For the fourth consecutive year, CarMax Incorporated, the country's biggest used cars retailer, has again been recognized as one of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For."
Aside from promoting healthy living, CarMax also helps its associates lead happy, productive lives with its newly expanded Associate Health and Wellness Program that includes on-site health fairs providing them with health screenings. In addition, the company offers a $4,000 worth of adoption benefits that provide tuition assistance program and health insurance for its domestic partners and their children.
Balance, professionalism and leadership - CarMax focuses on the development of these workplace essentials.
According to CarMax President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Foliard, part of the company's culture is its commitment to compensate the community where their associates reside and work.
"We are dedicated to providing a positive and rewarding workplace for our most valuable asset, the more than 15,000 CarMax associates. Their commitment to deliver an unparalleled consumer experience is the backbone of our success and the key to our continued growth," said Foliard.
Guaranteed quality of the cars they sell helped CarMax establish a name in the car business. About 100,000 employees from 406 different companies were asked for feedback regarding their company's culture, compensation, training and turn-over.
Making it to Fortune's top ten list are Google, Quicken Loans, Wegmans Food Markets, Edward Jones, Genentech, Cisco Systems, Starbucks, Qualcomm, Goldman Sachs and Methodist Hospital System.
CarMax landed on the 46th spot with 13 percent job growth and 14, 223 US employees.
Ford is excited to pull the wraps off 2009 Escape, a gas-electric hybrid. The launch of the new Escape at the Washington Auto Show will flaunt Ford’s improvements to deliver excellent power and superb performance. Alongside the Escape SUV, Mercury Mariner will also make its debut. The show opens to public last Wednesday and ends on Sunday.
“This isn’t a moon-shot,” said Greg Frenette, chief engineer of Ford’s plug-in program. “Within the next 5 years, we ought to know whether we can produce these batteries cost-effectively.”
So what’s the big news about the launch?
Motortrend writes:
The big news, though, is a series of upgrades to the 2009 Escape and Mercury Mariner designed to make it more palatable to buy four-cylinder versions of the SUVs.
For '09, Ford replaces the 2.3-liter, 153-horsepower four with a new 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower engine with intake variable cam timing (IVCT) and replaces four-speed automatics in both four- and V-6-powered Escape/Mariners with a six-speed automatic. Ford still offers a reason to upgrade: the 3.5-liter V-6 gets a 30-horse boost to 230 horsepower, new pistons, cylinder heads and a new fuel injection system.
There's a mild facelift as well for 2009, with a more aerodynamically correct front fascia chin spoiler and rear tire spoiler, and new, improved rolling resistance 16-inch Michelins. The Escape/Mariner also gets Ford's Easy Fuel capless fueling system and a new, 18.5-inch rear anti-roll bar. The 2.5 also replaces the 2.3 in the hybrid, for what Ford claims is the first variable-valve timing on an Atkinson cycle hybrid.
The Dearborn automaker said overall fuel efficiency for the gasoline versions of the new hybrids would increase by 1 mpg compared with the 2008 versions, which get between 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway depending on the engine configuration, according to MSNBC.
More tweaking, upgrades and innovations will soon be entertained by the automakers. Competition keeps getting stronger so expect that work won’t be limited to just the spoiler.
The 2008 North America International Auto Show catered the best of the best from the global auto industry. This is the venue for all ground-breaking automotive technologies, stunning concept cars and premium production vehicles for this year. The Cobo Center in Detroit was jam-packed with auto spectators and fans from all the corners of the world. The event is simply dazzling to make it short. Thanks to all these magnificent vehicles with their shining headlight bulbs, the show is as exciting as ever. I guess I can’t take this 2008 Detroit Auto Show fever out of my system… but anyhow, it feels so good!
Of course, the show will be highlighted with some awards and ceremonies to recognize a few outstanding auto makers that brought in nothing but the best of the best. One of the honors handed out was the 2008 North American Car of the Year title. So without any further discussions, I’d like to present the winner… the award goes to the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu!
The 2008 best-redesigned vehicle from General Motors Corporation was voted by this year’s media panel of judges out of 15 cars and 13 trucks. Furthermore, a vehicle from GM has won top honors in the North American Car and Truck of the Year back-to-back.
According to my great source, GM vehicles notched four of the concluding six contender positions for the awards.
"This award is the result of our intensive efforts to put a renewed emphasis on design, execution and craftsmanship into our cars and trucks. We're honored that both automotive journalists and consumers are recognizing our efforts. The fact we had four of the six finalist vehicles is more than we could have hoped for," says Bob Lutz, the GM vice chairman.
"Our goal with the 2008 Malibu was to give customers a stylish, uncompromising package that can challenge even the most formidable competitors in the midsize segment," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "Customers are getting that message, because the new Malibus are selling faster than we can put them on dealers' lots."
Dubbed the 'People's Car', the Indian automaker's pride is engineered to rival other compacts in the global auto realm. The new model, using re-engineered plastics and modern adhesives, is a far cry from the premium Jaguar and Land Rover brands which Tata is negotiating to acquire from Ford. The automaker is poised to develop a cheap but efficient small car which will be inspired by close observation of a local market where millions often ferry families of four, plus baggage, on motorbikes and scooters.
"The product has rightfully gained a lot of international attention," said Mohit Arora, the managing director for India at research firm J.D. Power Asia-Pacific, who will fly in from Singapore to see the car being unveiled by Chairman Ratan Tata. "It's a big, big deal for Tata Motors, and will be recorded in history books, whether or not it does well."
Other automakers such as Fiat, Honda, Toyota, and VW have since said that they will be producing low-cost cars. And the Nissan and Renault alliance, which is doing well with its Logan sedan, is in the process of building a $3,000 car with Bajaj Auto Ltd.
