2007 Volkswagen Polo: U.S. Debut Stalled?
by Matthew C. Keegan

Volkswagens' plans to deliver a sub-Golf sized car to the U.S. market has stalled as the German automaker considers allowing rival DaimlerChrysler [DCX] to import the car instead and sell it under the Dodge label. VW dealers are naturally unhappy about the move, but much more is at stake than what is evident. Will the Polo still show up? If not, why not?

The world of automobile marketing has changed drastically in the last generation. Gone are brands that are purely set behind national borders and localized brands. Instead, vehicles are being sold that wear one label but are actually built by another manufacturer. Globalism is here and automakers have openly embraced these changes.

Volkswagen's Polo is a likely entry into the U.S. market as a model that would fit nicely below VW's Golf in its American line up. Many manufacturers are changing their car lines to allow for smaller cars to become the new entry level vehicles in their fleets. Here are some examples of cars that recently were introduced or soon will find their way into car lines:

Chevrolet: Korean automaker Daewoo, a GM subsidiary, supplies the Aveo for Chevrolet. This bottom rung car is positioned directly below the Cobalt.

Honda: After 35 years, the Civic will no longer be the entry level model for Honda. An even smaller car, the Jazz, will be imported in about one year's time.

Mercedes: Yes, even a luxury automaker such as Mercedes is contemplating bringing in one or two lines of cars smaller than its current "baby" Mercedes line, the C Class cars.

BMW: Ditto for the another German luxury make.

Dodge: With the Neon replacement Caliber soon to appear, Dodge is still looking at offering a car smaller than the Caliber for their fleet. With DCX's Mitsubishi relationship scuttled, the Japanese automaker can no longer be relied upon to supply a steady stream of entry level cars for The Chrysler Group.

Enter Volkswagen.

Yes, an unlikely supplier for DCX is Volkswagen, a strong competitor for DCX's Mercedes division in Europe. However, VW has its own needs - a minivan - and The Chrysler Group will allow VW to market a rebadged version of its minivan in the US. In exchange for the minivan, Dodge gets to market the Polo a tiny 1.2L powered four passenger car that should see city gas mileage of around 35 mpg and highway mileage of just over 50 mpg.

The current Polo is marketed in Europe as three or five door hatchbacks which is not a popular body style in the U.S. VW may ship a specially reconfigured four door sedan instead to ensure interest in the this model within the U.S. market.

Although VW appears committed to this special arrangement with DCX, the Polo could still be sold here as a Volkswagen too. By keeping the hatchback style for VW branded cars only, the Polo might still be available through VW dealers. Include the optional 1.9L turbo diesel and fuel mileage will soar well past sixty miles per gallon. No wonder VW dealers are aching to see the car imported!

Matt Keegan is a contributing writing for PitStop Auto Parts covering Volkswagen Parts; Lebra Car Bra; and Ventshade Visor.

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Why Should You Enroll in a Defensive Driving Course?  
by John Mancini

Whether you are a teenager who is getting ready to hit the open road, or a seasoned veteran of the highways and byways, it is a wise idea to take a defensive driving course. Driving courses that are designed to teach defensive driving are gaining in popularity as cases of road rage increase in number.

Another reason to take a course of this nature is to reduce auto insurance rates. Most insurance companies offer a discount for taking and completing a driving course. The amount of the discount varies among insurance companies, but will be between 2-10% on average. Call your personal auto insurance agent for the amount you could save.

Cost may also be a concern when choosing which type of course to take. A traditional course is generally more expensive then the other types that are available. However, they do have the distinct advantage of a teacher and classmates to ask questions to and receive answers from. If cost is a prohibitive factor in joining a classroom course, then a correspondence or online course could be the answer. These courses are usually less expensive and have the advantage of being able to complete the work at your own pace.

One of the most popular reasons to take this type of course should be to improve your driving skills, to increase your chances of not being involved in an accident. Reality, however, proves that the most common reason to participate in a defensive driving course is that it is court ordered. Many times the court will require a driver take a driving course in place of fines or jail time for a driving infraction.

