Chrysler may be feeling some pain in the USA, but overseas they are realizing some excellent results. According to a Chrysler spokesperson, international sales are up 14 percent through August of 2006 with 15 straight months of month-to-month increases. The news is even better in Western Europe. Chrysler reported an increase of 35.6% in August 2006 compared with the performance from a year ago, and a sales increase of 15.5% for the year-to-date through August 2006. According to JATO Dynamics, a market information company, Jeep sales were up 25% in Europe through August compared to 2005, much of the increase due to the excellent performances of the new Grand Cherokee and Commander. These impressive sales results have made Chrysler the second fastest growing automotive group in Europe, second only to Fiat, and Chrysler predicts that international sales will account for 9% of total sales by 2007.

Looking at the sales numbers it’s easy to see why the folks at Chrysler were excited about the unveiling of their production version of the two-door Jeep Wrangler and four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for the first time in Europe at the recently held Paris Motor Show. The Paris Motor Show is a major event that is held every two years. It is a trend-setting showcase for the automotive industry around the world and it attracts participants from all corners of the globe. The newly demo’ed Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited models are powered by a new 2.8 liter diesel engine and feature a broad array of new off-road features. They will hit European dealer showrooms around April of 2006, and Chrysler feels they’ll be a big hit. Why shouldn’t we believe them? They seem to have an excellent grasp on the European market at the moment.

It is good that Chrysler, an American car manufacturer, and Jeep are making themselves known around the world and realizing some excellent results. Now if only we could get our hands on those diesel powered Wranglers here in the good ole’ USA. Then we all might be happy!

Speaking of happy, we have everything you need for your Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee at http://XtremeTerrain.com. Quality aftermarket parts like Interior and exterior accessories, suspension and performance parts, restoration and body parts, travel accessories, and much more can be found at our online store. Just go to http://www.xtremeterrain.com Find automotive equipment and accessories for any Jeep make or model and get our always low prices on anything you need.

Environmental issues have never been higher on the agenda than today and with this has come concerted pressure on the motorist. Deemed as one of the most highly polluting sources of pollution, the question has now fallen on how to shift people away from their cars. Initiated by the Stern Review, a number of additional schemes have either been introduced or are currently being planned, leading to the question of what does the future hold for the motorist?

The Stern Review stated one overriding conclusion, that the world must act now on climate change or face devastating consequences. Unfortunately it also appears that this action is going to lead to devastating consequences for motorists. Various proposals in the Stern Review were suggested, including introducing a fuel-price stabilizer, meaning when fuel prices they will never be able to fall again, and per mile road charging.

Taking a deeper look into each proposal uncovers fundamental flaws. Artificially setting prices has never made economic sense and furthermore, the fuel price stabilizer would simply have the effect of desensitizing people from changes in the fuel price. Consider a huge rise in fuel prices which subsequently fall but this fall is not reflected in the price. People become used to this new higher price and when they see that it stays at this level for many months they become used to it, never lowering their consumption, even if fuel prices then begin to gradually rise.

Then there’s per mile road charging. As it stands people are charged on a per mile basis – the further one drives the more fuel they use and the more they pay. Is this not a ploy to generate even more revenue and prepare for a time when cars no longer run on fuel? If everyone was to suddenly switch to electric cars the government would lose a vital source of revenue. Per mile road charging could fill in the shortfall, brought in under the umbrella of concern for the environment.

A couple of new road charges have been brought in. The first, to be introduced in Richmond-upon-Thames, is that homeowners will be charged a fee to park their vehicle outside their homes, the value of the charge depending on the type of car they own. Residents’ parking restrictions, initially introduced to help homeowners park outside their homes, are suddenly being turned against the very people they were meant to help.

The London Congestion charge has already risen to £8 a day from its original £5 a day, and proposals were unveiled recently to charge so-called “gas-guzzlers” £25 a day to drive into Central London. An extortionate amount by anyone’s standards.

