“Auto dealers see sales drop after Clunkers' end - Louisville Courier-Journal” plus 4 more

Auto dealers see sales drop after Clunkers' end - Louisville Courier-Journal
NASCAR Camping World Truck Driver Rating - CBS Sports
October truck sales could reveal strength of recovery - Detroit Free Press
O'Neill Properties Group 'Topping Off Party' - Earthtimes
Driveline Bearings Cut Friction by 30 Percent - Design News

Auto dealers see sales drop after Clunkers' end - Louisville Courier-Journal

Posted: 28 Sep 2009 08:40 AM PDT

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Kentucky's sales-tax break for new car buyers is to last for a year, or until the state has given up $25 million in tax revenue. Under the plan, a $25,000 new vehicle would mean a state sales tax of $1,500. But with the new calculation, a buyer who gets $10,000 on a trade-in toward a $25,000 new car, the state tax is levied on $15,000 and lowers the tax bill by $600.

As of Friday, the state has forgone tax revenue of $611,952 money that new car buyers have saved, according to the state Department of Revenue. But whether that represents vehicle purchases prompted by the sales tax savings, dealers are not so sure.

At Oxmoor Auto Group, which includes Oxmoor Toyota, Oxmoor Ford, Oxmoor Mazda and Oxmoor Hyundai and Isuzu, the new state tax rebate has typically delivered about $540 in tax savings for each buyer. Put another way, Marshall said, that means $10 to $12 savings in a car payment each month.

We are not seeing a big drive off that, Marshall said. It just keeps a little bit off the payment.

Clunker boom has gone bust

Cash for Clunkers offered a brief respite from persistent gloom at the Clapp Auto Group in Clarksville, Ind., but there and throughout the industry, no one expected the boom times of August to continue. Indeed, automakers said they expected a drop-off in September before improving along with the broader economy.

The federal incentives made August our first month in almost two years we have had a profit, said Tom Brooks, Clapp Volkswagen general manager. So far this month has been dismal, he said, adding, All we can do is wait it out.

Spending $15,000 to $45,000 amid rising unemployment and tighter credit is a step few are willing to take, auto industry observers say.

A sale last week at the Clapp VW dealership illustrated how challenged new car customers are by tighter bank lending policies.

Of 450 people who came to the event at Clapp Volkswagen, Brooks said he ran credit reports on 300 potential customers, but sold just 10 vehicles because many were turned down for financing.

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NASCAR Camping World Truck Driver Rating - CBS Sports

Posted: 28 Sep 2009 08:18 AM PDT

Through Sept. 26

NASCAR Camping World Truck driver ratings with season points position, single-race high rating and overall rating:

POS. HIGH RATING

1. Ron Hornaday Jr. 1 150.0 125.2

2. Mike Skinner 3 149.5 107.0

3. Matt Crafton 2 123.9 104.1

4. Colin Braun 7 138.7 96.0

5. Todd Bodine 6 132.0 94.1

6. Brian Scott 4 124.5 88.9

7. Johnny Sauter 5 143.3 87.9

8. Timothy Peters 9 126.1 85.7

9. Rick Crawford 8 114.2 84.9

10. David Starr 10 108.0 81.5

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October truck sales could reveal strength of recovery - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 28 Sep 2009 08:26 AM PDT

Monthly auto sales, which are reported Thursday, should be the news highlight of the week.

Everybody knows sales will be down, of course. The question is, by how much, and whether the results tell the market anything about the strength or stubbornness of the economic recovery underfoot.

I think October sales will be a more important indicator, given that inventory will have been replenished and consumers will have had time to adjust to the idea that the worst might be behind us.

October has long been truck month, when automakers roll out their big discounts on prior model year trucks.

GM has launched its annual fall truck incentive program, which runs through early November, Automotive News reports. Ford Motor runs a similar program every year, but GM had considered pulling back on the annual event and spending its marketing dollars on building its post-bankruptcy brand.

With the biggest car stimulus of the decade, the federal cash-for-clunkers program behind us, Im guessing there will be many takers on big trucks, which will give profits a boost as long as automakers dont discount too heavily.

If truck sales dont see a respectable uptick in October, that doesnt bode well for the strength of the economic recovery under way.

In other news:

Consumers are getting antsy waiting for those electric cars, folks. Free Press staff writer Brent Snavely wrote on Sunday about how the majority of electric cars coming to market will go to businesses and other fleet customers first.

Golf carts?

Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that drivers are just hitting the road with electric golf carts often known as NEVs, or neighborhood electric vehicles.

While the WSJ was busy spotting golf carts, though, our friends over at Jalopnik.com found a real gem: 1976 Sebring-Vanguard Citicar, an old electric car with a top speed of 36 m.p.h.

This should all remind us this Monday morning: Where theres a will, there is, indeed, a way.

Trucks still in?

Finally, if you didnt catch Autoline Detroit on Sunday, GMs global product czar Tom Stephens talked about his philosophy about keeping the automakers lineup balanced.

Translation: Detroit might be ramping up the electrics, but it isnt giving up on trucks.

Contact SARAH A. WEBSTER: swebster@freepress.com.

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O'Neill Properties Group 'Topping Off Party' - Earthtimes

Posted: 28 Sep 2009 08:54 AM PDT

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Driveline Bearings Cut Friction by 30 Percent - Design News

Posted: 28 Sep 2009 06:53 AM PDT

Energy-efficient bearings are designed for cars, trucks and mobile equipment

Charles J. Murray -- Design News, September 28, 2009

SKF Group has rolled out a line of energy-efficient bearings for driveline applications that could cut friction by up to 30 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 13 gm per mile.

The new bearings offer reduced friction on an application-by-application basis for cars, trucks, agricultural equipment, construction machinery and even wind turbines.

"The real target is to minimize the friction by applying lower loads to the rolling elements," says Thomas Wolf, senior engineer for powertrain and steering at SKF's Automotive Div. in Germany. "Whether it's a car or a piece of construction equipment or a truck, the idea is always to reduce the friction."

SKF accomplishes that by applying its Vehicle Environmental Performance Simulator (VEP) software program to individual design applications. The simulator uses a variety of inputs, including engine torque, engine speed, vehicle mass, air drag and rolling resistance of tires to help determine the loads on the bearings. By knowing the loads, the resulting stresses, stiffness matrix and the desired bearing life, the program can optimize the internal geometry of the bearing, including the number and diameter of rolling elements, as well as the contact angle.

SKF's portfolio of low-friction bearings includes tapered roller bearings, angular contact ball bearings for drivelines, double-row ball bearings for pinion units and hybrid pinion units with double-row bearings with balls and tapered rollers.

By doing the VEP analysis on its portfolio of bearings, SKF claims it can reduce friction by as much as 30 percent. Wolf says the bearings are designed for use in virtually any type of mobile application.

"Even wind turbines can use the energy-efficient tapered roller bearings," he says. "But drivelines are still the application that is most promising for energy reduction."

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