Pay Up...

The automobile industry has recently been reformed and now prospering on American soil, credited to the policies of the Obama administration and the government. But these do reforms costs and with the economy still not up to par, cars will begin to cost as well, used cars to be the exact.

The trend can be explained in the following statement. There is a shortage of used cars, combined with higher demand from buyers who have lost a job, wrecked their credit scores or just become more frugal resulting in a narrowed the gap between new- and used-car prices. According to edmunds.com, the price of an used has risen 33 percent compared to new cars where the price has risen only 9 percent. The average price was $2,124 but a whopping $8,495.

During the recession, new car sales plummeted almost 6 million from 2008 to 2010. Though the sales are recovering, this caused for fewer cars to brought onto the market and people hanging onto their vehicles longer since cars, in general, are less affordable.

The used cars were and still are hard to come by as a result, causing independent and major car dealerships to suffer and raise prices. The used cars being sold to them are even depreciated, but some car owners do a better job than others of maintaining their vehicles and usually receive more than the trade-in values published on the cars they trade in.

The bright side again is that the automobile industry is turning around and cars are being depreciated at a slower rate. With car sales expected to rise to over 125 million, the future is bright for used cars sellers and the automobile industry.

The Turkey Run...

We all that there is no Thanksgiving without turkey. But down in Daytona Beach, Florida, there is no Thanksgiving without the Turkey Run, an annual three day car show where many show-off, trade, or sell antique, classic, American muscle cars and hot rods.

Tourists can view the finest of American vehicles on the world's most famous beach's streets and strips. They are filled with rebuilt "old school" Chevrolet, Ford, and Pontiac vehicles. Many also cruise the Florida streets displaying classic Harley Davidson motorcycles and choppers. Daytona Beach is home to the world's largest Harley dealership.

The event has been going on for "Lord knows how long", according to car enthusiasts Jake Decker, also the owner of a red and black striped 1967 Chevy Camero he labels "Duster". As he showed me all the features of his vehicle, he stated, "Its just a good time. You come down here and enjoy Thanksgiving on the beach and a bunch of beautiful automobiles."

The largest gathering during the Turkey Run is held at the famous Daytona International Speedway, home one of Nascar's most significant races, the Daytona 500. Spectators, ranging for little children to elderly adults, pay an admission of $15 to view all vehicles brought to Daytona Beach, Florida and again, trade, sell, or show off.

Daytona Beach is city which generates a ton of money from tourism so the event one of Daytona's famous and will continue to be. Plus, there's food, ton a fun for family and friends, and great way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Its Electric...

Formula Racing has been making huge, and I mean huge strives lately. The most recent brings the popular foreign form of racing to American soil and rebirthing the United States Grand Prix set to debut in Austin, Texas on November 18th. The league has also looked to plant seeds in other major cities like San Francisco as early as 2013, but recently scrapped a plan to hold races in New Jersey in 2014. Now, Spanish businessman and owner of the 2008 team championship winning Barwa Addax GP2 Series Team Alejandro Agag is looking to turn the racing world upside down.

Agag's lastest innovation will be titled the Formula E Championship. It not only creates a competitor for the well-known Ecclestone's Formula One racing, but starts what many view as the future of motorsports. The "E" stands for electric, meaning all vehicles will have the much debated electrical engines instead of the standard combustion ones. The races will be an hour long, consisting of three segments, and battery life limits will mean drivers change cars during two planned pit stops. Drivers will drive at low-decibels through city centers around the planet instead of the world's famed circuits in Formula One.

A league consisting of fully equipped electrical cars seems like wishful thinking to most, but the London based Formula E Holding ownership group, headed by Agag and his billionaire business partner Enrique Banuelos, have already received approval and commercial licensing from the International Automobile Federation (FIA). It has entertained interest from sport's top sponsors, drivers, and owners. The opening season for Formula E racing with ten racing teams could come as early as 2014. The field will expand to fourteen in 2015. The problem is no one has officially bought in yet. FEH has negotiated with 30 perspective groups. The most notable, however, is the McLaren Group, who already owns a Formula One racing team valued by Forbes at $800 million.

