Leasing has been lauded as your cheapest ticket to keep up with the industry’s hottest vehicles and trends. The jury, however, is still out on leasing: with the industry long on hype and short on detail, it is difficult to distinguish between a genuinely good deal and a downright up-selling exercise.
So how do you spot a good deal?
First, you need to find out if there are any down payments on the lease. A down payment refers to the lump sum amount that you pay upfront, either in cash, non-cash credit or trading allowance, to reduce your monthly payment. You should think twice before putting money down on a lease: not only are you getting a rough deal, as you’re essentially forfeiting the general rule of leasing: not putting any cash upfront, but the money is not recoupable at the end of your lease. There is another big disadvantage: in the event of your car getting damaged or stolen, you insurance and the gap cost will not cover the loss.
Mileage Limit
Most leasing companies allow you a limit of 45,000 free miles over the length of a 3-year lease. This may seem like a good deal at first sight, but when you consider it only comes to 15,000 miles over a 12 month period it’s not difficult to foresee why it might be difficult to stay within this limit. Even people working from home have little trouble putting 15,000 miles on their cars. If you exceed the mileage limit, the penalty for each excess mile can be as high as 20 cents. This can add up quickly over the length of your lease: an additional 4,000 miles a year over the length of a 3-years lease contract, will end up costing you an extra $2,400 in excess mileage charges! Be realistic about your mileage needs, especially if you have to regularly commute over long-distances, before you sign the contract. Consider padding the miles that you expect to use since it is less expensive to contract for the extra before you sign than it is to pay the extra charges at end of your lease.
Sales Tax
Sales tax is usually capitalized and added to the monthly payments. However, some dealers choose not to include it in their calculations to drive the advertised lease payments even lower. What they do instead is state in the small print that the monthly payment excludes “sales tax”. Make sure you carefully read the fine print for any extra, hidden costs not included in the advertised monthly payment. Unscrupulous fees that typically slip through the cracks include sales tax, registration and title fees.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
How To Spot Government Surplus Vans
Normally, in all those SUVs like vans, there is quite enough space than in any small cars, yes you may have to spend more money on fuel but still the comfort level that you get in the van is high and that cannot be ignored.
You may plan to purchase a second hand van but if only you get a low price deal. But if you don’t think the deal is in your favor, you can go for purchasing a van from government surplus vans auction.
In government auctions you may find a vehicle that is seized by the financer who was unable to get his loan money back or other government vehicles which are now off duty. These vehicles are mostly very less used and normally the history of such automobiles is very well known. This information is provides is important while you bid for it later.
As mentioned before, the vans bought from government auctions are in near perfect conditions and it not normally mandatory required to be serviced. Simply buy them and drive them.
Once you make up your mind to buy one of the vans from government surplus auctions, you may register your self and allow yourself to ignition start it, one of the best way to buy any automobile! Get into the drivers’ seat and check for the interior of the car. Check for the air-conditioner or heater, the wipers, all those switches and other electronics that it may have.
Do remember one thing that no one is allowed to take a test drive of the vehicle unless he or she wins the bid. Now, like in any auction, or a bidding event, the one who bids the highest, wins. Who knows if you are lucky and smart enough you might take the vehicle home.
Also remember there are so may people play a part in government surplus auction. Some want to use the vehicle for personal purpose and some for the business purpose. Therefore the competition is quite high when you wish to get a vehicle at very reasonable prices. Keeping another choice is helpful if you are unable to secure a dream car.
Furthermore, even if all your efforts go in vain, there is no need to get disheartened, as these auctions happen several times during each year. Just an eye on the news sections of the government websites.
But for those lucky ones who are able secure a good van must be careful about the papers and the legalities of the vehicle. Make sure you have completed all the formalities about transferring the same to yourself. The formalities can be completed there at the auction’s site or later. As sometimes officials allows you to simply reveal your social security number or with any other identification document.
