Fuel Efficient Autos

If you like to drive across the country every year like me, you could get pulled over for laws that you think are crazy. I got pulled over once in Missouri for going 71 mph instead of the posted speed limit…which was 70. Apparently, the state is rather strict on their speeding laws. Following are some odd laws across the country that you should look out for, too, if you want to stay on the right side of the law.

Alabama
In case you were thinking about driving through Alabama blindfolded, think again. It’s a major moving violation in that state.

California
If you choose to let your vehicle drive itself, make sure it doesn’t go more than 60 mph. Any unattended vehicle going above 60 will be ticketed.

Idaho
Do you like to “fool around” with your spouse or partner in a parked car? In this state, the cops can break up your little escapade, but they have to flash their headlights or honk their horn at you and then give you three minutes to get dressed before they approach the car.

Kansas
It’s illegal on one particular street in Topeka to transport dead chicken bodies. What do you do when you have a big bucket of KFC?

New Jersey
Whatever you do in New Jersey, don’t plant a tree in the middle of the road. That’ll get you a big fine!

Ohio
Make sure you fill up your gas tank before driving through Youngstown. In addition to being stranded, you’ll also get a hefty ticket.

Pennsylvania
It’s illegal to pass a local Pontiac dealer without stopping in to see the deals on the inventory. Alright, I made that one up. But why not check out what’s in stock today? Some of the prices you’ll see on the lot are so low that they should be illegal!

Despite high expectations and incredibly good sales, Hyundai has lost profit due to the currency, oil prices, and a variety of other factors.

Hyundai earned 546.93 billion won ($542.1 million) in the three months ended June 30, the company said in a regulatory filing. That was 10.6% lower than the same period last year. Sales during the quarter rose 12.8 percent to 9.12 trillion won ($9.03 billion) from 8.08 trillion won.

Hyundai officials did not immediately have an answer for the decline in overall profit. The shock of the profit drop was apparent to many, even to analysts that provided a basis for yesterday’s story of expected record profits for the South Korean automaker. It turned out that nobody accounted for the possible issues with currency and costs.

In fact, the won’s 5 percent decline against the euro and dollar in the period raised the value of Hyundai’s overseas debt and forced the company to more than triple funds set aside to cover warranty costs to 252 billion won. The losses offset a 16%rise in sales of Elantra compacts, Sonata sedans and other vehicles.

The automaker’s currency-related losses totalled 150 billion won in the first half.

So regardless of the estimates and potential figures, anything can happen in the world of automotive sales. The Hyundai dealer outlets may be doing well internationally, but the decline in currency and the changes to the industry always wind up being more significant than thought. Hyundai will continue to do well in terms of sales, but must combat the changing markets.

Toyota steered itself well ahead of General Motors in global sales for the first half of 2008, putting the American automaker on notice and establishing a new order in terms of how things work in the field. General Motors certainly must be aware of the fact that the writing is, indeed, on the wall and that their focus will need an overhaul if it intends to stop the bleeding.

As it is, Toyota has learned its lessons well while other companies have faltered in the learning curve.

Toyota’s first-half sales, at 4.82 million vehicles, were 2.2% higher than a year earlier, while GM slipped by 3% to 4.54 million vehicles. The second quarter sales totalled 2.41 million for Toyota and 2.28 million for GM.

So what does GM do now? The slide in figures is obvious, as the companies were tied in terms of 2007 figures. With sales in Japan at their lowest in a quarter of a century and things not looking any better in the United States, it’s fair to say that car sales have been tough business. The average certified Toyota dealer has been suffering just as much as the General Motors dealer, except the Toyota dealer typically has more to offer today’s evolving driver.

So unless GM gets its act together and starts giving consumers more of what they want and more of what they need with rising gas prices in mind, Toyota will continue to take advantage and will continue to beat GM in sales.

