Fleet management operations, particularly with regard to maintenance and repair, generate too much data to identify trends and exceptions without software crunching numbers and displaying information in a usable format. Not all benchmarking features are the same so care should be taken in selecting products that meet management information needs.
The New Jeep Grand Cherokee has begun production and should appear in showrooms by late June. It is based on a car frame instead of a truck like the previous model with a smoother ride and better fuel economy but with a suspension system that increases ground clearance for off-road use. Chrysler sees it as a symbol of its future.
GM will follow Ford and Mercedes-Benz using smartphones to add new features to cars starting with the Volt. Unlike Ford, GM will be creating its own applications.
President Obama ordered the NHTSA and EPA to begin working on first-ever standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The new standards for fuel efficiency and emissions are expected to be in place by 2012.
According to J.D. Power and Associates, May new-vehicle retail sales are expected to come in at 874,000 units, which represents a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 9.2 million units. Given the weaker start to the month, May's selling rate is expected to be down from April's selling rate of 9.6 million units. May fleet sales are expected to increase, making up for the softer retail environment and pushing the total SAAR to 11.3 million units, above April's selling rate of 11.2 million units.