By Marty Padgett
February 28th, 2008
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The capitalist tools at
Forbes have spoken--and when it comes to used cars, the
Honda Accord really gets them excited.
Of all the cars available through "certified pre-owned" programs,
Forbes says, it's the Accord that topped its survey, which was largely based on reliability data from
Consumer Reports magazine, along with safety performance and available warranties. Running just behind the Accord were the
Toyota 4Runner,
Acura TL,
Subaru Impreza and
Lexus GS.
The worst of the bunch,
Forbes says, are vehicles like the
Saturn Relay,
Jeep Grand Cherokee,
Pontiac G6, VW
New Beetle and
Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles are taken back on lease or in trade by auto dealers when they look to be in sound mechanical shape and have low miles. The makers refurbish them if needed and re-sell them to the public, often with a limited warranty included. J.D. Power and Associates says that the practice is booming, with CPO sales up 46 percent since 2000.
Honda Accord tops 'Forbes' best certified used car list - USATODAY.com
Posted in: 2002, 2008, Volkswagen, Toyota, Subaru, Saturn, Pontiac, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Jeep, Honda, Acura, New Beetle
By Paul Eisenstein
February 28th, 2008
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Barring a last-minute reprieve, the first of several General Motors assembly lines will fall silent today, the unintended consequence of a strike at the troubled supplier American Axle.
The walkout, now into its third day, has already shut down the Detroit-based partsmaker, which produces axles and related components. GM accounts for 80 percent of American Axle's sales, and the automaker will feel the result of a lengthy walkout disproportionately, though other automakers may eventually be impacted, according to industry observers.
GM had been building inventory of the affected parts, but not enough to keep open its
Pontiac Truck and Bus plant, which produces body-on-frame
trucks. Several more assembly plants could close, in the coming days.
There’s a bit of a silver lining, of sorts, for GM, some of the vehicles that could be impacted by the strike, such as the
Chevrolet Silverado and
GMC Sierra
pickups, have already been impacted by rising gas prices and declining sales – so there already are plenty of them on dealer lots to weather a relatively brief strike.
Tags: Industry
By Marty Padgett
February 28th, 2008
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It's not been a great week for alternative fuels and plug-in hybrids.
While the world pretty much knows the consequences of Big Oil--stagflation, geopolitical instability, and a yet-to-be-determined effect on the environment--the world of ethanol and plug-in electric power could be worse in some ways, dueling reports suggest.
Our Cargirl already discussed how the state of the art in E85, corn-based fuel, is an ecological problem. Ethanol, it turns out, is also problematic when it comes to vehicle fires. FoxNews reports that water can't be used to put out ethanol flames, and that the foaming agent used to put out gasoline fires is ineffective for ethanol fires. Fire departments don't always stock the ethanol foam, and it's more expensive to boot. Cars and trucks, though, aren't the major concern here--it's the trucks that transport the fuel around the country that could be the problem.
When it comes to plug-in hybrids, it's worse news. Plug-ins might actually boost air pollution over gas-powered cars, USA Today reports, just as automakers are pushing forward with plans for plug-ins like the Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius. Two reports suggest that tailpipe emissions could be more than offset by the higher emissions from power plants generating the electricity required to recharge the plug-in hybrids, particularly in areas where coal-burning plants are the norm. Plug-ins could boost the levels of sulfur dioxide in the air; SO2 isn't produced as much by cars as it is by power plants.
Alternative fuels have a role to play, experts say, but none is an ideal choice. Other choices for plug-in power--such as wind--depend on somewhat unpredictable natural effects. Nuclear power could resolve some of the problem - but the newest nuclear reactor built in America was finished in 1996. As for E85, the future seems to lie in switchgrass and biomass waste as the source of fuel, but no company's been able to execute on them yet.
We're in an era of experiments, and likely will be for a couple of decades. The questions around E85 and plug-ins likely won't be resolved without major technological leaps-which makes it as uncertain as ever that plug-ins and alternative-fuel vehicles are the next big thing.
Tags: Shoppers
Posted in: 2008, Hybrid, Green
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