You may plan to purchase a second hand van but if only you get a low price deal. But if you don’t think the deal is in your favor, you can go for purchasing a van from government surplus vans auction.
In government auctions you may find a vehicle that is seized by the financer who was unable to get his loan money back or other government vehicles which are now off duty. These vehicles are mostly very less used and normally the history of such automobiles is very well known. This information is provides is important while you bid for it later.
As mentioned before, the vans bought from government auctions are in near perfect conditions and it not normally mandatory required to be serviced. Simply buy them and drive them.
Once you make up your mind to buy one of the vans from government surplus auctions, you may register your self and allow yourself to ignition start it, one of the best way to buy any automobile! Get into the drivers’ seat and check for the interior of the car. Check for the air-conditioner or heater, the wipers, all those switches and other electronics that it may have.
Do remember one thing that no one is allowed to take a test drive of the vehicle unless he or she wins the bid. Now, like in any auction, or a bidding event, the one who bids the highest, wins. Who knows if you are lucky and smart enough you might take the vehicle home.
Also remember there are so may people play a part in government surplus auction. Some want to use the vehicle for personal purpose and some for the business purpose. Therefore the competition is quite high when you wish to get a vehicle at very reasonable prices. Keeping another choice is helpful if you are unable to secure a dream car.
Furthermore, even if all your efforts go in vain, there is no need to get disheartened, as these auctions happen several times during each year. Just an eye on the news sections of the government websites.
But for those lucky ones who are able secure a good van must be careful about the papers and the legalities of the vehicle. Make sure you have completed all the formalities about transferring the same to yourself. The formalities can be completed there at the auction’s site or later. As sometimes officials allows you to simply reveal your social security number or with any other identification document.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
How To Store The Car Of Your Dreams Correctly
At last you have the car of your dreams and you spent large amounts of both time and money on restoring it and you now want to keep it in the same pristine condition. Unfortunately winter is coming and you do not want to drive it in now the weather is turning bad. So you have decided that you want to put your car into storage for the winter months and as cheaply as possible? Yet you also want to be able to get it back onto the road as soon as the weather is good again and find it in the same condition as
when it went into storage?
Well hopefully the information contained within this article will help you to make an informed decision on the type of car storage you will use.
Indoor Storage
Of course this is the best way for any one to go when looking for storage for their prized car and is the best option especially if you will be away for any extended period of time. But because you don’t have a garage you are now looking for an alternative. Luckily there are many indoor storage facilities around which will gladly rent storage space that is big enough for a vehicle. If you can try and find a facility where they will run the engine on your car for you every month or two. However, you may find that they will charge you extra for this facility, but it will save you money in the long term as the vehicle will be ready for you to drive after a long lay over period.
When preparing your car for storage it is important that it is clean. Wait until you have a warm dry day and then completely wash and wax the car. Also make sure that you clean the underbody and around the wheel areas as well as any dirt left on the car holds moisture and when combined with air will result in result being allowed to grow.
Also thoroughly clean the car inside. Use either a shop/garage vacuum or a household one in order to get into all the nooks and crannies in your car (it is important to get rid of any dirt or crumbs etc., from the car prior to storage). Leaving such items in the car will only make it a place that small creatures (mice, rats) will be drawn to and make their home inside it.
If you can get the carpets thoroughly cleaned and do this before you do any thing else so that it gives them time to dry out before you put the car into storage.
Next take out the spark plugs and put some oil into the cylinders as this will prevent the cylinder walls, pistons and valves from rusting. You can use regular motor oil but a can of fogging oil from a marine supply store is a good alternative. Now you need to turn the engine by hand half a dozen times to make sure that the oil coats everything. Before you reinstall the spark plugs apply a little anti-seize to them. Also make sure that the petrol (gas) tank is full as this will reduce the risk of how much water is available to be absorbed by the petrol (gas).
Now we come to the electrical system of your car. Remove the battery cables (negative cable first) and then lift out the battery from the engine. Next you need to wipe the batter down with a battery cleaner (this removes any moisture holding dirt or grease from it). Now you place the battery on a clean dry surface. Attach the battery to a trickle charger which will help preserve the battery’s charge. Also inspect the battery for any rust or corrosion.
