Tag Archives: economy

Chevy Malibu Updates Improve Fuel Efficiency, Add Legroom

The 2014 Chevy Malibu won’t go on sale until this fall, but GM is already releasing details about what car buyers can expect from the updated Malibu.

The 2013 Chevy Malibu had a fuel efficiency rate of 22 mpg city driving and 34 mpg for highway driving, but GM expects the 2014 Malibu to improve on those numbers. While the engine will still be the standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, it will come equipped with a new intake valve technology and stop-start technology, giving the Malibu a 23 mpg for city and 35 mpg for highway driving.

Additionally, the new Malibu will have more legroom for the backseat passengers, a redesigned center console with a longer armrest, and the option for Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Pricing will not be announced until later this year, but the 2013 Chevy Malibu had a starting price of $21,995.

Are you looking for a safer car or one with better fuel efficiency? No matter what you’re looking for, Approved Loan Store wants to help you get in a car you want at terms you can afford! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

2014 Subaru Forester Earns Perfect IIHS Score

Recently, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) started using a new safety test measuring a vehicle’s effectiveness in front, side, rear, and roll-over crashes. Earlier this month, the 2014 Subaru Forester was officially the first vehicle to earn a perfect score on every single test.

When the 2014 Forester was tested, the IIHS was in the midst of testing 12 other small SUVs. Out of the 13 tested vehicles, only the Forester and the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander were the only small SUVs to receive an acceptable rating or higher. The rest performed very poorly, receiving a poor or marginal rating from the IIHS.

How did the Forester perform so much better? First of all, the structure of the vehicle was significantly better than the rest of the SUVs with the exception of the Outlander. It held together in the frontal crashes, and the restraints and airbags worked properly. Other models in the test had issues with the airbag deploying and seatbelts letting the crash dummies’ heads and torso move too far forward.

The full IIHS report on the 2014 Subaru Forester is available online here.

Dodge Announces 2013 Dart Special Edition, Rallye Appearance Packages

President and CEO of Dodge Tim Kuniskis has announced that the 2013 Dodge Dart will be offering new special edition packages based on customer’s favorite features.

The Special Edition and Rallye Appearance Package will be available for the SXT and Limited Models and will range in cost from $395 to $1,810, and features will include power sunroofs, heated seats, remote start, Uconnect Voice Command, and more.

The base model starts at around $15,995, and Dodge has used a variety of ways to make the car more affordable and appealing to young people. Earlier this year, Dodge announced that car shoppers short on funds could crowd source the cost of the Dart, asking for people to pledge money in lieu of a gift for a birthday or high school graduation. With the announcement of these new special edition packages, Dodge is hoping to give the Dart a sales boost going into the summer and remind compact car shoppers that the Dart is a solid and affordable option.

Summer time is here! Are you finally ready to get into a great new or used car? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

Upgraded Approved Loan Store Now Available on All Devices

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY – May 29, 2013 – This week, Special Finance Group announced the launch of their new website for Approved Loan Store, their business-to-consumer division.

Approved Loan Store matches subprime credit car buyers with a special finance representative in an associated dealership. On the new website, prospective customers can learn more about the company, read auto news and buying tips, watch video testimonials from customers, or fill out a car loan application.

With the new upgrades, Approved Loan Store’s website is now compatible with all devices and operating systems including iPhone, iPad, Android, and Microsoft Surface. Approved Loan Store Founder Todd Campanella spoke about the site’s new features, saying, “It only makes sense that our website be accessible for all devices. We want to make the approval process more streamlined for everyone. If our customers give us five minutes to fill out the application, we will take care of the rest.”

“There is so much packed into the site now. Our Happy Customers page has this whole new redesign with brand-new written and video testimonials, and we’ve got the latest car news over on our blog. Hundreds of articles about what car to buy, how to get the best rates, which cars are best for families, you name it. You could spend hours on the site and not see everything, it’s really amazing.”

