Automobile Retailers

For those already in the know, the Build My Scion project has been rolling along quite nicely. I’m now in the final stages of putting the car together and getting a final price. So far, my 2009 stingray metallic Scion xB comes with automatic transmission, exhaust tip, rear spoiler, remote starter, cargo cover, and sport steering wheel. I’ve also “tricked out” the Scion with the XM Satellite Radio system and have added 16-inch alloy wheels and a sports muffler.

After clicking the “Get It” button, I’m on to the most frightening screen yet: the pricing screen.

The Scion screen tells me that I’ve created my “dream car” and that I’m only one step away from getting it. Pretty sweet, isn’t it? There are options for applying for credit, customizing financing, and reading about somebody named Drew and his story of buying a Scion. For some reason, I’m drawn to Drew and need to find out what his story is. I click the button.

It turns out that I end up in a new flash window that is actually quite hard to navigate. Drew is apparently the guy behind the screen, some guy with glasses that looks kinda like me. His “story” is about his trip to the dealership and understanding the process of leasing or buying a Scion. I thumb through the “book” they provide on the screen, but there’s really nothing of interest here and the page is slightly confusing.

I head back to the “Get It” page and give it another look. The financing section seems geared for me, so I click it and organize some monthly payments of the Scion xB I’ve been working on for the past few days. The first thing it asks me is about my credit rating. Using the FICO system, it asks me to rate my own credit. Of course I select “Excellent.” It loads data from the server and takes so long that I start wondering if the feds are going to be kicking down my door for lying about my credit score.

Finally a new screen arrives and I’m treated to my car’s price: $20,619. A lease payment with no down payment would be $292 a month and a finance payment would be $394 a month. Not bad for a car that is considered to be one of the best small cars on the market.

I close the page, proud of having used the “Build Your Scion” process to its finale and excited about the potential results of actually, you know, getting one for real this time.

Sometimes car sales are expected to take a big jump in the most unlikely of places. Sometimes our conception of “the most unlikely of places” isn’t entirely accurate, as Mercedes-Benz India has indicated today.

In an announcement, the car company said that it expected sales of its luxury cars to reach 3000. That figure is based on the sales from last year, which reached 2491 surprisingly. The growing demand for luxury cars in India is something Mercedes-Benz fully intends to take advantage of.

“Across India there is a significant demand for luxury cars and luxury products. For us this is very encouraging as it indicates that the economic development in the last few years is paying off,” company’s Managing Director and CEO Wilfred Aulbur told journalists.

Already this year, Mercedes-Benz India has sold 1300 cars in the first four months.

Mercedes-Benz also apparently has interest in the luxury bus sector in India. Partnering with Sutlej Motors to create the body of a potential model for a luxury bus, Mercedes-Benz India hopes to launch a potential bus model in the second half of this year.

To meet these requirements, Mercedes-Benz is opening up a new manufacturing facility at Chakan in Pune. This plant will be built on a 100 acre area and plans to manufacture some 5000 passenger cars and 1200 commercial vehicles each year. The demand for such a factory is immense and Mercedes-Benz quite simply can’t build it fast enough to meet the immense rising demands in India.

At this point, Mercedes-Benz locally manufactures S Class, E class and C class cars in India and imports Mercedes Benz S class, M class, CL class and popular SLK class and CLS class as completely built units. There are hopes to expand the capability of the local manufacturers to create an even more solid production base in India, helping Mercedes-Benz India compete with other car companies around the world.

Are you the type of person that buys a car based on what it looks like? Or do you simply look for a certain price and go after cars in a certain range? If you’re in the first category, then the color you choose for your car could say a lot about your personality. Here’s what some of the colors tell other drivers about you.

Red
People who typically buy red cars are often more aggressive than others. These are probably the drivers involved in a large number of road rage incidents. Red cars also tend to stand out to police officers looking for speeders.

Yellow
What comes to mind when you think of bright yellow? Most people think of the sun. And car buyers that choose yellow cars over others generally have a fun and cheery personality that brightens everybody’s day.

Dark Blue / Silver
Many upbeat car buyers choose these two colors. This doesn’t mean you have a sunny personality, but you’re more energetic than car buyers who choose some of the other colors.

Black
This is my favorite color for cars. People who choose black cars over the other colors are generally more downbeat, but they also have a high level of confidence. I confess…this does sound a bit like me.

Green
If you see somebody in a green car, there’s a good chance they have a smile on their face. Despite the gas prices, they still tend to be cheerful.

Of course, there’s nothing concrete in these findings. There is merely a correlation between color and personality. But now that you know what the colors might say about you, you’ll probably pay closer attention to the color you choose the next time you visit your local Pontiac dealer.