Automotive Markets Show Improvement in September

The automotive industry witnessed a slight revival through the September period, following the disappointing figures of August. The stronger sales in September are not expected to be a sign of long term rebound after the recession however, but instead more of a positive note in a long term slump.

Brian Johnson, an analyst at BarclayCapital said on Monday that an upturn in those sales at retailers would be coupled with lower sales to those who buy in bulk, such as car hire and van rental companies. However this would be a positive nod to automotive manufactures as individual sales yield a much higher profit margin then fleet sales to larger firms or companies that deal in car and van rental, leasing, or other fields.

“We continue to expect sales to remain around current levels for the remainder of 2010,” he wrote, adding that he is sticking with his forecast of 12 million in sales for next year.

September sales numbers were predicted to be in the area of 11.7 million cars, vans, and trucks, a small but still increased margin from 11.5 million in the August period.

Brian Johnson went on to say “This would make September the best retail month in two years except for August of 2009, which was artificially boosted by the government’s Cash for Clunkers rebates. The numbers will be far higher than last September, which was a depressed month because Cash for Clunkers drew out buyers who would have otherwise waited until September.”

Across the nation this week is when the automakers report their figures for the month and on a year to year ratio. These results show that although sales are down the average price of of vehicles per is on the rise which means a higher profit. It seems although less people are buying those who are value paying the price for a quality reliable car van or truck.

The general consensus over low sales volumes is that consumers are still shaken in the economy, and employment, debt, and financial security are still issues. They believe that there are a large number of people that are stepping back and waiting for prices to fall before buying.However, automotive manufactures are now reducing their overheads and still profiting even with a lower sales volume. Those waiting for lower prices might be waiting a long time.

Who Let The White Van Man Out?

If you are queuing in traffic and somebody is waiting to pull out do you let them in front of you? Chances are, if you are a decent human being and not in a hurry, you would let them out. you know what it's like to have people drive past ignoring your plight and you know what is the right thing to do. You might however base your decision on whether to let someone out on what car they are driving.

A recent survey has shown that people are least likely to let out from junctions those driving a white van. Why is it that people in commercial vehicles are our least favorite road users? Is a man driving a used van less deserving of the 'after you' hand wave? Perhaps it is because we assume that these people are being paid to drive rather than spending their leisure time trying to get somewhere?

Those driving Lorries, BMWs, Land Rovers and sports cars were also near the bottom of the list. Those most likely to get let out were Peugeot 207 and Vauxhall Astra drivers and good looking drivers in any vehicle. I wonder if good looking women in white vans get let out at junctions?

Volkswagen Lauches Free iPhone App

Volkswagen clearly understand the appeal of the iPhone app, they have just released their 4th game to the App store. The latest game has been launched to promote the new Polo BlueMotion so it isn't your typical driving game. The Volkswagen Think Blue Challenge surprisingly has nothing at all to do with Avatar...



The new Polo is part of VW's BlueMotion range which aim to be highly fuel efficient in order to be more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run. This explains why the aim of the new game is to drive as fuel efficiently as possible. It might not sound terribly exciting but it is at least different, there are hundreds of driving games and as far as I know only one focuses on fuel efficiency.



"Fishlabs [who designed the game] has implemented the concept of fuel economy not only creatively, but also in an entertaining fashion, it shows that fuel economy can also be virtual fun." - Cornelia Lenz of Volkswagen.

As mentioned earlier, this is the 4th game VW have created although they have yet to create a game featuring their vans. I would like to see a game which allowed you to customize a classic old split screen van or at least something showing all of their vans for sale. Then again maybe I'm just a van nerd!

Rat Look Vans

Normally I try and keep this blog informative by covering all the latest news in the commercial vehicles sector but sometimes that can be hard work. Although we are starting to see some slight improvement in sales and manufacturing figures sometimes it all seems to be doom and gloom! I have decided to try and include some more light-hearted posts (hence the Youtube videos)in order to lighten the mood.

You might not be familiar with the term 'rat look' when it comes to describing vans and cars but you will have seen them on your travels. A Rat van will look deliberately distressed and at first sight may appear to be falling apart. If you were offered one of these by a van hire company you would think they were winding you up but these vans can actually be worth a lot of money.

photo via vwcampervanblog.com

It is normally classic older vans and cars which people choose to customize in this way in order to emphasize their age. Despite their appearances these vehicles are normally in great working order and normally a lot cleaner inside than out! The amount of time that goes into making a van look old and decrepit can be surprising. In fact the owners of these vans will have spent a lot of time and money on the look of their vehicles in order to cultivate this look.



Some car owners will rust one panel section which I always think looks a bit daft. If you are going to reject the idea that cars should look shinny and new then you might as well go all the way and have a car which gets complaints from the neighbours!

Scrappage Scheme: 250,000 Vehicles So Far

The Governments car and van scrappage scheme is being haled as a success by some as it reaches the milestone of 250,000 cars scrapped. According to the SMMT 251,629 new cars where purchased via the scrappage scheme by the end of November 2009. This means that 21.6 percent of new cars sold in November had money off in exchange for the scrappage of a older model.

Commercial vehicle scrappage has been less significant accounting for 1.5% of the total vehicles scrapped. According to the SMMT 3,882 LCVs were traded in up until the end of November which accounted for 3.9% of new vans purchased. This could be down to the fact that used vans are popular with small businesses who cannot afford to upgrade even with the reduction in price provided by the scrappage scheme.

"Scrappage continues to have a positive impact on vehicle registrations ... it has helped to generate consumer confidence."
SMMT Chief executive Paul Everitt