"Scepticism has given way to imitation," said Ashutosh Goel, an auto analyst at Edelweiss Securities. "Every global car maker has realised the need to be in the emerging markets with a model like this for mass volumes, if not at 100,000 rupees, then perhaps at 150,000 rupees," he added.
The 'People's Car' arrived at the market just in time. Oil prices then near $100 a barrel hence the necessity to shift to fuel-efficient "green" cars. In India, the mini Maruti 800, made by an Indian government and Suzuki venture, played an identical role in the 1980s. The car served as a viable modern option for shoppers. At present, helped by rising middle-class incomes, small cars, led by models such as Maruti's Alto and the Hyundai Santro, make up more than two-thirds of a domestic car market that should nearly double to 2 million units a year by 2010, the report said.
"Small cars have always been popular in India, even when oil prices were low," said Ashvin Chotai, an Asian auto analyst based in London. "Globally, higher oil prices are accelerating a shift towards compact and small cars, and regulatory developments such as C02 standards in Europe, and congestion and parking constraints are reinforcing it," he said, adding this was not a short-lived fad.
"The quality of the initial launch must meet minimum expectations of the global industry, otherwise the whole project could be discredited," Chotai concluded. “If Tata can't develop and produce a car at a price of less than $3,000, it's very unlikely any global company will be able to do it. And if the vehicle concept can't work in India, it's extremely unlikely to work in any other part of the world."
[credit: Guardian Unlimited]
The season of gift-giving hasn’t ended yet! Clarion Corporation has unwrapped its latest present to the automotive industry… presenting the EZDrive portable navigation system!
According to my source, EZDrive is the industry’s most easy-to-use navigation device, as plain as the name itself. It’s as easy as changing a car’s cold air intake, believe it or not! Clarion's EZD580 features a 4.3 inch touch-panel screen, a built-in rechargeable battery and an instinctive operational control.
They say that Clarion's EZDrive or the EZD580 is the world’s ultimate navigation model with plain destination input, text-to-speech operation, turn-by-turn voice prompts and selectable route guidance. The EZDrive offers nothing but the greatest convenience you’ll ever experience in a first-class navigation unit.
"We are very excited to offer such an advanced portable navigation system. This year we doubled the memory size, added 4 times the POI's, feature text- to-speech and Bluetooth audio streaming and remote control profiles," states Bronson Peng, Clarion's Product Planning Manager. Peng explains, "It is small, easy-to-use and now includes 12 million points of interest. The EZDrive will get you anywhere you want to go."
The Clarion EZDrive EZD580 features include:
EZD580 Portable Navigation (M.S.R.P. $399.99)
- 4.3" Touch Panel Control
- 2GB NAND RAM Flash Memory
- Built-In 64MB RAM
- 12 Million P.O.I.
- Text To Speech (TTS) Operation
- Turn-By-Turn Voice Prompts
- RDS/TMC Ready (via NAVRDS accessory)
- Maps of USA and Canada
- Built-In Bluetooth Multiple Profiles (A2DP/ AVRCP/ HSP/HFP)
- SD/SDHC/ MMC Card Interface
- MP3/WMA Music Playback
- Picture Viewer/ Slide show
- Built-In Speaker and Microphone
- Lithium Rechargeable Battery
- Built-In SiRF Star III GPS ant.
- Mini USB 2.0 Interface
- Window Mount, Dash Mount Disc and Retractable Stylus Pen Included
How’d you recall 2007 – the year that was?
Let’s have a flashback and a quick flashforward. Like that?
Let me open the floor for The Auto Channel's European Bureau Chief Andrew Frankl. He writes:
The car I would pick if I had to have just one:
Volvo V70 XC AWD. Sorry about all these silly letters but essentially what we are talking about is Volvo’s cross country, all-wheel drive station wagon/estate car. It may not be cheap but at around 35 thousand dollars-without some of the unnecessary extras- it is quick, economical, pleasant to drive, safe with tons of room for people and luggage, equally at home in the mountains and by the sea, just one sensible automobile.
Dream car of the year:
Mercedes SL. At a –don’t laugh-relatively cheap-for a dream car- 90 thousand dollars this is just about perfect for the over 50s. Comfortable, quick, beautiful to look at with that amazing folding hard-top, it is just fabulous. No wonder the waiting list stretches from one end of Rodeo Drive to the other.
Surprise of the year:
Mercedes E class. I had to get to Los Angeles from San Francisco in a hurry and with the 3.2 liter engine the new “E” got me there in 5 hours flat on one tank of fuel. Bearing in mind that I averaged 80 miles per hour I found this quite outstanding. Only problem-the rock hard seat, otherwise a great car at a sensible price . Drive of the year: a quick dash round middle England in Mr. Bond’s Vanquish. Not for the faint-hearted.
Driver of the year:
Michael Schumacher. Yes, he had a great car and a great engine but to keep it on the island lap after lap, race after race is just incredible. Well over 1000 racing miles without a single mistake, no wonder he walked away with the Formula One Championship.
Racing car of the year:
Ferrari’s F1. All credit to Paolo Martinelli for the design of the engine and to Rory Byrne for the chassis.
Man of the year:
A tough one this. Let me name several and you take your pick. Bob Lutz for breathing life into GM, Carlos Ghosn for reviving Nissan, Luca di Montezemolo for Ferrari’s astonishing success and Jurgen Schrempp’s team for stopping the hemorrhage at Chrysler. I would love to name my old mate Nick Scheele from Ford but I think he would be the first to admit that they have a long way to go.
And for this year…
Most exciting prospect:
To drive the Ferrari Enzo. When I’ve asked Schumacher about this he suggested extreme caution. If there is one person who knows what he is talking about it has to be the champ.
More info here.
Coil springs keep improving. Cars are getting better. Now, what more could you ask for?
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