Elite Auto Rental Blog

It’s no secret that car sales have been in a slump lately, and many auto industry experts expect continued sales declines in 2009.

Difficult times are forcing automobile dealers to get creative in overcoming buyer resistance. Korean automaker Hyundai has even begun to offer a new type of loan that allows car buyers to return their automobile if they get laid off or are forced to file for bankruptcy.

“A tighter economy means businesses are going to be more innovative in generating sales,” says Tom Warren, GM of a Dallas exotic car sharing club.

“Hyundai has been in the midst of reinventing itself in the American market and they have done very well in changing American consumers’ minds about the quality and desirability of their cars,” says Warren.

Warren notes that some American exotic car buyers are also changing their minds about car ownership. In an era of belt tightening, many affluent consumers are electing to join exotic car sharing clubs rather than purchase an exotic car.

Membership in an exotic car sharing club like DFW Elite Car Club allows for members to experience driving different exotic cars without maintenance, depreciation, or the hassle of finding a place to store an exotic car in Dallas.

Hyundai’s return program, called “Assurance,” gives strapped consumers a way out if they lose their jobs or file for bankruptcy. In addition, the program covers overseas deployment for servicemen and provides protection in case of illness or accident.

The program covers automobile consumers for 12 months following the purchase of their new Hyundai. If the vehicle is in good shape and payments have been made on time, Hyundai owners can walk away from their loan owing no money. In addition, buyers’ credit will be unaffected.

The  is not for everyone, though. Hyundai officials caution that in order to qualify, buyers must provide proof of a layoff or other qualifying event. Simply racking up too much debt or quitting a job does not give buyers the option to return their Hyundai.

The Assurance program covers as much as $7,500 in negative equity on a loan and is available to all buyers.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

Some muscle cars are coming out of car storage, not in Dallas, but in Detroit. Specifically, approximately 250 cars that have been part of the GM Heritage Collection are coming out of auto storage and going under the gavel at this year’s Barrett Jackson auction in Arizona.

GM has decided to keep mum about some of the significant differences between a few of these cars and their production counterparts. As Jeremy Korzeniewski, writing for autoblog, noted in his post, some collectors have hired Mark McPhail the recently retired head of GM Performance Engineering as a consultant to advise them about the GM Heritage Cars.

Having superior information on a car up for bid certainly will give some bidders an edge in determining its true value.

I have to agree with one of the comments that followed the autoblog story. What sense does it make to keep quiet about what makes the GM Heritage cars significant?

Presumably, the point for GM should be to generate as much interest among serious car collectors in the cars up for auction.

Would it not, then, make sense to release very specific information about the place of the car in GM’s history and how they differ from the standard production model?

It might cost a retired GM executive a nice consulting gig, but car blogs would write about the cars, forums would discuss them, and collectors would be much more engaged and much more likely to bid.

As noted in a previous post about the Heritage Collection Cars being auctioned, I think it is quite sad that GM has to sell off cars from its Heritage Collection to stay in business, and it is even sadder that the Congress and our outgoing president think it a good idea to give the failed American auto companies billions of our tax dollars.

I hope that these cars will end up in car museums and in the hands of car collectors and car sharing club owners. Certainly, I’ll tune in to watch the Speed Network coverage of the Barrett Jackson auction.

In a bout of serious belt tightening that has nothing to do with public relations, General Motors has decided to sell some of the less popular cars at the GM Heritage Center. In all, GM is expected to sell 252 collector cars at upcoming Barrett Jackson auctions in Scottsdale, AZ and Palm Beach, FL.

GM’s Heritage Collection is housed in a facility used for company functions, special events, and business meetings. The 1000 cars in the collection make appearances at car shows and other events around the globe. L.A. Times staff writer Martin Zimmerman wrote a good post providing background on the upcoming sale and the GM Heritage Collection.

An astute columnist recently called GM ‘a vast retirement home with a small money losing auto subsidiary’ because GM pays for the medical care of 1 million retirees and widows, despite having a current workforce of approximately 96,000. As a result of these obligations, GM loses money on each car it produces, while its non-unionized sunbelt foreign competitors make a modest profit.

