Subscribe To Our Blog!
Posts
All Comments
Saturday, January 23, 2010
New Sale Specials with Oil Change and Tire Rotation Discount Coupon
Our newest Sale specials with a coupon for an oil change and tire rotation only $29.95. Click here for the ad.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Ford's Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect win car, truck of the year
Ford
Motor swept the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, which were announced early today at the Detroit auto show.
The Dearborn automaker's Transit Connect won North American Truck of the Year and the Ford Fusion Hybrid won Car of the Year, giving Ford a boost at the start of the media preview days for the 2010 North American International Auto Show.
The Transit Connect beat the Subaru Outback and the Chevy Equinox for the award. The Fusion beat out the Volkswagen Golf and theBuick
The Transit Connect, aimed at small businesses, couldn’t have come at a better time. The vehicle starts at $20,780 and gets 22 m.p.g. in the city and 25 m.p.g. on the highway. It has a smooth ride, even while lugging cargo in its 135 cubic feet of space.
The Ford Fusion, already a strong Camry competitor, won drivers over with its 41 m.p.g. in city driving. This is the third time in the award's 17 years that a company has swept both awards.
A jury of 49 journalists from the U.S. and Canada votes on the awards.
Last year, the Hyundai Genesis took the award for North American Car of the
Ford Unveiling Nine New Engines And Six Transmissions In Detroit
Ford will be introducing nine new or upgraded engines and six new transmissions in North America over the course of the year, the latest phase of a five-year effort to overhaul its entire global powertrain portfolio. The new powertrain pieces will be on show at this week’s 2010 Detroit Auto Show and will be making their way across model lines such as theFiesta, Mustang, Super Duty and F-150, as well as the all-new global Focus.
The powertrain push began in 2008 and continues through 2013 and includes the launch of 60 new or significantly upgraded engines, transmissions and transaxles globally over the five year period.
One of the most exciting is the 2012 Ford Focus’ all-new naturally aspirated 2.0-liter direct fuel injection four-cylinder engine, the first of its kind in a Ford vehicle in North America.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Ford Seeks iPhone-Like Apps for Its Cars
Ford Motor Co. is working to offer drivers a way to upgrade the electronics in their vehicles, much the same way they can add applications to their iPhones and BlackBerrys.
The car maker hopes to persuade software developers to tap the Internet service, GPS location-finding capability and digital-music setup already found in its Sync entertainment-and-communications system, which it developed with Microsoft Corp.
Such applications, or "apps," might do such things as give directions to every espresso shop along a highway open after 9 p.m., or allow friends to follow one another to a location through a GPS process called "breadcrumbing."
The move is part of a broader revolution in automotive technology toward making cars as customizable and upgradeable as smart phones and laptop computers through applications.
Auto makers aim to persuade customers to continue to spend money on their cars after they buy them by upgrading the vehicles' technology, especially for small cars that often are unprofitable. Car makers also could gain revenue from application developers, much as AppleInc. collects fees from developers of apps for its iPhones and iPods.
Ford is in the process of allowing other companies and software developers to adapt smart-phone applications for use in its vehicles, as well as letting developers create car-specific apps. The car maker hopes the move will lure tech-savvy customers who will be more likely to pay for pricey features.
In one of the first steps, Ford is expected to announce Thursday that it will make available the basic computer coding needed to write software compatible with its Sync system.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Long after 'Clunckers,' dealers see sales uptick :: Beacon News :: Local News
December 4, 2009 - By DAVID SHAROS AND ROWENA VERGARA Sun-Times Media
Reports about home sales recently showed that the market was up, giving analysts the first glimpse of positive economic news in months.
Is the auto industry following suit?
The Associated Press reported this week that Ford sales were steady throughout November. According to the AP, buyers snapped up fuel-efficient cars and crossovers, a sign that the market for new vehicles remains on a path to recovery. Some local dealers have noticed just that. They say there is indeed an upswing in car sales.
Fox Valley Ford experienced a slight dip in sales after the Cash for Clunkers program ended, but by October sales were back up again, according to Fox Valley Ford Vice President Tom Collins. On Black Friday, a day dedicated to bargain hunters, Fox Valley Ford's showroom was buzzing with such deal-seekers. "We had a lot of traffic and sold a lot of cars," Collins said.
Customers seem to be raving over the Fusion, Taurus and Escape vehicles the most, Collins said. Turnover for the Taurus is about one week. On Thursday, the dealership had one Taurus in stock when it typically receives about seven to eight of the model weekly, Collins said.
However, July and December tend to be high-selling months for dealerships anyway. Collins says shoppers right now are purchasing cars as Christmas presents for children and grandchildren.
In other cases, it may just be time for a replacement car.
The average vehicle on the road is about 11 years old, Dan Schwebke of Ron Westphal Chevrolet said. And because of that, some customers are in the market for a new car, he said. But used-car sales aren't slowing either. Collins says half of his dealership's sales are in used vehicles.
Other than Ford, a GM dealership is seeing an uptick, too. Gjovik Auto Group, which includes Chevy, Buick, Pontiac and GMC vehicles, has seen popularity rise for the Equinox, Camaro, redesigned LaCrosse and the GMC Terrain, Nick Oeser, sales manager said.
At Ron Westphal Chevrolet, the Chevy Equinox is the hottest seller. "We've had well into the 100-plus number (of Equinox cars) so far, but the turnaround time is literally a day or two. They hit the lot and they're gone," Schwebke said.
Dealerships are optimistic about the new year as well. Ron Westphal Chevrolet expects a 10 percent increase in sales volume in 2010, Schwebke said, adding that the business may add one or two more service technicians and two to three sales associates.
