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If you're searching the interwebs out there for some good, free auto shipping or auto transport quotes, you've definitely hit the mother lode; Automobile Shipping Quotes is a great resource not just to get free car shipping quotes from, but also to get some great information regarding automobile transportation. You can fill out our free online car shipping quote form and get your free quotes e-mailed to you, or you can call us and have us take your information for you.

Have a question that our helpful website can't answer? You can call us and our helpful staff members will answer any and every question you may have as best they can. Of course, they can't answer every question, because ultimately they don't ship any vehicles, but they'll do their best to help you out in whatever way they can. Our number can be found on our website, and you can read more articles, FAQ's, blog posts and much more there as well.

New Blog Format has Arrived!

In anticipation of our new website development projects we have lined up, we're going to be taking a different approach at our blogroll. Instead of focusing mainly on auto industry news and how it relates to the auto shipping world, we're going to go a bit more introvert and discuss some of the great things about our website and what you can explore and find there. Once a week - typically on Wednesdays - we'll post a small blog about one of the pages on our website, to help our customers find more information regarding the auto transport industry and how we can help them get the most of their car transportation experience.

Follow along as we shine a spotlight on some of the most important information in the industry. We're planning on running a few different segments on this blog, including a breakdown of various states and cities and how auto transport services work going to and from, as well as various frequently asked questions and maybe even some one-off blog posts about something cool that we find during our ramblings through the vast spaces of the internet. We're excited about this new change, and we hope you all are too.

My name's Dave, and I'll be your guide through our great website. Check out our other blog posts, and our archives will always be there, detailing great auto industry news and information.

Fuel Efficiency Key For Buyers

According to a report published by Edmunds.com, people are wanting fuel efficient compact cars, mid-size cars and small SUV's, with sales of those types of vehicle constituting 40% of all March sales so far. Vehicles like the Chevy Sonic, Ford Fusion and Toyota Prius are selling incredibly well, while the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima did well in their own categories. This comes as little surprise, considering the current state of the world, especially when it comes to fuel prices, which have been skyrocketing the past few months. Auto transportation companies haven't noticed a huge change in the number of vehicles being shipped, but chances are people are shopping more locally as opposed to online when they're looking for fuel-efficient, cheap vehicles. Who wants to ship a car when they can pick the same one up at their local dealership? But regardless, things are looking up for consumers, who traditionally want cheap, reliable, efficient vehicles. Here's to hoping that automobile manufacturers actually get on board with what their customers REALLY want.

Stop-Start System Being Introduced In Conventional Vehicles

While the idea of stop-start technology was introduced years ago with the Prius and other hybrid vehicles, the idea of having an engine that shuts itself off that runs on straight gasoline has been ludicrous - until now. The technology has finally found its way to conventional vehicles, and while adapting it to something as large as an auto transport truck may prove to be more challenging than a regular car, people are excited about it. The stop-start technology can save drivers up to 12% on their fuel consumption, meaning less trips to the pump and less money spent on fuel. The majority of new cars and trucks should come with stop-start technology standard in the next ten to fifteen years. This is really cool news, especially at a time when gasoline prices are at an all-time high and drivers are having a hard time getting from A to B without breaking the bank to do it. We'll make sure to keep track of which specific vehicles feature the technology and let you know when they'll be available as soon as we know.

Bad News From Ford

And just when things seem to be going so well, too.

The Ford Motor Company has been under the pressure cooker recently thanks to the filing of papers in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, stating that the company not only knew about problems with F-Series vans and trucks built between 1999 and 2008, but did little or nothing to warn their consumers. The company has yet to issue a statement, but the papers filed claim that the Ford Motor Company sent out a secret memo to its dealerships informing them of the problem with the F-Series fuel tanks, but essentially left it up to dealers to tell the customers. Toyota has recently dug itself out of a huge hole for problems relating to several of their models, and Ford could be the next big manufacturer to see major repercussions from shady business practices. Auto transporters have commented on Ford's recent success, stating that new Ford vehicles are shipping like hot cakes, but this could be a major problem for Ford going forward. We'll keep you appraised of what's going on as we learn more.