It makes logical sense for automative groups to get involved with Formula E racing for the low initial cost and use of Formula E's research and development in their future consumer vehicles. By hosting races on city streets, similar to those in Formula One, Formula E will become the testing grounds for advances and further emphasize its association with the future of clean-energy road cars. Agag also argues, "“it’s an opportunity for companies to put their money where their mouth is” when it comes to improving the environment and advancing towards affordable, renewable energy sources.

Is Agag's endeavor the future of the automative world? If the all goes as planned and 2014 is the start Formula E racing, that question will surely be entered.

Return To Sender?

Toyota Motor Co. recently announced the world's largest recall in the past sixteen years after recalling a total of 7.43 million vehicles worldwide due to the potential risk of fire.

This the largest safety-related action imposed by Toyota since 2009 when it began a series of recalls lasting until 2011 due to the risk of unintended acceleration, risky floor mats, and a number of safety issues. The automaker recalled a total of 14 million vehicles. Additionally, it is also the largest single recall since 1996 when Ford Motor Co. recalled 7.9 million vehicles because a faulty ignition module. The vehicles included in this year's recall focus on hundreds of thousands of 2007-2009 Camry and Rav-4 models. Since some of the vehicles were sold under the Toyota produced Scion brand as well, other models include the xD and xA, some of the brands most popular and recent vehicles.

The affected Toyota vehicles have a potentially defective power window switch on the driver's side. In regards to the problem, a Toyota spokesperson says drivers "may experience a 'notchy' or sticky feel during operation. If commercially available lubricants are applied to the switch in an attempt to address the 'notchy' or sticky feel, melting of the switch assembly or smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances."

Prior to this recent recall, Toyota recalled several vehicles in February due to the same switch after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it will would investigate the issue. The NHTSA has received 200 issues in regards to the defective switch including fires, but no crashes or injuries. The recall puts an unwanted spotlight on the Toyota company. Along with Honda, the automaker is now in the race to lead the recall list in 2012. To check if your Toyota or Scion is involved in the recall, vist Toyota's recall page.

De El Camino...

One of my top 2 favorite vehicles of all time is the Chevrolet El Camino. My grandfather introduced it to me when I was 8 years old, but on this day in 1958, the vehicle was introduced and sold to the world by Chevrolet. The El Camino ads displayed the slogan "the most beautiful thing that ever shouldered a load!" and rightfully so since the vehicle was a combination of a sedan pick-up truck built on an Impala body and featured cat-eye taillights and "dramatic" rear fins. However, it wasn't the first of its kind. It was inspired by the Ford Ranchero, not the first "car-truck" ever but the first on American soil. Ever since the 30s, Australian farmers drove around "utes" in its outback. Legend has it that a farmer's wife from Victoria wrote Ford Austrialia and asked the company to build a vehicle that combined a car and a truck that "carried her to church on Sunday and her husband's pigs to the market on Saturday". Thus, a low slung sedan based vehicle with a rough and tumble pickup back was designed and created by Ford engineer Lewis Brandt. The "utes" were a huge success overseas, but not so much in America. In fact, the Ford Ranchero, which had been on the market two years prior to the El Camino, was a steady, decent seller while the first manifestation of the El Camino was discontinued two years later. It wasn't until Chevrolet introduced a newer version in 1964 when the model and "utes" made a slight impact on the American automobile industry. However, with a built in, more powerful SS engine, the 1968 El Camino would make the vehicles one of the most iconic in the late 60s and early 70s. The El Camino was discontinued in 1987, but almost reincarnated by several companies such as Pontiac and GM. But in current times, the El Camino remains an American muscle classic.

Its A Bird, Its A Plane, No... Its A SuperCar?

