CarNerve

Studies reveal that many people are shedding their auto insurance coverage to save some cash. There are many that are having just the minimum auto insurance coverage that is required as per the state laws. A study conducted by IRC or Insurance Research Council states that the number of uninsured individuals may escalate to 16.3% in the year 2010 from 13.8% as recorded in 2007.

It is not desirable to live dangerously with inadequate auto insurance coverage. If you want to save money and pay less for your auto insurance, there are many ways you can do so without compromising with your safety. So, instead of adopting a cost cutting technique in which you have inadequate coverage, you can take the following measures to get adequate auto insurance coverage –

• Drive carefully and have less number of speeding tickets

If you have a good driving record and have not violated traffic rules frequently, you stand a better chance to enjoy better auto insurance rates.

• Buy auto insurance from the same insurance carrier

If you have a homeowners’ insurance policy, buy your auto insurance policy from the same insurance carrier. By doing so, you will be allowed lower auto insurance premium

• Use anti theft alarms to cut auto insurance costs

Use anti theft alarms in your car if you want to pay less as auto insurance premium. Some of the anti theft devices that can be installed in your car include – hood locks, air bags, steering wheel locks, armored collars etc.

• Use a traditional vehicle instead of a luxury or a sports car

The cost of getting your luxury or sports car repaired costs quite a lot. But if you drive a traditional vehicle, you will be allowed to pay less for your auto insurance premium.

How will you buy auto insurance policy?

There are 2 ways you can buy an automobile insurance policy for yourself. You can visit your insurance carrier in person or apply for an auto insurance policy online. There are many benefits of applying for auto insurance online. You will be able to compare rates offered by different auto insurance carriers. You can avoid paperwork. And you will be able to choose the plan that suits your insurance needs best.

Whether you buy your auto insurance plan online or from your local auto insurance agent, it is important to have adequate coverage so that you don’t have regrets later. 

photo credit: Team Dalog

One of the biggest considerations in choosing a car for a young driver is safety (not to mention cheaper student car insurance). Here is a list of the safest cars for students (not ranked in any particular order).

1. Ford Focus
2. VW Passat
3. BMW 3 Series
4. Acura TL
5. Saab 9-3
6. Lexus IS
7. Subaru Liberty
8. Mazda 6
9. Honda CRV
10. Mitsubishi Nimbus
11. Subaru Forster
12. Mercedes C Class
13. Peugot 307
14. Chrysler Neon
15. Honda Fit
16. Audi A4
17. Toyota Corolla
18. Nissan Sentra
19. Mitsubishi Lancer
20. Mazda 3

While cheaper rates on car insurance are definitely a big plus when picking out a safe student car the biggest advantage to a safe car is of course still the fact that you can have some measure of confidence in the vehicle to get your loved one home safely and in one piece.

On Monday, Cadillac officially unveiled its new 2011 CTS Coupe. The car makes its in-person debut next week at the Los Angeles car show and you can be sure that enthusiasts will be crowding around to get a glimpse of this flashy new model.

The coupe is a two-door version of Cadillac’s popular CTS sedan. General Motors, which owns the Cadillac brand, was originally set to debut the CTS couple last year, but then got mired down as the company narrowly averted a financial crisis. The coupe was set to debut at last year’s Los Angeles show, then was pushed back to this January’s Detroit auto show before finally making its much anticipated appear at this year’s LA show.

Despite general shunning of large engined gas guzzlers, the concept version of the CTS Coupe garnered highly positive public reaction when it was first shown in 2008. Critics responded to the coupe’s aggressive, sharp lines.

Cadillac now promises that the CTS Coupe will arrive at dealerships next spring, but has not released a price tag yet. The base model will have a 3.6 liter V-6 engine that puts out 304 horsepower. The CTS Coupe will get 27 miles per gallon on the highway. There will also be a supercharged version of the coupe rated at 550-plus horses.

In addition to the two engines, the coupe will feature rear-wheel and all-wheel drive versions. A 6 speed manual transmission will be standard.

With the impending release of the CTS Coupe, it looks like Cadillac has a real head-turner on its hands that could attract more of the younger buyers that GM so desperately needs.

