month periods, from December 2009 until March 2011.
Now that the trial period is over, MINI and the Oxford Brookes University, which undertook the research, have released their findings.
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N
ow, GPS / sat nav users are playing a potentially dangerous new game whereby they attempt to “beat” their portable / in-dash unit’s estimated time of arrival. It’s a game where things like road rules, speed limits and other drivers are mere impediments to “winning” the game.
According to the latest findings of The National Insurance Crime Bureau [NCIB], the 1994 MY Accord was the most frequently stolen car in the US in 2010 for the third year in a row. The not-for-profit organization stated that the reasons can be found in the car’s weak security systems and the demand for used parts.
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The APEAL study examines what consumers like and dislike about their vehicles and how gratifying they are to own and drive based on their evaluations of more than 80 different attributes. Some findings are expected but some may come as a surprise to you.
Beginning with the brand appeal, Porsche finished first followed by Jaguar, BMW, Land Rover (despite ranking close to last in J.D. Powers' reliability study), Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
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The above figure could more than triple if London’s private-hire vehicles, or minicabs, also ran on electricity. The study took into account the CO2 emissions of the three most common black cabs, the TXI, TXII and TX4 and the average mileage each cab covers every day.
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