The highlight of the automobile industry this past weekend was the 2012 Paris Motor Show, one of the most significant auto shows in the world. Established in 1898 by industry pioneer Albert de Dion, the biennial Paris Motor show held around October has been known for displaying new automobile production and debuting new car concepts. With the event scheduled to last until October 14th, top tier automaker such as Ferrari, Bugatti, Maserati, Bentley, Lamborghini, and more are expected to display their finest and newest innovations. But automaker McLaren's first ever auto show appearance has already left attendees in a state of awe after debuting the world's new supercar, the McLaren P1.

The creators at the McLaren company are striving to turn this "97 percent final" design exercise into the world's most superlative automobile on the road and the track. According to some experts, it might be the world's fatest accelerating vehicle money will be able to buy. As the sucessor to McLaren's legendary F1 supercar, the McLaren makers initially designed the P1 to prioritize aerodynamic performance spending many hours in a wind tunnel and using computational fluid dynamics aerodynamic modeling, just like vehicles in Formula 1 racing. McLaren boasts the P1 develops in excess of 1,320 pounds of downforce before reaching top speed and claims its frontal area is smaller than any other supercar on the market. McLaren makers also promise sub-three second 0-62 mph sprints. However, the source of power for the light P1 remains a mystery. Many assume included in the design's features would be a 3.8-Liter twin turbo V-8 engine with a higher-performance spec and tune. With an additional KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) energy storage and power boost, the results could be up to 800 horsepower or more. The P1 also features a drag reduction system to reduce downforce and increase straight line speed as well as a large rear wing that boost downforce and optimizes aerodynamics. Did I mention the sexy orange and black exterior painting that covers the new MonoCage structure that consists of carbon fiber monocoque and roof structure? My Lord.

The car is expected to go on sale around the company's anniversary 50th anniversary next year for the price of between 700,000 and 800,000 pounds, about $1.1-1.2 million in US money. Have fun picking up your jaw or adjusting your facial expressions after viewing images of the McLaren P1 above and below.

This Day In History...

On September 26, 1928, work first began at Chicago's new Galvin Manufacturing Company with five employees in one-half of the first floor of a rented building. It would be in under this company where businessman Paul Galvin and a group of inventors would change the way Americans ride in automobiles forever.

Galvin's career, a Illinois native, attests to the statement, "If at first you dont succeed, try, try again." He actually started his business ventures years before founding the Galvin Manufacturing Company. In 1921, two years after returning home from World War I, Galvin along with his friend Edward Stewart started a storage-battery factory in Marshfield, Wisconsin. However, the factory did not last long at all due to location and high shipping costs, going out of business only two years later. The two tried to establish their battery business again, this time in the prospering city of Chicago in 1926 but that too would go out of business soon after. Fortunately before their bad luck, the partners formed a way for home radios, a popular object in the 20s and 30s, to draw power from an electrical wall outlet calling it the dry battery eliminator. The head of Sears and Roebuck encouraged Galvin to re-establish himself in business of making the eliminator so that Sears and other companies can buy them. It wasn't long before Galvin bought back the eliminator part of his bankrupt company and went back into business, establishing the Galvin Manufacturing Company. However, Galvin's attention would soon shift to the car-radio business after the manufacturing company was barely surviving more on the repair of eliminators than the sales of them.

The first car radios, actually portable "travel radios" powered by batteries, were priced at $250 a piece, an equivalent to $2800 in present day dollars. This was very expensive to the average driver in the 20s. Galvin figured if he can obtain a way to mass produce affordable car radios, he could be rich. The company began to prosper after producing small AC sets for sale to multiple business firms. However, Galvin tried something new and enlisted the help of Elmer Wavering and William Lear, who later invented the eight-track cartridge system held standard in all Ford vehicles during the late 60s, to retrofit his Studebaker with a radio. They all would drive a whopping 800 miles to the Radio Manufacturers Association's annual meeting in Atlantic City, park outside the convention, and turn the music all the way up in hopes of drawing patrons to order their latest creation. A few came through. Galvin sold his radios at the price $110, enough to break even for the year. In 1930, he would change the company's name to Motorolla and car radios became the cornerstone of the company's early success.