With an increase of 2.9 percent from the first four months of 2006, the BMW Group in the U.S announced that the company has sold 104,125 vehicles from January to April of 2007. Last year?s first four months of sales totaled to 101,151 vehicles.

BMW US reported April 2007 is one of the strongest months of sales in the country. Twenty eight thousand six hundred ninety two (28,692) vehicles were sold in April 2007. It projects a 0.5 percent increase from April 2006 sales, which totaled to 28,563 vehicles.

Meanwhile, BMW brand this year still has strong sales with a 4.9 percent increase as compared to its sales last year. Ninety two thousand six hundred seventy (92,670) vehicles were sold from January to April this year, while 88,353 vehicles were sold last year.

Twenty five thousand three hundred ten (25,310) BMW brand vehicles were sold in April 2007, making a 0.2 percent increase from last April 2006?s 25,250 vehicles.

Sales of BMW automobiles from January to April 2007 were pegged at 71,907 automobiles. This showed a 5.3 percent increase from last year?s same period sales of 68,311. In April 2007 alone, a significant 10.1 percent increase was got by BMW from its 18,427 sales in April 2006 to 20,290 sales in April this year.

However, the company experienced a 26.4 percent decrease in its sales of sports activity vehicles. Only 5,020 vehicles were sold this April compared to 6,823 sold vehicles in April last year. The X5 showed a 21.8 percent increase in sales in April 2007 as compared to its sales during the same period last year.

Meanwhile, January to April sales of BMW sports activity vehicles increased 3.6 percent; from 20,042 sold vehicles during the same period last year to 20,763 vehicles this year.

Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales in April 2007 decreased 12 percent, which totals to 7,368 CPO sales, versus April 2006 sales. From January to April 2007, CPO sales also went down; but this time only 7.9 percent. From 28,630 last year, sales reached only 26,376 this year.

Two point one (2.1) percent sales on BMW automobiles increase was reported by MINI USA. Three thousand three hundred eighty two (3,382) automobiles were sold this April and 3,313 automobiles were sold on the same period last year. From April to January 2007, MINI USA reported a 10.5 percent sales decrease from 12,798 cars sold last year to 11,455 cars sold this year.

BMW, maker of quality BMW catalytic converter, and MINI brands combined, BMW Group in America was established to include BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars.

As what most do not know, BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke, in German or Bavarian Motor Works, in English.

The Ford Motor Co. is in exclusive talks with Prodrive, a motorsport and automotive company, over the possible sale of the U.S. carmaker’s Aston Martin luxury car unit.

It was earlier reported that Prodrive had trouble financing a bid but the automaker had chosen the company because it had offered a higher price than other interested purchasers. According to reports, more than 450 million pounds would be given to Ford as consideration of the Aston Martin.

To date, the automaker did not release any comment on this matter. However, a source familiar to the potential deal said that the automaker could announce the sale of the Aston Martin as early as this week. Last year, Ford announced that it would sell all or just a part of the Aston Martin to raise funds for other company businesses.

Formula One team Prodrive, working with Egypt’s Naeem investment bank, is the frontrunner to purchase Ford?s luxury unit. Prodrive Ltd. is famed for designing, constructing and racing cars for companies and teams such as Subaru and Aston Martin. The company?s Automotive Technology division, which is based in Warwick, also offers road car design and engineering consultation for other automakers. The company is popularly known for its participation in the World Rally Championship with the Subaru World Rally Team.

However, the source did not deny other enthusiastic bidders such as the UK buyout firm Doughty Hanson. The source added that negotiations are still in the process should talks fall. In addition, the deal also has the possibility to slip away. Sources familiar to the deal said Doughty Hanson and Syrian-born property tycoon Simon Halabi also submitted second-round offers for the Aston Martin in an auction being run by investment bank UBS AG.