Subaru Unveils New Driver Warning System for U.S. Models

Subaru has long considered itself on the front lines in terms of vehicle safety, but the biggest problem with new technological advances in things like early warning systems and the like are expensive and reserved for people who can afford to shell out $60,000 or more on a nice car. Their solution: a side-mirror-mounted system that can help drivers avoid problems on the road - long before the driver even sees them. The EyeSight system, as Subaru has named it, can also stop a vehicle going speeds up to 19 miles per hour, which is something new for most safety systems. The company is looking forward to marketing this new technology extensively once it works out all the kinks, and consumers can expect them to be installed in new Subaru models sooner rather than later. Auto transportation companies have wanted to include systems not unlike this one for a long time, but as Subaru is proving, it can be costly to do so. Hopefully something like this winds up in all long-distance logistics trucks soon, though, as it can only make the road safer for everyone.

Used Fuel Efficient Cars See Prices Going Up

In an era of $4.25/gallon of gasoline, fuel efficiency for cars is a huge concern for buyers, whether they're looking at new cars or old cars. Kelley Blue Book, the company that prices every vehicle sold in the United States - not to mention keeping track of overall resale values - has noticed a sharp increase in the number of fuel efficient used cars being bought from used car dealerships. This high amount of demand has forced dealerships to raise prices on their fuel efficient used cars, something that is completely new for a lot of buyers. 2011 saw a huge raise - 20% increase in sales over 2010 - and that same number could be repeated in 2012. Auto transport companies first noticed the sharp rise near the end of 2010, but those numbers haven't really gone down much over the past year or so, which leads this blogger to believe that getting your hands on a car that gets 27 mpg - or more - could be difficult in the coming months. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Prius Sales Lead Toyota Demand

The Toyota Prius has seen its share of ups and downs. Introduced far before any other hybrid vehicles were on the market, the Prius has been a staple on the road for over a decade. Though it went through a rough patch a few years ago, thanks to defects in its regenerative braking system, Toyota Prius sales have climbed through the roof and are now leading all other Toyota brands in terms of sales numbers. But that isn't the end. All Toyota hybrids - including ones in the Lexus lineup - have seen increases of 62% on average, a huge jump from last year's sales numbers. Auto transporters have noticed a slight rise in the number of Prius and Lexus hybrids being shipped from dealerships, but on the whole the numbers have remained roughly the same. Most new Prius vehicles are bought at local dealerships and driven off the lot, but with the internet only continuing to grow and become more user-friendly, maybe that too will change.

Chrysler's Keys to Success Lie in New Marketing Strategy

The Chrysler Group has hired a French guy named Olivier Francois to run their marketing department, a move that has seen the company go from completely bankrupt to a powerhouse in the American market once again. Taking a novel approach to marketing for the company, Francois is focusing on selling the Chrysler name instead of the individual cars it sells. This will help put the Chrysler name back into daily discussions by everyday people by giving them brand recognition; instead of thinking about the new Chrysler Sebring Convertible, you'll be thinking about Chrysler, and that's more important because not everyone likes convertibles. The fact is that this marketing strategy has worked, with Chrysler boasting sales increases every time it runs a new sales report. It's insane. And auto transportation companies have seen it too, with new Chrysler shipping numbers up over the past year. It's a great time to be an American automobile manufacturer - thanks to Ford, they've finally gotten their act together. 

Honda Seeks To Incorporate CNG Fuel Stations in American Dealerships

Chrysler and General Motors have been working on providing compressed natural gas-powered vehicles to their customers, but Honda has been providing that for a few years now. Not only that, but Honda is committed to their CNG vehicles and are seeking to add more CNG fueling stations to their dealerships across America, allowing customers who have purchased or who are looking to purchase a CNG-powered car to quickly and easily refuel. In an era where electric vehicles and hybrids are all the rage (though still not as much as gasoline-powered efficient vehicles), Honda is seeking to do something new. Auto transporters haven't really seen many of their CNG-powered vehicles, but they're pretty low-key on the whole, with not a lot on the market right now. Little advertising has been done, and this blogger has yet to figure out what the model is even called, but I'm sure Honda will be pushing it before too long.

