Fleet Trends & Issues
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Over the years, the Ford Motor Co. has outflanked its rivals by quietly conquering the world of work. In the U.S., roughly 41% of the vehicles used for commercial purposes. In addition, 20% of all vehicles sold around the world are used commercially so staying on top is a strategic priority for the company.
The new Transit van, which drew on the experience and resources of the entire Ford enterprise through the “One Ford” plan, gives what Ford thinks is the best vehicle in the segment. Having a vehicle like this is critical to the company, noted Minyang Jiang, the brand manager for the Transit, which will have to compete with vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz Spring, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles ProMaster and Nissan’s new NV2500 and the Chevrolet Express.
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Combined sales of compact and subcompact SUVs have nearly doubled since 2008, from 10 percent to 18 percent of the U.S. market, according to AutoTrader.com. Analysts predict the market will grow for at least the next few years, as young, affluent buyers are drawn to likes of the Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox and the even smaller Buick Encore.
“Sales of crossovers of all sorts have been growing significantly in recent years, but the growth in sales of smaller crossovers and SUVs has been nothing short of phenomenal,” Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for AutoTrader.com, said in a statement. “It’s easy to see why, with the segment being so versatile to meet the needs of a wide variety of car buyers. They can carry people, serve as a substitute truck or haul bigger cargo while still driving like a car.”
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GPS Fleet tracking solutions can improve your Oil & Gas business operations in many ways. You can monitor your fleet remotely any place or anytime, integrate with other important software used by your fleet, set the standard for corporate environmental responsibility, and more. Wouldn’t you like to have a bird’s eye view of all fleet activity to know what is happening with your fleet at all times?
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A government fleet of 90 electric vehicles is rolling onto Bay Area streets from San Jose to Santa Rosa, completing a $5 million regional initiative that took four years to get off the ground.
The plug-in sedans and vans will carry building inspectors, health workers, park maintenance crews and other municipal employees working for 10 local agencies.
Alameda County is leading the way with 26 new vehicles, doubling its electric fleet. An additional 27 battery-powered vehicles are being delivered to Sonoma County and its water agency, 14 to San Francisco and 10 to the city of Concord.
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Telematics Today + Tomorrow
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Google’s got a plan to take over your car and promises to make driving a lot more pleasant. But it brings even bigger benefits to Google.
Android Auto, revealed at the tech giant’s I/O conference in June, will let you plug your Android phone into your car, making the screen in your dashboard a big phone interface, one that’s optimized for driving. You’ll be able to find your way with Google Maps, stream music from Spotify, and send and receive texts while driving, among other things. Of course it’s got voice control so you can do all of this without taking your hands off the wheel.
The technology, which we’ll start seeing in cars by the end of the year, will be far better than anything offered by automakers, but then, the stuff offered by automakers couldn’t get any worse. It will offer a seamless transition from using our phones to driving our cars. We’ve already seen 28 automakers sign on, including Audi, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Volvo, and VW.
READ MORE in Wired’s Autopia
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According to Black Book data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2009–2013 overall saw larger depreciation in June compared with the previous two months, signaling typical summertime patterns. Average segment prices saw –1.0% depreciation in June compared with May levels of –0.4%.
“The annual depreciation patterns typically see larger value changes in the second half of each year, and we’ve seen this begin to pick up the pace over the last 45–60 days,” said Ricky Beggs, Editorial Director at Black Book. “We will keep a watchful eye on how gas prices and the new model year impact this pace of depreciation as we head through the summer months.”
READ MORE to learn which segments changed.
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Vehicles Nearing Extinction
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The Ford Mustang is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, but where are the Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth Barracuda, or AMC Javelin? Long-lived car models are a rarity, and the changes coming with the beginning of the 2015 model are particularly bumpy.
When a nameplate is discontinued, multiple explanations are invoked: Its platform may have become obsolete, rendering future upgrades uneconomic (the reason Ford offered when it took the original Taurus out of production in 2007); Its body style may have fallen from fashion (such as full-size two-doors like the Chevy Monte Carlo); Or it may simply not have caught on with buyers (like the Honda Element).
READ MORE to find out which vehicles will be obsolete.
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