Friday 24 June 2011

Things you need to know about Auto moving insurance

Car shipping from one place to another can be a tedious task, however this task becomes easy if the companies provides an insurance for your valuable car incase your valuable car is insured. Insurance relieves almost the burden of loss incase any uncertain events occur. Almost all the companies engaged in car moving provide the insurance facility for the object to be transported; however the coverage range differs from one company to another. Hence it is better to do some research before you decide on company which will transport your vehicle.

Any auto transport company which has a license of auto transporting activities will have cargo and insurance liability also. It is important that your car needs to have a clear idea about the insurance coverage because if your car gets damaged on the road then in such a situation you will definitely require the insurance coverage. However this is not something that is going to happen certainly but it is always better to be safe than to worry in the future. The first step which you can probably take to make sure that your vehicle is insured or not is to ask the auto transporters to show you the documents, and please do remember that if you are going to feel shy now then you would definitely repent in future. Don't be obliged until you don't see the documents with your own eyes, oral promises should not given any room for consideration in such cases it is always better that you ask for proofs. Incase there are any doubts still persisting then there is no harm in double checking with the insurance company of the auto transporters.


Shipping Rates Calculator : Car transport shipping rates Calculator

Thursday 23 June 2011

Just know the type of Vehicle Transporter my Car Shipped on

Generally, your car will transport on an OPEN car hauler that may fit 8-10 cars. These are the types of trailers hardened to transport new vehicles to automotive dealerships for shipping. The trucks are much larger than cargo moving vans or semi trailers. They only permissible 80,000 lbs weight maximum together with truck, trailer and cargo by DOT regulations. So it is essential to note that average car weight of (2,500) lbs (not including SUV's) joint with the average weight of the truck/trailer (45,000) lbs is generally at capacity. Therefore, personal items that put in extra weight should never left in your vehicle.

An ENCLOSED Carrier is somewhat different and forever much safer and normally more costly. An enclosed vehicle transporter may only fit 4-6 cars depending height/length and is much larger than moving vans and semi trailers. They are ready with a hydraulic lift gate for ease of loading/unloading for all auto transporting. The vehicle held in place by a nylon wheel strap (soft-tie down) while transported on air-ride suspensions trailers to cushion the travel through rough roads. Remember because of the height of these trucks, and lack of maneuverability, they may not pass through onto rural streets or areas that may have low hanging streets or low clearance bridges. It may be probably for you to meet the driver at a designated place or make use of a local service with a flatbed to arrive at your exact location for pick-up or drop-off by your car shipping.

When you thumb all the way through the phone book or search the Internet for auto or car shippers for shipping your vehicle from one place to another, you may come across a few places advertising "5 free quotes or auto shipping brokerage". However, take note that these companies do not ship the vehicles themselves for transport or for shipping. In its place, they work as clearinghouses for the companies that in actuality do the transporting for any car, auto or vehicle shipping.

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Sports car buyers cite fuel economy as top factor for first time

 For the first time, sports car buyers say they are taking fuel economy into consideration as one of the top 10 factors in deciding on a vehicle, a new annual survey says.

That's just one of the surprising findings in the the New Vehicle Customer Study from Maritz Research, which has been conducted for more than 30 years.

Ford, which provided the results, says they show that 42% of people surveyed say fuel economy is "extremely important" in their decision to purchase new 2011 models. That's a 13.5% increase compared with 10 years ago. In fact, 37% say fuel economy will be the biggest factor in choosing a new car. That number goes up for drivers under age 30, four of 10 of whom cite fuel economy as the chief factor.

Ford touted the findings as a way of underscoring that it is trying to increase the fuel economy of its cars across the board, even in beasts like that Mustang Boss 302 in the photo.

Monday 20 June 2011

A more-fun A1


Compact, convenient and comprehensively tuned, that's the A1 ABT in its new and most sporty form, with an latest engine that produces 154kW.

This makes the ABT A1 a genuine sports car, as tuning house founder Hans-Jurgen Abt stresses: "Even the series standard version of the car is a lot of fun in particular on winding roads – and it is precisely for this reason that we have focused on providing extra power.

"The performance improvement increases the car's agility and fits its driving characteristics perfectly."

