Car Audio

Posts Tagged ‘leasing’

The giant of the motoring industry, General Motors, who own brands like Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, Pontiac and Buick, have reveasleda line-up of new cars. Less than a month ago, General Motors recovered from 40 days of bankruptcy where the government pumped over $50 billion into the company, now making it 60% owned by the taxpayers.

Now that General Motors have managed to get out of their bankruptcy rut, they are starting to look to the future and see how they can change. At the beginning of August they announced how they are exploring new ways to sell their cars. A trial method they are running from August 11th is selling the new cars on eBay, the online auction site.

Last Tuesday, August 11th, General Motors invited a group of hand chosen consumers to Detroit for a special event. The reason for the event was to show off the new series of cars that General Motors are releasing for various brands. After they bounced back from bankruptcy, General Motors have been looking at their current car models, and they want change.

At the moment, most of their cars are large tank like vehicles that do very little miles per gallon, at one point these were very popular with Americans, however, motorists are choosing smaller and more greener cars these days. To try and attract younger and greener customers, they have created a series of new models for their brands that are smaller and more fuel efficient.

A couple of the cars announced that will be very popular is the Chevrolet Volt. This car is scheduled for release sometime in 2010 and it’s become popular due to the number of miles per gallon it can do. Currently, it’s been reported that the new Volt can do around 230 miles per gallon of city driving.

The other note worthy car is the new Cadillac that’s been announced. The new model Cadillac, that comes with either rear wheel or 4 wheel drive, is going to be a small sport sedan. The new car came with no release date, but it is said to be smaller than the very popular CTS model.

During the event, a number of planned changes were announced by General Motors, all of which are expected to take effect within the next 3 years. Some of those plans included doubling the amount of models Buick have, going from the current 3, up to 6. We’ll have to keep one eye open to see what cars are released first and what sort of effect they have on General Motors’ market share. Hopefully we’ll get some of these new models coming to the UK contract hire market. Currently, the only big American you can really lease is a Chrysler lease. Alternatively, another option to you would be to opt for cheap van leasing simply because they are almost as big as a Chevrolet.

Back in May, the Government launched a scheme that would reward car buyers when they scrappage their old bangers. Oddly enough it was called the ‘Car Scrappage Scheme’ and it gave car buyers 2000 towards a new car when they scrapped a car that’s more than 10 years old.

The overall cost for the scheme was 600 million pounds. Out of the total pot required to fund the scheme, half was payed by the tax payer, the other half was payed for by the car manufacturers. Even though this is alot of money, it seems to be paying off for the economy.

The overall amount of new registered cars for this July was announced the other day and they showed a rise of 2.4% compared to July last year. Overall, 157,149 new cars were registered in July, making a 2.4% on July 2008. Over 33,000 of the total cars registered were bought as part of the government’s scrappage scheme. Although a 2.4% rise is not a huge number, it’s still good news because it’s the first rise in car sales since April 2008.

Due to the good results the scheme has created, many MPs are looking to extend the scheme for throughout 2010. The scheme is currently set to end by February 2010 or when the tax payers 300 million runs out. With around 144,000 new cars registered with the scheme since it started, I wouldn’t be surprised if they continued it into 2010.

If the scheme is continued, car manufacturers will be hoping that the rise in cars registered will continue as more people buy into the scheme.

Although this is good news for the new car industry, there are some downsides for other sectors. The second hand car market is the first one to be effected. Due to the large number of cars being scrapped, the amount of second hand cars on the market are being reduced. The second problem occurs with the cheap car leasing market.

Because many people are opting to buy a new car rather than lease, many leasing businesses are loosing out as people choose not to go for a Nissan lease when they could just scrap their old car and get more money than it’s worth off a new car. This problem doesn’t so much affect the van contract hire sector which doesn’t yet benefit from the scrappage scheme.

One of the toughest decisions for your business is trying to find the best vehicles that come with your required features at your price range for your business.

However, this decision is made a lot simpler with the Renault Trafic. The Renault Trafic, which has recently won the 2009 Security Award, is the best selling van created by Renault. The 2009 British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards was where the Trafic van won the award and this year was the first year that vans were included in the runnings.

The van walked away with the award because of all the security features that are included. Anti-drill door locks, remote central locking with deadlocking and a Thatcham category one alarm are just a few of the amazing security features that come standard with this van. The Renault Anti Intruder Device is also included on the van, what this does is once the van travels faster than 5mph, all the doors automatically lock.

This van has proven to be very successful for many businesses as well as Renault. The only downside to the van is the price, at just over £17,000 for the standard van. However, there are ways to get your business using this van without paying the full price, and that is van leasing.

By taking out a Renault van lease, you can seriously save some money for your business, while still getting the latest model Trafic vans. With a Renault Trafic lease you pay a monthly fee for the van rather than paying £17,000 for your own van, plus you still get to benefit from the huge number of security features that come with the Trafic van.

Whether you are a new business or an experienced business, many businesses have found that by leasing their vehicles, they can save large amounts of money. Particularly for new companies, rather than having big new vehicle bills hanging over your head, you simply pay monthly for as long as you want to use the van for. Leasing means that you get the latest vans at the best prices for your business.

