Tag Archives: savings

Toyota Wins the Internet with $14.5 Million in Free Publicity

All press is good press, and lots of press and online chatter about the Prius are leading to millions of dollars in free publicity for Toyota.

A study from GenSents Insights, a social analytics company, found that the Toyota Prius is the most discussed hybrid vehicle online, generating approximately $14.5 million in media value from January through April. Discussion of the Prius was monitored on Facebook, YouTube, Google, and other popular social media websites. Prius was mentioned in about 86,000 Twitter tweets, over 8,300 of them accumulating solely from a mention of the Prius by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame.

Honda Fit came in second place at $4.5 million in online buzz, $10 million less than the Prius. Third, fourth, and fifth place were all very close with Chevrolet Volt at $3.1 million followed by Tesla Motors with $3 million and Honda Insight at $2.9 million.

Readers, we want to hear from you. Does online buzz about a car make you more likely to test drive it and ultimately buy it? Do you think the online buzz for the Toyota Prius is justified? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

Want 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, and if you are looking to get into a new or used car, get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here.

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.

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!

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!

2013 Ford Fusion, Hybrid, and Energi Earn Five-Star Safety Ratings

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid would receive a five-star safety rating, making it the third version of the 2013 Ford Fusion to receive a five-star rating.

Previously, the gasoline 2013 Ford Fusion and the Ford Fusion Hybrid had both received five-star ratings from the NHTSA. Broken down, each vehicle was rated up to five stars in frontal, side-impact, and rollover crash tests. The gasoline Fusion and Fusion Hybrid received five stars in the frontal test, four stars in the side-impact test, and four stars in the rollover crash test. Comparatively, the Energi earned scores of five stars in the frontal test, five stars in the side-impact test, and four stars in the rollover crash tests.

As if all of these honors weren’t enough, the gasoline Ford Fusion won The Car Connection’s Best Car to Buy 2013 award earlier this month, and the Fusion has also been named a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Additionally, the Fusion Hybrid also won Green Car of the Year at the L.A. Auto Show and Autobytel’s 2013 Car of the Year.

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.

Earth Day: Nissan, New York City Launch Plan for “Taxi of Tomorrow”

April 22 is Earth Day, and to celebrate, New York City is teaming up with Nissan to put the Taxi of Tomorrow on our city’s streets.

Nissan has donated six Nissan Leafs to the city of New York as part of the city’s plan to transition all taxis to electric vehicles. Over the next few years, they will test out the Nissan Leafs, pinpoint any needed adjustments, and find the best way to transition one-third of the fleet to electric vehicles by the end of the decade.

Nissan executive Joe Castelli was optimistic about the future of the program, stating, “Following the selection of Nissan NV200 as New York City’s Taxi of Tomorrow, our relationship with the city provides us the ultimate proving ground to conduct this Leaf taxi pilot to help optimize the use of electric vehicle technology for future application.”

Are you looking for a new family car, a new summer ride, or something more fuel efficient and better for the environment? No matter what kind of car you’re looking for, 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!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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!