According to a top Ford official, the Aston Martin is on solid financial footing. The sales of the car brand were also increased by the James Bond spy movies which made the brand quite popular. According to the sales record, the sales went up by around half last year to about 6,500 units.

On the other side of the automaker?s hype, the Ford Family was awarded the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award this weekend in Indianapolis. The award coincided with the 75th anniversary of the 1932 Ford. Edsel B. Ford II, the great-grandson of Henry Ford – founder of the company, received the award.

?I accept this on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Ford employees who preceded me, who work with me now and who will come after me,? said Ford. ?It really was the entire Ford Motor Company that produced the ‘32 Ford.? The 32 does not only showcase classic Ford body parts but powerful performance as well.

The said award is given annually at the Hot Rod and Restoration Trade Show. Previous awardees include racing legends like Carroll Shelby and Andy Granatelli and automotive designers like George Barris.

“This is the first time the award has honored an entire family instead of an individual,? said Dick Messer, the director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. “There are no more deserving recipients than the two men who literally started the performance industry, Henry and Edsel Ford.?

?I expect there will be hundreds of ‘32?s of all iterations, from stock cars to panel vans to hot rods,? said Keith Crain, the publisher of Automotive News. ?It will be a great way to appreciate the history of Ford.?

In today’s highly mobile world, many spend countless hours and miles traveling in their automobiles for work and vacation. Modern cars are also far more reliable than the cars of 30 years ago. We have begun to take them for granted. We expect them to just work day in day. However, the time to learn the lessons of basic car repair is not on a deserted highway at 2 am on the way up to the ski slopes! Automobiles still breakdown, have flat tires and batteries run out of juice. Most people think that you have to be a space shuttle engineer to even open the hood of a 21st century car. While it is true that computer technology has drastically changed the way engines and cars operate, there are still some basic car repairs that you can perform in a pinch. You must carry some basic automotive tools with you at all times in order to carry them out.

A basic kit with automotive tools doesn’t have to break the bank or require you tow a trailer full of tools. You can go as basic as you want and add more tools as your needs change. The first thing to do is put together a list of automotive tools that you will probably need. (I have included one in this article.) You will be surprised to find that you own many of them already. The real chore is to get them together in one place and carry them with you. You will also need something to carry them in. First see if you have an old duffle bag stuffed in a closet. If not you can probably get one cheap at an Army surplus store. Now it is time to look at our automotive tool list and start collecting them.

Automotive tools for your kit should include the following: set of various screwdrivers (both flat head and Phillips), crescent wrench, pliers, torque wrench, pocket knife, jumper cables, battery terminal brush, spare fuses, 1 quart of oil, duct tape, flashlight, gloves, medical kit, road flares, reflective vest, blanket and funnel. Make sure your car jack and tire iron are in their proper place in your car’s trunk. After you have gathered these items and put them in your old duffle bag, store it in your truck so its there when you need it. These items can prove to be invaluable to help you fix a minor problem and be on your way.

I know i need a new supercharger and i am waiting for the item to be shipped this week. On the way home the service engine blinked 3 times.

Chrysler Sebring

Here in the UK, we’re fairly comfortable with the notion of importing our automobiles. We’re quite happy to drive German, Italian, Japanese, even Spanish cars (just so long as we don’t have to drive French ones…). This is partly because we’ve forgotten how to make a decent car domestically. Fortunately however, when we realised this, we quickly entrusted our most precious marques to the most expert hands we could get our…hands…on.

The Germans.

We left Mini and Rolls Royce with BMW, and Volkswagen is looking after Bently for us. Thanks chaps.*

The result of all this is that now, even when we think we’re driving British, we’re most definitely not (unless you’re sat in a Caterham, a Lotus or a TVR, which you’re probably not). And we know this. So, when we’re not, not driving British cars, we’re not driving British cars. Do you follow? Basically, we never drive British cars. And we’re happy with that.