However, something has to be done to protect the environment so what’s wrong with making a start and pricing polluting motorists and vehicles off the road? It’s certainly hard to argue against the fact that some cars do pollute large amounts of greenhouse gases and they should be discouraged. But isn’t the real fact to emerge from all this that the car driver is simply an easy target? Infrastructure is already in place whereby large additional taxes can be introduced whilst many people have little choice but to use their car, meaning that the revenue generated from these taxation schemes will be significant. Even the Stern Review undermines its argument against the motorist by producing figures showing that transport is responsible for 14% of all the emissions of greenhouse gases in the UK. Transport that includes car travel, lorries, buses, trains, ships and aircrafts. In addition, the argument is that economic growth will suffer if we fail to act now. This simply neglects the effect of imposing huge taxes on motorists, seriously inhibiting people’s ability to travel to work and help the economy, and this is all without even mentioning a certain rapidly growing country – China.

Drag racing became a sanctioned sport back in the 1950’s, and has remained popular ever since. The World Wide Web gives an excellent, authoritative definition that reads as follows: “Drag racing is a form of auto racing in which cars or motorcycles attempt to complete a fairly short, straight and level course in the shortest amount of time. Drag racing originated in the United States and is still the most popular there. The most common distance is one quarter of a mile, although one eighth of a mile tracks are also popular, especially in the southeastern United States.”

While many people believe that drag racing is a popular sport only in the United States, there are numerous other countries where drag racing has quite a fan base. These countries include Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Malta, Australia, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Greece, England, the Caribbean, as well as many Scandinavian and European countries. At any given time, there are approximately 325 drag racing strips fully operational worldwide

Drag racing is essentially two cars racing against one another down a straight track to see who can cross the finish line first. Since there are no hair pin turns involved, this may sound like an easy feat, however, the driver must be able to have quick reactions times and be able to handle the car effectively. In addition, the car must be tuned to near perfection and operate well under extreme circumstances.

While many people are content to simply haul their dragster down to the local track every Saturday night and compete for bragging rights and trophies, there are many drag racers that take drag racing seriously and attend sanctioned events to compete for big titles and big money.

In professional drag racing, there are only five main categories, and these include Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Modified, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Bike. In the upper racing divisions, dragsters can reach speeds of up to 330 miles per hour! This means that a car performing at this rate of speed could travel the distance of a quarter mile track in a mere 4.45 seconds. If you have never witnessed this in person, it is an awesome sight to behold.

Drag racing has turned into a multimillion-dollar business; with companies paying for ad space on the racecars, as well as race promoters vying for television and radio time, drag racing is enjoying wide exposure. If you have yet to be exposed to drag racing, grab the family or a few friends and head on down to your closest racetrack! A night of drag racing will afford the entire family a wonderful time, as well as a unique experience.

Chrysler may be feeling some pain in the USA, but overseas they are realizing some excellent results. According to a Chrysler spokesperson, international sales are up 14 percent through August of 2006 with 15 straight months of month-to-month increases. The news is even better in Western Europe. Chrysler reported an increase of 35.6% in August 2006 compared with the performance from a year ago, and a sales increase of 15.5% for the year-to-date through August 2006. According to JATO Dynamics, a market information company, Jeep sales were up 25% in Europe through August compared to 2005, much of the increase due to the excellent performances of the new Grand Cherokee and Commander. These impressive sales results have made Chrysler the second fastest growing automotive group in Europe, second only to Fiat, and Chrysler predicts that international sales will account for 9% of total sales by 2007.

Looking at the sales numbers it’s easy to see why the folks at Chrysler were excited about the unveiling of their production version of the two-door Jeep Wrangler and four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for the first time in Europe at the recently held Paris Motor Show. The Paris Motor Show is a major event that is held every two years. It is a trend-setting showcase for the automotive industry around the world and it attracts participants from all corners of the globe. The newly demo’ed Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited models are powered by a new 2.8 liter diesel engine and feature a broad array of new off-road features. They will hit European dealer showrooms around April of 2006, and Chrysler feels they’ll be a big hit. Why shouldn’t we believe them? They seem to have an excellent grasp on the European market at the moment.

It is good that Chrysler, an American car manufacturer, and Jeep are making themselves known around the world and realizing some excellent results. Now if only we could get our hands on those diesel powered Wranglers here in the good ole’ USA. Then we all might be happy!

