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Volvo Trucks has launching a new version of its Web-based search service for used vehicles - Volvo Truck Finder. New functions allow the customer to specify demands in greater detail and the search process is now faster and more user-friendly. This provides greater access to the full range of used trucks on offer.

“More and more used truck customers are using the internet to identify potential trucks for purchase,” says Peter Groome, Director Volvo Used Trucks. “At Volvo we have listened to our customers and have improved the Volvo Truck Finder website to meet the changing needs and demands of today’s busy truck operators.”

New design and advanced search functions
Volvo Truck Finder has a new design to allow for a better overview of the information and a faster search process. Indeed, the very first page allows the customer to see what is in stock immediately, listed according to type of superstructure. From here it is possible to select a free-text function or a detailed search function, and the updated search engine guarantees a quick response. The result is shown with large photos together with detailed information of up to three trucks at the same time, making it easier to compare different vehicles.

In Volvo Truck Finder, the truck customer can specify the search according to a large number of criteria, such as facts about the vehicle, the type of superstructure and whether it should be specially equipped for a specific operational area. The new version features a number of functions that further increase the chance of finding the right truck immediately. For example, details about the body and the vehicle’s application area now have a `search’ facility.

Furthermore, if none of the advertised trucks meet the set search criteria, it is possible to activate an alert function. With this feature, as soon as a truck with the specified parameters becomes available for sale, the customer receives a message via SMS text or e-mail and can then directly contact the dealer.

The widest range of used Volvo trucks
Volvo Truck Finder has Europe’s widest range of used Volvo trucks. 300 of Volvo’s dealers are linked to the Web-based service, which covers 23 countries in Europe and is available in each country in its own local language.

On average there are about 2,000 trucks in the database at any one time, with about 270,000 searches registered every month.

Recreational Vehicles Industry Association found typical RV vacations cost up to 61 percent less than other types of vacations, even factoring in fuel costs. The study’s authors say a family of four traveling by motor home from Phoenix to Napa and paying $33 a night to park in campgrounds would save $1,700 over the same trip taken by car, eating in restaurants and staying in hotels averaging $122 a night.

Still, diesel fuel, which many of the larger motor homes slurp up, has risen about a buck - or 35 percent - since this time last year. And while the RV community adapts by targeting parks closer to home, the folks who build and sell the rigs are feeling the pinch of the wider economic malaise.

“The down market is winnowing out some of the manufacturers and dealers on the fringe,” said Tom Walworth of Statistical Surveys. His Michigan firm tracks sales in an industry with about 600,000 recreational vehicles on the roads nationwide - from pull-behind trailers up to Class A monster motor homes. “The Fleetwoods and Winnebagos are also feeling the pain, but they’ll hang in there,” Walworth added of the industry’s leading names. “People love the RV lifestyle, and they’re very loyal.”

It’s a seductive lifestyle, where coffee-klatch camaraderie and needlepoint under the redwoods are as much as part of the allure as the freedom of the open road. The subculture feeds on Web sites, bulletin boards and clubs like the Red Mountaineers that are several generations old.

Some in the industry predict a turnaround in the RV market by mid-2009, thanks, says Walworth, to “a lot of pent-up demand. And as the baby boomers retire, they’re not going to want to sit at home.”

But for now, “buyers are sitting on their hands - they just don’t want to venture out there right now.”

Walworth says RV sales have historically served as a leading economic indicator. “Once the economy picks up, RV sales will lead the charge. They’re the first to go down in bad times and the first to go up when things get better.”

To help goose things, manufacturers have already begun to churn out more fuel-efficient models, like the Winnebago View, which reportedly can get up to 20 mpg. “Our sales started softening at the end of last year, and our diesel products are now starting to feel the effects of higher fuel costs,” said Heather Everett of Fleetwood Enterprises, maker of the popular Bounder gasoline model ($107,660) and diesel Discovery ($200,760). “But we’re seeing growing demand for our fuel-efficient brands.”

To be sure, there will be losers amid the fallout, especially those folks who bought rigs using equity lines on homes now worth considerably less than they were a few years ago.

