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Archive for April, 2011

March is traditionally the biggest month of the year for car sales figures as it sees the arrival of the current year’s number plate.

March 2011 saw the announcement of George Osborne’s budget and with it came the inevitable spending cuts, benefit cuts and tax increases, aimed at decreasing the countries deficit. Despite the 1p cut in fuel duty made, many motorists have complained they haven’t seen the benefit due the rise in price of wholesale fuel.

Due to the current economic climate it will come as no surprise that March 2011 saw a 7.9% decline in sales from this time last year, with 366,101 new 11 plate cars being registered. Despite the decline sales were better than expected, and were actually up 5.9% on last years excluding sales under the scrappage scheme in 2010.

In total sales over quarter one of this year fell 8.7%, with the market forecasted to drop 5% to 1.93 million over the year. Fleet and business volumes however managed a growth against both March and quarter one of last year, depicting an underlying business confidence which should help to stabilise the market over 2011.

So far this year, has seen the lowest average new car CO2 emissions ever! Which are down 3.4% to 140.3g/km. With a rise in diesel sales of 7.9%, and alternatively fuelled cars achieving a 1.4% share of the total market demonstrating that motorists are purchasing more economical vehicles. Not particularly surprising when you take into consideration the ever increasing price of fuel.

SMMT – The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders say; “Despite a dip versus 2010, the market remains on course to meet SMMT’s forecast for the year with motorists buying increasingly fuel efficient and low emitting vehicles across every segment.”

The market is expected to decline further over quarter two before stabilising and recovering in the second half of the year.

Been thinking of what it is like to ride your ATV in Tucson ? Don’t know where to start and where to find the right ATV trail? Think no more…we’ve decided to make your life a little easier by listing down a few of our favorite Tucson ATV trails to help you with your search. All we want to know is that you had fun! So, here goes…

Ajax ATV Off-Road Trail

For some reason, Ajax appears to be one of favorite ATV trails in Tucson simply because it caters for ATV fans of different skill levels. It’s not a long trail, granted, but by far, it’s one of the most fun because it once you proceed a little further up this Tucson ATV trails, you’ll find that the main ATV trail forks out into three different ones – one for the beginners, one for the medium-skilled ATV riders and anther one for the expert ATV riders. For beginners, stick to the ATV trail on the left, the medium-skilled ATV riders can take the one in the middle while those looking for a little bit of challenge should take the ATV trail that fork out to the right. The surface of this Tucson ATV trail is definitely rough, so, be prepared for some damage done to the ATV. Back-up, back-up, back-up…remember to bring the spares…and of course, the camera! If not for the pictures, at least take a couple of snapshots to show your other ATV friends that you survived and made it through Tucson ‘s Ajax Off-Road Trail!

Apache County ATV Roughriders

Not a trail in particular but this is a Tucson ATV club that is actively and regularly organizing ATV rides and trips all around Arizona . If you don’t know where to ride in Tucson , here’s the answer. This Tucson ATV club first started organizing the Annual Outlaw Trail Jamboree in 2004 and ever since then, this annual event has been drawing throngs and throngs of ATV fans from all over America…including prize sponsorship from one of the biggest ATV manufacturer in the US, Polaris Industries. The ATV Outlaw Trail Jamboree is usually held in the early third quarter of the year. start planning now and visit their website at [http://www.azatoutlawtrail.com]

Arizona ATV Riders Inc.

This Tucson ATV club has grown by leaps and bounds ever since its inception way back in 2001 – but their objective has remained unchanged…to have fun riding ATVs and also to help alter the mindset or negative perception the general public have of ATV riding! This ATV club meets regularly to organize group events and also liaise closely with local land access policymakers to ensure that ATV riders from all over the country can continue to enjoy controlled access to ATV trails and lands. They’re basically a very close-knit group of ATV fans who just want to make sure every single person who loves riding ATV can continue to enjoy it for as long as possible…without objection from the public and the government.

Off Road ATV tours

At one point, we were just as lost as you. we wanted to ride our ATVs and pointed our fingers at Arizona state and narrowed it down to Tucson . Where….we didn’t know. So, we got ourselves booked for Off Road ATV Tours and boy, let me tell you this, it sure as hell made our lives a lot easier. The tour was unique and the guide was helpful. But one thing is for sure, beginners will learn a lot more from joining this type of Tucson ATV tours than experts will. Experts might…yawn…find it a little unchallenging because you might have to pace down a little to accommodate the less experienced ATV riders in the group. No matter…it was fun while it lasted!

One thing is for sure, no matter where it is that you decide to ride in Tucson , Arizona , the scene is always….ALWAYS beautiful. Remember, bring the camera and start snapping away because the view is almost always amazing! Now, go and have some good ole Tucson ATV fun!

In 2009, Autoquake.com was flying high and seemingly had the used car world at their feet. They had over 120 employees, and had just received the best dealer website from AM and the ‘Internet award’ from the Fleet world magazine. Today, the story is tragically different different, on the 17^th March 2011, Autoquake filed for administration. Where did it all go wrong?

Who are Autoquake?

Described on their website as the UK’s largest online used car supermarket, Autoquake operated within the used car and car leasing market. Founded back in 2005, the company was funded by Accel Partners and Highland Capital partners. The sales figures for 2008 showed that Autoquake had sold roughly 5,000 used cars, and, by the beginning of 2009 their website had received the 3^rd most hits of any used car website in the United Kingdom.

What Happened?

There has been a lot of speculation in the press surrounding the demise of Autoquake. The website currently remains operational, there is however a large message at the top of the home page informing potential buyers that the company is in administration and that the website remains active purely for informative purposes; no reservations or deposits are being taken for any of the vehicles listed on the site.

Company CEO Dermot Halpin discussed the downfall of the business with the media on the 25^th March, explaining that the company had gone under due to “financing issues”.

He went onto say that the original site owners had no idea that Autoquake would become so successful in such a short space of time; this did them no favours in the long run. The final nail in the coffin came as two deals that Autoquake were involved in fell through; Halpin said: “’We were in two deals – one buying something and the other was that we were merging with something. We were hedging our bets and that can fall apart very quickly. One of the deals fell apart and the financier said that the risk of giving us the bridging loan was too high and so we didn’t get it. Game over.’

Halpin finished the meeting with a sense of humour. He joked; “Just as we were sending out the administration notice, we were notified by Hitwise that we had won an award – we were in the top five online in 2010.”

Helping Hand

All may not be lost for Autoquake; rumours were circulating that retail giant Tesco may acquire Autoquake, as they where looking to get into the used car market. It appears for now that Tesco will not be the saviors they are looking for, having already made their entrance into the used car market over the weekend. Perhaps however, someone else out there will be able to throw them a lifeline. Autoquake has a large customer base, which would be a big incentive to any potential buyer.