Don’t worry, however, because the Congress will soon be helping GM manage their business, spend billions of your tax dollars, and build the hybrids that we have all been dying to drive to combat the skyrocketing price of gasoline, now at $1.59.

At any rate, GM is selling off 252 of the collector cars in its Heritage Collection. No doubt the presence of these museum exhibited American cars will be a strong draw to the Barrett Jackson auctions.

They are also 252 reminders that America once led the world in car making.

A list of the GM Heritage Cars hitting the block can be found here.

It’s likely classic car collectors buying antique automotive toys at Barrett Jackson will get a better return on investment that taxpayers forced to invest in an unprofitable car company. Perhaps some of the collector cars sold will end up in the hands of members of car sharing clubs.

Thanks to our pals at Just Luxe (http://www.justluxe.com) for the tip on new owner survey of the best luxury cars of by the grand poppy of consumer magazines.

Part of the reason the Consumer Reports car surveys are so well regarded is that the take great pains to remain independent of the companies that make the products they test.

They have a well deserved reputation for objectivity because they accept no sample products. They buy everything they test anonymously.

At any rate, CR surveyed 424,000 car owners and asked if they would buy the current car they own again. (Based on factors that excluded the financial woes of the automaker…)

To get a nod, at least 4 out of 5 current owners had to be willing to buy the luxury car again. To get the magazine’s lowest rating less than half of current owners had to be willing to buy again.

The luxury cars that earned top marks in Consumer Report’s survey were the V8 versions of the Lexus LS and the Mercedes Benz S Class.

Get the full scoop and see a nice slideshow of the best performing cars in a good post by James Rothaar, a freelance writer and owner of Just Luxe.

Take a peak also at their fine story about our Drive Your Dream exotic car driving experiences in Dallas Fort Worth and throughout Texas.

See the full results of the Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction Survey.

Remember back when oil was over $150 per gallon and it seemed like every day there was some new announcement about an electric car, or a hybrid car, or a car that runs on mule sweat? Okay, I made that last one up, but I think you get my meaning.

Now, with oil plunging below $60 per barrel and gas hovering comfortably at around $1.50 per gallon, announcements of new ultra-efficient concept cars are becoming less frequent.

Well, just such an announcement came recently.  And it came from an unlikely source.  The Chinese company BYD announced they are releasing a plug-in hybrid called the F3DM. Kudos to the marketing genius that thought up that name.

BYD wasn’t even in the car business until just recently.  They were, for the most part, a battery maker. That may explain the marketing departments knack for memorable car names.

The F3DM will be differ from many plug-in hybrids because of its small price tag.  Initial models are scheduled to go on sale late 2008 or early 2009 for around US$22,000.  The F3DM will reportedly travel approximately 60 miles on a full charge before the backup gasoline engine must kick in.  Charging uses a standard outlet and takes about 9 hours.

On the down side, the F3DM isn’t exactly a stylistic marvel.  With a look that is Toyota Corolla than exotic dream car, the F3DM is not likely to thrill the exotic car aficionado.

To do this, one might be better off looking at the Tesla Roadster, another plug-in that trends more to the Ferrari side when it comes to appearance.  Of course, the downside there is the price tag.  At about US$100,000 the Roadster is definitely targeted towards a different type of consumer.

Many car experts think that the car market is heading towards greater practicality.  More and more families will place a greater emphasis on efficiency in the future.  But what does this mean for the exotic car market?

Well, for those that can afford to, a marriage of both exotic flair and practicality like the Tesla Roadster may be an option.  For the rest of us, it could mean a practical automobile in the driveway and accessing exotic cars through other outlets.

Exotic car clubs, for example, are one way people are finding to enjoy the use of exotic cars without the expense and hassle of direct ownership.  These clubs have been around for a while and are located all over the country.  Check out http://www.exoticcarclubs.com for a nationwide directory.

DFW Elite Car Club (http://www.dfwelitecarclub.com) is a car club that distinguishes itself by offering classic, luxury and exotic cars.  Additionally, the DFW car club allows members to choose their own level of participation by choosing exactly the amount of points to purchase.

