2006 Most Fuel Efficient Cars

The soaring prices of gas can surely be a big chunk on your car’s maintenance budget. So if you’re planning to buy a new car, make sure that it has excellent fuel efficiency to help you cope better with skyrocketing fuel expenses. Here’s the list of the top ten most fuel efficient cars sold in the US market I found at Edmunds.com while browsing the net for a new set of alloy wheel and taillight from Auto Parts Discount for my BMW.

The basis for the ranking is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) miles-per-gallon rating for city and highway travel. Included in the list are base models with manual transmission, except those cars with asterisk. The rating is expressed in mpg unit with city/highway ratio.

1. Honda Insight — 60/66

2. Toyota Prius — 60/51*

3. Honda Civic Hybrid — 49/51*

4. Volkswagen Golf TDI — 37/44
Volkswagen New Beetle TDI — 37/44

5. Volkswagen Jetta TDI — 36/41

6. Toyota Corolla — 32/41

7. Scion xA — 32/37

8. Hyundai Accent — 32/35
Kia Rio — 32/35

9. Honda Civic — 30/40*

10. Pontiac Vibe — 30/36
Toyota Matrix — 30/36

Sober Stories

Have you ever been flagged down by a traffic enforcer just to check if you were sober or if you were drinking at all? Well, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or what we commonly know as the NHTSA, is behind this action. They call it a sobriety checkpoint.

This is done in a simple random way of choosing. They stop vehicles on a specific sequence like stopping every tenth vehicle. That way, they could detect if the drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. And if they are, then off they go to get sober, with the help of the NHTSA of course.

This organization has come up with a study regarding this and here are some facts that have also been published here:

* There were 38,253 fatal motor crashes in 2004 around the US. 39% of these were alcohol-related.

* Through these sobriety checkpoints, people who usually drive if they are under the influence of alcohol become less brave. This is because they are aware that they could be the next to be stopped for a quick check.

* Checkpoints have lessened the fatalities by some 20 percent.

* As of the first month of this year, sobriety checkpoints have been allowed in 39 states along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as well. However, Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming do not allow these.

If the NHTSA would be doing checkpoints to see if everything in the vehicle is in tiptop shape, I do predict that people would be flocking to Auto Parts Discount for auto parts. Well, maybe they will. But I have this strange feeling that they will not.

Are things looking up for GM?

Will GM finally regain the market share that they lost for the past year?

Well, recent events seem to have things looking up for the ailing automaker. The Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade sold well for January -- 3,000 Tahoe units were sold triple the sales expected by the company. "We've exceeded the sales estimate for the month… We turned the production at a very healthy pace." Paul Ballew, GM’s executive director of industry analysis and global market, proudly mentioned in the Autoweek News.

I’ve seen the latest models myself and I can say the enhancements are really evident right at the vehicle’s exterior appearance starting at the sleek and smooth lines running along the car’s body to the contours and sharp corners down to the front and rear bumpers and grilles. This time, GM has come up with the perfect blend of traditional and modern styles as emphasized by the new technologically advanced features.

The prices are also lower. Chevy Tahoe now comes at $33,990 which is $2,000 less as compared with the 2006 model. Buyers can save $ 3,290 with the $34,690 starting price of the GMC Yukon. The Cadillac Escalade on the other hand retains its $57,280 price.

In the meantime, new replacement auto parts for your Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Avalanche, Cadillac Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon EXL and Cadillac EXT are readily available at Auto Parts Discount ranging from simple accessories and add-ons like sound deadeners, struts, floor mats or wheel cover to high performance parts such as condensers, shock absorbers and engine parts.

GM: What Went Wrong?

General Motors was once a top player in the American market but their score has been going down over the years losing their 22% share in the market. The declining share is blamed on the inability of the company to go with the changes in demand. GM executives even admitted “being slow to turn around the company's heavy reliance on SUVs when market tastes began to shift toward the more car-like crossover SUVs first introduced by Toyota.”

GM auto makes are introduced in the market under Cadillac and Chevrolet but consumers perceive those makes as separate from the company so there seems to be no sort of connection unlike other auto companies. Unlike other car companies like Toyota for instance, the positive image of the company is reflected by the makes included in their line up like Lexus and Scion and that is a great help in boosting their sales.

Well, GM will have to go through several changes when it comes to vehicle quality, reliability, style and flexibility to regain the market share they have lost. GM vehicles now lag behind as compared with other models in terms of reliability as based on the latest surveys conducted.

However, GM auto owners and users like me can still enhance our car’s looks, performance and over all stance by adding restyling accessories like spoilers, mirrors, grilles and floor panels or performance parts like wheels, radiator, exhaust system and many others. You can have them straight from online sources like Auto Parts Discount. Let tomorrow worry for GM while we relax and enjoy the pleasure that our cars can give.