Archive for the ‘Buying a Car’ Category
lotus exhausts « Longlife
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
Lotus have wowed fans at the Paris Motor Show, with their brand new 612bhp Elite performance vehicle.
Although the major sportscar company has a long established history of creating attractive lightweight vehicles they are now targeting the luxury market. The Elite boasts a combination of front engine and rear-wheel driver, as well as folding hardtop. Its nearest competitor looks likely to be the Aston Martin DB9, which is reflected in the anticipated price tag of 115,000.
Drivers will enjoy the sense of power generated by the impressive 5.0 litre V8 engine. The vehicle will rev up to an astounding 8,500 rpm and is expected to shoot from 0-62 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Lotus were keen to do their bit for the environment, so they utilised hybrid technology and a kinetic energy recovery system. The team have also installed a large carbon diffuser which is combined with the trapezoidal pipe exhausts. Should that not be good enough for you, we’ll be looking forward to new
when the car debuts in 2014.
Lotus have continued their relationship with Lexus by making use of their powertrain unit in the LFA. It seems to have found it’s natural home in the Elite, meaning that the time and money poured in by Lexus has proven worthwhile.
Danny Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus, said, ‘there’s no denying that the Elite is breathtakingly beautiful to look at but it’s so much more than that, it’s a car that over delivers in all other aspects as well. One could say it’s a car of perfect contradictions, it’s compact yet spacious, high performing yet low emitting, lightweight yet still reassuringly solid. It’s a car that we are exceptionally proud of at Lotus and we truly believe that there is nothing else like it out there both in terms of styling and performance’.
Prospective purchasers may be enticed by the masculine broad shoulders and the smooth rising beltline of the Elite. The exquisite sleek lines serve to reinforce the beauty of this magnificent vehicle.
It is debatable whether this extension of the Lotus brand is a step too far. The Elite doesn’t seem to fit in with the lightweight values which have served the brand well in the past and it remains to be seen whether the Elite can ever win as many fans as the much loved Elise.
http://www.longlife.co.uk/blog/index.php/tag/lotus-exhausts/
LongLife Exhaust on Fiat Seicento Sporting
lotus have
Buying a Car | No Comments »
Consumer Satisfaction with Auto Insurance Drops, according to recent survey
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
A recent survey found that consumers are less happy and less satisfied with the services offered by auto insurance companies due to the latter’s rising premiums in auto coverage.
The latest survey of the J.D. Power & Associates research firm shows that the satisfaction of auto coverage consumers with the policy offerings, interactions and many other factors with their auto insurance providers have dropped by an overall ten (10) points since last year. And, according to the 2010 U.S. National Auto Insurance Study, those figures went down to 777 on a point scale of 1, 000.
The reason behind this growing dissatisfaction with auto insurance services is the higher rates of auto coverage lately, and that consumers have become more conscious and more sensitive about the costs of having financial protection for their cars. Most especially if these consumers are handling their finances as the recession is almost ending. Additionally, during that time between this year and last, consumer satisfaction went down by 30% in terms of auto coverage prices.
The survey also shows that over 22% of the 25, 000 policyholders interviewed earlier this year had noticed that their premiums have become more expensive round this year, and that about 60% of them say that they have not been properly notified or warned by their auto insurers.
Senior director J.D. Power & Associate’s insurance practice, Jeremy Bowler, said in a statement that consumers have started to shop for other new auto insurance companies because they have become less satisfied with their issuers and the rates that the latter have charged for their services. Bowler also added that this level of consumer activity of finding new auto coverage providers have not been seen since before the recession.
Survey findings also show that a better and more targeted approach in communication would help boost customer satisfaction. For example, in terms of which generation consumers come from there are the Y-Generation consumers who prefer fast and easily accessible services while consumers from the Boomer Era prefer more service in customer service kits, magazines, and insurer newsletters.
The top insurers in the survey included, in order according to insurer points in a scale of 1000:
Amica Mutual: 849 points
Erie Insurance: 815 points
Auto-Owners Insurance: 813 points
Shelter: 807 points
State Farm: 795 points
Geico: 793 points
Liberty Mutual: 785 points
American Family: 784 points
Country Financial: 782 points
Alfa Insurance: 781 points
auto coverage, auto insurance, have become, that consumers
Buying a Car | No Comments »
2009 Audi Q5 – Spied – Car and Driver
Monday, July 18th, 2011
Audi has confirmed that it will build a crossover to fit below the Q7 in their lineup, and has told us it will be called the Q5.
Reportedly, the Q5 will draw design inspiration from the Audi Roadjet concept that debuted at the 2006 Detroit auto show.
We’re hoping the Q5 will look more like these illustrations, since the Roadjet wasn’t exactly graceful. With a wagon’s beltine, an SUV’s roofline, and a lot of glass in between, the high-topped concept looked rather frumpy.
Scoot will come courtesy of the same engine lineup that powers the A4 and A6 families, with a base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 200 hp, an optional 3.1-liter, 255-hp V-6, and possibly the recently announced-for-the-U.S. 3.0-liter, 233-hp, 369 lb-ft, diesel V-6 from the upcoming Q7 3.0 TDI BlueTec.
Just as the Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne are derived from the same basic architecture, a later Porsche spin-off of the Q5 platform is a possibility. The Q5 should appear towards the end of 2008 as an ’09 model, while the Porsche variant wouldn’t show up until 2011 or so.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/spied/07q1/2009_audi_q5-spied