You will then need to lubricate the hood latches, hinges and door hinges if you are able to check the brake fluid (flush it out and replace if necessary). Now you will need to check the coolant level (make sure there is enough to protect the cooling system from winter temperatures).
If you want to keep rodents and other small animals from chewing the ignition wires and other wiring in your car (place clean rags into the engine air intake, fresh air intake (under the windshield) and the exhaust. A good idea is to get a big box of mothballs and spread them around and under the car (this seems to keep undesirable elements away from the car).
As for the tyres they will after extended periods of time when not moving they will develop flat spots and the best way to prevent this is to put the car up on jacks.
Now remove the wiper blades as this will prevent them from becoming glued to the windshield.
Now you carried out all the necessary things about there is nothing left for you to do but to put it in to storage and lock up knowing you can enjoy it in the future?
when it went into storage?
Well hopefully the information contained within this article will help you to make an informed decision on the type of car storage you will use.
Indoor Storage
Of course this is the best way for any one to go when looking for storage for their prized car and is the best option especially if you will be away for any extended period of time. But because you don’t have a garage you are now looking for an alternative. Luckily there are many indoor storage facilities around which will gladly rent storage space that is big enough for a vehicle. If you can try and find a facility where they will run the engine on your car for you every month or two. However, you may find that they will charge you extra for this facility, but it will save you money in the long term as the vehicle will be ready for you to drive after a long lay over period.
When preparing your car for storage it is important that it is clean. Wait until you have a warm dry day and then completely wash and wax the car. Also make sure that you clean the underbody and around the wheel areas as well as any dirt left on the car holds moisture and when combined with air will result in result being allowed to grow.
Also thoroughly clean the car inside. Use either a shop/garage vacuum or a household one in order to get into all the nooks and crannies in your car (it is important to get rid of any dirt or crumbs etc., from the car prior to storage). Leaving such items in the car will only make it a place that small creatures (mice, rats) will be drawn to and make their home inside it.
If you can get the carpets thoroughly cleaned and do this before you do any thing else so that it gives them time to dry out before you put the car into storage.
Next take out the spark plugs and put some oil into the cylinders as this will prevent the cylinder walls, pistons and valves from rusting. You can use regular motor oil but a can of fogging oil from a marine supply store is a good alternative. Now you need to turn the engine by hand half a dozen times to make sure that the oil coats everything. Before you reinstall the spark plugs apply a little anti-seize to them. Also make sure that the petrol (gas) tank is full as this will reduce the risk of how much water is available to be absorbed by the petrol (gas).
Now we come to the electrical system of your car. Remove the battery cables (negative cable first) and then lift out the battery from the engine. Next you need to wipe the batter down with a battery cleaner (this removes any moisture holding dirt or grease from it). Now you place the battery on a clean dry surface. Attach the battery to a trickle charger which will help preserve the battery’s charge. Also inspect the battery for any rust or corrosion.
You will then need to lubricate the hood latches, hinges and door hinges if you are able to check the brake fluid (flush it out and replace if necessary). Now you will need to check the coolant level (make sure there is enough to protect the cooling system from winter temperatures).
If you want to keep rodents and other small animals from chewing the ignition wires and other wiring in your car (place clean rags into the engine air intake, fresh air intake (under the windshield) and the exhaust. A good idea is to get a big box of mothballs and spread them around and under the car (this seems to keep undesirable elements away from the car).
As for the tyres they will after extended periods of time when not moving they will develop flat spots and the best way to prevent this is to put the car up on jacks.
Now remove the wiper blades as this will prevent them from becoming glued to the windshield.
Now you carried out all the necessary things about there is nothing left for you to do but to put it in to storage and lock up knowing you can enjoy it in the future?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
How To Utilize The Lemon Law
If you find yourself with a lemon of a vehilce, here are some tips to help you utilize the lemon law.