The van and truck sales sector has released yet more bad news for the motoring industry. June figures for truck registrations are still showing falling numbers, however, the amount of vans being registered is starting to level out.

The amount of trucks being registered has been falling month by month, however, the figures for June have shown the largest drop in registrations yet. With the amount of trucks being registered last month only amounting to 2,761, this is a 47% fall in registrations from the same time last year.

The other side of the sector has seen some improvement, the amount of van registrations. The amount of vans being registered reached 17,158 units. These sales figures show a 40.1% fall in registrations from June 2008, however, this month on month fall is actually the smallest so far. This means that the van sales level could be improving.

One manufacturer that did well in June was Renault. They racked up a 78.5% rise in sales during June for their van and light truck models. The Renault Trafic van proved to be the most successful for Renault. The Trafic van, which recently won the 2009 Security award, is Renault’s best selling van.

There are a series of factors that have affected the van and truck market. One is that a number of companies are waiting and watching van and truck prices to see if they continue to fall before they invest. Although the amount of companies buying vans is falling, the amount of van leasing companies buying vans is on the rise, this is because the companies that aren’t buying vans are choosing to lease vans instead.

Many companies are finding that getting out a Renault van lease is working out cheaper in the long run rather than buying a brand new van. So if you are looking for a Renault Trafic lease, you will often get a better deal because you are only paying monthly for the van, rather than paying a bulk sum for a new van.

So although many companies are not buying new vans and trucks, the amount being bought by leasing companies is rising to keep up with demand.

The Coventry based van manufacturer, Modec, announced yesterday that they had sealed a deal with a French distributor worth £3m for electric vans. Modec released this news soon after they had announced that their battery powered eletric delivery van was the first van to gain the EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval. This means that the van can now be sold to any country within the EU without having to go through anymore testing for that country.

UPS, FedEx, Tesco and Center Parcs are only a few of the major clients that the electric van manufacturer, Modec, can boast about. Now they can add ElecTruckCity to their list of clients who have payed £3m for 100 new vans.

ElecTruckCity is a van dsitribtor based in France, they are now going to be the first French Modec distributor. This was said by Bill Gillespie, chief executive of Modec: “International demand for Modec is extremely strong. ElecTruckCity has taken the lead by setting up a distribution network in France and we are very excited about the future of the French market.”

The vans that were bought by ElecTruckCity were the popular urban delivery vans. There are currently 150 of these vehicles based in the UK cities belonging to customers like Tesco’s. These vans are becoming so popular because they are built for city use. Using the lithium ion battery, they can travel around 100 miles through the cities and they cost around 15p per mile to run compared to a petrol powered van which costs 37p per mile.

The vans also help companies reduce their emmission because they save more than 9 tonnes of CO2 every year.

As these Modec vans become ever more popular, it appears that the common vans that you see around like Citroen vans or Nissan vans will have alot of competition as more and more companies want to get greener.

Modec are also entering into the tipper van market with their new electric tipper van. This new vehicle has been specifically designed for local authority refuse collection. No doubt these will become popular as councils try to lead the way for a greener country.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if we started to see an increase in van leasing companies that are investing in Modec vans as alot of companies that are currently leasing their vans may be interested in a cheaper, more greener alternative.

The economic downturn is in full swing and people are running around and looking for ways to save some cash. One of the best ways that this can be done is by people cutting down on transportation costs.  Sharing Car Program clubs is something that has majorly grown in popularity over the last few years, instead of committing yourself to any contracts or spending a fortune to buy a car, you can actually use a type of pay as you go vehicle. What you do on most occasions is book a car, get the address of the closest one near to you and then drive away.

But what is the true benefits from this and can you take advantage of it? Let us take a brief look at what will suit you the best.

Buying a Vehicle
There is not a much better feeling then that of owning a new vehicle, you never have to worry about transporation because you always have the keys avaliable. But it’s all very well and good until your car decides to break down on you. You end up paying a fortune in repairs and on top of this you have to pay for tax, insurance, MOTs and not to mention that if you live in a city it is going to cost you a fortune for parking and charges.

Leasing a Car
Something that is getting a lot of attention lately is car leasing, you simply do not have to worry about any costs as all breakdowns and services are covered by the leasing company. All you really need to think about is driving a brand new car.

Vehicle Sharing
Sharing Car Program is a growing trend that can in fact be quite beneficial, especially if you are not a heavy car user. If you need to use a car for a few hours a week or a few hours in a month then this definitely could be your option. But if you are of course looking to use it for more then a day or so then the fee will soon add up and you may end up paying quite a bit.

Do you want to Buy an Audi or Buy a Nissan

Some people just cannot get a girlfriend, no matter what they try and do, and some other guys always seem to attract the hottest ladies. Let me tell you something there is one well known secret and that is in the car you drive.

I guarantee that no matter how bad looking you are if you pulled up in a Porsche than you will definitely pull a lady. Females see a beautiful car as indication that you have a lot of money, and they want a piece of that cash no matter what it takes.