In any business establishment, transportation of the finished goods and product is very much important. Arranging transportation on a day to day basis is very cumbersome and very often the charges fluctuate depending on the market. It becomes entirely difficult for you to maintain a planned budget. Instead of facing these inconveniences regularly, how about purchasing a truck on your own? These days, there are lots of lenders who are offering Truck Finance at very easy terms and conditions.

The finance is mainly designed to assist you provide the requisite finance, so that you can purchase a truck, so that you can transport the finished goods to the market without facing too many obstacles. You can source these loans from all the prominent lenders based in the physical as well as online market. With this finance, you will be able to purchase a new truck or a used truck as per your need and requirement.

You can avail this finance basically in secured and unsecured form. in case of secured form of the finance, you have to pledged the truck as collateral to secure the amount. By placing collateral, you will be able to source the finance at comparatively low interest rate. On the other hand, unsecured form of the finance can be availed without attaching any collateral. Since the amount is approved without any security, this loan option has a marginally high rate of interest.

The amount approved under the finance is around 80-90% of the total amount required and is largely based on your income and repaying capability. The repayment tenure is short and lasts for a period of 5-7 years.

To get feasible terms and conditions on the finance, you can use the online mode. it is free from any documentation and is hassle free. The processing is fast and results in its quick approval. By taking a proper research and comparing the rate quotes of various lenders will help you obtain a lucrative deal.

Truck finance not only helps you to procure a truck on your own, but also assists to save a considerable amount of money which you have been paying earlier on transportation. With a truck available at your side, you can easily transport the goods at whatever time you like and make profit.

In response to growing transport needs Volvo Trucks (STO:VOLVA)(STO:VOLVB) opened a large service facility in Belgrade, Serbia, last month. 2007 was a record year for Volvo Trucks in the Serbian market. The truck deliveries more than doubled compared to the previous year.

The 3,000-sqm large facility will be a multifunction service station and offer workshop services, sales of trucks and spare parts as well as financial services, everything under one roof.

“Serbia is an important business region due to the strong economic growth, and we plan to further develop our presence in the country,” says Roger Alm, Director Region East at Volvo Trucks.

In 2007 Volvo Trucks delivered 560 trucks in the Serbian market. Volvo Trucks has operated in Serbia since 1998 and has now three wholly-owned Volvo Truck Centers; in Novi Sad, in Cacak and in Novi Banovci, situated 20 km from Belgrade.

“Broadening our range of services and getting closer to the customer is a cornerstone in our strategy. We are constantly developing our sales and service network and the opening in Serbia is in line with these ambitions”, concludes Volvo Trucks’ President and CEO Staffan Jufors.

Last month Volvo Trucks inaugurated its first climate-neutral dealership facility. The inauguration took place in Verona, Italy. With the help of solar cells on the building’s roof, more energy will be produced than is needed to heat up the offices and workshops.
“When we decided to build an entirely new facility, we wanted to make sure we integrated pro-environmental technologies from the ground up,” says Marco Lazzoni, Managing Director of Volvo Trucks’ operations in Italy. “And what is cleaner than solar energy?”

Solar energy produced at the Volvo Truck Center in Verona will be supplied to the local power grid, thus generating an income from the electricity that the dealership facility itself does not need. In return, the dealership will only purchase green electricity from solar, wind-power or hydro-power sources. Heating of the premises will take place using fossil methane gas. However, the surplus electricity that the solar panels generate more than compensates for the carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning the methane gas.

“Here at Volvo Trucks we work intensively to ensure that ever-increasing proportions of our operations are climate-neutral. With the new facility, we’re carrying our dedication to the climate out to the dealership level,” says Lars Martensson, environment affairs manager at Volvo Trucks.

Volvo Trucks’ aim is that more dealers should follow Verona’s example. It is not likely that all will follow the path of solar cells, but there are alternative ways to proceed.

“Energy efficiency and a larger proportion of energy from alternative sources are the foundation of our work. The exact measures that are most suitable for implementation are determined by local conditions.”

Over the past few years, Volvo Trucks has implemented a range of measures that help reduce the environmental imprint of its operations and products. For instance, the company’s largest production facility in Ghent in Belgium became the world’s first climate-neutral vehicle factory in 2007. That same year, Volvo Trucks demonstrated 7 trucks each running on a different renewable fuel. This past spring the world’s first heavy-duty hybrid refuse trucks were handed over to customers for field testing.