Abt, who is the general manager of the world's largest tuner of vehicles from the Volkswagen Group, knows what makes a sporty car: "It doesn't just need to have good throttle response, but the handling has to be right too.

"You should always look forward to your next trip with the A1," Abt says.

The ABT A1 is not just a "cornering beast", but is also at home on long motorway journeys.

With a top speed of nearly 240km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100km/h of 6.6-seconds, the compact sports car is quick enough for every situation.

Its internal "premium values" already make it a suitable travel vehicle, but now it also has real ABT power.

The design for the ABT A1 is intended to be bold and fresh, says Abt, adding that he recommends the new ABT DR 18-inch alloy or the Z Titan wheel, which is available in 17 or 18 inch, for this car. Both are of course also available in combination with fitting sports tyres.

The ABT Double-pipe sports rear muffler rounds everything off visually and acoustically, while the ABT Springs also help to exploit the potential of the powerful A1.

Lotus gears up to join China's sports-car pack

BEIJING - Lotus Cars Ltd announced its official foray into China on Wednesday, seeing the huge potential from China's surging super sports-car market.

The British sports-car maker has authorized Symphony Lotus Ltd as its importer and distributor around the nation with the launch of a new logo tailor-made for the Chinese market.

"The entry into the Chinese market is an important step for us to improve and perfect our global strategy. I believe China's strong economy, as well as the Chinese younger generation and newly rich's enthusiasm for niche sports cars will further fuel our business," said Dany Bahar, chief executive officer of Lotus.

According to the Hurun Wealth Report 2011 released in April, China is close to having 1 million millionaires with personal wealth of 10 million yuan ($1.54 million) or more.

Zhang Lichen, chief executive officer of Symphony Lotus, told China Daily that the first dealership and showroom for Lotus will open in October in Beijing, to be followed by others in Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou later in the year.

"We are investing in new dealerships throughout China to not only introduce the Evora, Elise and Exige, but also in preparation for the arrival of new Lotus sports cars, starting with the Esprit in 2013," Zhang said.

He also said that Lotus intends to sell 200 cars in China this year and plans eight additional dealerships in 2012.

China has become the focal point of the automobile industry not only because it replaced the United States as the No 1 global market in sales, but also because it has become the most promising market for luxury cars, especially super sports cars, showing the highest growth rate.

Fears of radioactive cars in Australia


A BOATLOAD of 800 cars arriving in Sydney from Japan will be tested for radiation by the nuclear watchdog after other Japanese vehicles were found to be radioactive.

The move is the first Australian test of non-food exports from the fallout-ravaged Asian nation, and marks a turn-around in position for the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.

Officials from ARPANSA will board the cargo ship Trans Future 7 when it docks in Port Kembla on Thursday, after picking up 700 Toyotas and 100 other cars from the Japanese port of Yokohama.

Thirty of those vehicles are used cars, which the maritime union fears could have been in areas affected by the March earthquake and tsunami that damaged nuclear reactors along the Japanese east coast.

The officials will use hand-held radiation detectors and will also take surface samples from spots where people in Japan could have touched the vehicles.

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Previously, the agency had said such tests were unnecessary. However, after intense pressure from dock workers and the discovery in Chile of low levels of radioactivity in cars shipped from Yokohama, ARPANSA said it will conduct the tests to reassure stevedores.

The Maritime Union of Australia said the decision was a win for both workers and the general public.

"Any risk of radiation is too big to take," Assistant Secretary Warren Smith said.

"Workers and consumers come into direct contact with these cars.

"We know from the tragedy in Japan that people are feeling the effects of radiation hundreds of kilometres away from the destroyed nuclear plant. We can't take the risk of contaminating workers."

ARPANSA's acting head of Radiation Health Peter Johnston said the agency did not expect levels of radioactivity but was taking the measure as a precaution.

"We're not expecting to find anything but what we're discussing at the moment is to go on to the ship and monitor a few vehicles before they unload, really to provide reassurance to dock workers," he said. "We'll have a range of different instruments."

Professor Johnston said that food remained the highest risk area for radioactive contamination and ARPANSA was also continuing to test exports from affected areas.

So far only one sample has been found to be radioactive, and that was below the international safety standard.