Archive for December, 2015
Incessant Distractions Provide a Challenge
Although everyone knows that texting and driving is a recipe that often leads to disaster, it’s tough not to glance down when your phone is beeping and lighting up like a psychotic Christmas tree. By providing connectivity between both Android and Apple phones through a vehicle’s infotainment system, automakers are attempting to make the roads safer. Many systems now allow for hands free texting along voice recognition for dialing your phone. Some systems, like Ford’s SYNC and Chrysler’s Uconnect, even have prerecorded responses telling texters that you are driving. Stop by a Chapman Arizona dealership and see what communication systems are available in the car of your choice.
Heads Up Display Keeps Eyes on Road
Some automakers have heads up displays or virtual cockpits that display pertinent vehicle and communication information on the lower part of the windshield. By placing info in the driver’s eye line, it’s an incentive to keep the driver focused on the road and possible obstacles or trouble points ahead. Along with incoming phone messages, heads up displays also display the speed, oil pressure, temperature and some navigation information. Look for more automakers to incorporate virtual displays as the push toward autonomous driving continues.
Safety Features Make Audible Warnings
The proliferation of driver assistance features is not only the next step toward an automated car, but also serves to keep current drivers focused on the road. Adaptive cruise control is a popular feature in many makes offered by Chapman Arizona dealerships. In a nutshell, the car slows in relation to the vehicle in front of you, helping to avoid a crash. If the car ahead stops suddenly, many systems have an automatic braking feature. Lane departure assist is another system based on cameras and sensors that provides an audible warning if you should happen to drift out of your lane. Blind spot detection warns when a vehicle is alongside you and you start to move into its path.
Entering Navigation Information Easier Than Before
Although its best to enter navigation information before heading out, that doesn’t stop people from trying to type in an address while navigating through traffic. New voice recognition software in many auto brands lets you simply speak the address or a popular location. The software will then verify it heard you correctly before entering the destination. Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto are two of the best systems at recognizing human language.
Final Figures Expect Record Numbers
Dealerships like those in the Chapman Arizona family are enjoying a banner year for auto sales, capped off with what is expected to be an all-time record November. Buoyed by a rebounding economy, low interest rates and attractive lineup of new vehicles, consumers are flocking to purchase vehicles that provide increased performance and fuel efficiency. Even the lower gas mileage SUVs and pickup trucks are selling well, due to the glut of oil being shipped from the Mideast and the low national gas prices. Preliminary sales figures show the auto industry selling 1.32 million vehicles in the U.S. in November, an increase of 1.4 percent over the previous year.
Black Friday Brings Shoppers From Retail Outlets
Automakers are jumping on the Black Friday craze to lure shoppers from major retail stores to car dealerships. Rather than fight the crowds for cheap electronics, shoppers have responded in record numbers to the more than $1 billion the auto industry spent on commercials in the month of November. That’s nearly a 25 percent increase from just a year ago. “Black Friday has become a much bigger part of the auto industry over the last several years,” according to Dan Mohnke, sales executive for Nissan. “It used to be a nonautomotive retail holiday, but now it is becoming more and more an automotive retail holiday as well, feeding right into the holiday season which traditionally has been December and luxury sales.”
Chapman Arizona Dealerships Have Variety of Promotions
By offering more than a dozen different makes, the Chapman Arizona dealerships are involved in a number of different holiday promotions. Scottsdale’s Chapman Ford participates in the Ford Holiday Sales Event, which offers a combination of zero percent financing and cash back on specific vehicles. Chapman Hyundai offers a variety of low lease payments on some of their most popular vehicles, as does Chapman Volkswagen in the automaker’s “Sign, Then Drive Event.” Stop by any of the Chapman Arizona dealerships and see how they can help your gift giving make someone’s holiday just a bit brighter this season.
Automakers Expect Robust 2016
Automakers have no reason to expect anything other than a continuation of strong new car sales in the upcoming year. The auto show season recently kicked off with record numbers attending the Los Angeles and Phoenix Auto Shows. The Detroit Auto Show is in a few weeks and is expected to once again be one of the most popular events of the season.