A few days ago the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its annual list of the safest passenger vehicles. While most of the names on the list are not surprising, there was one car company conspicuously missing: Toyota.

Ford and its Volvo subsidiary topped the list with six vehicles rated as a “Top Safety Pick.” Subaru and Volkswagon each had five top picks while Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy with four safety picks.

On last year’s list, Toyota and its Lexus and Scion subsidiaries dominated. This year, however, the insurance institute included a test to measure a vehicle’s roof strength in the event of a rollover. This requirement not only bumped Toyota off the list, but also dropped the total number of Top Safety Picks from 94 in 2008 to 27 this tear.

The insurance institute conferred a Top Safety Pick award on those vehicles that scored a Good rating in tests of front, side, rear and rollover protection. The vehicle also must be equipped with electronic stability control.

Here is the full list of Top Safety Picks:

Large cars:
Buick LaCrosse
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Volvo S80

Midsize cars
Audi A3
Chevrolet Malibu (built after October 2009)
Chrysler Sebring 4-door with electronic stability control
Dodge Avenger with electronic stability control
Mercedes C class
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Volkswagen Jetta sedan
Volkswagen Passat sedan
Volvo C30

Small cars
Honda Civic four-door (except Si), with electronic stability control
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube
Subaru Impreza (except WRX)
Volkswagen Golf four-door

Midsize S.U.V.’s
Dodge Journey
Subaru Tribeca
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC90

Small S.U.V.’s
Honda Element
Jeep Patriot with side torso air bags
Subaru Forester
Volkswagen Tiguan

A huge amount of money is riding on which technology will power the car of the future. While the internal combustion engine, at least in its present form, is certainly on the way out, a range of technologies is vying to become the power source of choice for the next generation of automobiles. Electric plug-ins, hybrids, diesels, and even hydrogen all have promise, but all also have potentially large downfalls.

Diesel fuel seems to be making something of a come back in recent years. Diesel is more efficient than gas and new technology makes it much easier on the environment. Diesels hold 2.6% of the market share currently, and are expected to grow to 8.0%, according to auto analysists J.D. Powers and Associates. German carmakers in particular are pushing diesel as a green alternative.

Hybrids, which have gotten all the press lately, currently hold about the same market share as diesel fuel and are expected to grow to 8.7% by 2015. Hybrid technology is maturing and new generations of hybrids could get over 100 miles per gallon.

Plug-in electric cars are the latest rage, especially as embodied in Tesla’s Roadster and Chevrolet’s soon-to-be unveiled Volt. While electrics can potentially get great gas mileage, they are not expected to gain significant market share in the near term. One obstacle is that because the vehicles are plugged in to charge, the nation’s electricity grid has to be updated to accomodate this new demand.

Despite the promise of these green technologies, analysts expect the gasoline engine to remain dominant over the next decade. Fuel is still relatively cheap, the infrastructure already exists to support gas vehicles, and the alternatives are still too costly.

While doctors may no longer make house calls, electric carmaker Tesla now does. Tesla announced that it would send technicians to the homes or offices of their vehicle owners to take care of maintenance, software upgrades and many repairs.

Tesla’s “Mobile Service Rangers” will drive to owners even if they are hundreds of miles from the nearest dealership. The upstart carmaker has only four dealerships around he country: Menlo Park, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York. But the company has sold 700 Tesla Roadsters and now has customers in every state.

Because Tesla’s electric technology is so now, the average service station can’t work on the cars. Before this service, Tesla’s customers had to ship their car to the nearest dealership if they couldn’t drive in. To minimize the hassle, Tesla rolled out its mobile tech teams.

The service won’t be free, however. Vehicle owners will pay $1 for every round-trip mile that the technicians travel from the nearest Tesla service center. The minimum charge is $100.

Of course, Tesla Roadsters cost about $109,000, so this will be small change for the company’s vehicle owners.

If you thought that everyone was turning to fuel efficient hybrids nowadays, that’s not quite accurate. While more and more automobiles are getting great mileage, there are still those gas guzzling stalwarts that well off consumers keep buying.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released its list of the biggest gas guzzlers for the model year 2010 and it is dominated by exotic high-end sportscars from Italy, the U.K., and Germany. Familiar names like Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Ferrari, and Mercedes all make the list.

