Tag Archives: Ford

buying a new car, car dealerships, cost of motoring, women drivers

Tales of car accidents in reverse

Much as the stories about women drivers being unable to read maps disappeared with the arrival of satnav systems hopefully the tales of our not being able to park will fade away with the arrival of parking sensors…

Not that I accept that we are any worse than men at doing either by the way but these (usually male driven) perceptions give women drivers a bad name and being peace makers by nature, we are more likely to accept blame for things we aren’t always responsible for… knowing that many men feel the need to believe/convince us that they are the better drivers

Parking sensors make sense to me (and I must say that it isn’t just women drivers who need these in our household…) because…

  • Repairing a scuffed bumper costs £460 on average
  • Bumps and scratches can reduce your car’s value by £00s
  • 37% of all accidents are caused whilst reversing
  • The majority of minor car repairs are likely to come out of your insurance excess

Well worth checking that your new car has these and to find out how much parking sensors cost to be fitted to used cars.

If you live near Peebles or Galashiels, female friendly Ford car dealership David Harrison lists costs from £270 on their website.

And female friendly Inchcape Ford car dealerships in Farnborough, Guildford, Wokingham and Guildford are advertising these from £234…

Needless to say you’ll also find some great new and used Ford car deals at both locations.

FOXY

PS To check out female friendly garages and dealerships near you, use the FOXY Choice search finder on the home page…

motoring

Plastic and liquid wood make motoring greener

Whilst the current emphasis is on the cost of motoring I have no doubt that it will soon return to the environmental cost of motoring when those who can do without a car will preach at those of us who can’t about the impact on our planet. And that this message concerns a lot of us, men and women drivers alike.

So when you know that you need your car because there isn’t a viable public transport system or you can’t make sense of the bicycle, city car clubs or shared transport, it’s good to know that the car manufacturers are beavering away in the relative background doing all they can to make the new cars women drivers buy in future much greener and produce less CO2 – this will also keep the automotive industry vital for the future.

I am pleased to read that Ford, for example, isn’t stopping at eco-engine technology but is also looking at ways to produce their on board components by recycling wherever possible.

Not only stepping up their research into plastics, rubber, foam, film and fabric with a view to developing alternative bio-based materials that are functional, durable and cost-effective (and therefore steering clear of oil-based products) they are also developing all-new materials that include more natural ingredients such as soy flour, hemp and cellulose.

Test results are encouraging and show that natural fibre-reinforced plastics can reduce weight by up to 30 per cent which means better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

They are also working with a biodegradable plastic called polylactic acid (PLA), derived from the sugars in corn, sugarbeet and cane so that a plastic part (made from PLA) would biodegrade after its life cycle in just 90 to 120 days, compared with 1,000 years in a landfill for a traditional, petroleum-based plastic.

Just think about the applications here; for carpets, floor mats, upholstery and interior trim pieces that are injection moulded.

Ford has also joined a three-year research project into a new wood/plastic compound known as “liquid wood” which looks as if it will be capable of being reprocessed up to five times, with an overall near-neutral CO2 balance.

Ford’s material researchers (at Dunton Technical Centre in Essex) are required to develop components from recycled material that will not compromise quality, durability or performance in any way but they will reduce CO2 emissions and therefore the cost of motoring in terms of £££s and our planet.

Just to give you an idea of where these can be used…

  • Heater and air conditioner housing made from 25 per cent recycled plastics
  • Replacement bumpers made from 20 per cent recycled bumpers
  • Interior carpets made from 20 per cent recycled carpet material
  • Battery tray made from 50 per cent mixed recycled plastics
  • Wheel arch liners made from up to 100 per cent recycled polypropylene
  • Air cleaner assembly made from 25 per cent recycled plastics
  • Fabric seat option made from 100 per cent recycled material
  • Roof lining, parcel shelf, instrument panel, insulation and sound-proofing materials include recycled textiles

Sources for this recycled material are everyday items like plastic bottles, bottle tops, computer and TV casings, CDs, household carpets and even denim jeans. For example, the noise insulation in all Ford vehicles is made from jeans and reclaimed car seat upholstery.

Every little bit helps. Maybe we’ll see the automotive industry investing in landfill schemes soon ;-).

FOXY

women

Wise motorsport fan Zoe wins Ford Award

zoeburtonwisewinner0911Well done engineering student Zoe Burton! Zoe is the seventh winner of the FORD WISE (Women Into Science and Engineering) prize that recognises exceptional women studying engineering and promotes engineering as a career.

Zoe is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Durham and is seen receiving her £1,000 prize from HRH Princess Anne at the WISE awards ceremony in London.

On hearing the good news she said…

“I’ve loved motorsport for as long as I can remember, and to embark on a degree in engineering seemed the logic step to combine my hobby and a potential career. After several years of work experience and a gap year in Formula One, I can’t imagine committing my life to anything else. The academic and research staff at my university have been hugely supportive.”

Other finalists were Elaine Cornell and Katherine Bexfield, both at Loughborough University.

Well done – you are great role models for women and I hope you will all consider a career in the UK motor industry – it doesn’t have to be in motorsport ;-).

With just 20% of motor industry employees female, yet the majority of decision makers and influencers are women, we need more to join in and make a real difference to service levels in future. Good for you Ford for celebrating female talent ahead of others here.

FOXY

car dealerships, female friendly

The customer should be Queen in a recession

What’s your business strategy in this recession?

