Daihatsu in Europe

Posted by admin in Daihatsu on July 14, 2011

Daihatsu has announced that it will cease selling vehicles in Europe by 2013.

In truth, the Japanese manufacturer’s presence in the European market place and particularly in the UK has been reducing over the past couple of years.

The brand has never commanded a large proportion of the European market selling less than 60,000 units in 2007 before the recession hit. This figure dropped by around two thirds in 2010 with less than 20,000 sales in Europe.

The company’s failings are more tangible in the UK – having sold around 5,000 models in Britain in 2007 and 2,300 the year after, the Japanese manufacturer managed just 170 sales last year.

When this minority share is coupled with increasing financial strains on the manufacturer and increasing CO2 restraints that are becoming more expensive to cope with, it is easy to see why Daihatsu has decided to pull the plug on its European invasion.

Poor sales and the prevailing Yen

While the value of the Euro and the British pound has dropped, the Yen has remained strong making the export of vehicles from Japan a much more expensive business than in previous years.

The appreciation of the Yen has meant Daihatsu prices are no longer competitive and without a viable customer base there seems little point in following the likes of Nissan, Toyota and Honda in establishing foreign production plants.

A similar decision was taken by Nissan when it pulled the European Cube from its line-up while Honda has lowered its 2011 sales expectations and Toyota has already shifted production of the Prius to Thailand – all to avoid the impact of the Yen.

What does that mean for Daihatsu?

The decisions taken by Nissan, Toyota and Daihatsu all agree on the fact that the strength of the Yen has made it near impossible to continue exporting from mainland Japan.

However the fact that Nissan and Toyota have initiated less dramatic changes would imply that the real reason behind Daihatsu’s retreat from Europe is in fact a reflection of its poor reputation there.

There hasn’t been any new Daihatsu stock in the UK since 2009 and there is a similar lack of demand for the brand as well.

Fortunately for Daihatsu its major market remains in Japan and for the financial year ending in March 2009 the company recorded decent overall revenues in the face of the economic climate, only experiencing a decrease of around five per cent on the previous year.

The decision to leave Europe seems to be one of damage limitation as opposed to financial necessity for Daihatsu.

David Hort currently works for a number of automotive websites including Askaprice.com writing up to date news, features, blogs and buyers guides from the motoring world.

By David Hort

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Mitsubishi i-Miev Goes on Sale

Posted by admin in Mitsubishi i-Miev on July 5, 2011

Lately any news about Mitsubishi is dominated by the i-Miev -the manufacturers’ electric plug in- and it’s no surprise as 2011 has already been touted as the year of the electric car.

The i-Miev, which goes on sale in the UK at the end of January, is the first electric vehicle to benefit from the government’s Plug-In Car Grant. The scheme introduced at the beginning of the year offers buyers up to £5,000 off the cost of an EV.

For now the i-Miev is the only EV that can be bought outright under the scheme, with the Peugeot iOn and smart for two electric drive available for lease from January. The Nissan LEAF will be available to buy from March.

The Japanese manufacturer have shipped around 2,500 units of the i-Miev to Europe, countries such as Britain, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, France and Belgium have been the first to receive the European-spec model. A total of 19 European countries are set to receive the i-Miev over the coming year.

In the UK 13 approved EV centres have been chosen, and each will have a dedicated Mitsubishi-trained EV salesman, a charging bay and a demonstration vehicle, to allow customers to experience driving and owning an EV. Two Mitsubishi dealer in London have been chosen, with the rest spanning the country.

Lance Bradley, the UK’s managing director said:’This is a really exciting time for Mitsubishi Motors and having the first mass produced fully electric vehicle in the UK market puts us at the forefront of a new era in the automotive industry.’

Luxury manufacturers such as Jaguar and Audi expected to release hybrid or electric vehicles by 2012/13.

Although manufacturers are confident that electric cars are the future, motorists skepticism about EVs is a hurdle yet to be overcome. The environmental benefits are obvious but need to be matched by short term cost efficiency and ease of use.

Amy Sawyer is an online marketing executive currently researching Mitsubishi dealer in London

By Amy Sawyer

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Buy Cheap Luxury Cars – Government Seized Auto Auctions

Posted by admin in Luxury Car on July 5, 2011

Cheap luxury cars are the best way to improve one’s image in a society. Contrary to what most people think, you don’t need to spend a lot of much money. These cheap luxury cars can be owned or rented too.

If there is any special occasion, you can just rent it for a day and return it, saving lots of money. There are plenty of companies who do this type of business and it is almost like a separate auto industry.

Many automobile companies use technology from all over the world and design their own product at low cost. Chrysler is one among those companies. It has paved a new path for luxury cars below $30,000. The most popular models are Chrysler 300 and Lexus IS 250.

In India, there are many transport companies who sell and rent luxury cars at low prices. These are usually provided for higher officials who arrive from other countries, tourists, and trade shows.

Hotels also provide their customers with luxury cars to gain utmost satisfaction. They don’t charge much for the transport and SUV’s such as Innova and Tavera are used, Mercedes for any World Bank team, and Mitsubishi’s for all Japanese visitors.

The best place to find cheap luxury cars are at Japanese auctions. There are car auctions in Japan where one can buy a used car and export it to their own country. This saves a lot of money compared to when buying a luxury at a local dealership.

The Japanese are well known for their models of Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, and Honda. They provide all the comforts, safety and equipped with the latest technology. But, it is very important to find a reliable company, which is associated with the government.

Second-hand dealers are not reliable and may be undependable. This process of buying a luxury car is very simple, it can be done online. Normally, 40,000 cars are sold daily. The only disadvantage is that the process might be very slow.

There are many things you need to know when buying a cheap luxury car to avoid fraud. Many people regret their decision after buying the car.

First thing to be taken care of is insurance. The car should be warranted, some insurance companies don’t provide insurance for used, cheap cars. Next, the luxury car and how much the car is worth should be checked. It should be scrutinized and researched carefully before buying a cheap luxury car.

If you want to learn how to buy discount cars, check out Dr Suzanne Gudakunst Top Secret Car Secret guide. You will learn how she managed to buy luxury cars consistently at 30 to 50% off the market price.

By Ryan K Lim

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