“These activities show that even a player in heavy industry can reduce climate impact to a major extent – from both its products and its facilities. What is more, we have several additional factories that will also soon become climate-neutral,” says Lars Mårtensson.

In 1980 Volvo bought White after White’s bankruptcy filing. The Canadian assets were purchased by a consortium of two Alberta energy companies, and were renamed Western Star Trucks.

Throughout the 1980s, Volvo produced White and Autocar, as well as distributing European-made Volvo. The White high cabover engine model was also badged a Western Star and sold through that company’s Canadian dealer network.

In 1987, Volvo acquired the heavy-duty truck models of General Motors, and began marketing the WhiteGMC badge, although all of the legacy GMC product lines were discontinued by 1990.

In 1997 the WhiteGMC name was discontinued, and all models were badged either Volvo or Autocar. In 2000, the remaining Autocar products were discontinued, and the nameplate was retired (temporarily) after over 100 years.

In 2001 Volvo acquired Renault Vehicules Industriels, including Mack Trucks in the United States. In order to secure the approval of the authorities to proceed with the merger, Volvo had to agree to divest of its low-cab-forward (LCF) models, known as the Xpeditor range, due to the degree the combination of this product with the Mack MR and LE series dominated the refuse markets in which these vehicles are predominantly used.

In 2001, Volvo divested of the Xpeditor product and the rights to the Autocar trademark. The purchaser was Grand Vehicle Works LLC, a private equity venture based in Indiana that also produced stripped chassis for vans and recreational vehicles, and walk-in van bodies for parcel delivery service.

Today, Volvo produces Volvo and Mack class 8 truck models at plants in Dublin, VA, and Macungie, PA. Affiliate Volvo Powertrain produces engines and transmissions at its Hagerstown, MD, facility, for use exclusively in the North American market.

Used cars can prove to be great investments provided potential clients conduct sufficient research prior to finalizing a deal. This is a prerequisite or else the gamble could prove to be costly. The demand for used cars is increasing for the simple reason that showroom prices could be exorbitant. This has proportionately increased the number of fraudsters who tend to trade dubious and faulty used cars by categorizing them as ?affordable and best used cars?. Prior to finalizing a used car deal, clients may choose to indulge in comparison-shopping to find the best used car brands.

When manufacturers launch new models, market trends and consumer demands decide their fate. The best-used cars are likely to be those that are seen most on the roads. This is the simplest method clients can use when selecting from the ten best-used cars. The Internet can help locate reliable best-used car sources. They offer a wide range of used car types along with their price tags. This includes compact cars, entry mid-sized cars, luxury cars, full-sized cars, coupes, and different sports utility vehicles (SUV). Apart from the type of vehicle, clients may choose to be selective about the manufacturers.

Brands such as Chevrolet, Ford, Lincoln, Toyota, Lexus, Honda, and Porsche are well reputed. In case clients choose to buy used vehicles from individuals, the outcome may or may not be guaranteed. This is because they may choose to hide important facts. It is advisable to consult with experienced mechanics to determine the value and effectiveness of a used car. When clients choose from ten best-used cars it gives them a wider range of options and allows people to find an affordable vehicle that fits in an individual?s budget. The logical explanation behind selecting from the ten-best used cars is to save money and avoid being involved in long-term auto loans.

Wait a few more months if you wish to buy a super luxe sports car as the German premium luxury automobile manufacturer Audi is planning to launch the ‘R8’ in India by this year’s end.

The R8 is Audi’s newest sports car, which has bagged several awards in Germany and Europe. A statement issued by Audi has confirmed the launch of R8 in the country. The statement quoted the Audi India Managing Director Benoit Tiers as saying, ‘India is an important market for Audi, and there has been a tremendous interest in the Audi R8 up to pre-orders by our exclusive customers in India, so it was inevitable that we launch the Audi R8 here.’

It has, however, not been decided yet as to how much the Audi sports car will cost in India. The R8 car will be available at all seven exclusive Audi dealerships located at Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The mid-engine Audi R8 will come with 420 hp engine and a displacement of 4,163 cc.

Peter Smith decided he was finally going to play it smart. The next time he bought a car, he told himself, he was going to buy the cheapest car he could find. That way he could trim his transportation costs to the bare minimum.

