For a very brief moment in 2007, General Motors was actually outsold by Toyota.  This occurred in the second quarter of the year, yet slipped back during the remainder of the year.  If Toyota hits its goal for production plans, it may take the lead again in 2008.

Is this a big deal?  Well, you may get different answers depending on who is asked.  CEO Katsuaki Watanabe at Toyota insists that they aren’t even paying attention.

As for GM, it has been the global leader in the industry for about three quarters of a century.  They have taken great pride in being at the top, but several senior executives at GM claim it no longer matters.  According to Bob Lutz, who is the Vice Chairman, it will help sell newspapers, but it won’t have an impact in their operations.    In fact, he claims that falling behind could be a good thing.

Whoever is at the top, one thing is for sure, Toyota and GM both make good vehicles.  Consumers are going to keep buying new cars, new car warranties, and auto loans, so they can find themselves behind the wheel of a new vehicle.

Volvo Cars of North America is coming out with the C30 R-design, limited edition, which will be available this month.  The price on this vehicle will be $25,700.

The C30 R-Design is a similar, yet outstanding version of the latest C30 hatchback.  This vehicle has the power to accompany its new, updated look.  The engine is 227-horsepower, and it puts out 236 ft per pound of torque.

This car comes in four colors- Titanium Grey, Black Sapphire, Passion red, and Orinoco Blue.  The interior of the vehicle is very sporty.  The seats are black flex-tech with a cream trim in leather.  Also trimmed in this leather are the shifter and steering wheel.  The stock pedals have also been replaced with sport ones.

Consumers are awaiting this vehicle model that provides the options for a Dynaudio sound system, and a navigation system based on DVD.  In addition, to spending money on new car warranties and maintenance, consumers are willing to shell out money for these latest technologies.

General Motors’ goal is to get 1,000 vehicles in California that are hydrogen fuel cell between the years 2012 and 2014.  This is in an attempt to comply with California’s objective to get thousands of cars on the roads that are cleaner.

Currently, in Southern California GM has approximately 60 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles that are fuel cell.  They believe that the logical next step is to raise the scale to 1,000.  This way they will be close to meeting their share of the 7,500 zero emission vehicles California expects on the roadways between 2012 and 2014.

GM believes that if the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the roads increase, there would be more of a mainstream acceptance of these cars.  Also, people would see it as more viable financially by 2017.

Consumers will jump on board eventually if they see that hydrogen fuel cell cars are beneficial.  More people are becoming “green” and looking to save money on gas, new car warranties, and auto loans.

With the poor economy and gas prices nearing $4 per gallon, more people are concerned with buying fuel-efficient vehicles. People don’t want to waste money on gas.  In addition, consumers are more concerned with getting a good deal on an auto loan and an auto warranty.

Some people assume that only small cars are fuel-efficient, but there are several vehicles to choose from in every category.  The following is a list of cars that will help you save at the gas pump.

If you’re looking for a small car, you can’t beat the Honda Civic Hybrid.  Its sticker price is $22,600 and it gets 40 mpg in the city.  Not to mention it’s a sporty ride.

As far as midsize cars go, the Nissan Altima Hybrid is the best.  It costs $25,170 and gets 35 mpg in the city.

In the large cars category, the Lexus GS-450 Hybrid tops the list.  It is a smooth vehicle with a sticker price of $54,900.  In this car you will get 22 mpg in the city.

If a compact SUV is your flavor, you might want to try the Ford Escape Hybrid at $26,505.  This is a nice looking vehicle that gets 34 mpg in the city.

If you need more space, you might want a large SUV.  If this is the case, the best is the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid at $52,395.  It gets 20 mpg.

Whatever your needs may be, there is a vehicle out there that rates well for fuel-efficiency.  Consumers should do their research on new cars, new car warranties, and maintenance costs in order to make a wise auto purchase.

Consumers are thrilled to drive hybrids because they allow for a great savings.  Drivers can save money on gas, which allows them to spend their money on important things such as maintenance and new car warranties.  However, there are growing concerns about hybrids being too quiet.  Cars such as the Prius are hazardous to pedestrians, especially people who are blind.  When the cars are operating at a low speed they only sound as loud as a golf cart.

With hybrids, there is a silent zone that is deadly.  People literally can’t hear the cars.  This doesn’t just affect blind people, but also joggers, pets, children, bikers, or people who aren’t looking.

This issue has come to light because hybrids are becoming more common.  There were approximately 350,000-sold last year in the United States according to J.D. Power and Associates.

Hybrids are powered by electricity and fuel, and have great fuel-efficiency.  Their popularity is greatest in California, where half of the hybrids sold in America are purchased.

Motorists are thrilled with hybrids because they allow for a great savings.  Drivers don’t want to pay gas prices on top of other costs, such as an auto warranty, maintenance costs, and auto loans.  Hybrids could become a little noisier in the future.  Legislation is being pushed that would require noise emitting devices to be installed in hybrids.