The launch of Approved Loan Store’s website corresponds with their new television ad campaign which started airing in early May. The ads features Robert, a DJ who needs a ride home from the club; Nicole, a young professional who just got her dream job but has no way to get to work; and the Nunez Family, parents who can’t stand the thought of their daughter going to her high school dance on the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle. All of the television ads are available on the website as well as Approved Loan Store’s YouTube channel.

Approved Loan Store can be found online at http://www.approvedloanstore.com.

Contact:
Rachel Godfrey
info@approvedloanstore.com
877-217-2217

Ford and Chrysler Shorten Shutdowns, Add More Jobs

Going into summer 2013, Ford and Chrysler are working furiously to produce more of their most popular vehicles. In an effort to keep up with the high demand, both automakers have announced that they will keep more of their plants open throughout the summer.

Typically, Ford and Chrysler will shut down their plants at certain points during the summer. Ford has a two-week summer shutdown, and Chrysler will usually shut down plants for a week or so. This year, Ford is reducing the two-week shutdown to one week, and some of the Chrysler plants will run through the whole summer with no shutdown. Ford will also add approximately 3,500 hourly jobs to keep the plants open. During that time, Ford plans to produce an additional 40,000 units.

So far this year, sales have been very good for Chrysler and Ford. Ram Trucks had a 49.3 percent volume sales increase in April with 32,124 units, and Ford had a 17.7 percent increase with 204,969 units. It is likely that sales for pickup trucks and other sporting vehicles like SUVs will increase even more as the summer goes on, so it makes perfect sense to keep the plants open longer and hire more employees.

Are you looking to get into a new or used car? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

Tesla Announces Loan Repayment, Receives Rave Reviews

Depending on which news media outlet you listen to, Tesla Motors is either an epic failure waiting to happen or a smashing success. This week, however, Tesla’s detractors will have to eat their words as the divisive auto maker will be repaying their Department of Energy loans as early as today.

The loans weren’t scheduled to be paid off for another nine years, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced via Twitter on Monday that, “Given govt loan repayment this week (prob Wed), Supercharger update will be next week. Work continuing independent of announcement.” With the loan being paid off early, it is estimated that taxpayers will see a $12 million profit from the loan.

May has been a good month for Tesla. They earned $562 million in their first quarter, $70 million more than the revenue estimates, and it was their first profitable quarter. Besides their financial success this quarter, Consumer Reports gave the Tesla Model S a score of 99 out of 100, the highest score any car has ever received from Consumer Reports.

The Tesla still has some hurdles to overcome including a price that is still a bit higher than some car buyers are willing to pay. Also, charging stations are still not prevalent across the country. Still, this is a big step forward for Tesla and for electric cars in general.

Earth Day: Hybrid Wheels Improve Fuel Efficiency

When automakers talk about improving fuel efficiency, they are usually planning to cut vehicle weight or designing a new engine. Lacks Enterprises presented a new way of improving fuel efficiency last week at the SAE World Congress by, quite simply, re-inventing the wheel.

The Evolve Hybrid Wheels are strong yet lightweight wheels designed for aerodynamic efficiency. James Ardern, the director of business development at Lacks Wheel Trim Systems, explains, “We have learned that wheels are contributing significantly to the fuel economy of a vehicle. The things right next to the wheels, the tires get tested. Consumer Reports, for example, has shown that better, more efficient tires can raise a vehicle’s mpg rating by one or two ticks, and Lacks has test results that show that the wheels – at least the Evolve wheels – can do the same.”

Lacks Enterprises has already tested their Evolve Hybrid Wheels on a number of vehicles including the Ford Focus SE. Their test on the Focus found that the wheels improved the city mpg by 0.4 mile per gallon and the highway mpg by 1.1 mile per gallon.

There will be more testing this summer and into the fall, and as of now, they have not announced when the Evolve Hybrid Wheels will hit the market. Still, this is an encouraging development just before Earth Day on Monday, and hopefully more automakers and designers will think outside the box in making new vehicles more fuel efficient and eco-friendly.