Remember that if you're stuck with a lemon, your complaint is with the manufacturer. Although your instinct may be to blame the car dealer, the dealer is just the middleman for the defective product.
1. Document your repairs and be accurate with each problem. Obtain copies of all warranty repair orders from the dealer and keep notes of your reported problems. Also, keep notes of all conversations you have with service people, including the date, time and participants in these conversations.
2. Contact your state attorney general's office or conduct other research to determine the provisions of your state's lemon law. There are variations in each state's laws.
3. Determine whether your previous efforts to repair the problem satisfy the requirements of your state's lemon law. Most state laws allow the manu-facturer three or four chances to repair the defect or defects.
4. Write to the manufacturer if problems persist. Explain how burdensome it is to continually repair the car, and how your trust in the product's reliability has been shattered. Ask for reimbursement of your related expenses (such as a rental car, if it was needed), or other compensation for your troubled experience. Your particular state's lemon law will prescribe methods for doing so.
5. State in your letter that you wish to exercise your right to a refund or replacement of the vehicle, if you would rather not keep the lemon. Specify which option you desire.
6. Consider hiring an attorney if the manufacturer is unresponsive. Find an attorney who specializes in lemon-law cases. Remember, though, that only some state lemon laws allow a consumer to recover attorneys' fees when suing a manufacturer.
Tips: Your best defense against an uncooperative manufacturer is a thorough, specific and accurate service-record paper trail. This shows that you made the correct number of attempts to have the problems fixed, whether the defect was the same each time, or several different ones.
Remember that if you're stuck with a lemon, your complaint is with the manufacturer. Although your instinct may be to blame the car dealer, the dealer is just the middleman for the defective product.
1. Document your repairs and be accurate with each problem. Obtain copies of all warranty repair orders from the dealer and keep notes of your reported problems. Also, keep notes of all conversations you have with service people, including the date, time and participants in these conversations.
2. Contact your state attorney general's office or conduct other research to determine the provisions of your state's lemon law. There are variations in each state's laws.
3. Determine whether your previous efforts to repair the problem satisfy the requirements of your state's lemon law. Most state laws allow the manu-facturer three or four chances to repair the defect or defects.
4. Write to the manufacturer if problems persist. Explain how burdensome it is to continually repair the car, and how your trust in the product's reliability has been shattered. Ask for reimbursement of your related expenses (such as a rental car, if it was needed), or other compensation for your troubled experience. Your particular state's lemon law will prescribe methods for doing so.
5. State in your letter that you wish to exercise your right to a refund or replacement of the vehicle, if you would rather not keep the lemon. Specify which option you desire.
6. Consider hiring an attorney if the manufacturer is unresponsive. Find an attorney who specializes in lemon-law cases. Remember, though, that only some state lemon laws allow a consumer to recover attorneys' fees when suing a manufacturer.
Tips: Your best defense against an uncooperative manufacturer is a thorough, specific and accurate service-record paper trail. This shows that you made the correct number of attempts to have the problems fixed, whether the defect was the same each time, or several different ones.
Friday, August 27, 2010
How Welding Helmets Protect Your Eyes
Welding helmets are the without a doubt the single most valuable item a welder has to protect himself. Welding helmets have been around for a long time and the technology has steadily improved. They are much more user friendly and offer far more protection. Still, there are a lot of misconceptions about how a welding helmet actually protects the welder from environmental hazards of their job.
Your average layperson commonly believes a welding helmet’s primary task is to shield your eyes from the bright lights of a welding arc. Almost like a welding helmet is a pair of super sunglasses. This is only partially true. The lens’ in the helmet primary job is to filter out ultraviolet and infrared light. The lens is designed to filter out 100% of harmful UV and IR rays from your sensitive eyes. Do not confuse this with whether or not the lens is dark or not. An auto darkening lens will protect the welder from ultraviolet light whether the lens is clear or darkened. It is understandable to think the bright light is the problem because it is visible to the naked eye. The bright light is still damaging to the eye, that’s why the welding helmet has a darkened lens or has an auto darkening feature.
