Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers

In the middle of the economic downturn and amid fears of worsening conditions for automakers, it’s tough to find a company that has much confidence in its production. Further to that, it’s tough to find a company that holds an air of confidence in regards to its sales, production, and overall operations. But Hyundai is just such a company and they aren’t letting a little bit of turmoil rock the boat.

Hyundai has grown from a one product company into the fifth largest manufacturer in the world. Whether in Canada or the United States or in other global markets, the company is keeping a positive attitude at the forefront of all of its promotions and marketing decisions. CEOs are putting positive spins on company growth and the new products being introduced to the markets.

Hyundai Canada CEO Steve Kelleher recently told the Ottawa Citizen that the company in Canada is doing great and that there were lots of exciting things on the horizon. “Year to date, sales are up 10% over last year. We’re outperforming the industry and that’s always good. We expect to finish up 10% over the whole year, which means we will have had our best year ever,” he said.

To see how well Hyundai is doing in your area, drop by your Doylestown Hyundai dealer today.

Honda opened and dedicated its first factory in Indiana recently and the ceremony was a testament to the economic struggles and the idea of renewing business ventures during this trying times. Honda President and Chief Executive Takeo Fukui told a crowd of onlookers that the plant was being opened in challenging times and that the factory represents the resolve of Honda as a car company.

“We face a difficult economy, but at Honda we have always understood that challenging times represent opportunity,” Fukui said.

Honda is hoping to use the Indiana factory to turn out lots of Honda Civic sedans for the fuel-efficient car buyers of North America. The company plans to make 200,000 gasoline powered Civics a year by operating two shifts at the factory. Honda also said it would shift production of a compressed natural gas version of the Civic to Greensburg by around the middle of 2009 from a plant in East Liberty, Ohio.

The opening and plant dedication serve as reminders of Honda’s continued presence in the automotive field. The car company is looking to continue to expand while others might be pulling away, enabling consumers to get good deals on Honda vehicles and keeping Honda dealerships in business for as long as possible. With other companies thinking about bankruptcy or bailouts, Honda is looking to dealerships like the Doylestown Honda dealer to make moves to keep things going strong.

The race to the bottom line is an interesting one and the current economic situation in the world is turning out some interesting rivalries. In terms of the automotive industry, Hyundai and Nissan are going at it pretty hard to determine the world’s cheapest car. As a point of clarification, the “cheapest” car is meant in price only.

At press time, the 2009 Nissan Versa was sitting with a price tag of $9,990. But Hyundai was quick to act and placed its 2009 Hyundai Accent with a tag of $9,970 after slicing $1,100 from the MSRP. The new price applies to the three-door GS model with a five-speed manual transmission. Sound pretty hot? It is. Hyundai’s move is a right one in the eyes of this analyst and it may begin a snowball effect as companies begin a race to the bottom, so to speak.

This could mean that we are in for an influx of affordable, quality-made vehicles like the Accent and the Versa. Both vehicles are excellent cars, making the deals that much more compelling. It isn’t as though Hyundai or Nissan have trotted out some lemons to foist on the population. Instead, the Accent and Versa are quality, affordable family vehicles.

So whether Hyundai, Nissan, or another car company wins this race to the cheapest vehicle, the consumer will benefit. For more on Hyundai’s entry, drop by your local Lansdale Hyundai dealer today.

It’s tough to flourish in this financial times, especially if you’re a car company. But somehow, Honda is managing to jump ahead of the herd in these times of economic uncertainty and has managed to actually set a new production record for the month of October.

In announcing its production summary today, Honda stated that October 2008 experienced a year-on-year increase for the second consecutive month, setting an all-time record for the month of October. According to MarketWatch, production in regions outside of Japan experienced a year-on-year decrease for the first time in two months, though production in North America set an all-time record for any month and production in Asia and China set all-time records for the month of October.

With Honda setting all-time records in production and seeing year-on-year increases for consecutive months, this is extremely good news for car companies. Many are claiming that good domestic sales and the popularity of models like the Honda Fit and the Freed are leading to this economic spike in Honda Motor Co.

Regardless of the overall cause, Honda is certainly doing something right. The car company is assured continued success in these tough times if it sticks to the program and continues to produce quality automobiles that people are actually interested in driving. For more, check out your local Lansdale Honda dealer.

For those interested in buying a car, you might consider yourselves a rare breed at this point and time. We are perhaps in the middle of a period of time in our history in which buying a car is no longer fashionable, practical, or affordable. But that doesn’t mean you can’t change those trends with a simple, smart purchase from an automaker known worldwide for environmental contributions, affordability, and style. Of course, I’m talking about Honda.

And perhaps no other car exemplifies what I mean than the upcoming Honda FC Sport.

Honda has just unveiled this fuel-cell concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show to a crowd of curious onlookers. The vehicle is a hydrogen-powered three-seater and represents the future of the industry in bold, stylish design. It is a sleek machine, no doubt about it, and the zero emissions come with no compromise in performance. In fact, Honda boasts that the FC Sport will kick the hell out of most fuel-based vehicles. Well, maybe that wasn’t there exact wording…

The drawback here is that, as a concept car, there is no word on when wide production will take place. Worse, there is no word on IF wide production will take place. But Honda is known for their industry-changing ideas and this FC Sport concept car is another in a long line of great ideas from the car company.