These points are then used to drive exotic cars in the Dallas club’s collection.  With no large up front joining fees and monthly membership programs for as little as $700 per month, DFW Elite Car Club is a very practical way to drive exotic cars. The clubs more than 20 car paddock includes a Ferrari F430, a pair of Lamborghini Gallardos and even a 150k newly added bright red 2009 Audi R8.

Yeah baby! Consult your local tax professional, but a corporate car club membership at DFW Elite Car Club.com just might be this year’s most enjoyable tax write off.

Written by G.D. Gregory. If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my SEO web copywriting portfolio, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com.

The Economist reports a sharp drop in demand for luxury cars because of the global recession and details the collapse of the secondhand luxury car market with few exceptions.

The Economist visited a British car auction and noted the steep decline in the sales prices of used Rolls-Royces, Bentley Continentals, and Range Rovers as well as falling prices for models from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Citing figures from Autodata, a research firm, The Economist article about falling luxury car prices adds some numbers to the scores of stories about the hardship of commissioned salespeople in U.S luxury car showrooms. The research firm reported the sales of new luxury cars are down 39% from the November figures of a year ago. Declines in new car sales at luxury car showrooms are even steeper according to the article with Mercedes down almost 50% and Porsche down over 50%. Discounts and incentives on new cars have hurt resale values on used luxury cars.

The declines in resale values has made life hard for automakers finance departments as they seek to borrow money to finance new cars and for car leasing companies who will likely see fewer people exercising the option to their off lease vehicles.

“The falling resale value of luxury cars make membership in car sharing clubs an even more attractive option for people who might otherwise purchase a Bentley or other high end car,” said DFW Elite Car Club.com General Manager Tom Warren.

“Another compelling reason to consider membership in a car sharing club is that it affords a person a wide variety of exotic car driving experiences without ever having to swallow the costs of depreciation, repairs, or storage,” continued Mr. Warren.

The members of our Dallas exotic car club can drive a 2009 Audi R8 a Bentley GTC, a Lamborghini, a Ferrari F430 and 16 other exotic and luxury vehicles for a flat monthly membership fee,” noted Warren.

According to the article in The Economist, the cars holding their values the best in Britain are the Diesel Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius, and the Citroen C1; however, a few exotics also made the list of cars which hold their values well in the UK: the Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Murcielago, and Porsche 911 Carrera.

The experience of driving some exotic cars is so legendary that it keeps their resale values high.

Singapore is a country I have always longed to see. Perhaps one day, I will. I know it is a place that–maybe more than anywhere in the world–entrepreneurs are free to start businesses with little government interference.

As an exotic car fan and a capitalist, I was delighted to read in the Business Times that a Russian businessman has started an exotic car rental business in Singapore. Pavel Zotov is a former IT professional who is part owner of exotic car rental businesses in Germany and France.

The reasons Mr. Zotov chose to do business in Singapore are interesting: high growth rate, good business climate, and record for safety and security. The new business, called Luxe Car Rental, rents elite dream cars to natives, ex pats and tourists in Singapore.

He has opened for business at 120 Lower Delta Road with a four car fleet: a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, a Masserati Spyder, a Porsche Boxter S Convertible, and a Porsche Carrara 911S Coupe. According to the Nov 28th Times Article, one of the difficulties he had in setting up the business was getting insurance for high performance rental cars. After 5 months of pesistent effort, Mr. Zotov secured the needed coverage.

As a regular writer for DFW Elite Auto Rental’s blog, I am thrilled that this service will be available to the people of Singapore and wish Mr. Zotov the very best in his new exotic car rental company in Singapore. Thanks also to the Business Times for the tip about Singapore’s new exotic car rental company.

When you think Porsche you think fast.  You think sleek body lines and that unmistakable 911 silhouette.  Perhaps you think of the racy Cayenne, the SUV that many thought would fail miserably, but that has actually turned out to be a hot SUV.

Regardless, when you think Porsche you don’t often think “Hey, let’s load up the kids and head out to dinner!”  Well, that is just what the German auto maker would like you to start thinking when they release the new Porsche Panamera.

This new offering from Porsche is still sporty and can get up and go, but it comes with four doors instead of two.  Don’t get me wrong, Porsche is not trying to get you to buy a boxy luxury sedan so large that your kids can play football in the back seat.  The Panamera, as depicted in the recently released photos, is still a Porsche.