On auto darkening welding helmets, the lens will darken within 4/10ths of millisecond to filter out visible light. This is faster than your eyes have time to react to the light. Anything slower than 4/10ths of a millisecond and you shouldn’t purchase the welding helmet. An auto darkening model protects your eyes 100% of the time from ultraviolet and infrared light whether the lens is clear or darkened and protects you from visible light 4/10ths of millisecond after the arc is lit. This arrangement is far safer than older style welding helmets for the simple reason that you can see when the arc is shut off. After you stop welding the auto darkening lens will become clear. Now you can walk around or see your work area without lifting the helmet. This is very important because another function of the welding helmet is to protect your face and eyes from flying objects. Metal debris and other hazards can still damage your eyes.
Auto darkening welding helmets are definitely the way to go and worth the extra cost. Rest assured the technology will completely protect your eyes from the harmful effects of the welding light. The lens will darken in enough time so your irreplaceable eyes are not damaged. A welder will not sacrifice safety for convenience and actually the auto darkening models are far safer because they allow to keep your face and eyes protected even after the welding arc is extinguished.
Your average layperson commonly believes a welding helmet’s primary task is to shield your eyes from the bright lights of a welding arc. Almost like a welding helmet is a pair of super sunglasses. This is only partially true. The lens’ in the helmet primary job is to filter out ultraviolet and infrared light. The lens is designed to filter out 100% of harmful UV and IR rays from your sensitive eyes. Do not confuse this with whether or not the lens is dark or not. An auto darkening lens will protect the welder from ultraviolet light whether the lens is clear or darkened. It is understandable to think the bright light is the problem because it is visible to the naked eye. The bright light is still damaging to the eye, that’s why the welding helmet has a darkened lens or has an auto darkening feature.
On auto darkening welding helmets, the lens will darken within 4/10ths of millisecond to filter out visible light. This is faster than your eyes have time to react to the light. Anything slower than 4/10ths of a millisecond and you shouldn’t purchase the welding helmet. An auto darkening model protects your eyes 100% of the time from ultraviolet and infrared light whether the lens is clear or darkened and protects you from visible light 4/10ths of millisecond after the arc is lit. This arrangement is far safer than older style welding helmets for the simple reason that you can see when the arc is shut off. After you stop welding the auto darkening lens will become clear. Now you can walk around or see your work area without lifting the helmet. This is very important because another function of the welding helmet is to protect your face and eyes from flying objects. Metal debris and other hazards can still damage your eyes.
Auto darkening welding helmets are definitely the way to go and worth the extra cost. Rest assured the technology will completely protect your eyes from the harmful effects of the welding light. The lens will darken in enough time so your irreplaceable eyes are not damaged. A welder will not sacrifice safety for convenience and actually the auto darkening models are far safer because they allow to keep your face and eyes protected even after the welding arc is extinguished.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
HVLP Spray Paint Guns
HVLP stands for high-volume, low pressure. They are more efficient and cause less over spray than standard spray paint guns. If you do a lot of spray finishing, an HVLP spray paint gun can save you money over the long run because you will use less paint. You can use your shop air compressor's powerful air output to run a spray paint gun. A trigger operated spray paint gun takes paint or finish and mixes it with high pressure air. The paint is atomized and sprayed out in a cone shape to produce a neat and controllable pattern. An experienced painter can produce very nice finishes smoothly and with a professional look. HVLP spray guns are widely used in automotive shops to produce factory quality finishes. Most HVLP spray paint guns allow you to change out nozzles for different types of finishes. Examples are lacquer, stains, paint and varnishes. However, thick latex paints are not advisable. (You can't use your HVLP spray paint gun to paint the house.) Most spray guns have a 1 quart cup that attaches below the nozzle and others have a top mounted cup. These are referred to as gravity feed spray paint guns. HVLP spray paint guns require large amounts of air to operate for continuous spraying. The paint gun manufacturer should tell you in the specs how much air is required to operate their gun.