For more on how Honda can innovate change in your life, drop by your local Doylestown Honda dealer.

After less than half a year at the helm of Hyundai Motor Corp., the North American CEO is stepping down and a replacement is set to take over the job.

Hyundai named John Krafcik, Hyundai North America’s vice president of product development and strategic planning, as acting chief executive to succeed Jong-eun Kim, who had served the position since December 2007. This move is said to be a part of the overall mood at Hyundai, as the company is shaking up different portions of its organizational structure in order to come up with a combination of staff that works best.

Kim was the third CEO to be replaced in two years. He will return to the company’s South Korean headquarters. There are no signs as to what led to his departure or as to what position he will hold at HQ in South Korea.

Hyundai has not been immune to the economic struggles in North America and has fallen short of sales targets, as have most other companies in the world. With this in mind, many are predicting more short-term moves on behalf of the company as they struggle to cope in the changing markets. Criticism has been directed towards Hyundai for its rapid staff changes, as many feel the company is lacking internal patience.

Nevertheless, you can still drop by your local Doylestown Hyundai dealer and get a great deal, no matter who the CEO is.

Honda is dealing with the economic struggles in its own way and today announced further cutbacks in production that will directly impact their market share. Not only is the market in the United States struggling, but overseas markets are also struggling under the weight of economic strife.

Honda is halting production at Swindon’s factory in the U.K. for two months next year in a move that is being described as the biggest manufacturing slowdown seen so far in Britain during the economic struggles. No cars will be produced during February and March 2009 as the Japanese automaker tries to bring production in line with demand. The company has pledged that there will be no job losses and has said that it wants to retain its 4,800 workers.

While retaining the workers is certainly a good move, the problem arises with making workers wait two months. Many will probably move on, or hope to move on, while Honda sorts out its production issues. This production cut is a significant one and stands as a stark indicator of just how bad things are getting in the automotive field.

Domestically, it’s not much better. While Honda is doing relatively well for itself in the United States in comparison to other U.S. automakers, it is still struggling. For more information on how the economic troubles will impact the automotive industry long-term, drop by your local Pottstown Honda dealer.

Hyundai has expressed a desire to sell a Hyundai Sonata hybrid within the United States in two years, confirming the news this week at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

One catch is that Hyundai is unsure of where to construct the hybrid Sonata. Current Hyundai Sonata models are built at a plant in Montgomery, but the plant would need an overhaul to be able to produce the more complex gasoline-electric power system planned for the hybrid. The current Montgomery plant constructs gasoline-powered engines only.

With that in mind, Hyundai has gone on to say that they are not sure if the new Sonata hybrid will be built in the United States. It may be less expensive for the car company to produce it domestically and export the models to the U.S. Converting a plant or building a new one with the capabilities to produce the Sonata hybrid’s powertrain would be expensive and complicated. With Hyundai’s goal for production being within two years, it looks more and more like the car company will not produce in America.

The advances made by Hyundai in the environmental field are proving successful for the company, as more people are interested in their products and the upcoming Sonata hybrid is generating a lot of industry buzz. For more information, visit your local Pottstown Hyundai dealer today.

Hyundai took time out of their busy schedule saving the planet to announce plans for “Blue Drive” today. The Blue Drive system is an environmental initiative that will market a selection of eco-friendly products and will serve to improve Hyundai’s profile as a leader in the field of environmental technology in the automotive industry.

With Blue Drive products and technologies, Hyundai will achieve a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2015, five years ahead of the government requirements.

Alongside the unveiling of the Blue Drive product line, Hyundai will release its first U.S. full hybrid vehicle. The car will be the next generation Sonata, offering the brand an update that is much needed. With the crossover concept, Hyundai will include a turbocharged gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine. Future efficient editions of the Elantra and the Accent are also expected on the horizon.

“Hyundai aims to be the most fuel efficient automaker on the planet,” said John Krafcik, vice president, Product Development and Strategic Planning, Hyundai Motor America.

For more information on Hyundai’s Blue Drive products or any of the company’s other initiatives, check back here as we’ll continue to provide updates on this exciting direction for the company. To test drive a Hyundai vehicle, drop by your local Lansdale Hyundai dealer.

In terms of companies that work for the best of the environment, few put forth a better effort than the people at Honda. With the new Honda Insight on the horizon looking to make a splash as a car with the environment in mind, Honda upped the ante with news that the vehicle would include a new interactive, driver-focused fuel economy enhancement technology called the Ecological Drive Assist System.

The Insight concept car will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show and will show people just what they’re up against in terms of a gas-free electric hybrid. The car is a stunner, built with beautiful design inside and out. It is said to be a potential game-changer.

The Ecological Drive Assist System delivers multiple functions to the vehicle. First, there is the driver-activated ECON mode that optimizes control of the continuously-variable transmission, engine and related powertrain components to conserve fuel. The system also features a feedback function that uses speedometer background colour to provide real-time guidance on environmentally responsible driving.

With the Ecological Drive Assist System, Honda is really stepping their game up. They will make a serious impact with the Honda Insight and its associated features, changing the way we look at hybrid cars yet again. If you have any questions regarding the Honda Insight or the Ecological Drive Assist System, drop by your local Lansdale Honda dealer today.