Consumers should consider all of the monthly expenses when choosing a car.  For example, gas costs, insurance, an auto warranty, maintenance, and car payments need to be factored in to the equation. Many Americans need the assistance of an auto loan when purchasing a new car.  In fact, the majority of people in America finance approximately 90 percent of their vehicle purchase.  Here are some important tips in finding a good car loan for you.

First, consider the length of your car loan.  There are long-term and short-term loans.  Long-term loans are primarily used for new cars, where the terms of the loan can go to 84 months.  Loans for used vehicles max out around the 48th month.

To find the right lender, consumers should do some research.  You can get financing through the dealership, a credit union, or bank.  Contacting various financial institutions to compare loan rates and get pre-approved.  Auto dealer financing tends to be the most expensive, but easy to get.

Finally, make sure you find out the terms of the loan.  Ask about the details, such as the interest rate, when payments start, payment amounts, the number of payments, etc.  Also, find out about hidden charges.

Motorists need to consider all of the costs when buying a new car.  This includes new car warranties, sticker price, auto loans, and maintenance costs.  Be an informed buyer to get the best deals.

The electric car is here.  Within the next four years, two of the Japanese automakers have intentions of having all-electric vehicles on the roads in America.  In addition, there are other automakers designing similar cars.

Many of the electric vehicles that are coming out are small and travel approximately 90 miles, until they need recharging.  These cars are intended to be used in urban areas that are congested.

There were three electric cars featured at the New York Auto Show this week.

First, Subaru showed the R1e electric car.  It is supposedly fun to drive, easy to charge and free of emissions.  It can operate for 50 miles and can reach 65 mph.

Nissan featured the Denki Cube.  It is a preview of the small vehicle strategy that Nissan has in mind for the market in North America.  This electric car brings some advanced technology to the market.

Mitsubishi unveiled the iMiEV, which is all-electric.  This is a four-door car that will operate for 80 miles without recharging.  Mitsubishi says that they might bring the vehicle to the United States in 2010 if the demand is great enough.

With the difficult economy, consumers are interested in saving money on new car warranties, auto loans and gas prices.  Electric cars are a good way to start.  Consumers can look for these in the near future.

Isuzu has been battling to stay in the U.S. market, but that battle is now over.  The Japanese automaker has announced that it will stop selling new cars in America starting January 31, 2009.

Isuzu has been expected to withdraw from the U.S. market for years. Isuzu was in the top of the market for trucks with its Trooper SUV in the 1990’s.  However, the company has experienced trouble in its home market, and they haven’t had the funds to develop additional SUVs and crossovers.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Isuzu only sold 7,906 cars last year.  That is equivalent to about four days of production for the pickups of the Ford F-Series.

Probably the final blow to Isuzu came from GM declining them a vehicle to replace the i370 and i290 trucks.  These are based on the Colorado by Chevrolet.

Isuzu has enough inventories to sell this coming year, and they are promising to honor all new car warranties and emergency roadside assistance programs.

Volkswagen and Audi have experienced a great deal of success with their personal version of the BorgWarner’s transmission that is dual-clutch.  Now, BMW has added a seven-speed transmission that is double clutch, coming out later this year, so Audi had decided to up the game by raising its gear count.

According to Autocar magazine, Audi will degut an S-tronic gearbox that is seven-speed.  This is intended to be used with the quattro that is four-wheel-drive.  The gearbox is so high-performance that it can handle torque output up to 406 lb-ft.  It is along the same line as the current box that Audi has, and BMW’s newest one.  There are two clutches that are continuously acting.  Alternating gears are pre-selected allowing the transmission to shift within hundredths of a second.

Audi will be introducing this gearbox at the Beijing auto show.  It is installed in the Q5 crossover.

New technology is great for the consumer, yet motorists should protect themselves with new car warranties in the event that technology would fail.  Drivers should never chance being unprotected in the case of a breakdown.

Automakers from Asia got a big sales boost from the cars that they introduced in New York at the annual auto show. Consumers are looking for small, fuel-efficient cars and Asia provided. Motorists today, gain peace of mind from a realistic car with an auto warranty.

Some cars from Asia that were introduced were the latest Maxima by Nissan, and Honda presented the Fit small car, as well as the Acura TSX. Hyundai showed their Genesis premium car in a two-door version. Toyota had a coupe that is soon to be added to its Scion brand. Kia, Mazda, and Subaru also presented models that were a draw.

Asian automaker companies were responsible for 10 out of the 20 cars making a debut in North America. In comparison, only 2 debuts came from automakers in the U.S. The other 8 models were of European descent.

Honda expects that they will sell around 70,000 Fits in 2008, whereas they sold 56,432 last year. Consumers have shaky confidence because of oil prices. However, realistic, fuel-efficient cars, such as the ones presented from Asia, are what motorists are looking for. Drivers will slowly gain back confidence by selecting the right car and purchasing new car warranties. This will bring drivers the peace of mind that they need.