One important thing to be aware of is that HVLP sprayers cause lots of over spray and will make a mess. It is very important to wear paint coveralls, breathing protection and eye protection. Also, masking and wheel covers are important to protect the car you are painting. HVLP spray paint guns are not precision instruments. It is more like a shot gun approach to painting. They are very good at applying a professional finish but they also blow paint everywhere. Body protection is very important when using HVLP sprayers. You can get away with minimal protection when painting a room in your house, but with these tools you need to make sure your whole body is well covered before you begin spraying. Because they out so much and in such fine mist, breathing protection is absolutely mandatory. Tiny droplets of paint will be suspended in the air and you will inhale them without a respirator mask on.
One important thing to be aware of is that HVLP sprayers cause lots of over spray and will make a mess. It is very important to wear paint coveralls, breathing protection and eye protection. Also, masking and wheel covers are important to protect the car you are painting. HVLP spray paint guns are not precision instruments. It is more like a shot gun approach to painting. They are very good at applying a professional finish but they also blow paint everywhere. Body protection is very important when using HVLP sprayers. You can get away with minimal protection when painting a room in your house, but with these tools you need to make sure your whole body is well covered before you begin spraying. Because they out so much and in such fine mist, breathing protection is absolutely mandatory. Tiny droplets of paint will be suspended in the air and you will inhale them without a respirator mask on.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Hybrid Car Models: The Green Alternative
There are presently many hybrid car models in the market. The hybrid car technology has become very popular that almost all carmakers would like to ride the trend. Other manufacturers that cannot produce their own technology are buying technology from big companies that are ahead in the development of hybrid cars. Some companies are having a tie up with other companies so that they will come up with good models that they could use together.
Toyota's Offering
Later, Toyota introduced the Toyota Prius in the US. Presently, this model is the most popular hybrid car in the market. The Toyota Prius has a very efficient EPA rating and it has the lowest emission rating of up to 90 percent reduction compared to a regular vehicle. The good news is that the price of Toyota Prius can compete very well with the other cars of its type. It is actually the first hybrid car that was mass-produced.
Toyota Motors have high hopes with the future of hybrid vehicles. Not only was it evident in the research and development that they put into the famous Toyota Prius. They proved the sincerity of this belief by introducing other models of the SUV line. They introduced to the market the Highlander hybrid and Lexus SUV hybrid in the year 2005.
Honda's First Hybrid Car Models
Honda first released Insight in the year 1999. They were the first carmaker to offer hybrid electric car in the USA. This model has gained a little popularity in the first five years that it was on the market. It was designed to be very fuel efficient so it was built with a lightweight aluminum chassis. It was a two-seater vehicle. Honda Insight Hybrid was an environment friendly model. Aside from being fuel efficient, it was made to produce very low emission. There was an earlier version of this model that was released in Japan and Los Angeles in 1997.
Honda vs. Toyota
Honda being threatened by the popularity of the Toyota hybrids introduced to the market their new model of a hybrid car that will compete with the very popular Toyota Prius. Honda launched a hybrid version of the Civic model. The hybrid model of Civic was known to be 30% more efficient than the non-hybrid Civic. Like the original model, the Civic hybrid is a four-door sedan that accommodates 5 passengers. The hybrid model looks very much like the non-hybrid counterpart but it was the hood that was modified. It was changed to become a lighter vehicle in order to be able to run efficiently on the electric power. Summing it all up, the Civic became popular but not as popular as the Toyota Prius which up to now is a favorite.
Nissan's Attempt to Join the Hybrid World
Nissan bought the hybrid technology of Toyota and they were able to produce the Nissan Altima Hybrid. This model gained a lot of good reviews. It is not very surprising when you take into account the popularity of Toyota Prius. But still, the Altima Hybrid is yet to make a name.
