The Three Finalists for the Next Taxi Car
The New York city hall has finally narrowed down their choice of the finalist for their taxi car manufacturer into 3 finalists. Those finalists are Ford Motor Co., Nissan North America Inc. and Karsan USA. If you’ve never heard about Karsan, it’s a Turkish car company which produces branded cars such as Fiat and Hyundai. Most of the designs for the following taxi car is like a minivan and boxy, a different style from the regular sedan design.
The taxi fleet in New York has reached 13,200 cars with 4000 among them are hybrid. The previous taxi used was Crown Victoria from Ford, whose production is now discontinued. Since the discontinuation, the local government wants to change the old Victoria into something new.
New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg stated that they have never worked together with any automotive producers to design any special taxi until now. The required proposal making the three finalists have to be able to show the good design, the comfort while driving, and the spacious and comfortable room inside the car.
Nissan design is said to look like a traditional minivan with spacious room and strong sustainability, while Karsan design is similar to a Smart car, with cute design, big room, and easy access. The Ford design looks like a European ambulance, offering a classic look.
The Three Finalists for the Next Taxi Car is a post from: Automotive News and Review
Prius: The Save Fuel Car
The issue of global warming has been going on for the last several years, making everyone concerns about the condition of the place we’re living in. This issue has made several producers and manufacturers come up with the idea of making and improving life, but at the same time also helping in saving the world. Automotive producers are also taking part in this plan, making them releasing and producing new cars that are safe for the environment, good for fuel management, and still offering the best features for consumers.
A lot of hybrid cars are already available in the market, making consumers able to choose whatever cars suitable for their needs. Toyota Prius, has been awarded as the best hybrid car in 2011, leading in number one, on top of Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, all three from Ford. The reason for this award is because Prius is the best in saving the fuel. With the increasing price for fuels, consumers are trying to find a better way to reduce their expenses. Although it’s good for fuel saving, Prius isn’t the cheapest hybrid car available. Still, consumers who have been familiar with the name, will likely choose this car.
Prius: The Save Fuel Car is a post from: Automotive News and Review
New Electric Car from Nissan Called Leaf
Nissan has set their plan on putting their new product in the market. Their new product, Nissan Leaf, is said to be the new electric car which can solve the problem concerning environment and safe energy issue. Leaf is planned to be launched in December, and the company has even made a bigger goal. They’re planning to sell about 500,000 of their Leafs around the world by the end of 2013.
However, it’s still uncertain how the market will react to this new launch, especially in the United States market. As it’s said before, Leaf is a new electric car, which similar to hybrid car, is environment friendly. But the lifestyle in America has not yet supported that. Most of them are not accustomed with the technology, making them prefer choosing regular cars rather than the hybrid or electric ones. Price is another factor that making the consumers chooses regular cars since they’re cheaper than the hybrid ones.
With everything still unclear, Nissan has decided to wait before they’re finally producing such a huge numbers. With the release of Leaf, they will sit back and wait for the market reaction, and then continue on with the plan or make some changes.
New Electric Car from Nissan Called Leaf is a post from: Automotive News and Review
Free Maintenance Program from Lincoln
If you decided to buy a Lincoln as your new car, this might make you consider the choice you’ve made. Lincoln has offered additional service for free maintenance program during summer, as their way to keep their selling point float above the market.
Lincoln which has been known as one of the luxurious brand for cars, has added this additional service as a way to provide better service for the consumer. Other luxurious competitors, such as Saab, BMW, Jaguar, Volvo and Cadillac have offered this complimentary service previously. It’s said that providing better service is another way to guarantee consumers’ satisfaction.
However, don’t keep your hopes too high because the free maintenance has various terms and conditions, which making them different from one to another. You can get free scheduled service, but it won’t apply for changing brake pads or wiper blades. The point is that this free maintenance program covers for regular service, oil and filter changes, inspections and tire rotations but it won’t apply for wear and tear items. This free service is available up to eight visits.
If you’re still planning to buy a Lincoln, this additional service is good for saving some money. But remember that it doesn’t include all.
Free Maintenance Program from Lincoln is a post from: Automotive News and Review
Focus Electric, New Electric Car from Ford
Focus Electric, another new product from Ford, is planned to be released in the late 2011, following the success of Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. The three of them are in the same category of electric car, which is nowadays getting more attention from the consumers and also even from the governments.
Although Electric’ release schedule is way behind Volt and Leaf, the company is optimistic that it’s going to do just well in the market, adding a bit of choice and variability among the existing brands. Ford has decided several first cities as the place for its first time release. The cities included are Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, San Diego, New York, Orlando, Portland, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The city choice wasn’t made because of no reason. The company focuses on these cities because the buying level in hybrid and electrical cars in those cities are good, they have several collaborations with some companies, and the local government has committed to make electrification program and system work well for the future.
Of course, new consumers who are not familiar yet with the electric car will have confusion dealing with the charger and other infrastructure. But once they’re getting used to it, it will be just fine.
Focus Electric, New Electric Car from Ford is a post from: Automotive News and Review