Reading this your probably thing to yourself, well how the heck am I going to afford to buy a Ferrari? Well the answer can be found in car leasing. There are various leasing firms that have a huge range of motors available at your disposal. Most of them come with a contact commitment of at least a few months, but you may be able to find a dealer that will offer it to you for maybe a month or so.

So if you are really finding it so hard to get a lady, then see below for your three steps of sexcess!
1) Find the best pulling car around, personally you should choose from either a Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes car leasing or BMW car leasing.
2) Push up your confidence and get ready to hit the town and pull up to some sexy ladies.
3) Well done congratulate yourself, you have finally manage to get a girlfriend.

Now comes the most difficult part of trying to convince your new found love to stay with you when you hand back the car keys. But if we are going to be honest she will probably end up leaving you anyway because you are so darn ugly.

Eco-Driving

A friend of mine has been given the task of saving money by reducing his companies transport expenses. The business operates a fleet of vans and which are essential for their ongoing success. So my buddy is looking at two key ways to make some significant savings. He’s been warned that if the company can’t make savings on their transport costs then they’ll be likely to make some people redundant, so he is under some pressure.

Firstly, he is ensuring that all newly acquired vehicles are on van lease contracts. Almost unbelievably the company has not, until now, been leasing their vans, instead opting to buy them outright sometimes using bank loans to fund the purchase. The agreed monthly van lease payments make budgeting much simpler and the headaches that they have previously had when disposing of used vans are completely removed.

Secondly he has introduced the van drivers to eco-driving. Most had never even heard of the term and had no idea what it meant. The eco-driving steps he has taken include:

1. Removing all unnecessary weight from all company vans
2. Regularly checking and verifying that van tyre pressures are at optimum settings
3. Ensuring that all vans are in tip top condition (he has negotiated to replace vans with his leasing company every 2 years)
4. Instructing drivers in how to read the road ahead and slow their van using the engine rather than the brakes
5. Encouraging drivers to drive within speed limits by ensuring they have plenty of time to make their deliveries
6. Reduce the time that vans are idling by telling drivers to carry out their initial checks before starting their engines and to turn them off when they are sat in queues of traffic.

The company van drivers are really happy with this new initiative as they are now driving top quality, new vans and they are less pressure to drive fast to make their deliveries. Early indications are good and its looking like he is on target to make some significant fuel cost savings over the coming months and hopefully will avoid those redundancies.

BTW – Leasing isn’t only good for businesses. You too can make some significant savings, and get to drive the car that you want, using personal car leasing.

Some of us choose to purchase our vehicles and some people choose to lease them. The question is which is best option to take, lease or buy?

Look upon a car lease as a long term rental. You do not really own the vehicle and at the end of the lease you will then return it and pay any end of lease cost, that are due, to complete your contract.

In contrast when you buy a car and pay for it with a loan, the car remains your property at the end of the loan period. If you then wish to purchase a new car it’s up to you to trade in or sell the old one.

Most new cars will lose their value as soon as you drive it out of the sales room! Obviously it also depreciates with age and when the mileage increases.

Lease payments will cover just the portion of the cars value that you use during the time you drive it, the depreciation and not its complete cost. Finance charges are added on to your payment.

When you purchase a car with a loan you are liable to pay back its full cost, plus finance charges. Depending on your deposit or trade in value of another vehicle, this can obviously result in higher payments than for a lease, even if you get a long term loan.

At the end of the lease you may be liable to pay excess mileage fees. A maximum number of miles are usually stipulated that you can drive whilst you are leasing the vehicle. It is usually policy that you would repay a charge per mile for every mile driven over that limit. You can often buy extra mileage at the beginning of the contract at a cheaper rate than you would pay for the extra mileage at the end!

As regards damaging the car, the leasing company would naturally expect a degree of wear and tear. However the car will be checked for any damage or excessive wear and tear when it is returned at the end of the contract.
A fee would have to be paid should you choose to end a car or van lease early.

It is a misconception that the car lease company takes responsibility for the maintenance of the vehicle during the lease period. You will be responsible for the costs of maintaining the car, just as if it was owned by you.
Warranty on the vehicle is covered whoever owns it. Usually you will find that lease terms end before a vehicle goes out of warranty.

The best way to try to get an idea as to the deal that would suit you best is to work out how much you would actually be prepared to pay to own a vehicle. Add up all the payments you would make on the vehicle and then compare that to the value when the payments have ceased. Owning a car does not usually make money unless maybe when buying a classic car.

So, is it best to lease or buy?

Leasing:

A car lease might be best if you need a new car every two to three years.
You would prefer to drive a new car but cannot afford one.
On average you drive 15,000 miles or less each year.
You would not be using the vehicle in such a way that it would cause excessive wear and tear.
You are not in a position to make a large down payment.
You use the vehicle for business and are able to write off your lease expenses.

Buying:

You plan to pay off the car and keep it to avoid loan payments.
You are in a position to pay for repairs after the warranty period has passed
You put more than 15,000 miles a year on a car
You have credit issues and sometimes if this is the case it will be easier to buy than to lease a car
You may intend to trade it in for another car in less than two years