Lexus to lose its 11-year luxury top spot in US target=

Lexus to lose its 11-year luxury top spot in US target=

Lexus' loss may be gain for BMW & others...

Believe it not, we are driving less, says a report

According to a report in The Age, 'Peak car use - which is measured as vehicle kilometres travelled per capita - had occurred in all major Australian cities in 2004 in line with the world trend, the authors noted. In 2004, Melbourne's car use peaked at 12,410 passenger kilometres per capita. In 2009, that had dropped to 11,050'
 

That is quite 'GO Green' !!

http://www.theage.com.au/national/believe-it-or-not-were-driving-less-than-ever-20110709-1h7zq.html

gulfnews : Cars leaving UAE with worn tyres will be stopped

gulfnews : Cars leaving UAE with worn tyres will be stopped

This is a very good initiative... Very thoughtful to check vehicles leaving the border too...

Toyota's Recall Saga

Toyota is to recall more than 110,000 hybrid vehicles over concerns about a problem with the power supply circuit. The Japanese carmaker said the recall involves the Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX400h models globally. Lexus did well on JD Power rating released recently

According to experts 'rapid expansion' is considered to be the main reason for the recalls ! What a tragedy... Toyota was considered to be synonymous with quality!

Hyundai/Kia June report

Hyundai & Kia duo, World's No 5 auto manufacturer registered good growth in June, 11.

While Hyundai grew by 12.3 %, Kia went up by 22 % !

Indeed, when the global auto market is coming out of a recession, people are looking for value for money. If that comes with higher style quotient, esp the new Sonata & Kia launches, buyers 'feel better'!
With US demand also looking good, an interesting H2 ahead. But there have been reports of shortage of Hyundai cars in Middle East



http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/01/hyundai-sales-idUSL3E7I104M20110701

Car Re-exports

Car re-exports stage a quick revival

some update on re-export of cars from Middle East

JD POWER NEW RATING

Quality check

J.D. Power and Associates rates these as having the fewest complaints in the first 90 days of ownership:

Subcompact

1. Honda Fit 
2. Kia Rio 
3. Hyundai Accent

Compact

1. (tie) Honda Civic 
1. (tie) Honda Insight 
3. Toyota Prius

Compact sporty

1. Mazda MX-5 Miata 
2. Volkswagen Eos 
3. Volkswagen GTI

Compact premium sporty*

1. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet/Coup

Entry premium

1. Lexus ES 
2. Acura TSX 
3. Lexus IS

Midsize premium

1. Lexus GS 
2. Jaguar XF 
3. Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan/wagon

Midsize sporty*

1. Dodge Challenger 
2. Chevrolet Camaro

Large premium

1. Lexus LS 
2. Hyundai Equus 
3. Porsche Panamera

Midsize

1. Honda Accord 
2. Subaru Legacy 
3. Toyota Camry

Large

1. Ford Taurus 
2. Buick Lucerne 
3. Nissan Maxima

Compact crossover/SUV

1. Honda Element 
2. Honda CR-V 
3. Toyota FJ Cruiser

Compact MPV*

1. Chevrolet HHR

Entry premium crossover/SUV

1. Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class 
2. Acura RDX 
3. Volvo XC60

Midsize crossover/SUV

1. Honda Accord Crosstour 
2. (tie) Dodge Durango 
2. (tie) Subaru Outback Wagon

Large crossover-SUV

1. Chevrolet Tahoe 
2. GMC Yukon 
3. Chevrolet Suburban

Midsize premium crossover/SUV

1. Lexus RX 
2. (tie) BMW X6 
2. (tie) Infiniti FX-Series 
2. (tie) Volvo XC70

Large premium crossover/SUV

1. Cadillac Escalade 
2. Mercedes-Benz GL-Class 
3. Lincoln Navigator

Large pickup

1. Ford F-150 LD 
2. Toyota Tundra 
3. Chevrolet Avalanche

Midsize pickup

1. Honda Ridgeline 
2. Nissan Frontier 
3. Ram Dakota

Minivan

1. Chrysler Town & Country 
2. Honda Odyssey 
3. Dodge Grand Caravan 
*No other model in this segment performs above the segment average

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110624/AUTO01/106240387/Ford-s-quality-ranking-plummets-in-J.D.-Power-survey#ixzz1QDf9IoaH