When considering taking a defensive driving course, it is important to research the options that are available to you. The most common type is the still the traditional, classroom type course. However, with today's technology classes are becoming popular both as online and correspondence courses.

John Mancini has been writing about defensive driving online and offline for a long time. Visit http://defensivedrivingin texas.info" title="http://defensivedrivingin texas.info" target="_blank"http://defensivedrivingin texa... or http://www.defensivedrivingschools.info" title="http://www.defensivedrivingschools.info" target="_blank"http://www.defensivedrivingsc... to read more about matters like defensive driving in Texas and online defensive driving.

AutoMart.com Announces CAR Giveaway Winner! 
by Sandeep Gill

(Norfolk, VA) December 12th 2005 - AutoMart.com™ recently sponsored a Drive Away, Give Away Sweepstakes in honor of their one-year anniversary of superior online service. The giveaway would award a brand-new Ford Mustang® to one lucky consumer. Promotion of the sweepstakes was carried through online ad campaigns as well as in Auto Mart Magazines.

The sweepstakes, which ran between August 21st and September 30th, announced B. Sparks of Plainwell, Michigan the lucky winner of a 2006 Ford Mustang®. Mr. Sparks stated that he picked up the AutoMart magazine at a local supermarket and that he loves the AutoMart product and the amount of information it has to offer to consumers. "The fact that Mr. Sparks was drawn to the online sweepstakes via the print product illustrates how effectively the Auto Mart brand has seamlessly integrated print and online with Auto Mart magazine and AutoMart.com," said Bill Rieth, senior vice president of AutoMart.com.

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"The sweepstakes generated a lot of excitement for our employees, pre-owned vehicles consumers and our dealer base," said Skip Dowd, regional manager and vice president for AutoMart.com. "We are thrilled to offer this vehicle to Mr. Sparks," Dowd said. Kevin Galer of Harold Zeigler Ford in Plainwell was generous enough to provide the vehicle to the dealership for this great event.

AutoMart.com provides consumers a unique opportunity to search only ads from dealers, providing a sense of confidence in their search for a new vehicle. The continued success and increased traffic growth allows AutoMart.com to give back to the consumers and show them how much they are appreciated.

About AutoMart.com AutoMart.com™ is the Internet's largest automotive website featuring new, used and certified pre-owned car listings exclusively from automobile dealers. With a database of over one million cars for sale, AutoMart.com showcases listings provided by Auto Mart® Magazine, Harmon Autos, Auto Deals, Truck Mart, Auto Mercado and Diablo Dealer. AutoMart.com is owned and operated by United Advertising Media and Trader Electronic Media, both divisions of Trader Publishing Company.

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The History of GM - General Motors  
by William Berg

The history of GM, the world's largest automaker, saw it's beginning in 1908. The company was founded by William Durant in the year 1902. The shrewd businessman that he was, Durant realized that the future lay with cars and not carriages. Initially, the company was founded as a holding company for Buick. The latter part of the year saw the company acquiring Oldsmobile, followed by the possession of Cadillac, Oakland and Elmore in the very next year.

Many of the motor companies were in dire straits during the difficult years of the early 1900's. The stock market panic in 1907 put a lot of small companies into financial distress. Many of these companies were running on credit from various bankers. This was a golden opportunity for Durant, who proceeded to buy smaller car builders, and companies that built car parts as well as car accessories. In 1908, these various companies were folded into a single unit, thus creating the new GM entity. This marked the exciting beginning of the true history of GM.

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William Durant was a flamboyant businessman whose curious mix of genius and over-reaching took GM both to its heights as well as plunged it into financial distress. In 1910, bankers were forced to step in to prevent financial collapse of GM, and Durant was removed from the company he had founded. But by 1911, the company had made enough advances into the international market that the General Motors Export Company was established to handle sales outside the U.S and Canada.

