Car Manufacturers

December has been a tough time for the Car Industry, especially New & Used Car Sales. With the country virtually coming to a standstill the normally quiet December period has been quite literally frozen shut!
The only sales that are performing well and for obvious reasons is the 4x4 sector, but for many folk 4x4's are quite simply out of their price range and they have decided to wait until nicer weather to buy their car.

At the moment there are some great deals available if you are able to change now then do, waiting for the warmer weather could back fire, you won't be the only one who will be looking for the deal of all deals in January. In true ""Supply & Demand" fashion the deals will quickly disappear when the dealers don't need the incentives to lure people out of hibernation.

Headline figures released today paint a bleak picture for the car industry but dig a little deeper and things are not all what they seem. Sales figures out today describes the car industry as being in decline, with a fifth consecutive month of reducing sales and November sales down 11.5% against the same period last year.

If you do dig a little deeper things look a little rosier, 14% increase in like for like sales (stripping out the scrappage scheme figures), 6% increase in fleet sales and a 31% increase in Car Exports.

So if you want to do your bit for queen and country, stop dragging your heels, sell your car and buy a new one! Do your homework first though make sure you value your car correctly before agreeing to sell it

Unlike some manufacturers Audi has never had a problem with image or reliability problems. Their strapline Vorsprung durch Technik (translated into English - Progress through Technology) is one of the most recognised phrases in the world. Audi have been using it since the 1970's and it still remains today. It has even been quoted by Del Boy in an episode of Only Fools and Horses.

Audi are producing some of the most desirable cars in the market and the A4 competes pound for pound with the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C Class for the top spot in the most competitive of categories - the Compact Executive Car.
With a full range of cars from the A2 super mini, through to the Large 4x4 Q7 and on to the astonishing R8, Audi appear to be the company that have everything at the moment.

The R8 is a true supercar, built in its own factory in Neckarsulm, Germany, by a team of engineers hand picked by Audi. To work on the R8 the engineers have typically been working with Audi for at least 10 years. The main assembly is by hand, with each car taking 120 engineers approximately 70 hours to build. Interestingly all the welding on the Audi R8 is by hand, only 6 robots are used in the entire production process. Audi produce 28 cars a day with a car rolling off the semi automatic production line every 32 minutes.

Audi has based its success on producing high quality, reliable cars that have wowed drivers for decades. That doesn't look like stopping now and is good news if you are looking to sell your Audi. The market demand for used Audi's is high, if you have a well maintained and clean Audi you are sure to have a highly desirable car on your hands which will put you in the driving seat when you look to sell your car.

Despite the financial troubles that hit the American automotive industry in 2008/2009, Chrysler emerged on the other side (albeit via bankruptcy) after a strategic partnership with FIAT group.

This link up will see the one time gas guzzling American cars get access to the more economical power plants used in the European market.
At a time when everyone is looking to save a few pence this could be great news for Chrysler fans in the US and Europe.

Many people think that Chrysler is a relatively recent newcomer to European shores, not so though. In 1964 Chrysler bought the Roots group who owned the Humber Brand, cars that were regularly used by Royalty in the UK. Chrysler closed the Humber operation in 1974.
Chrysler came back to UK shores with a vengeance in the 1990's bringing across the Jeep brand.

Chrysler cars have always captured the imagination of the buying public, with cars such as the Hummer, Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, 300C and who could forget the V10 Powered Dodge Viper and uniquely styled PT Cruiser!

80% of the Chrysler range will either be new or significantly updated in the near future, Chrysler overhauled 16 of its 20 nameplates for the 2011 model year and this looks set to continue with new cars being launched with directives to make them much better than their predecessors.

With a wide range of cars to choose from and the upcoming partnership with the FIAT group, launching new cars under the Lancia brand both in Europe and America, the future for Chrysler and Chrysler owners is looking far more promising than in 2009.
If you're a fan of the Chrysler brand, this could be a good time to sell your car and start looking for a new one.

Citroën have always produced uniquely designed cars and from the look of the current car range and concepts this doesn't look like changing anytime soon.

Citroën was founded in 1912 by André Citroën as a company producing double helical gears (hence the Double Chevron Logo), they then bought the Mors Automobile company in 1913 and Citroën as we know it was born. Incidentally the name Citroën derives from the Dutch word "Limoenman" which translated literally means "small lemons man".