Kia Web Series Features Real Moms, “Everyday Answers”

Automakers are making a concerted effort to appeal to families looking for a new vehicle that will suit their needs. Chrysler is redubbing the “soccer mom” the “supermom,” and the 2014 Honda Odyssey will come with a convenient built-in car vacuum for cleaning up stray Cheerios and animal crackers. Kia is the latest to reach out to parents, particularly moms, with a new online-only series featuring The Game and Sister, Sister star Tia Mowry.

“POPSUGAR Circle of Moms, Everyday Answers” will be available weekly on POPSUGAR.com with eight total episodes. Each episode will feature Mowry and other moms taking care of everyday errands and other family tasks using the 2014 Kia Sorento CUV. They will also share personal parenting stories and offer tips and advice to new and veteran parents alike.

Kia has already announced that the show will showcase the Sorento’s “family-friendly” features including fold-down third row seating, its Blind Spot Detection System, and more. Michael Sprague, executive vice-president of marketing and communications at KMA, spoke enthusiastically about the partnership, saying, “By partnering with POPSUGAR Circle of Moms, people will be able to see how the Sorento works in real-world scenarios for all types of everyday family activities.”

Annette Gallo, Vice President of Integrated Marketing at POPSUGAR Inc, was similarly excited, saying POPSUGAR was “thrilled” about the partnership. In a joint press release with Kia, Gallo stated, “We continue to push the boundaries of campaign creativity…and this campaign is another great example of that mission.”

“POPSUGAR Circle of Moms, Everyday Answers” is available weekly at POPSUGAR.com.

Whether if you are looking for a car for yourself or your growing family, Approved Loan Store wants to help you get a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

Chrysler Design Chief Teases Future Minivan

Chrysler has yet to announce the future for their minivan and whether it will be released as a Chrysler Town & Country or a Dodge Caravan for the 2015 model, but Chrysler design chief Ralph Gilles has made it clear that this will be a car for the new-age mom.

“I think the new generation is ‘supermom,’” Giles said in a recent interview. “I think consumers see minivans as a tool to be the ultimate mother, so we’re designing it for that.” Giles also pointed out that Chrysler has a large number of female engineers and designers working on the new minivan and says that their own “real-life experiences” have influenced the vehicle’s features and design.

The 2013 Chrysler Town & Country starts at around $30,000 and comes with standard DVD player and leather trim as well as Stow ‘n Go seating. By comparison, Dodge can boast that the Caravan is the best-selling and most awarded minivan ever with a starting price around $19,990.

Readers, what do you think? Would you rather Chrysler picks the Chrysler Town & Country or the Dodge Caravan? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

Are you ready to get into a new or used car today? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

Chevrolet Spark Upgrades With New DC Chargers

Ever since electric cars hit the market, they have had a tough time taking off. At first, it was the price hindering sales, but recent discounts and tax incentives have made them more affordable. When they became affordable, people started questioning their safety, and rumors still persist that electric cars are significantly more dangerous than gas-driven cars despite automakers’ steps to make them safer. Yet another real problem plagues the electric car, however, and that is how long it takes an electric car to charge.

Right now, alternating current (AC) energy has to be converted to direct current (DC) before the energy can be stored in car batteries. The conversion process slows down battery charging, and it takes longer to charge up electric cars. If a car could power up with a DC charger, it would speed up the charging process.

With that in mind, General Motors announced this week that the new Chevrolet Spark will have the standard AC port as well as two DC ports. Since DC chargers are not as readily available, a number of companies are stepping up to make them more available, though Eaton and Fuji Electric do have DC chargers available on the market at this time.

Readers, we want to hear from you! Does GM’s announcement make you more likely to test-drive the Spark? Would a faster charging time make you consider checking out other electric cars? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

Are you ready to get into a new or used car? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to find a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!