Ford's Hybrid Lines
Being one of the biggest names in the car-making world, Ford Motors will not be left behind in the hybrid trend. Ford offered the Ford Escape hybrid to the market. It is another fully hybrid vehicle that was to make a name in the hybrid market. Another model that Ford Motors introduced was the Mercury Mariner Hybrid although it did not became as popular as the Ford Escape Hybrid.
GM in the Hybrid Picture
Another model of hybrid vehicles is the Dodge Ram Hybrid. This model did not become very popular. DaimlerChrysler, the mother company of Dodge tied up with General Motors to produce good models of hybrid vehicles. They joined their group and produced models, some of which are the Dodge Durango Hybrid, Chevy Silverado and GM Sierra Pickups.
There are indeed many varieties of hybrid car models in the market. If hybrids are only a passing solution to the energy problem of the future, it is indeed a good solution. With the very low emission and high fuel efficiency that it provides, it can work well until another better solution comes along.
Toyota's Offering
Later, Toyota introduced the Toyota Prius in the US. Presently, this model is the most popular hybrid car in the market. The Toyota Prius has a very efficient EPA rating and it has the lowest emission rating of up to 90 percent reduction compared to a regular vehicle. The good news is that the price of Toyota Prius can compete very well with the other cars of its type. It is actually the first hybrid car that was mass-produced.
Toyota Motors have high hopes with the future of hybrid vehicles. Not only was it evident in the research and development that they put into the famous Toyota Prius. They proved the sincerity of this belief by introducing other models of the SUV line. They introduced to the market the Highlander hybrid and Lexus SUV hybrid in the year 2005.
Honda's First Hybrid Car Models
Honda first released Insight in the year 1999. They were the first carmaker to offer hybrid electric car in the USA. This model has gained a little popularity in the first five years that it was on the market. It was designed to be very fuel efficient so it was built with a lightweight aluminum chassis. It was a two-seater vehicle. Honda Insight Hybrid was an environment friendly model. Aside from being fuel efficient, it was made to produce very low emission. There was an earlier version of this model that was released in Japan and Los Angeles in 1997.
Honda vs. Toyota
Honda being threatened by the popularity of the Toyota hybrids introduced to the market their new model of a hybrid car that will compete with the very popular Toyota Prius. Honda launched a hybrid version of the Civic model. The hybrid model of Civic was known to be 30% more efficient than the non-hybrid Civic. Like the original model, the Civic hybrid is a four-door sedan that accommodates 5 passengers. The hybrid model looks very much like the non-hybrid counterpart but it was the hood that was modified. It was changed to become a lighter vehicle in order to be able to run efficiently on the electric power. Summing it all up, the Civic became popular but not as popular as the Toyota Prius which up to now is a favorite.
Nissan's Attempt to Join the Hybrid World
Nissan bought the hybrid technology of Toyota and they were able to produce the Nissan Altima Hybrid. This model gained a lot of good reviews. It is not very surprising when you take into account the popularity of Toyota Prius. But still, the Altima Hybrid is yet to make a name.
Ford's Hybrid Lines
Being one of the biggest names in the car-making world, Ford Motors will not be left behind in the hybrid trend. Ford offered the Ford Escape hybrid to the market. It is another fully hybrid vehicle that was to make a name in the hybrid market. Another model that Ford Motors introduced was the Mercury Mariner Hybrid although it did not became as popular as the Ford Escape Hybrid.
GM in the Hybrid Picture
Another model of hybrid vehicles is the Dodge Ram Hybrid. This model did not become very popular. DaimlerChrysler, the mother company of Dodge tied up with General Motors to produce good models of hybrid vehicles. They joined their group and produced models, some of which are the Dodge Durango Hybrid, Chevy Silverado and GM Sierra Pickups.
There are indeed many varieties of hybrid car models in the market. If hybrids are only a passing solution to the energy problem of the future, it is indeed a good solution. With the very low emission and high fuel efficiency that it provides, it can work well until another better solution comes along.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)