Fox Valley Ford also expects success in the new year. It's looking at a 4 to 5 percent increase in sales, a trickle-down effect from the Detroit-based automaker. Ford Motor Company has grown its market share of the auto industry in 13 of the last 14 months, Collins said.
Naperville Jeep/Dodge General Manager Sam Guzzino says "credit markets are beginning to open up a bit" which he believes will continue to bring more customers into the showroom. "Our sales are about equal to what they were a year ago, which is good in that you never want to slide backwards," he said. "We had to replenish our inventory of '09 models after the 'clunkers' rush, and once we did, we've actually sold out of our '09 stock already for the year."
Reports about home sales recently showed that the market was up, giving analysts the first glimpse of positive economic news in months.
Is the auto industry following suit?
The Associated Press reported this week that Ford sales were steady throughout November. According to the AP, buyers snapped up fuel-efficient cars and crossovers, a sign that the market for new vehicles remains on a path to recovery. Some local dealers have noticed just that. They say there is indeed an upswing in car sales.
Fox Valley Ford experienced a slight dip in sales after the Cash for Clunkers program ended, but by October sales were back up again, according to Fox Valley Ford Vice President Tom Collins. On Black Friday, a day dedicated to bargain hunters, Fox Valley Ford's showroom was buzzing with such deal-seekers. "We had a lot of traffic and sold a lot of cars," Collins said.
Customers seem to be raving over the Fusion, Taurus and Escape vehicles the most, Collins said. Turnover for the Taurus is about one week. On Thursday, the dealership had one Taurus in stock when it typically receives about seven to eight of the model weekly, Collins said.
However, July and December tend to be high-selling months for dealerships anyway. Collins says shoppers right now are purchasing cars as Christmas presents for children and grandchildren.
In other cases, it may just be time for a replacement car.
The average vehicle on the road is about 11 years old, Dan Schwebke of Ron Westphal Chevrolet said. And because of that, some customers are in the market for a new car, he said. But used-car sales aren't slowing either. Collins says half of his dealership's sales are in used vehicles.
Other than Ford, a GM dealership is seeing an uptick, too. Gjovik Auto Group, which includes Chevy, Buick, Pontiac and GMC vehicles, has seen popularity rise for the Equinox, Camaro, redesigned LaCrosse and the GMC Terrain, Nick Oeser, sales manager said.
At Ron Westphal Chevrolet, the Chevy Equinox is the hottest seller. "We've had well into the 100-plus number (of Equinox cars) so far, but the turnaround time is literally a day or two. They hit the lot and they're gone," Schwebke said.
Dealerships are optimistic about the new year as well. Ron Westphal Chevrolet expects a 10 percent increase in sales volume in 2010, Schwebke said, adding that the business may add one or two more service technicians and two to three sales associates.
Fox Valley Ford also expects success in the new year. It's looking at a 4 to 5 percent increase in sales, a trickle-down effect from the Detroit-based automaker. Ford Motor Company has grown its market share of the auto industry in 13 of the last 14 months, Collins said.
Naperville Jeep/Dodge General Manager Sam Guzzino says "credit markets are beginning to open up a bit" which he believes will continue to bring more customers into the showroom. "Our sales are about equal to what they were a year ago, which is good in that you never want to slide backwards," he said. "We had to replenish our inventory of '09 models after the 'clunkers' rush, and once we did, we've actually sold out of our '09 stock already for the year."
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Sneak peak of the new Fiesta
We got a sneak peak of the new Ford Fiesta today,
due out late spring of 2010 and availability to pre-order this December.
Thanks to Demetra and Derek Dow Fiesta Agent # 33 for bringing the Fiesta by for us to take a look at and drive!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ford Fusion wins Motor Trend Car of the Year - Nov. 17, 2009
Redesigned mid-sized car takes prominent magazine award.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Motor Trend magazine named the Ford Fusion mid-sized sedan as its 2010 Car of the Year on Tuesday. The award includes both the gas-only and hybrid versions of the Fusion.
This year's Car of the Year was selected from among a field of 22 different cars all of which were newly introduced or, like the Fusion, substantially redesigned for the 2010 model year. The Fusion was first introduced in 2006 but has been substantially upgraded and redesigned for the 2010 model year.
"It's a credit to the [Ford] team to deliver a car in the hottest selling segment in the market and to make it absolutely competitive with the benchmarks," said Motor Trend editor-in-chief Angus McKenzie at an award presentation ceremony.
The benchmark cars in the mid-sized segment are generally considered to be the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, which have been the two top-selling cars in America for years.
McKenzie praised the Fusion for the excellence of all versions of the car including the 4-cylinder, V6 and hybrid models. "Another thing that impressed us was the attention to detail," McKenzie said. While the 2010 Fusion shares much of its engineering with the previous version, the car looked and felt like a completely new car, McKenzie said.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Motor Trend magazine named the Ford Fusion mid-sized sedan as its 2010 Car of the Year on Tuesday. The award includes both the gas-only and hybrid versions of the Fusion.
This year's Car of the Year was selected from among a field of 22 different cars all of which were newly introduced or, like the Fusion, substantially redesigned for the 2010 model year. The Fusion was first introduced in 2006 but has been substantially upgraded and redesigned for the 2010 model year.
"It's a credit to the [Ford] team to deliver a car in the hottest selling segment in the market and to make it absolutely competitive with the benchmarks," said Motor Trend editor-in-chief Angus McKenzie at an award presentation ceremony.
The benchmark cars in the mid-sized segment are generally considered to be the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, which have been the two top-selling cars in America for years.
McKenzie praised the Fusion for the excellence of all versions of the car including the 4-cylinder, V6 and hybrid models. "Another thing that impressed us was the attention to detail," McKenzie said. While the 2010 Fusion shares much of its engineering with the previous version, the car looked and felt like a completely new car, McKenzie said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)