Of all the cars Citroën have produced, the 2CV is the one that most people will recognise and associate with Citroën. The car has hardly changed since its launch in 1949 to the day it ceased production in 1990. It was a no frills car in every sense of the word.

Who then could forget the futuristic design and hydro pneumatic suspension on the DS, launched in 1955 and produced until 1975 the Citroën DS still, today continues to symbolise avant-garde automotive design.

Citroën continue to produce car designs that stand apart from their peers, even if the basic platforms are shared there will be very few other similarities with the rest of the car.

With a wide range of cars available from the C1 super mini through to the C3 & C4 Picasso MPV's and on to the 4 wheel drive C-Crosser, Citroën have pretty much something for everyone.

Citroën have grown up in recent years, producing cars of high quality and reliability that can adapt as your needs demand.
Family cars are very much at the forefront of the Citroën range but they haven't forgotten about their little hot hatches, the DS brand has made a comeback and delivers scintillating performance in the shape of the DS3 the 1.6THP diesel engine returns 42mpg (combined) with a top speed of 133mphg and a 0-62 time of 7.3 seconds.

Exciting times lay ahead for Citroën, and this is proving good for people who are looking at both used and new Citroëns' with deals to be had all round.

FIAT is stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino which when translated in to English is Italian Automobile Factory of Turin. Many people don't realise how big FIAT are, they are a huge group owning more brands than you would probably ever know including; - Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati, Dodge, Jeep, Iveco, Ducato... these are those just in the automotive industry. AT one time they even owned their own Ski resort in the Alps and still own the largest Iron foundry in the world!

FIAT has come a long way in recent years, used FIAT's used to be the sort of car you wouldn't touch with a very long barge pole%u2026not so now. However the story is much different today, the quality of cars they are now delivering is nothing short of remarkable. Gone are the ugly rust buckets of the 1990's replaced by chic designs, excellent build quality and materials, coupled with a great driving experience and excellent fuel economy across the entire range.

The FIAT 500 reincarnation really took the fight to the BMW MINI and is now one of the most popular small cars on the road. The Panda, another re-launch from yesteryear provides fantastically cheap motoring in a great little package which can even be bought as a 4x4, great news considering the weather we are currently experiencing in the UK. Moving up the range is the Bravo a mid size car with an impressive range of engines and a generous list of standard equipment and moving on to the versatile Mulitpla that can seat a family of six in comfort without losing boot space...whilst not everyone's idea of an attractive car, it is a very capable and practical family car.

FIAT never tries to be something it isn't, building on their current impressive quality will ensure FIAT cars will remain a popular new and used choice for years to come.

FIAT don't restrict themselves to just "sensible" cars, they also spice up their range through their partnership with sister company Abarth to produce some uniquely styled sports models such as the pocket rocket FIAT 500 Abarth.
If you are thinking of buying a new or used car and haven't previously considered a FIAT, then make sure you check them out, otherwise you could be missing out a great driving experience. You can also be safe in the knowledge that their reputation is only going in one direction and that's upwards. That can only help the residual values should you be a proud owner of any FIAT car.

Ford is the godfather of all car manufacturers, everyone has heard of Henry Ford how the Ford Model T was produced using automated assembly lines, first mass market car to be produced in this way.

1903 when Ford was launched the world was a different place to what it is today, hardly any automotive manufacturers existed many only produced the chassis which were then sent to a coach building company would add the body according to the customer's specification.

Today Ford has a small stake in Mazda, the Jaguar and Land Rover Brands were sold to TATA in 2008 and Volvo to Greely in 2010 and Aston Martin was sold in 2007

Ford is the second largest Car manufacturer in the USA and forth in the world. Despite the worldwide economic downturn Ford made a net profit $2.7billion in 2009. Largely brought about by finance restructuring but regardless this was the first tie in four years Ford had made a full year profit.

Ford in the UK has some of the most popular models on the road, including the Ford KA, Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Kuga & Galaxy.

The future is looking pretty good for Ford, licensing agreements with Toyota to use some of their Hybrid technology means electric Fords could be just around the corner these may be coupled with Government grants making them more affordable.

Owning a Ford is easy, they remain popular used vehicles should you choose to sell your car, spare parts are relatively cheap, and there is a huge dealer network that makes finding a new Ford a walk in the park.

Without a doubt the most popular used Fords are the Focus and Fiesta, look out of your window and no doubt you will be able to see at least one example. If you are selling a car and have either of those, especially the diesel variants than you should be certain of getting a good price for it whether you sell to a dealer or are trying to sell it privately.