Durant managed to use another company he formed, Chevrolet, to come back to power in GM during 1915, and the history of GM from 1915-1920 is full of successes. During this time, the Cadillac became wildly successful. In 1918, GM bought the operating assets of Chevrolet Motors. But, soon America was hit by a power recession and in 1920, Durant again found himself out of the company.

During the financial boom in the 1920's, the history of GM virtually glowed with success. Auto sales reached the 4.5 million mark, and the auto industry now had three giants - GM, Ford and Chrysler. GM now had a brilliant engineer turned industrialist at its helm. Alfred Sloan who was later acclaimed for his marketing genius had slowly worked his way up among the ranks of GM. His marketing genius breathed a fresh lease of life into GM that was beginning to get overshadowed by Ford.

Ford's philosophy of giving the public the best value for their money offered little variety. But Sloan and GM were interested in providing the public with more than a black box. Stylish colors, features and comfort became the new motto of the company. GM also made a path-breaking offer - the public could now buy a car on credit. The five brands of GM - Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile and Chevrolet began changing every year with the focus being directed mainly at looks and style. This strategy paid rich dividends. Ford was pushed to the backseat again by GM.

The great Wall Street crash in 1929 put an abrupt stop to all expansion plans at GM for the time being. Stocks of GM fell rather badly. But, by early 1930's GM bounced back and bought the Yellow Coach bus company. In 1930, GM bought Electro-Motive Corporation, the internal combustion engine railcar builder. The next 20 years saw GM powered diesel locomotives running on American railroads. December 31, 1955 is another landmark in the history of GM. GM became the first company to make more than a billion dollars in a year.

There was a time in the History of GM when it was the largest corporation in the US. The history of GM also shows that there was a time when GM was the single largest employer in the world. But, in recent times GM has been beset with financial woes. November 2005 saw GM booking a $4 billion loss and about 30,000 employees were laid off. 12 plants were closed down.

This article was provided by William Berg who also rites about other beloved parts of the automotive history like the Corvette with classical models like the 1963 corvette and the 1967 corvette.

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A Guide to Tarp Straps  
by Ken Marlborough

While it is important to choose the right tarpaulin (or tarp) for the job, the type of strap used to secure a tarp is equally important. There are several different models of tarp straps to choose from. Each one is made of different materials and has a different fastening device at the end. Tarp straps are placed over the top of the tarp and cargo and are then secured to both ends of the truck. Some tarp straps are made of material similar to that of bungee cords, while others are made of a stiffer material that is similar to nylon. Some tarp straps have simple hooks on the end, while others have elaborate spring-loaded ratchets. Simple tarp straps can sell for as little as about $20 for a four pack, while professional grade straps with ratchet securing devices and chain extensions can cost over $50 apiece.

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The type of tarp straps that are needed depends on the type of cargo being hauled and the type of tarp being used. For small loads in personal pickup trucks, the bungee type cords with simple hooks should be adequate. However, if a large load like lumber needs to be secured, more expensive and secure hooks are needed.

Aside from tarp straps, tarps can be secured with rope or cables. Most pickup trucks have holes on the rim of the bed that can be used to secure ropes. Anyone with a thorough knowledge of knots can secure a tarp to the truck by threading the rope or cable through the tarp's grommets, and then tying a knot through the truck bed's holes. This method is only recommended for smaller cargo, not for steel tarps or lumber tarps.

Tarp straps are the best way to secure the tarp to the truck. The type of strap needed depends on the size of the cargo and the type of tarp used. Securing the tarp to the truck is vital; the tarp is useless if it is not fastened securely to the truck.

Tarps Info provides detailed information about truck, canvas, mesh, lumber, poly, and steel tarps, as well as tarp systems, straps, and more. Tarps Info is the sister site of Tonneau Covers Web.

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Secrets to Buying Go Carts Cheap!

If you thought go carts were high-priced items, think again. Sure, you can go ahead and pay retail for a go cart, but why would you want to do that when you can buy go carts for up to 50% off the manufacturers price? Learn the secret to obtaining top go carts at bargain basement prices.