Cost of EV Batteries Will Go Down, White House Says

The White House recently released a report titled "A Secure Energy Future: Progress Report" that explains how the cost of electric vehicles will go down considerably over the next few years, with the primary reason being the drop in price of electric vehicle batteries, which are one of the largest costs for auto manufacturers and a main reason as to why electric cars and hybrids are so expensive. This, in turn, will help the U.S. dramatically reduce its dependence on foreign oil, as a cost of a 10 kilowatt battery that gives a car a 40-mile range will drop to $3,600 by 2015. Auto transportation companies have noticed a sharp decline in the number of new hybrid and full-electric vehicles being shipped, with consumers switching to more conventional automobiles thanks to better fuel economy, but that doesn't mean that the hybrid is doomed to be forgotten. On the contrary, many auto transporters are gearing up for more hybrids and more full-electric vehicles. Hopefully this is the wave of the near-future, as gasoline prices are just going to continue going up.

Buyers Want More Fuel Efficiency

According to the Ford Motor Company, buyers are more interested in fuel efficient vehicles than powerful ones, based on recent surveys and studies conducted by the company. What's interesting, however, is that most buyers aren't nearly as interested in electric vehicles or hybrids as they are in more fuel-efficient automobiles, and this is something that the Ford Motor Company has been noticing, thanks in large part to high sales of the Fiesta and Focus, the two cheapest models that Ford sells. Neither vehicle has a hybrid counterpart, but the sales are still up over other vehicles. Auto shipping companies have noticed a large drop in the number of hybrids being sold, but the exact reasons as to why are more difficult to establish. It doesn't help that Ford's average mpg across all its vehicles jumped by 5 miles per gallon over the past year, but it does show that the company knows what its customers want. And they want more gas-powered, efficient cars.

New Fisker Karma Fails Consumer Reports Test

The Fisker Karma is a new electric vehicle that's being prepped for introduction into various markets. Justin Bieber, apparently, received one for his 18th birthday (Bieber's 18?!), but that doesn't change Consumer Reports' test of the vehicle, which couldn't have gone worse. Apparently the testers got the vehicle up to 65 miles per hour and began testing calibration and other things wile in motion, when the car simply "died." The Karma is a plug-in hybrid sports luxury vehicle, apparently, and is priced around $100,000; auto transporters haven't even seen the vehicle yet (not unlike the Tesla "X" that we talked about yesterday, albeit with a lot more problems than Tesla's version), but that doesn't stop them from talking about it. We don't know when it will be released for sale or if the problems with the car suddenly dying will be fixed, but until they are, expect this car to stay out of the headlines.

Tesla Introduces New Family-Friendly "X" Model

Tesla is perhaps best known for its awesome Roadster, which is an all-electric sports car that can challenge the Porsche 911 Turbo in terms of speed and horsepower (if not range). Tesla was the first major company to step up production and advertisement of an all-electric vehicle, and has expanded its model lineup with the Tesla "S" and now, due in 2014, the Tesla "X." The X model is, according to the company, a mix between an SUV and a minivan and was designed for women drivers - what this means, I have no idea, but I'm expecting it to be much more accessible and comfortable for women. There have already been 500 orders for the X model, and it's still a year away from being complete and showable. However, it DOES have gullwing doors, so this blogger's pretty excited to see it. Auto transportation companies have yet to see it, considering that it's still in design and production, but at the same time they're anticipating more Tesla models being shipped in the coming years.

EV Sales Still Up Despite Brief Volt Shutdown

Following GM's decision to shut down production of the Chevy Volt for over a month, industry analysts were predicting a sharp decrease in the number of electric vehicles sold overall, but so far sales have stayed relatively strong despite the decision to halt production on the Volt. The Volt and the Nissan Leaf combined for over 1,500 sales in the month of February, which all-told isn't that terrible. As we begin to see more rising gas prices (seems like they always go up around this time, doesn't it?) and fuel shortages being predicted come summertime, electric vehicles and hybrids - along with alternative energy sources - are slowly creeping back into the minds of the consumers. While electric vehicle and hybrid sales have slumped in recent months, the fact that rising gas prices are forcing consumers to look to electric and hybrid vehicles again is a good sign for the fledgling technology. Auto shipping companies have noticed a slight cooling off of electric vehicle and hybrid transport numbers, but they're still moving around out there, which means that they're most likely here to stay.

