Archive for April, 2010

Car Choice Reflects Presidential Vote

As we await the results of the biggest US Presidential Election we have ever seen, I have found an interesting article on how car choice reflects how Americans vote.

Kelley Blue Book Market Research surveyed almost 12,000 US car owners and how they planned to vote in the election. They found that owners of larger trucks and traditional luxury cars are more likely to vote for John McCain, while owners of hybrids and station wagons are more likely to vote for Barack Obama.

Backers of Arizona senator McCain typically own American brands – GMC (61%), Chevrolet (60%), Buick and Dodge (58%). McCain voters are also more likely to drive luxury brands like Lexus and BMW.

Barack Obama followers prefer imported vehicles, with the most popular being the Mini with 70%, Subaru (61%) and Saab (59%).

McCain supporters are most likely to drive full size trucks and SUVs, while Obama voters drive station wagons, hatchbacks and hybrids.

Rick Wainschel from Kelley Blue Book said “Car ownership says a lot about a person, and can even be an indicator who they are likely to vote for”. I do agree with this to an extent. While all this data may seem like a sweeping generalisation, some of it does make sense.

Sales of domestic and large trucks (McCain) are higher in traditionally Republican ‘red’ states whilst import and hybrid owners are predominantly located in Democratic ‘blue’ states.

Wired Blog claims all American brands like GMC and Chevrolet, as favoured by McCain followers, represent a blue collar ethic and fit with McCain’s image as a war hero with years of experience.

Throughout the campaign, Obama has stressed the importance of renewable energy, so it’s not surprising that eco-conscious hybrid car owners would vote for him.

So while some of it makes sense, I’m sure there are a lot of exceptions to the rule. I imagine a lot of American car choices reflect personal budgets and need for space rather than their voting preference.

2010
04/02
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Why Porsche Excels in the Automobile Industry

Among Porsche’s range of renowned sports and luxury cars are the 911, the Boxster, the Cayenne, and the Cayman. The 911 is reputed to be the most popular car made by Porsche. It is considered as the dream car of every sports car enthusiast. Porsche is reported to be releasing in the market eco-friendly hybrid cars in the near future.

The company’s success in manufacturing high-quality cars can be attributed to its innovative engineering and craftsmanship. Cars made by Porsche are known to execute well in the race tracks. Its cars are elegantly designed while having a superior engine performance. Porsche still continues to pioneer in developing new race cars, thanks to its top-rated engineering capabilities.

Porsche has indicated that it is soon to launch a hybrid version of its Cayenne and Panamera models. These hybrid cars will run under reduced fuel consumption with electric motors being installed. The carmaker said the hybrid car’s performance will be superb. The Cayenne hybrid, which will use a 34kW electric motor, is expected to be launched sometime this year or early next year. The Panamera hybrid will be introduced around 2010. The same technology in the Cayenne hybrid will be used in the Panamera version.

Since its founding in the 1930s, Porsche has become an icon in the automobile industry today. Its products are highly acclaimed even by its rivals. The company is now a leader in the industry. Porsche is now doing consultancy services to some of its competitors including Harley-Davidson, Daewoo and Subaru. These companies seek the services of Porsche in developing and designing their own models.

Recently, the Stuttgart, a Germany-based carmaker increased its stake in Volkswagen A.G., another popular German car manufacturer especially popular with contract hire users. It now owns around 30% of shares in Volkswagen, although observers are saying the company may have owned more. German laws do not allow a stockholder to own more than 30% of shares in Volkswagen. Porsche is determined to take over control of the Volkswagen firm. It is interesting to note, meanwhile, that Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche created the first Volkswagen car. He designed the Type 32 model, the predecessor of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Darrell F writing about Porche contract hire including Porsche Boxster leasing deals.

2010
04/02
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