South Korean’s largest automaker is looking ahead to some big profits. In fact, Hyundai may wind up reporting its biggest quarterly profit margin in two and a half years. This comes after weaker South Korean currency and after record gasoline prices boosted overseas sales of its vehicles. With this perfect storm, Hyundai is looking good in terms of automakers.

Second quarter net income in all probability rose 3.4 percent to 632 billion won, which is $621 million U.S. That’s a significant jump from 611.5 billion won a year prior. Sales likely gained 12 percent to 9 trillion won.

The automaker sold 16% more vehicles as expensive gas prices drove U.S. drivers to opt for compact cars and sedans over trucks and SUVs. The South Korean won’s 8.7% decline against the dollar also helped Hyundai contend with Toyota and Honda, which are hurt by a rise in the Japanese yen.

If things continue along this path, production and sales could be up significantly for Hyundai. The local Hyundai dealer outlets will certainly start moving more cars and the production facilities will find it cheaper to build them. It would be advisable to keep an eye on Hyundai, as many interested consumers often overlook the Korean giant in favour of Toyota or Honda.

We’ve done a series of posts talking about teen drivers and various issues related to them. But once your teenager has their license, there comes a time when you just have to “let go” and allow them some freedom. It’s not easy to cope with a teen driver in your household, but there are some ways to hold on to your sanity without locking them up in their room.

Trust your teen. If you’ve raised your teenager to be a responsible person, they will put those skills to work behind the wheel each time they drive. Trust yourself and your teenager and you might be surprised how responsible they are.

Set up firm rules, but not too restricting. Teens today have a lot of pressure, but they still need structure in their lives. Make some rules about them driving and write them down so they know exactly what’s expected of them. Consider statistics when making the rules, such as the fact that most teen drivers get into accidents between 11 PM and 5 AM. As a result, one rule could be that they don’t drive between those hours.

Let them drive with you in the car. Even after they have their license, they still need all the practice they can get. Let them take you on your errands or wherever you need to go. This will give you a chance to monitor their driving habits and “tweak” them if you need to.

Explain safety issues and features. Talk to your teen about the safety features on a vehicle. The best way to do this is to get a new or used car from your local Pontiac dealer with all of the latest features. You’ll be at ease knowing your teen driver is as safe as can be.

Hyundai is getting set to unleash a sub brand of cars in Europe under the i-Blue moniker. The i-Blue vehicles will be a version of eco-friendly models available for drivers in Europe, enabling some serious cash savings and emissions control at the same time.

For some, the cost of going “green” is significant. The updated technology, the gearboxes, the price of repairs, and other issues plague the driver of a completely “green” automobile. Many simply prefer using gas sippers or cars that are generally lighter on gas mileage.

But Hyundai’s i-Blue line aims to change all of that with its approach to the game.

The first Hyundai i-Blue model to hit European roads will be an edition of the i30, a five-door hatchback powered by a 1.6-liter CRDi diesel engine. Pricing in the UK market starts at 13,155 pounds, which is $26,275 US. The car is subject to annual registration discounts due to its low emissions, which in the end winds up reducing fees from 120 pounds ($240) to 35 pounds ($70).

As for the rest of us not lucky enough to live near a Hyundai dealer in Europe, we’ll have to stick with our old-fashioned hybrids or gas sippers until something more significant comes along. In all likelihood, it’s only a matter of time.

Toyota is planning on kicking it up a notch, again.

Toyota Motor Corp. has plans to produce 100,000 units a year of the new hybrid-only model slated for release in 2009 in southern Japan. The new car will be Toyota’s second dedicated hybrid model after the immensely popular Prius. The car will feature a 2.5 litre engine and will be sold under the company’s Lexus brand name.

The car will be built at the Toyota Motor Kyushu Inc. in the Fukuoka prefecture in Japan. The facility currently builds a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Toyota Harrier sport utility vehicle, sold as the Lexus RX outside Japan, as well as the Highlander SUV.