New Technologies Help Auto Shipping Companies

This is rare indeed: a news article that directly pertains to auto shipping companies. While most blogs on this site deal with general automotive news and how it pertains to the industry, there are relatively few things out there that directly impact auto transport companies, but this time it's different. New commercial routing software is being produced specifically for logistics companies who have to pay their drivers by the mile, but there's a lot more going into it than meets the eye. Turn-by-turn navigation helps auto transporters especially, by offering a built-in navigation system that allows them to find pickup and delivery locations quickly and easily. Not only that, but new technology suites being introduced also include maps, fuel tax reporting applications, fuel management options and mobile communications, so drivers don't have to pull over every time they get a phone call. This is really cool, and I'm sure that most auto shipping managers are excited to see this technology in action. I know I am, and I don't even drive a truck for a living.

European Auto Sales Affecting U.S. Automakers

According to the Detroit News, the struggling automobile industry in Europe is having huge negative repercussions on American automakers, especially Ford and General Motors, who are projecting hundreds of millions of dollars in losses thanks to no one buying their vehicles in Europe. But it's not just them - other American companies, such as Chrysler, who have major stakes in Europe, as well as European-based auto manufacturers, are having major problems selling cars over there as well. The largest reason is the shape of the European economy, which has been getting worse ever since the global financial meltdown hit in 2008. Right now, Ford's projecting a $600 million loss, while GM has already lost $747 million and could be looking at more. This has also hit the European auto transport industry hard, as many auto shipping companies there have had to close up shop due to the lack of business. Hopefully things turn around, but right now...we'll just have to wait and see.

Chrysler Announces CNG Pickups

The Wall Street Journal has recently published an article stating that Chrysler Group, LLC is planning to launch an independent truck lineup that will feature trucks capable of driving on normal gasoline as well as compressed natural gas (CNG), which has been around for a long time but only recently begun making headlines in the automotive industry. Chrysler is looking at using CNG as their vehicle's main source of fuel, with gasoline a backup in case you run out of CNG or something of the like. With compressed natural gas prices being half of those of gasoline, it's a lucrative alternative, and Chrysler has stated that the CNG can provide a range of more than 250 miles for a bi-fuel Ram pickup, with an additional 112 miles for the gasoline. That's pretty impressive, considering my old Corolla only had a range of about 350 miles on a full tank of gas. Many car transport companies are excited to see how CNG fuel is used in the near future - maybe hoping they can adapt the technology into their own fleets. But only time will tell.

Ford Focus Named Most Fuel-Efficient Car

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently named the Ford Focus as the most fuel-efficient car sold in the United States, with a 110 mpg-e (miles per gallon equivalent) rating. This makes it the most efficient five-passenger car, beating out the next-closest Nissan Leaf by a wide margin. The Focus is all-electric and gets 99 mpg-e on the highway (electric vehicles are more efficient when it comes to city driving than highway), but the biggest draw for consumers is the quick recharge time (half the time of the Nissan Leaf) as well as how roomy and comfortable it is. Many auto shipping companies have noticed a slight increase in the number of Focus Electrics being shipped, but on the whole it just means that Ford is continuing to do what it set out to do after the global economic meltdown: made good cars at competitive prices so people have things to get around in.

Increase in Chrysler Sales No Accident

It's been a surprising change of pace, seeing the floundering Chrysler Group's sales skyrocket virtually overnight, but it's been a welcomed one. Chrysler, who had to accept government bailout money in 2008, has been hard against the ropes trying to salvage the company, but so far it seems they've done it - and more. Chrysler saw a 40% sales increase in February 2012 as opposed to 2011, marking its 23rd consecutive month with higher sales figures than the year before. Chrysler SEO Sergio Marchionne has attributed the recent success to creative marketing, customer satisfaction and an improvement in their vehicles, among other reasons. The auto shipping industry has noticed a steady rise in the number of Chrysler vehicles being shipped, which could only be good news for the company as it continues to compete in the ever-more-lucrative world of automobiles.

Vehicle Rearview Cameras Save Lives

According to recent government studies, most fatalities involving a car going in reverse are due to the driver not being able to adequately see behind the vehicle. The government is now planning on passing legislation that would force all automobile manufacturers to provide rearview cameras on all passenger vehicles starting in 2014 - standard, not as an option. This is good news for many pedestrians in cities where backing up into streets can be hazardous, especially on busy streets where driveways are obscured. Not only that, but having better rearview cameras in cars have been shown to not only reduce accidents in reverse, but accidents in general. The auto shipping industry is exempt from these new laws, as they aren't technically passenger vehicles, but the technology might not be too far behind for auto shipping companies.