Scrappage Cash For Your Old Car
There’s a new buzz word in the motor industry Scrappage. Under this proposed scheme consumers who have a car over nine years old would be able to take it to a recycling plant and in return they would receive a voucher for two thousand pounds off a new or up to one year old car bought from a dealership. Great for the car industry great for suppliers great for dealerships great for recycling great for the environment great for everyone. Or is it?
Such schemes are already in operation in a number of countries and in most cases they have noticeably increased sales in new cars boosting their economies helping to keep car workers employed and taking high polluting vehicles off the road. On the face of it it looks like a no brainer for us in the UK too.
Lord Mandelson the man that’s made more comebacks than Rocky is apparently in advanced talks to approve a deal that would see 500 million earmarked for such a scheme in the UK. If only he knew we only really make other peoples cars. The majority of our car industry went to the wall years ago. Sad as the figures are the fact is that 78 percent of the cars produced in Britain are exported and 86 percent of cars bought in Britain have been imported.
As Scrappage schemes in other countries have shown almost all drivers taking part would spend their 2000 grant on small highly fuelefficient cars cars that just aren’t produced in the UK. In fact the only cars that fall into this category are the MINI and the Nissan Micra which in total make up four percent of the UK market. Meaning 96 percent would go towards subsidising factories on foreign soil. In Germany sixty five percent of the vehicles bought in their Scrappage scheme are produced in German Factories. This is closely replicated in France with sixty two percent of vehicles being produced in French factories.
The Scrappage scheme would undoubtedly help the dealers in the UK. However recently the discounts being offered by dealers has often exceeded 2000 and that obviously has not kick started the car market. If introduced would the dealers not just revert to the list price and knock off the two grand? If discounts of 7500 off a Land Rover can’t get someone to trade in their banger it’s doubtful if an extra 2000 will make much of a difference.
Finally we move to the “green” argument taking inefficient polluting vehicles off the road and replacing them with shiny new highly fuel efficient vehicles sounds great until you look at the fact that even for the most fuel efficient cars the carbon cost for manufacturing would outweigh the benefits gained. Indeed taking a car off the road after nine years would appear to be an act of recklessness when it comes to the environment. Philip Gomm of the RAC Foundation has been quoted as saying “Research shows that the optimal tradein age from an environmental perspective is about 18 years. We would not want to see any old vehicle being scrapped irrespective of age without fully assessing the carbon emission implications of building a new one”. Scrappage may be the way to get some of the worst polluting vehicles off the road but it is by no means a “one size fits all” solution. It would be ridiculous if you could scrap your nine year old Citroen Saxo to get 2000 off a five litre Volkswagen Touareg.
Yes the automotive industry is in favour and if the polls are to be believed so is the UK public but if you ask someone whether they would like 2000 off a new car their answer will no doubt be yes even if they can’t afford one.
Is Scrappage the solution? First we need to work out the exact problem. Is it car sales? Is it the environment? Is it polluting vehicles? Or is it Lord Mandelson introducing a populist policy to support an ailing government? Time will tell.
About the writer: Dave Foord is the content writer for a number of websites. If you are looking for new car make sure you take a look at the new Nissan Micra or other new MINI models.
Your Prized Possession And Classic Bike Insurance
For many motorcycle owners riding is more than just a recreational activity it’s a lifestyle. Riding represents freedom friends and fun. It’s what fuels daydreams and fills weekends. Vintage or classic motorcycles are the pride and joy of their owners many of whom like to parade and demonstrate them at classic bike festivals or other outdoor events.
With classic motorbikes the insurance implications are different to those with standard bikes. Motorcycle Insurance companies will normally insist on certain criteria on which they base the cost of the annual bike insurance premium for your policy and will also dictate whether your bike falls into the classic bike category.
With classic bikes it is generally acknowledged that an ‘agreed value’ insurance policy is the most effective way to insure. One of the main benefits of an agreed value motorcycle insurance policy is that you have the value of your vehicle agreed at the start of the policy meaning if you have to make a claim there can be no doubt about the motorcycles worth.
To obtain an agreed value policy insurers will usually request a fully completed vehicle condition form and 4 coloured photographs of the vehicle.
Classic bike insurance packages are specifically created to give owners peace of mind that their prized possession is covered for every eventuality
Generally classic bike insurance premiums are much more competitive than an average policy premium based on the market value of a bike and even though older vehicles are more prone to breakdown and repairs and parts for specialist and obsolete models can incur a major expense other factors for the classic bike insurance criteria override these and essentially reduce the risk therefore reducing the price.
So what are the factors which meet the classic bike criteria and how does this allow reductions in the motorcycle insurance premium.