Go carts are fun, there is no dispute there. Once you slide into a sleek new go cart and take it out for a spin there is no turning back. If you are like many others the thrill of racing gocarts or traveling off road is something you cannot live without. The only problem is that they can be rather expensive to purchase. This is the reason you need to do your homework, so you can obtain the gocart that you thought was too expensive. If you have a little patience and are willing to put forth just a few hours of work you will be able to find a top go cart for as much as 50% off of the price that other uninformed people are paying.

Instead of renting or borrowing go carts you can own one of your own. Go carts are fun, there is no doubt about that. But you didn't come here for that, you came here to pick up the tips and secrets to purchasing a top go cart for the lowest possible price. So let's get started.

Finding cheap go carts is not as difficult as you might have imagined. In just a couple of minutes you will know everything you need to know about finding your dream go cart for a truly great discounted price. Finding go carts for sale at cheap prices is the easy part. The hard part is that you will have to wait two or three weeks before buying one. But if you can hold out that long you will be able to save some of your hard-earned money on your go cart purchase.

OK, so here we go. Buying a cheap go cart is really a very simple tactic. It's called price shopping or price comparison shopping. All you do is compare prices for go carts from many different sources and then buy the cheapest one. It's as easy as that. You just have to know the correct way to find your sources. With the proper technique you can find great deals that you might have missed otherwise.

Back in ancient times, before the internet, you would have to call up many different go cart stores or actually go out and visit them in person to get prices for their racing or off road gocarts. But the internet turns a two week job into a two hour job. It still takes a little work and some patience, but the savings you can realize will be well worth the time and energy spent.

First, go to Google.com and type 'go carts,' 'go cart,' 'go cart sale' or similar terms into the Google search box. You may also want to try different spellings such as 'go karts,' 'go kart,' 'gocarts,' 'gocart,' 'gokarts' or 'gokart,' whatever you feel is appropriate. You will be amazed at how many "go carts" results will pop up on your search. These days, anybody and everybody can offer their wares online. You will find many top online dealers for go carts with your simple search.

Some of the sites will not actually sell go carts, but will be informational sites only. You need to check out about 10 or 20 of the top online go cart dealer listings and keep a list of the different prices that they offer for the models that you are interested in. For example, if you want a Carter Brothers go cart you would perform your Google search for Carter go carts. Then write down the different dealer prices for the models you are interested in buying. Also, you will notice on the right side of the Google search web pages there are many sponsored ads. If you have searched for Carter go carts some of these sponsored ads will most likely be ads for Carter go carts. Companies pay a lot of money to advertise on Google. Many of these advertisements are from top online companies that will have great prices, so they should be checked out too.

Next, after you have searched Google and made a list of the different go cart prices for the models you like, do the same thing at Yahoo.com, Froogle.com and any other search engine you can think of. There are many search engines such as dogpile.com, altavista.com, lycos.com, excite.com and many more. Just type "search engines" into any search engine search box and you will find many others. You can also go to ebay and look for go cart auctions. Follow some of these auctions for a few days and you will quickly learn how much go carts are selling for.

The key is to search as many different online dealers as possible and make a list of the varying prices. It will only take tow or three hours to do this. Once you're tired of being a detective put your pencil down and wait a week. Then do it all over again. After two or three weeks you will have found some great deals on go carts by simply doing your homework. Deals you might have missed if you did not put in the time and effort.

It's simple. All you are doing is spending a little time locating all of the best prices you can find online. Then you're keeping a list of these prices so that you can compare them. After a couple of weeks you should have a list of many top online go cart dealers and their prices for the go cart models you are interested in. It is easy now to go over your list and pick out the best deals. If you can save as much as 50% by doing a little homework and having a little patience it is well worth doing. And from this point on it's all fun.

Larry Johnson is an amateur driver of go carts. He's not a very good driver, but he has plenty of fun. He enjoys racing and off road go cart action. For more information about go carts please visit his site about racing go carts and off road gocarts.

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