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.