And yet while we’re clearly fine driving vehicles manufactured abroad, we’ve always had about us an air of caution and distrust when it comes to The Americans. While in global politics we’re quick to hop into bed with the Yanks, when it comes to hopping into their cars… we’re somewhat more coy.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it necessarily without good reason. Cars built for the American market have had a tendency to be ill-mannered when confronted with all the tricky technical sections found on British roads. Such as bends.

However, in recent years the offerings from our cousins across the pond have ably stepped up to the challenge of competing against cars from the continent, going so far as to test many on the notoriously bendy Nordschleife section of the Nurburgring! Yet not even THAT has been enough to dispel the intangible stigma that still surrounds the American Car.

Which is puzzling, because Vauxhall is American, and goodness knows we drive enough of those.

Chrysler has worked very hard for a number of years to gain a foothold in the British auto market, and that hard work, combined with signs that the tide of suspicion has started to ebb, will likely translate (from American to English) into there being a lot more Chryslers in drives and carports up and down the country.

And if the Chrysler Sebring is anything to go by, rightly so too!
Stylish and modern, the Sebring defies our collective dim national perception of American autos, bringing instead some classic Yankee good looks to our shores. Priced to compete in the mid-sized saloon class, against such heavy hitting stalwarts as the Ford Mondeo, the Vauxhall Vectra and the Renault Laguna, the Sebring will certainly have to fight hard to capture any sizeable chunk of its target market, so expect to see an extensive advertising campaign soon!

Oh and if you still had your reservations, you needn’t worry, at the heart of this spacious and sumptuous sedan lies a 2.0l turbocharged common-rail diesel power-plant. Manufactured by Volkswagen. Clever Americans.

*we left Rover to fend for itself.

The United States’ Big Three have been experiencing the lowest points in their history as Japanese carmakers continue their rise in the United States auto market. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have already announced and implemented workforce reduction as part of their turnaround plans. In the case of Dearborn, Michigan based Ford Motor Company, selling off a brand is seen as a short term solution to their financial woes.

Earlier this year, Ford sold the British luxury car brand Aston Martin to a consortium led by racing champion David Richards. The money generated from the sale of the prestigious brand served as a boost for the financial status of the car manufacturer.

After the sale of the famed brand, there have been speculations that Ford will be putting another British brand on the auction block – this time the Jaguar. Ford however denied that they are planning to sell the struggling luxury car brand.

More recently, it was the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo which is being speculated to be the next to go after Aston Martin. It was rumored that German car giant BMW AG requested for the full financial status of Volvo Cars from a Swiss bank who is taking care of the financial aspects of Volvo’s operation under Ford’s Premiere Auto Group.

This speculation though was recently denied by Ford with spokesman John Gardiner saying “Ford is not in discussions with BMW or any other carmaker regarding interest in the Volvo Car Corp.” The speculation surrounding the sale of Volvo became stronger when it was reported in newspapers in London and Sweden that BMW is talking with Ford concerning the sale of the safety-first oriented car manufacturer.

Another development in the auto industry which fanned the flames of speculation concerning the sale of Volvo is the fact that DaimlerChrysler recently sold its ailing American arm in the form of the Chrysler Group to Cerberus – an investment firm.

Meanwhile, FoMoCo pushes on with its restructuring plans to return the company to profitability after posting their biggest loss in their long history last year. Ford announced recently that they have closed down their Canadian engine casting plant. The closing down of the plant is in connection with Ford’s plan to eliminate engine casting as part of their business. Other manufacturing facilities like the ones building Ford body parts will be continuing their operations. The said Canadian plant produced cylinder block castings for Ford’s 4.2-liter V6 engines and crankshafts for various engines used by Ford on their different auto models. These engines are the 4.2-liter, 5.4-liter V-8, 3.0-liter V-6, 4.6 liter V-8 and the 2.3-liter engines.

