Ford is a really cool company. They were the only ones not to declare bankruptcy in Detroit in 2008 and now they’re putting out a new, sleeker-looking police interceptor that will replace the Crown Victoria, which is scheduled to be retired in 2011. The Crown Victoria is legendary for its use in police precinct fleets, what with its roomy interior and large trunk space, and is still the vehicle of choice even after the Dodge Charger and the Chevy Impala made its way into several police stations…but police didn’t like them so much.

Now Ford is promising another vehicle to replace the Crown Vic, and supposedly it will be even better. According to Ford, the new police interceptor will be based on the popular Ford Taurus and will sport better durability, safety and performance than the Crown Vic. It boasts a 3.5L V-6 engine, as well as an EcoBoost 365 horsepower twin turbo option for those high speed pursuits in Los Angeles and New York. Ford is also preparing a new SUV pursuit model, but details on that are limited at the moment. We’ll keep you updated.

This just makes me laugh. As I began this post, I literally began laughing out loud. Toyota has stated that the price tag to fix all the problems with their recalled vehicles could be a lot higher than they originally intended. The first estimate from Toyota to fix the problems came out on February 4^th, and was staggering” $2 billion to fix it. Now, however, that number could grow even higher as Toyota begins to really explore the extent of the problems.

Don’t forget that Toyota made the $2 billion estimate without even knowing how to fix the problems with the acceleration and the braking systems on their vehicles, so this doesn’t come as too much of a shock…considering that they still don’t know what the main problem is, or how to fix it. Toyota is looking at taking a full on $5.5 billion hit which includes all the litigation settlements and all recall-related costs, which is actually better than the $5.9 billion that was originally stated. And still Toyota thinks it will post a profit…but how? When your product sucks and you have to pay money to fix it, it seems like a lose-lose to me. No one buys your products and you still have to pay to fix them…no money in, a bunch out. I smell a scandal.

Subaru is really making a splash in the United States, with sales rising 15.4% amidst falling sales from other companies, which total 21% in sales deficits. Not only that, but Subaru has grabbed some hard-to-get market share in the United States, rising from 1.4% to 2.1% in the past year. The market share gain is a huge leap for the niche automobile manufacturer and was supported by the government’s Cash for Clunkers program enacted last year.

Subaru already holds high marks for safety, fuel economy and resale values, and now with sales climbing while competition is falling, Subaru is prime to make a move to capture even more market share and get even more people to buy Subaru vehicles. The Outback, Forester and the Tribeca are hot crossover vehicles in the market at the moment and things are only looking up. So expect to see more Subarus in your area in the coming months.

Or ever, really, but that’s OK, in the long run. GMAC, the financial arm for several major automotive companies, won’t be reuniting with General Motors because General Motors doesn’t want to work with them anymore. The idea came from GM insiders who think that not going with GMAC for their financing will help bolster sales while at the same time making the company more attractive to investors. Ford, Honda and Toyota each have their own financing wing, so why not General Motors?

Especially when GMAC was one of the main reasons that GM declared bankruptcy in 2008, what with their restrictive lending practices and whatnot. And, with that said, GMAC still has its own problems that it needs to deal with – GMAC still has yet to come up with a way to pay back the government loans that bailed out the automotive companies, and a key part of GMAC’s original plan was to turn to banks…which then failed too. Oops. But GMAC is still the preferred lender for the Chrysler Group, so not all is lost. Yet, anyway.

Auto shipping has become a very competitive industry, especially online. Luckily, you can use this competition to your advantage by finding low shipper rates from insured and accredited companies. Universal Auto Transporters is a network of esteem auto transporters that ship anywhere in the USA or nationally. To receive free quote all you’ll have to do is visit Universal Auto Transporters and fill in the form. You’ll receive five free quotes from the auto shippers in our network. You’re under no obligation to accept any and you’re free to visit other sites to effectively compare prices. You also have the option of calling for your free quotes, the info is on our contact page. Doing some research on the prices of your move beforehand is always an important step but there are still others to deal with before you car can be sent along.

Possibly the most important part of the car transportation process is communication. It goes further than just communicating your destination or the cost. First and foremost you have to tell the auto shipper that you’ve decided to hire all of the pertinent information about your car. Factors such as height, width and ground clearance can affect whether or not your car can be shipped by conventional means. You also have to make sure that the car is in decent running condition. If the car cannot start it can still be shipped but the extra manpower, time and equipment needed to load and unload it will increase the cost of the entire move. The more information you give the transporter the more accurate the quote you receive will be. Also, an often overlooked aspect of communication is transporter to customer communication. The necessity of car transportation is usually a byproduct of relocation. The moving process can make customers difficult to get in touch with–especially if their new residence has a different phone number. The transport company may need to get in touch with you to let you know about delays or even if they’ll be dropping off the car early. Car transportation often hinges on how well you’re able to communicate with your transporter.