Toyota’s success is owed in part to their ability to change their focus and adapt their industry. Certified Toyota dealerships carry multiple types of vehicles, each one with tremendous fuel efficiency and competitive prices.

This month, Toyota announced an overhaul of its production to meet the change in demand. The SUVs and pickup trucks were out and the hybrids and “gas-sippers” were in. Toyota’s ability to reflect that change quickly and efficiently has helped in their recent success. The new hybrid will only add to that notion and will help keep Toyota at the top of the sales charts for years to come.

After reports of engine came to light, the government has started an investigation pertaining to the 2007-2008 Hyundai Elantra compact cars.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a posting on its Web site that its introductory investigation involves about 167,000 Elantras. The NHTSA said it has received four reports of engine stalling because of problems with the vehicle’s fuel pump module.

Hyundai is said to be cooperating with the NHTSA on the issue and has issued a statement saying that it was too soon to issue any conclusions about a possible safety issue. U.S. sales of the Elantra grew more than 50% in June to nearly 14,500 vehicles for the month as consumers responded to rising gas prices.

One Elantra owner said the car stalled in the fast lane of a three lane highway and caused a crash involving three cars that resulted in one injury. Three of the four reports involved vehicles with only 600 miles or less.

Whether or not there is a problem with the 2007-2008 Elantra remains to be seen, but this investigation is certainly something to keep an eye on. For more information, you can drop down to your local Hyundai dealer or check out their website for more information regarding this issue.

If you’re as old as I am (and I don’t think I’m THAT old), you probably remember the excitement of getting your driver’s license. The year you turned 15, you took a summer driving course and then practiced for a few months with the family car with your mom or dad sitting next to you. But times have changed…and so has the process for getting a license. The new Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) programs have taken effect in 45 states with Maryland being the first state to enact such laws. The laws also differ between states, but here are the basic concepts of the GDL in Pennsylvania.

• At 15 years old, a person may receive a driver’s permit if they have successfully completed a written exam first.
• Once a permit is granted, the 15-year-old may drive under the supervision of another driver who is at least 21 years old.
• The young driver cannot apply for a road test or provisional license until they have had their permit for at least six months. They must also complete at least 50 hours of driving during this time.
• If, after that time period, the student then successfully completes a driving test, they are granted provisional license.

Here are the restrictions of a provisional license:

• The driver cannot operate a vehicle between 11 PM and 5 AM
• There must be a seatbelt for every passenger in the vehicle
• The driver must not drink and drive

The restrictions are lifted when the driver turns 18 or if the driver has completed 12 months of driving without any accidents or traffic violations.

Do you have a teen driver who is itching to get behind the wheel of a car? Why not let them drive in style and impress their friends with a new or pre-owned vehicle from your local Pontiac dealer. With one of the cars from their inventory, your teen will be the envy of the neighborhood and you’ll be the best parents on the block!

Many people think of Hyundai as a relative veteran in the United States, but the car company out of South Korea has only been selling vehicles in America since 1986. And since 1986, Hyundai has come a long way. They started out with only one sales model available: the Excel. The Excel was based on an archaic model design that they had purchased from Mitsubishi and, needless to say, it did not impress the locals.

Fast-forward to 2008-2009’s model year and we’re looking at a vastly different company. Case in point: the brand spankin’ new Hyundai Sonata for ’09. This mofo first debuted in 1989 and was one of Hyundai’s best-selling cars for quite some time. With the updated 2009 model, the Sonata looks to once again claim the top spot as one of Hyundai’s greatest and grandest.

The base 2009 Sonata, the GLS model, starts at a sensible $18,120 and the loaded top-of-the-line Limited starts at $25,670.

The base engine on the Sonata is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 175 horsepower. The transmission is a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. The 3.3-liter V-6, which comes standard with the Limited, has 249 horsepower and comes with a five-speed automatic transmission.

Drop on by your local Hyundai dealer today for a look at this impressive model.