The said Canadian plant employed approximately 450 persons as well as creating other jobs outside the facility’s operations. Aside from the Canadian casting plant, Ford also announced that they will be closing down another casting plant near Cleveland. The Ford Motor Company announced further that they are looking for independent auto parts manufacturers to supply them with the engine castings. This step will ensure that they can focus more on manufacturing of more important auto components such as engines and gearboxes.

The Dearborn-based automaker Ford Motor Company lost $12.7 billion last year – the most that they have lost in the company?s long and quite so colorful history. The company has even sold the ultra-luxury brand Aston Martin to bolster its sagging coffers. And now it is in the process of selling the two British brands in the Premiere Automotive Group (PAG) – Jaguar and Land Rover.

For the near future though, FoMoCo is looking to increase their shrinking market share in the United States auto market. The company hopes to increase its market share by offering a revitalized lineup for the 2008 model year. The company will be offering the revived and redesigned Ford Taurus and the production of which has just started. Aside from the Taurus, Ford?s 2008 model year lineup also includes redesigned crossover SUVs. Crossovers are now considered the most sought after vehicle in the market.

According to Ford?s president of the Americas, Mark Fields, the company is aiming to take about 14 to 15 percent of the local auto market. The past years has seen the market share of the car manufacturer reduced as Japanese rivals increased sales in the United States. Toyota, Honda and Nissan are all expanding their offerings for the United States auto market and Ford needs to counter it by offering new and competitive cars.

According to Fields, the company?s share of the market today is about 15.3 percent. This means that one goal in their ?Way Forward? has already been achieved and now they are looking to stabilize that share in the largest auto market in the world. At an event at Ford?s Dearborn testing facility where new Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles were showcased, Fields has this to say: ?We really are starting to deliver products that people will want.?

Aside from the Ford Taurus sedan which has been redesigned completely and looks very different from its predecessor, Ford will also introduce the Taurus X for the 2008 model year. The Taurus X is a rebadged version of the Ford Freestyle, a crossover SUV. The Taurus X is one of the vehicles that Ford is looking at to attract car buyers with. Their lineup of light trucks is also redesigned for the 2008 model year. SUVs and pickups which can be equipped with the Ford pickup cowl cover are now offered with more standard features to attract more buyers.

Aside from anchoring their hopes on the 2008 lineup, Ford is also looking to continue their workforce reduction. According to Fields, Ford has essentially achieved the goal of cutting down 14,000 jobs. Fields said that about 4,000 employees have already left the company last year, while the 10,000 employee-reduction will be implemented this year.

?We actually are done with that,? said Fields. ?We do have some folks that are staying with us a little bit longer, through the remainder of the year, in some critical positions.?

As for their production capacity, Fields has this to say: ?Overall, we’re ahead of where we expected to be in capacity reduction. Economic conditions continue to make it more and more difficult for our suppliers, and that means we are going to have to work even harder to reach our targeted material cost reductions.?

Ford lost money last year due to the fact that they are producing vehicles more than what they can sell. To turn the company back to profitability, Ford needed to reduce its production.

Preventative maintenance is important because it keeps your car running smoothly, avoiding the problems that come from a lack of care. Having your car serviced at a good foreign or domestic automotive maintenance shop is important to ensure that it gets the best care possible.

Here are some of the standard foreign and domestic automotive maintenance procedures that you should be sure to have done periodically:

Oil Changes: This is one of the most obvious, yet it is also one of the most frequently overlooked. Changing your oil and oil filter every three thousand miles keeps your engine running smoothly. Not changing your oil and oil filter often enough, on the other hand, can be disastrous: Over time, the additives in your engine oil break down, and the oil becomes thick and sludge-like. When this happens, the oil creates resistance on the engine, causing buildup and premature wear. Old engine oil can also cause the rubber seals in your engine to prematurely dry out and crack, creating leaks that can be quite expensive to fix.