If you are looking to buy a car, then a new or a used Ford should definitely be one you take a look at.

Korean based Hyundai were in 2009 the 4th Largest manufacturer in the world, owning the worlds largest car manufacturing facility that is capable of producing 1.6million cars a year.is a Korean based manufacturer of vehicles.

Hyundai Engineering and Construction company launched Hyundai Cars in 1967 their very first car was a Cortina produced alongside Ford.

Over 193 countries are now selling Hyundai cars around the world and in Europe, Hyundai produce the i30 at their plant in the Czech Republic which is capable of producing over 200,000 cars annually.

The current range of cars produced by Hyundai include the i10, i20 & i30, this range brings Hyundai up to date with other manufacturers and are helping establish the Hyundai brand as a reliable, high quality volume producer.

The ugly cars Hyundai have produced in the past are indeed that...a thing of the past. The new range has been carefully designed and researched using the latest design techniques to ensure the cars look fresh & sporty yet practical enough to have mass market appeal.

If you do own one of the new Hyundai's and are considering selling the car, then you should find it quite easy to achieve a good price for it. If you own an Older Hyundai, such as the Getz or Tucson then don't worry these cars are still popular due to the levels of standard equipment, build quality and affordability.

The well known British car Manufacturer, Jaguar are a manufacturer of luxury cars now owned by the Indian Company Tata Motors.

The company started producing side cars for motorcycles in 1922 and was named the Swallow Side Car Company founded by Sir William Lyons before moving in to motor car production with the SS Jaguar. Immediately following World War II and wanting to avoid any connotations linked with the initials SS the company was renamed Jaguar.

The originally production site was in Blackpool, before production was switched to Coventry as they outgrew the factory.

Jaguar was bought by Ford in 1989 and helped it launch the S-Type & X-Type models, both of which shared Ford platforms. In 2009 Ford sold Jaguar to Tata Motors.

The Jaguar range currently includes the award winning XF and the XJ, both of which epitomize the Jaguar history of sporting and luxury traditions.

Of all the cars Jaguar have produced over the years, one thing is for certain the popularity and style of one of the most iconic cars in the world, the Jaguar E type really helped put Jaguar on the map. Many old and young a like would still have a Jaguar E-Type on their list of dream cars.

If you do own a Jaguar and it is in good condition with documented service history then selling it could be straight forward and easy. If you have an e-type that you would like to sell then you could almost name your own price!

Part of the Chrysler company Jeep it is also the oldest off road brand in the world with Land Rover coming second.

Jeep was originally a project led by the US government before they entered World War II. The request was for a 4 wheeled drive reconnaissance vehicle, the Jeep became an important vehicle in the second world war, not only being used by the US Army but 30% of what was built was used by the UK & Russian Armies.

Production was licensed by Willys-Overland to Ford because of the volume of vehicles required and the burden of producing so many cars, over 600,000 by the end of the war, was shared between the two companies.

When the war was over, the Jeep became popular with the public as surplus vehicles were sold off, helping to eventually becoming best known 4x4 brand in the world with other 4x4's often referred to as Jeeps, similar in a way to people referring to vacuum cleaners as Hoovers!

The Jeep brand in Europe currently includes the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

With their bold, aggressive looks the Jeeps remain popular cars. Should you be thinking of selling your car then a buyer shouldn't be too difficult to find.

Kia founded in 1944 is South Korea's oldest car company. Originally a manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycle parts by hand. In 1952 Kia changed its name from Kyungsung Precision Industry and before producing cars in 1974 Kia produced trucks and motorcycles.

The company opened its first assembly plant in 1973 and in 1986, entered into a partnership with Ford. Kia also produced several Mazda derived vehicles for both domestic sales in South Korea into other countries. These models include the Pride (based on the Mazda 121) and Avella, which were sold in North America and Australasia as the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire.

In 1997 Kia was declared bankrupt and in 1998 Hyundai acquired 51% of the company successfully out bidding Ford. Hyundai's holdings in Kia is now around 40%.

Kia has concentrated on building its European market whilst at the same time opening a Factory in the USA after 15 years of continuous growth in US market share.

Kia have continued to develop designs that suit the European market and now have a range of vehicles with wide appeal, including the Carens, Sedona, Sorento & Sportage.