Topping the list is the Lamborghini Murcielago with manual transmission which gets a mind-bogglingly puny 8 mpg in city driving. The Murcielago boasts a 631-horsepower V12 engine and zooms from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Yipes! Oh, and the Murcielago will set you back a cool $400,000. I guess you’re not too worried about gas mileage at that price.

Here’s the top 10 list of shame straight from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

1. Lamborghini Murcielago (manual) 8/13
2. Bugatti Veyron 8/14
3. Lamborghini Murcielago (automatic) 9/14
4. Bentley Azure Bentley Brooklands 9/15
5. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (automatic) 10/17
6. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (manual) 10/16
7. Maybach 57 10/15
8. Bentley Continental Flying Spur Bentley Continental GTC 10/17
9. Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 11/15
10. (tie) Aston Martin DB9 (manual) 11/17
    Aston Martin DBS (manual)
    BMW M5
    BMW M6
    BMW M6 Convertible
    Maserati Quattroporte (4.2 L)
    Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG
    Mercedes-Benz CL600
    Mercedes-Benz S600
    Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG
    Porsche Cayenne GTS (manual)
    Porsche Cayenne TransSiberia

While the cars at the top of the list are hard to come by, many of the cars in the number 10 spot are familiar models you’re likely to see at your local country club.

Next time you see a Lamborghini or Ferrari cruise by, just keep this in mind. These sports cars burn an average of 34.3 barrels of oil a year. The fuel-efficient Prius burns just 6.9 barrels. Doesn’t that make you feel better?

New vehicle sales plunged in September, following two busy months of car buying thanks to the government’s cash-for-clunkers program. Now that the federal buyback program has ended, most automakers experienced a double-digit decline in sales as compared to a year ago.

General Motors announced its sales dropped 45 percent, and Chrysler reported a 42 percent decline from September a year ago. Ford fared a bit better with car sales declining only 5 percent from September 2008. However, Ford did register a 5 percent uptick in sales for the entire 3rd quarter, the company’s first quarterly increase in four years.

Overseas automakers were also hard hit in September. Sales dipped 20 percent at Honda, 7 percent at Nissan, and 13 percent at Toyota.

Korean carmaker Hyundai was the lone bright spot in the industry. Hyundai said its sales rose 27 percent in September. Due to its low priced cars, the automaker has been gaining sales momentum throughout the recession.

The federal cash-for-clunkers program generated almost 700,000 sales in July and August, bolstering carmakers. The program provided up to $4,500 in credits to consumers who traded in an older, inefficient vehicle and bought a new one with better gas mileage.

I’ve always loved Mini Coopers. For a small car they have a lot of attitude and just look like they would be fun to drive. Now there’s a company that makes custom wraps for your Mini to make it even cooler.

Mini Motoring Graphics, which is a partnership between MINI and Colorado-based Original Wraps, creates durable vinyl wraps for all models of Mini Cooper. They have badges, side panel wraps, roof graphics, and stripes. In fact, Mini Motoring Graphics has so many options they claim there are 5 million possible combinations of art.

You can even create your own one-of-a-kind wrap to promote a brand or just for your own self-expression. The possibilities are endless. The wraps are removable, photo-quality, and protect the vehicle from nicks and scratches.

Best of all, most of the wraps are actually affordable, ranging in price from $9.99 to $349, although a custom design will set you back more. You can check out the full line of wraps at Mini Motoring Graphics.

[via Trendhunter]

If you’ve been wondering when BMW will come out with a hybrid, the new BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept car might give you a clue as to where the carmaker is headed. One look at this thing and you know you’re dealing with one badass hybrid. Toyota Prius this ain’t.

This full hybrid is powered by a three-cylinder turbodiesel that is connected to twin electric motors. This robot-looking car churns out 265 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of toque (I have no idea what 590 lb-ft of torque feels like, but I’m guessing it’s a lot).

Acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h (about 62 mph) is 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). This is one hybrid that drives as good as it looks. No word yet on whether this will be available on the market.

[via Jalopnik]