There are a lot of quick-lube places that will change your oil quickly and cheaply, which may make you question the need to take your car to a good foreign or domestic automotive maintenance shop. However, it is definitely worth the extra money to make sure an experienced professional services your car. It is not uncommon for quick-lube shops to employ inexperienced teenagers at minimum wage, and horror stories (driving off without oil in the engine, finding months later that the oil plug won’t come out because it was stripped) abound.

Air Filter Replacement: Replacing the air filter is another important precaution that many people forget about. The silly thing is that this is also the easiest thing you’ll have to do on your car. Just as easy, if not easier, as filling the washer fluid on some cars. In fact, this one is so easy that you may not even have to get a foreign or domestic automotive maintenance shop to do it for you. Just make sure you get a high quality replacement filter. If you are not sure where it goes, ask. There will be a couple of clips you’ll have to undo to open the air filter box, but that’s about it.

Your air filter should be replaced once or twice a year. Every six months, you should at least check it. If it looks dirty, replace it. The better airflow your engine gets, the better it will perform, which to you means higher gas mileage and lower maintenance costs over time.

Basic Tune-Up: A tune-up basically involves replacing a bunch of inexpensive, quick-to-wear-out parts, and checking out a bunch of more expensive, slower-to-wear-out parts. This should be done once a year, but again, many people aren’t very good at making sure it gets done regularly.

A basic tune-up involves replacing (or cleaning and re-gapping) your spark plugs, replacing your distributor cap and rotor, and checking and/or replacing your spark plug wires. Other parts that might need to be replaced during a tune-up are your PCV (positive crankcase ventilation valve) and your oxygen sensor. All of these can affect the way your car runs, causing your gas mileage to go down and the carbon monoxide in your exhaust to go up.

Radiator Flush and Coolant Replacement: Your cooling system is a vital system. It prevents your engine from overheating, which can ruin an entire engine in mere minutes. Your cooling system therefore ought to be treated with respect, which means flushing your radiator and replacing the coolant every year or so, preferably at the end of summer or fall, before the cold weather hits.

The reason for flushing your radiator and replacing the coolant is that the Ph balance in antifreeze breaks down after a while, destroying many of its protective properties. Not only will it not cool to as low a temperature, but it will also begin to allow rust to form in your cooling system, which may lead to premature leaks in your radiator.

Be sure your replacement coolant is half water and half antifreeze. The 50/50 mixture has the lowest possible freezing temperature, the highest possible boiling point (meaning your coolant won’t boil on hot days), and will protect against corrosion inside the system.

Automatic Transmission Fluid and Filter Replacement: Many people don’t realize that their automatic transmission contains fluid and a filter that need to be replaced periodically, just like an engine. Unfortunately, neglecting this maintenance repair can result in parts in the transmission going out more quickly than they should, requiring you to overhaul or replace your transmission, which is a costly venture, to say the least.

The fluid and filter in your automatic transmission should typically be replaced about every 25,000 miles, which is less than a year’s worth of driving for most cars. The oil in a standard transmission doesn’t need to be replaced as frequently. Replacement about once every couple of years, unless you happen to do a lot of hard driving, such as towing.

Keeping up on these five preventative maintenance repairs will ensure that you maximize the life of your car. A good foreign or domestic automotive maintenance shop can help you keep track of the required maintenance, making sure that you don’t miss anything important.

The Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (MHCC) will hold the 16th Annual Hank Aguirre Golf Outing on August 13, 2007 (Monday) in five different Macomb County golf courses. This golf outing is now the largest in Michigan.

More than 700 golfers will play the Hank Aguirre Golf Outing at Cherry Creek, The Orchards, Twin Lakes, Greystone and Fieldstone Golf Courses. And then, at Cherry Creek, golfers will gather for dinner and awards.