Of course, the new Porsche sedan arrives in America at a time when the U.S. car market is experiencing a meltdown of biblical proportions.  Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a Moses poised to lead the not-so Big 3 into the promised land of profitability.

The release of the new Porsche Panamera is yet another reminder of how long GM and other American car companies have failed to hold the high ground against world wide competitors.  The failure that appears to be a crisis today has been decades in the making.

“Porsche is synonymous with quality and styling.  That is the holy grail for car makers,” reports Ron Sturgeon, the owner of a Dallas, TX exotic car rental company.  And Sturgeon is uniquely poised to provide expert advice on the subject of exotic cars.

“We operate several businesses designed to expose people to the finest luxury and sports cars the world has to offer, even if their budget doesn’t have countless zeros in it.”  Sturgeon’s businesses run the gamut from an exotic car club to an exotic car tour company and even a toy car museum in Fort Worth.

DFW Elite Car Club (www.dfwelitecarclub.com) offers memberships (starting at less than a thousand dollars per month) which allow car enthusiasts to drive dozens of exotic and luxury cars.  The latest addition to the Dallas exotic car sharing club’s paddock is a brilliant red 2009 Audi R8. No need to call a mortgage broker to start enjoying drive time in a fine collection of elite vehicles.

DFW Elite Auto Rental (www.dfweliteautorental.com) is Sturgeon’s exotic car rental agency that offers many exotic cars for daily rent.  Everything from Ferraris to Porsches is available at weekday and weekend rates.

Finally, DFW Drive Your Dream (www.dfwdriveyourdream.com) is an exotic car driving experience company that offers full and half-day tours in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Participants drive five exotic cars back-to-back on some of Texas’ most scenic highways.

“We are committed to bringing the finest cars in the world to the people who most want to drive them,” says DFW Elite Auto Rental GM Tom Warren. “We’ll certainly be taking a close look at the new Porsche Panamera.”

  Written by G.D. Gregory.  If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my web copywriting portfolio, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com.

I was buzzing around Flickr and found an image that I absolutely love. I’m not sure of the model or year of this car, but even from a view of the trunk, you can tell it has style.

Why I love the lines of the car, I can’t say. Anyone know exactly what it is?

The image was taken by photographer Marcin Wichary at the Miami Auto Show. He has quite a nice set of images from that event.

Check it out on his Flickr Photostream. Image licensed under Creative Commons attribution license.

It is no great secret that auto sales have been on a down slide for a long time.  Going back to the last time the auto industry had any sense of optimism about it were the SUV years.  All seemed well and good until everyone’s shiny SUV lost its luster once gas prices soared into the $4/gallon range.

Add to this the economic downturn that has hurt every major sector of the economy, especially the credit markets (which, of course, makes it especially hard to finance purchases like cars) and you have the perfect blend of circumstances to obliterate the automobile industry. 

It is against this rosy backdrop that Nissan is announcing the release of the 370Z.  The 370Z is reminiscent of its cousin, the 350Z, but with notable stylistic changes.  It is hard to say what the full force of the new features will be as little more than some pictures have been released.  But it is obvious that many things were borrowed from Nissan’s Infiniti line.  This is especially true of the interior and the 3.7-liter, V-6 engine.

Meanwhile, the folks at Chevrolet are pinning their hopes on the new 2010 Camaro.  The 2010 Chevy Camaro will feature a powerful V8 and a six-speed manual transmission.  There is also said to be a slightly tamer version of the 2010 Camaro available in V6.  So far, although consumers have to wait until next year to start purchasing them, indications are good because an EBay auction fund raiser saw one of the Camaros go for over $70,000. 

Whether either of these, or similar cars will help the auto industry steer out of its spiral is hard to say.  But one thing is for certain, many fans of sports cars cars are choosing alternative ways of driving them.

“The 2010 Camaro and new Nissan are both exciting cars that we would love to add to our collection of sports cars,” states Ron Sturgeon, owner of the DFW sports car sharing club.  

Written by web copywriter G.D. Gregory.  If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my portfolio, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com.