| |
That Roller Coaster Ride of Automakers..
By Tracy Dawson
At the moment, automakers are either living their dream or struggling hard to exit from their nightmare. How are they to linger with the fruits of labor at hand? How are they to break free?
According to analysts, the automotive industry is not just driving on rough terrains – it is in fact, riding a roller coaster. With the ups and downs, the thrill and the goose bumps – certainly, being an automaker is one heck of a roller coaster ride.
"It's like the U.S. housing market," said Marc N. Scheinman, professor of marketing at the Lubin School of Business of Pace University. "Where we trade up in houses, the Venezuelans trade up in cars, and it's like having gold."
General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, meanwhile, are racing to augment production at their assembly plants nonetheless; they are still falling behind demand. "Our global revenue is up and is, in fact, at record levels," Robert A. Lutz, G.M.'s vice chairman, said in a recent interview in Detroit. That is true in large part because G.M.'s sales are growing 30 percent annually in China, he said.
Ford is about to start another roller coaster ride. The automaker is now busy promoting its new Super Duty, which is manufactured with brawny and sophisticated Ford truck body parts. Toyota, on one hand, is on the ecstatic part of the roller coaster ride. In fact, fluctuations in gasoline prices and the shift of the automotive market to compact cars did not affect much its automaker's prominent standing in sales reports.
One perceived edge of Toyota's strategies, which include the manufacture of only few Toyota towing mirrors, is the efficiency of workflow. Other automakers manufacture overwhelming designs of mirrors to their detriment.
In other countries, people with the right budget in their pockets might buy houses. But in Venezuela, is a different story. In said territory, a soaring market has made homes too expensive for most. Hence, people are purchase cars rather than houses, as investments. "A car is a good investment because it will have more value in little time," said Gustavo Díaz, 34, owner of a Chevrolet Optra.
In the United States, the vehicle market is 57 times more than that of Venezuela's. Moreover, the bottom line is to produce more without sacrificing quality and safety. Nowadays, people are not necessarily purchasing cars just to drive. They purchase as if it were an investment of a starting investor.
About the Author
Tracy is a 29 year old researcher and writer from Dallas, Texas with extensive experience in writing auto-related articles and covering automotive related events. She is currently a contributing writer for a leading automotive e-zine.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/42205.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/42205.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Tracy Dawson | Toyota Formulates Anti-drunk Driving System
Toyota is formulating an anti-drunk system that detects drunken drivers via steering wheel-based sensors. The sensors detect the alcohol content of drivers through their sweat. If ...
Chrysler Groups Recalls 62,400 Vehicles For Brake Failure
Chrysler Group is recalling about 62,400 vehicles because their braking system may fail to work. Among the vehicles to be recalled are the 2007 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles.
The recall is ...
CR-V, Watch Out For The Nissan Rogue
Should the Honda CR-V be on the verge of extinction? Or should the Honda CR-V doubt the new claims that there is going to ...
Trailhawk From Jeep Enters NAIAS Scene
Many people are interested and many are quite on the lookout as per the kind of new vehicles the Jeep brand would be sending out to the industry. After all, despite having quite a ...
IIHS Crash Tests Downgrade Subcompacts
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released its most recent crash-test ratings but did not endorse any models evaluated. Instead, said institute urged auto consumers to stick with bigger, heavier vehicles because they ...
GM Ready For LA Auto Show
The Los Angeles Auto Show is already raring and preparing to start. Everything seems to be all set. After all, the organizers behind ...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