But a funny thing happened to Peter. He did buy the cheapest car he could stand to own, but four years later, when he decided he wanted a new vehicle, his old cheap car didn’t turn out to be such a bargain after all. Why? Well, there might have been a variety of contributing factors like insurance rate, fuel economy, and maintenance/repairs, but the big pin that burst his financial bubble was depreciation. Over time the value of his  “cheap” car plunged like a stone, while the value of others in the category held up far better. So not only did Peter end up driving a car he didn’t particularly like for four years, he also found it cost him money. In the world of popular psychology, they call that cognitive dissonance. Peter called it a big downer.

So how do you avoid falling into the money pit that trapped Peter? Well, a simple way is to eyeball the data from IntelliChoice, a Primedia company that earns its keep poring over ownership and leasing cost data. IntelliChoice has just announced its 18th annual Best Overall Value of the Year Awards based value calculations on more than 1,000 vehicle model and sub-models. The analysis accounts for the price of a vehicle and the accumulated costs of depreciation, maintenance, repairs, fuel, fees, financing, and insurance and projects what these costs will be for the upcoming five-year ownership cycle.

As well-defined as all this sounds, there are a couple of cautions: first, Intellichoice’s value calculations are based on a five-year term of ownership, so if you plan to keep your car, say, eight years, the value calculation can be significantly different. And since over the course of five years the predominant “cost” for most vehicles is depreciation, if Intellichoice’s estimates of depreciation turn out to be erroneous, the company’s value estimates will be wrong as well.

Okay, with the disclaimers out of the way, let’s get to this year’s award winners. The Best Car Value under $24,000 is the Honda Civic DX sedan, while the Best Car Value over $24,000 is the Toyota Avalon sedan. Both cars parlay relatively low purchase price, high resale value, and low maintenance and insurance costs to take the titles.

Toyota wins another award with the Toyota Tundra regular cab, the Best Truck Value under $27,000. A domestic model does the trick as the Best Truck Value over $27,000 — Chevrolet Silverado C1500 LS extended cab. Toyota-built vehicles seem to reign over the SUV category. The Best Sport Utility Value under $30,000 is the Toyota RAV4, and the Best Sport Utility Value over $30,000 is the Lexus RX 330.

While for years now corporations have found it productive to utilize a long-range corporate aircraft, the main problem that has existed with using aviation as a business tool was the fact that while flying, the company member en route to an important meeting, for example, could not necessarily be contacted. This is an issue that various aviation related companies have tried to overcome down the years.

One of the first attempts to break this barrier was the initiation of air to ground communication such as the Wulfsberg Skyphone System. This involved the installation of a ground network of communication transceivers so that within the United States or any other country where the service was made available, the aircraft could call the ground station that was in line of sight with the aircraft and the call could subsequently be routed to its destination on the land line.

Problems with these first attempts, including the Wulfsberg Skyphone were plentiful. The minute the aircraft left the land area for a transoceanic flight, the line of communication was lost. Nevertheless such attempts did make it possible when in line of sight of a ground station to provide a communication link between the aircraft and the ground.

In fact ships were the first transoceanic carriers to be able to take advantage of satellite communication – and this was made possible through the use of large steerable antennas installed on the ships, which could track the new satellite communication system. Indeed, an International Consortium called Marisat had launched Geo Stationary Satellites just to cover the Oceanic areas of the earth and provide service for ships.

It was soon recognized that if a method of modulation was developed that would allow a reduction in the size of the airborne antennas, it would be possible to provide voice communication with aircraft too. As it turns out, the utilization of digital voice made it possible to provide reasonable sized satellite antennas for installation on aircraft.

The initial airborne Satellite Communication Systems were extremely expensive and consisted of just a single channel. However it did make worldwide communication between aircraft and any location on the ground possible.

It’s worth noting that the initial satellite communication systems had extremely narrow bandwidth as they were designed just to handle digital voice communication. The result: Although it would be possible to transmit digital data, the rate of 2400 baud was simply to slow to accommodate digital data transmissions with their normal amount of data. Many different methods of making data transmission faster were explored but the bandwidth of the voice channels was inadequate for the speed that type of service required.