What Are Automobile Buyers Buying Today?
To understand the explosive changes happening, driven not by Government
Regulation, but buy the realities of a fixed income - whether it is fixed
at $30,000 a year or fixed at $150,000 a year, you need to do some good old
fashined arithmetic, and expand on that with some trend calculations.
Simple explanation: Budget for Auto = 25% of Income.
Auto includes: (1) Acquisition, (2) Operation, (3) Support, and (3) Maintenance.
Listen to the Anouncment here! (MP3)"
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Aquisition (Cost of Buying + Taxes + Fees + Interest Rates). Cars don't get
cheaper, taxes don't go down, Fees are added, and Interest rates have already
bottomed out, and are not likely to go so low again!
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Operation: the simple fact of the unit of energy cost has risen over 50%
in 1 year, is but a taste of where it is going in the next year. Someone
has to pay for the multiples of wars, the fuels used in those wars, and loss
of weapons, equipment, and personnell, legal fees, and so on. Gas is getting
it in the Rear in Spades! With Canadian Gas at 75 to 95 Cents a litre, and
well on its way to breaching a $1 mark by July, Gas is becoming more noticed
each week buy drivers, owners, and consummers.
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Support: Car Insurance - one of those things we wish not to deal with, but
depend on when something goes wrong, and which also turns and bits us when
the sorst happens. This cost is continuing to increase at explosive rates
in Ontario with the normal rates doubling and trippling for the majority
of drivers.
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Maintenance: A fact of life for an old car, but not elliminated buy the purchase
of a new car, as Accidents, Abuse, and Mis-use all lead to un-covered expenses.
Add to this the increasing fees required to deal with more complex vehicle
systems to train shop workers to acceptable standards, and you end up with
more increases in standard shop rates.
Consider that Car Insurance can in some cases equal the annual payment costs
for a car, and that fuel costs can even exceed that, and you can see why
the one thing people can hope to change is the fuel portion cost - and that
by changing their vehicle choice.
There are a number of highly efficient vehicles available - but - you can
not often find them to even go for a test drive! this means that Dealers
do not even believe in the benefits of having such vehicles around for their
own use, let alone - for demonstration to the potential buyer. There is fast
approaching a tipping point in the price of fuel where more than 5% of the
buyers will change their choice of vehicles based on this one point alone,
and then another point where an additional 10% will change their decision,
and so on. As the fuel portion of the equation accelerates, dealers will
soon be caught un-able to provide for the customer, as they will not be ready
with any inventory!
Below are some articles that explain points of this exposition:
| News Articles |
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Web Sites |
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Oli-Rich Alberta Embraces Solar Power - EDMONTON, Alberta, June 30, 2006
|
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Environmental News Service |
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Where the Cars Run on Sugar Cane - Could America Run on Corn?
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soultek.com |
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Power, Plugs and People - June 14, 2006: Toyota Warms Up to PHEVs -- Or Not
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EAA-PHEV.org |
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Toyota doubling hybrid model range - Posted Jun 13th 2006
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autoblog.com |
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China's Cyclists Take Charge - Electric Bicycles are selling by the Millions
|
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soultek.com |
| MSN
Money - May 7, 2004: Gas Prices Make Car Shoppers Change Their
Minds |
|
Electric Vehicles
International |
| MSN
News and Advice: If Less is More, can Smaller be Smarter? |
|
Turbonator.com |
| EV
World News: Two-Wheel or Not Two-Wheel? |
|
AC
Propulsion |
| EV
World News: Time to Leapfrog Hybrids |
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ZAP World |
| EV
World News: Some new Prius owners ordering cars before even driving
them |
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GreenerCars.com |
| WWF
Learning: Towards the ultimate eco-car? |
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hybridcars.com |
| Mercury
News: Gas prices hit record in state, U.S. |
|
eliica.com |
| EV
World News: Hybrid Sales at Critical Point |
|
drivingthefuture.com |
| EV
World News: Defeating Oil |
|
Solectria |
| EV
World News: Windpower on the Verge |
|
Electro Automotive Electric
Car Conversions |
| IAGS: Plug-in Hybrid
Vehicles |
|
Homepower.com |
| EPRI:
Outlook Promising for Advanced Batteries for Electric
Vehicles |
|
Feel Good
Cars |
| ZAP
Newsroom: Save Gas, Save Money, Buy A ZAP Electric Car |
|
CalCars
(Kudos) |
| Spectrum
Online: The Smart Hybrid - DaimlerChrysler's plug-in hybrid electric
Van |
|
Car
Stuff |
| EV
World News: Eliica: Eight-wheeled Wonder |
|
40mpg.org
|
| CalCars: All
About Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) |
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Solarcogeneration.com
|
| EV
World News: Renault Electric Kangoo Can Do |
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Sustainablebusiness.com
|
| EV
Rental-GREEN GARAGE: Study Says Plugged-In Cars Now Have a Built-In
Market |
|
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| emagazine.com:
It’s Electric! Two Wheels and a Plug-In Motor |
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| NBC
Columbus: Demand For Popular Hybrid Cars Increase |
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| Capital
News: Buyers turning to fuel-efficient cars |
|
| Silican
Valley Business Journal: Costs of electric-drive cars could near conventional
cars |
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| Austin
Business Journal: Cap Metro plugs in to hybrid cars |
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| TwinCities:
A passion fueled by mileage |
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| The
Journal Times: Hybrid drivers may enjoy the last laugh |
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| Forbes.com:
Price-At-Pump Whining Gets Louder |
|
| Solar
Access.com: Hybrid Electric Vehicle Registrations up 25.8% |
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| ToledoBlade.com:
Soaring gasoline prices drive interest in hybrid cars, area dealers
report |
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| Billings
Gazzette.com: Couple revved up over new hybrid car (Honda
Insight) |
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| Channel
5 Oklahoma: Hybrid Cars Selling Quickly In Metro |
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| DaytonaBeach
News: Gas prices have consumers waiting in line for hybrids |
|
| Montgomery
Alabama wsfa.com: Hybrid Cars Help Motorists Save on
Gasoline |
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| The
Desert Sun: Consumers urged to trade in gas mowers for
electric |
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| Eau
Claire: Electric Demand: Drivers Wait for Hybrids |
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| Hot
Hybrids: Fuel Efficient, Environmentally Friendly and No Plug
Needed |
|
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| Electrifying
Transportation: Georgia Tech is helping design the electric and electric-hybrid
vehicles of tomorrow |
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| Toyota
Expands Hybrid Lineup with Minivan |
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What If You Had to Build a Socially Responsible SUV? |
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If you don't think it's good to use a Hybrid car today, under what conditions
whould it make sence for you to switch from your current vehicle to the Insight,
Civic, or Prius? How about the Hybrid Sierra or Silverado?
Some shortcuts - websites listing Gas Prices:
www.ontariogasprices.com and
www.gasbuddy.com