The outing is named after Detroit Tigers pitching great Hank Aguirre who established Mexican Industries, an automotive accessories corporation, following his magnanimous pitching career. A portion of the proceeds from the golf outing will be given to scholarships. With the shotgun start at 9:30 in the morning, golfers will tee off. The event sponsor is Comerica Bank with other major sponsors that include A.E. Mourad Agency, Capacity Transport, Daimler-Chrysler, Delaco Kenwall, General Motors Corporation, Kellogg’s, LaSalle Bank, Laurie Sall & Associates, Sequoia Tool, UHY Advisors and The Diez Group.

A $10,000 prize is guaranteed by the The Diez Group (Delaco) for the winner of the closest-to-the-pin shootout toward the purchase or lease of a new, domestic vehicle, while a $1 million Hole-in-One Shootout will be sponsored by the UHY Advisors. The hole-in-one prize at designated holes on the five golf courses is sponsored by Ford, G.M. and Chrysler dealership. The day will end with a raffle drawing for a 2008 G.M. Saturn Sky, and all raffle proceeds will be going to the Michigan Hispanic Fund, the philanthropic arm of the MHCC, for college scholarships. We just hope that the vehicle is equipped with well performing Saturn catalytic converter for cleaner emissions.

Ray Lozano, executive director of the MHCC, said that Hank Aguirre was an icon in the sports world and a role model for Hispanic businessmen and women so they honor his contributions by naming this annual golf outing after him. He further explained that the outing is a visible way to show the strength of the Hispanic business community and to support the education of the Hispanic business and community leaders in the future.

Established in 1989, MHCC is a non-profit business organization composed of more than 300 member companies from corporate, small, medium-size and large businesses, sole proprietors and individuals representing Hispanic-owned enterprises, automotive OEM’s, Tier One suppliers and non-automotive Fortune 500 corporations. Other than that, community non-profits, media affiliates, the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Pistons are also represented.

In order for you to stay in business, you must keep promoting your consulting service. Keep looking for people who really need your services. Look for ways you can help people achieve and you will see you attract more and more of that into your life.

Here are 3 efficient steps to supercharge your consulting.

1. Build a relationship with your ideal prospects. Get their loyalty by being a quality provider to them. Do this by delivering what you promise you’ll deliver. Provide exceptional customer service. Tell the truth. Make no excuses for mistakes. Strive to correct them and give people another chance recognizing that you’ve made mistakes in the past, too.

2. When people contact you for service, respond fast. I understand the need for voicemail. I also understand the need to schedule your day to achieve your goals. But make responding to your customer’s queries your priority. If necessary, hire help and delegate tasks to that help so you can do the revenue generating activities only you can do. Hiring help is an effective and efficient way to run your business. And your customers are counting on your professionalism.

3. When doing your work, whether it is connecting with new customers, writing articles, filing, sending out orders, think in an attitude of uplifting gratitude. You are truly benefited by thinking this way. It is the law of attraction. That which you focus upon in your life is what you attract to you. Using determination and unwavering faith, when you expect only good to happen, you make that good happen.

Without consultants, businesses would fail. By providing your valuable consulting services, you actually do make this world a much better place. Keep reaching out to find others who need their problems solved using your various solutions.

Now you can learn 4 fresh secrets to explode your consulting.

1. Allow yourself to create an enjoyable vision of success for yourself. Most psychologists agree that we create a vision first before we physically create it. That makes sense. First we think and imagine and then we use that mental blueprint to live and act out our dreams. So, allow your vision of life success be an enjoyable one. Perfect it each day as you use your talents and skills to live your dreams.

2. If you find you are blocking yourself from creating a desirable business vision, take out a piece of paper. In separate columns, write out advantages and disadvantages of stopping yourself from living your dream. If one column has more written in it, that’s the column to really explore. See how you can change your thinking so you stop blocking your own success.

3. Find a way to motivate yourself to live out your vision. That lack of motivation may be associated with any mental blocks you create for yourself.

4. If you really feel too stuck to eliminate the mental block, you could see someone for professional assistance. Maybe you need a coach like a hypnotist to help you unblock your self-limiting thinking. I don’t know for sure. That would be up to you.