I hope you are doing well – many independent garages are I find, and perhaps that is because their aftersales prices are often (but not always) cheaper than dealers, combined with the fact that it has been cool to defer buying new cars for a while.  Pre-scrappage I agree but probably true during the rest of 2009, even if there might be a mini car sales bonanza come the summer.

Or are the independent garages marketing themselves more effectively than many dealers or franchised car dealerships?

FOXY certainly has more independent garages promoting themselves as female friendly than new car dealerships but there again new car dealerships have been more affected by the recession because of the down in new car sales. That and the fact that Ford, Peugeot and Mazda, at least, expect their  dealerships to subscribe to the Motor Industry Service and Repair Code even though these dealerships must surely exceed these minimum standards and may well face more complaints as a result in areas where cost conscious motorists have no independent garage choice to meet their needs.

Perhaps it is because most manufacturers are new car sales oriented and few seem to appreciate that the aftersales function is the backdoor into finding new customers that aren’t on their database yet? And maximising workshop income of course.

We find that many Dealer Principals have told Sales and Aftersales Managers to cut all costs including marketing. Others are definitely adopting a ‘let’s wait and see’ approach and of course it’s always easier to do nothing… but is that wise when others are beavering away behind the scenes…?

Fortunately some dealerships (and definitely internet car dealers) are taking a much more bullish stance and using any down time as a sales opportunity to position themselves in a different light, come the good times.

I also see companies quietly buying up struggling competitors and cherry-picking the best local employees that may have been laid off by their competitors – qualified technicians in particular.

These businesses know the good times will pay back this investment in spades and make up for the temporary cashflow shortfall.

They also know and are reacting to the knowledge that customers, including women drivers, are expecting and seeing deals wherever they go. This makes them more likely to shop around than ever, using the interweb, to sample other value-for-money products and services.

This makes a recession a fantastically fertile time to win new customers if you get out there with the right sales message. And if you are not there you send out the wrong message to customers…

I have just read an excellent article written by an American PR company saying things after my own heart in this context, recommending that businesses banish sayings like “but we’ve always done it this way” and replace them with “how can we do different things” and “how can we add more value to the customer experience”.

Gentlemen dealers, you are looking at a UK gift horse marketing solution in the heading of this blog.

You should be marketing to more women drivers. We are the ones that either buy or influence most of the big ticket purchases.  We want to know what makes you better than the rest and that you really do care about us in an industry that, quite frankly, is seen to fall woefully short in so many female customer service areas.

Whereas if you work with a female brand like FOXY you’ll learn to understand women drivers better AND your male customers won’t think that you have had a barand personality change or gone frilly overnight!

For example (shameless sales plug follows…) if you can sign the female friendly FOXY Promise we can start to market you as female friendly, online and in your local community. You get your own female friendly website presence (which you can measure) as well as a Female Friendly Marketing Pack and the opportunity to promote yourself to members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club.

With prices from £60 for a basic (not measurable) entry to £180 plus VAT for a 12 months unique and fully inclusive package what are you waiting for? What’s not to go for it!

FOXY

“Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well”
Josh Billings

See which local garages, dealers and new car dealerships are listed as female friendly already…

buying a new car, women drivers

Cars women drivers like

Why re-invent the wheel so to speak. I came across this article at a website called Auto Parts Online which you can either read here or there!

“I was reading an article today about women drivers and the top ten cars that they drive and was interested to read that women often tend to be much better ‘car buyers’ than men. I was intrigued to find out what this meant and apparently men are said to buy the car that they want whereas a women will buy a car that they need!

On the whole they tend to go for a car that is affordable, practical and economical. It has to be versatile with lots of storage space for family use.  Here is a list of suggestions that they came up with;

Volkswagen Jetta

This compact individual car is ideal for the independent woman. It is roomy enough for a growing family and has the engine capacity of a VW GTI. There is also a diesel Jetta which has great fuel economy. It is also clean and also very quiet. It easily has space for two adults and three children.

Mercedes Benz E class

This is a prestige car. It is big enough for the family to fit comfortably but also compact enough to for easy parking. It has that touch of luxury. The interior has plush dashboards and steering wheel which features soft touch buttons. It has a fantastic engine which runs extremely smoothly and is very powerful. Altogether well worth its price.

Mazda MX 5

This would be a great car for a woman with no family or an excellent second car. It is a really fun car and economical too. The room in the boot is pretty limited but enough for the single woman. The integrated roll bars which are behind each seat add practical safety benefits. The only downside with this car is don’t even think about it if you are over 6ft which I suppose is another reason its more of a ladies car.

Another Mazda but this time a four or five door version. The five door is recommended for its practicality and there is more space for a growing family. The body shell is rigid and the suspension has been adapted for better steering and sharper handling. One important change is the addition of electronic stability control which helps the driver from losing sudden panic manoeuvre or over aggressive driving. This little car is a good reliable all rounder.

Subaru Forester

This is a real family car. For the woman that loves the outdoors and wants that extra little bit of room. Once again safety features are a strong point with antilock brakes and front seat airbags come as standard. One other feature is the all wheel drive system which gives ideal handling conditions in all weather conditions. One other feature is the all wheel drive system which gives great handling conditions in all weather conditions.

One other feature is the all wheel drive system which gives great handling conditions in all weather conditions.”

When I have more time I’ll add some foxy, mostly smaller, economic to run and greener choices,  to include Ford, Citroen, Smart, Honda, Peugeot, Mini, Vauxhall, VW and Toyota models.

FOXY