* The motorcycle must be at least twenty years old.
* The policy will have a limited mileage restriction. This usually ranges from 2000 to 3500 or 5000 miles per annum. Obviously the lower the mileage restriction on a motorbike policy the lower the usage on a public highway reducing the risk of a road traffic accident.
* The policyholder must have the sole use of another vehicle for daily use again this reduces the amount the bike is actually used on the road.
* The motorcycle must be kept in a secure locked garage at the home address when not in use. This will reduce the theft risk of the bike which reduces the cost of the bike insurance premium.
* The usage on the policy is restricted to social domestic and pleasure use only excluding commuting again possibly reducing the amount of time the motorbike is on the road.
* Drivers on a classic bike policy must generally be over the age of 30 and must have held a full motorcycle driving licence for at least 2 or more years. This again ensures a better risk based on age and experience thus making a bearing on the premium.
There are usually many benefits provided under a Classic motorcycle insurance policy that would not be normally included under a standard motorcycle policy.
This may be automatic cover for all club organised rallies cover for the insured motorcycles spare and dismantled parts whilst stored in a locked garage or other secure premises and possibly free breakdown recovery in addition to the main benefit of an agreed value.
Policies usually have a minimal excess of 50.00 pounds for both accidental damage fire and theft claims and generally exclude the riding other bikes clause. This is so riders do not take advantage of the competitive lower classic bike insurance premium to use a much higher rated bike.
About the writer: Anna Stenning loves classic motorbikes which is why the rightclassic bike insurance is crucial for her hobby. If you are a bike fanatic visit http://www.insureyourbike.com/
Volvo Receives Service Parts Distribution Excellence Awards
Volvo Cars of North America VCNA earlier received awards from Carlisle Company for their excellence in the distribution of their service parts. VCNA was given the distinction as having the number one automotive parts distribution network in the United States by the private consulting firm.
Carlisle Company polled 14000 parts manager which represents nineteen auto manufacturers with operations in the U.S. to come up with a worthy winner. “Being selected as top performer has been one of our long term objectives actually since 1992″ said Robert Deutsch the North American Parts Manager for VCNA. “We started with a rather good system and have systematically improved it over the years. Today our total service parts network is focused on delivering the right part at the right time every time… we strive for perfection.”
The award given to the Swedish automaker is the Service Parts Supply Chain Fulfillment. The award recognizes Volvos dedication to supply their consumers superb satisfaction in every part of car ownership. The commendation meant the automaker is successful in providing spare parts like Volvo V40 parts and other tune up parts to their clientele. The Swedish automaker also known for safety achieved the level of quality by ensuring that their parts distribution network is reliable in its task.
“Today the new car sales experience is just the first touch for customers visiting Volvo retailers. Ownership expectations and of course meeting those demands are key to having repeat new car sales” added Deutsch. “Our whole parts organization should take credit for this achievement. Without a collective effort and holding to our long standing objective of end service to the customer this award would not have been possible.”
Aside from the Service Parts Supply Chain Fulfillment award the private consulting firm also acknowledged VCNA as one of the three Best Practice Leaders for Global Supply Chain Fulfillment. The three winners of the award came from the automotive construction equipment and agriculture fields. “Volvo was the only automotive manufacturer to be recognized for superior complete Parts distribution processes” said enthused Deutsch. Carlisle Company has benchmarked 29 companies and VCNA emerged as the creamofthecrop.
Deutsch continued “Our global approach is based on Volvo Cars Sweden’s unique approach of handling functions that best done centrally and of allowing incountry markets to be a local extension of the complete logistics system. We have an extremely good supply structure that is both global and local at the same time.
The awards were announced amid rumors surrounding the fate of Volvo Cars. After selling its Aston Martin luxury division the Ford Motor Co. was reported to be contemplating about the potential sale of its Premiere Automotive Group PAG European brands that include Land Rover Jaguar and Volvo.
Earlier the automaker admitted that it is eyeing the sale of British brands Land Rover and Jaguar. But it did not confirm whether the Swedish Volvo brand will be included in the anticipated sale. However it is speculated that the Swedish automaker will be sold by the ailing Ford to cope with previous losses. It was also divulged that Ford intends to concentrate on American brands hence the sale of the entire PAG is essential.
Volvo is known for producing safe cars and this year has marked its 80th anniversary in the auto industry. At present the Swedish automakers lineup includes the awardwinning new S40 compact car and the V50 its wagon counterpart; the awardwinning XC90 crossover; the S60 sedan; the performance wagon version V70 R; the flexible V70 wagon; the rugged XC70 Cross Country; the new Volvo C70 convertible; and the allnew Volvo S80 sedan.
About the writer: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. she is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.