Speaking of happy, we have everything you need for your Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee at XtremeTerrain.com. Quality aftermarket parts like Interior and exterior accessories, suspension and performance parts, restoration and body parts, travel accessories, and much more can be found at our online store. Just go to http://www.xtremeterrain.com Find automotive equipment and accessories for any Jeep make or model and get our always low prices on anything you need.

The classic Acura was one of Honda’s biggest gambles. Japanese vehicles had a reputation for being economical above all else, putting functionality over form. Thus, when Honda unleashed the Acura on the Western market, the sense of shock at seeing a Japanese luxury vehicle took a while to die down. Some might argue that the classic Acura design generated a shock that never really died down. After all, the arrival of the Acura heralded the release of more Japanese luxury vehicles into Western markets, something that had been previously unheard of. Debuting in 1986 after nearly ten years of development and design, Honda released the Acura, which became a success. In 1990, Honda announced plans to expand their manufacturing and research operations in the US, the company’s primary market for the classic Acura. At the same time, plans are set into motion dealing with how to release the Acura into other markets, such as Canada and Europe. In 1991, Honda successfully released the Acura into the Hong Kong market, as well as integrated new technology into the design to improve performance. Unfortunately, design problems led to slower sales in the mid-1990s, which prompted Honda to both reduce production and attempt to do a major re-tooling of the overall design of the vehicle. However, at the same time, the niche market of import tuners were drawn to the Acura because it was easy to modify.

The classic Acura designs were eventually revamped in 2000, which did away with what many described as bland design elements. The new designs, combined with technologies to upgrade the performance and fuel efficiency, and decreased costs, allowed Honda to once again make the Acura one of the main import luxury vehicles in the market. Combined with the retained ease of modification that attracted car tuners to them in the previous decade, the effect was a startling resurgence to the initial strong showing that the Acura made when it was first introduced to the market. Later models followed the concept of a luxury vehicle at an affordable price, with good features and some customization options. So far, the strategy has been successful.

In 2004, the classic Acura designs were revamped into the Acura TSX for the European market. Apart from the upgraded design and internal systems, it was also given four-wheel drive and a 4-cylinder engine. Minor modifications were made to make the Acura TSX more suitable for the European market. The new design was received well by the market and quickly became one of the premier import luxury cars in the European market at the time.

However, certain features like rear wheel drive and V8 engines, have become prominent among the competitors of the classic Acura. Honda currently is sticking to its guns in maintaining the simple but elegant design, combined with functional technologies and systems. While opinions vary, there is some worry over the fact that the latest models have not been as tuner-friendly as previous ones. Some speculate that Honda will have to once again rethink the design of the classic Acura in order to keep up.

Limousine (or in short Limo) is a name of a special, strangely long luxury car and are usually black (the traditional black limo is considered suitable for funerals as black is a color of mourning in most of the western societies) or white (the traditional white limo is fitting for wedding ceremonies in western societies) in color. Employed drivers called chauffeurs mostly drive these cars.

In general Limos are owned by wealthy people but in many cases governments, big companies and broadcasters to convey their top level politicians, executives and guests respectively also own it. These cars are believed or observed as symbols of wealth.

Limousine cars, being a special luxury one have a partition in between the driver´s and passenger compartments, which is usually a sliding glass window. The partition is there so that any conversation between passengers can be kept confidential from the chauffeur.

The seat arrangement in these cars is forward facing (for passengers) with a considerable amount of foot room or foot space. There are two “jump seats”, that are mounted backward, of the driver, and they can be kept folded when not in use, but in some modern versions of limousine cars this feature is not found any more. A limo can carry seven passengers in addition to the driver. Sometimes these cars hold items of entertainment for the passengers like audio players, television, video players, and even bars along with refrigerators. Limousines have multiple doors.

Some of the popular limousine cars are Mercedes S600 Pullman, BMW 74Il, Holden Statesman, Hummer H2, Jaguar XJ, Maybach 62, Cadillac DTS, Lincoln Town Car and others.

Though Limousine cars are considered to be a symbol of wealth and are thus thought to be owned by rich individuals but in most of the times it has been seen that only limousine service or rental companies own limos. Even those rich people who include limos as their major means of transport do not always possess a limousine. What they do is that they go for a contract with a limousine service or rental companies for a long-term basis to get the availability of the vehicle on a lease agreement.

Apart from prosperous and well off persons, anyone in need of these cars can hire it by making contact with any rental firm or organization, which offers or provide limos on lease on a short term basis (as going for long term could be very expensive for them to afford). The most frequent necessities or demand for these limos are for going to airports, balls, proms, weddings and sometimes even to funerals.

Over 800 high school students from across the Midwest will drag race for a portion of $20,000 in scholarship money to the University of Northwestern Ohio. The 18th Annual ACDelco High School Nationals presented by Amalie Motor Oil at Norwalk Raceway Park will feature high schools competing against each other for bragging rights, and students racing for their educational future.

This annual race is unusual in a few ways, including a rule against real racecars. Students compete in street-legal cars only.

Last year’s winner, Drew Elliot, of Bellville, Ohio, won the event in 2005, taking home a $10,000 scholarship. Runner-up Robert Reid of Pataskala, Ohio took home a $5,000 scholarship.

Norwalk Raceway Park hosts the fastest cars on the planet each year, from 330 mph Nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel Dragsters, to jet cars at mind numbing speeds. But for Norwalk Raceway President Bill Bader, Jr., the High School Nationals is a great chance to teach safety and responsibility to a captive audience.

“The High School Nationals gives us a splendid opportunity to teach a captive audience about the safety and responsibility of racing on the drag strip,” Bader said. “Plus, it is a great chance for students to earn a large amount of scholarship money to a great institution, the University of Northwestern Ohio. [PRWEB]

CarCoverGuys.com, a reseller of Wolf Car Covers, today reported that it is seeing better than average sales despite increasing gasoline prices. One possible reason is that customers are covering large SUVs with premium outdoor car covers.

“Since Hurricane Katrina, the entire automotive aftermarket industry has been seeing a slowdown in sales,” reports Adam Clarke, the senior marketing strategist at CarCoverGuys.com. “Whenever gas prices rise, people naturally cut back on purchases in general, but there is a decidedly higher impact on consumer car and truck products. In many cases, the consumer simply does not want to spend more money on a car that is consuming so much disposable income in gasoline.”

One new consumer trend, says Clarke, is that people are now paying to cover their cars, effectively storing them until gas prices decrease. Because used SUVs are harder to sell, people would rather retain their vehicle’s value while protecting the exterior from outdoor dirt and pollution damage. As a result, sales of car covers have increased in tandem with a spike in gas prices.

Meanwhile, the spring buying season for Automotive Accessories has begun, albeit a few weeks late. Clarke attributes the later than usual buying surge to the mid-March snowstorm that paralyzed the eastern portion of the nation. “People usually think about vehicle care once the snow melts, and in this case it melted a bit later than usual.” [PRWEB]

Insurance.com, the nation’s largest online auto insurance agency, announced today that car insurance quote requests on its Website increased by more than 20% in 2005.

“During the past five years we have seen a tremendous growth on our site as a result of customers’ increased confidence level with the Internet,” stated Insurance.com President Lou Geremia. “We’ve embraced this new growth by adding over 100 licensed insurance agents to our sales center and have extended our sales center hours to 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Standard.”

Currently, over a dozen insurance carriers offer instant, competitive car insurance quotes through Insurance.com’s Website. Customers are able to view multiple quotes and perform side-by-side comparisons to identify the best car insurance policy for their needs. In addition, customers have the option to purchase their policy online or through a licensed agent via Insurance.com’s toll-free number (1-800-639-9201).

Presently, Insurance.com offers consumers comparative car insurance quotes in every state except Massachusetts, Alaska and Hawaii.

[PRWEB]

tagTRAX: car insurance quotes | online auto insurance | auto insurance agency

PLI (Pak-Lite, Inc.) has achieved ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification for its U.S. manufacturing facility in Suwanee, GA from the UL Underwriters Laboratory, the global leader in management systems registration. PLI is one of the first companies to receive certification from UL in the Southeastern United States. ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification is a technical specification that aligns existing automotive quality systems standards within the global automotive industry. [PRWEB Aug 25, 2005]