7 Desirable Auto Car Insurance Companies// Compare rates between insurance providers to find the best deals for you.

Auto insurance coverage is mandatory in most states or can be waived if you can show sufficient proof of assets. In any case, car insurance can help protect you if you’re in an accident, by paying repair bills, covering hospital costs, and protecting you in a lawsuit.

The insurance commissioner in your state authorizes who may write policies in your area, but the following car insurance companies have a national presence and are worth comparing when seeking price quotes.

State Farm Insurance Company
One State Farm Plaza
Bloomington, IL 61710
(877) 734-2265
statefarm.com

Allstate Insurance Company
2775 Sanders Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 402-5000
allstate.com

Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO)
One GEICO Plaza
Washington, DC 20076
(800) 861-8380
geico.com

The Progressive Corporation
6300 Wilson Mills Road
Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143
(800) 776-4737
progressive.com

USAA
9800 Fredericksburg Road
San Antonio, TX 78288
(800) 531-6597
usaa.com

Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
175 Berkeley Street
Boston, MA 02116
(800) 295-3753
libertymutualgroup.com

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
One Nationwide Plaza
Columbus, OH 43215-2220
(877) 669-6877
nationwide.com

Scott Vruggink
616-581-9195
800-750-9008
www.elhart.com
www.affordableautomotive.biz
scott@elhart.com

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Hyundai and subsidiary Kia, are the most improved brands, helping to chip away at Japan's perceived dominance and superiority to claim the top spot in the not-too-distant future.

Big Japanese auto makers like Honda(HMC Quote), Toyota(TM Quote) and Nissan(NSANY Quote) may appear to be the Best Three since they're by far the most popular brands after the faltering Americans. But car companies from Korea, such as Hyundai and subsidiary Kia, are the most improved brands, helping to chip away at Japan's perceived dominance and superiority to claim the top spot in the not-too-distant future.

Scott Vruggink
616-581-9195
800-750-9008
www.elhart.com
www.affordableautomotive.biz
scott@elhart.com

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A few glitches for electric cars

If you're looking forward to parking a brand-new electric car in your garage soon, be prepared to spend some money getting that garage in shape.

Electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt ideally use special "quick chargers" that have to be hardwired directly into high-power lines.

Installing the chargers is not like putting in a ceiling fan. The equipment has to be fully approved, installed by a competent professional, and in most cases, a city or state inspector will have to approve it all.

You could plug your car into an ordinary wall socket, but not if you're in a hurry. Charging a Nissan Leaf would take about 24 hours, and charging a Volt would take eight. With a quick charger, the job for either would be done in just a few hours. The Volt can also run on gasoline, but what's the point then of having an electric car?

Scott Vruggink
616-581-9195 (cell)
800-750-9008 (biz)
www.affordableautomotive.biz (website)
www.elhart.com (website)
scott@elhart.com (email)
affordableautomotive.biz@gmail.com (email)

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Chinese car market overtakes that of United States

China has overtaken the U.S. as the world's biggest market for automobiles, the first time any other country has bought more vehicles than the nation that produced Henry Ford, the Cadillac and the minivan.

Now that the Chinese buy more cars and trucks than Americans, the shift could produce ripples for the environment, gas prices and even the kinds of cars automakers design.

More than 12.7 million cars and trucks will be sold in China this year, up 44 percent from the previous year and surpassing the 10.3 million forecast in the U.S., according to J.D. Power and Associates.

Scott Vruggink
616-581-9195 (cell)
800-750-9008 (biz)
www.affordableautomotive.biz (website)
www.elhart.com (website)
scott@elhart.com (email)
affordableautomotive.biz@gmail.com (email)

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U.S. Autos Are Holding Value Better

Detroit's auto makers narrowed their longstanding gap behind Asian and European competitors in car resale value, an important gauge for consumers.

Kelley Blue Book and Automotive Leasing Guide, leading vehicle-appraisal companies, plan to announce Wednesday their annual ranking of the top brands for projected resale value for the 2010 model year. Brands made by foreign manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and BMW AG, continued to lead the pack, but these companies' scores slipped from a year earlier. By contrast, brands from Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC gained in the rankings. Resale value is the amount of a vehicle's sticker price that is retained after three or more years on the road.

Behind the auto makers' change in fortunes this year are lower gasoline prices, which have retreated from 2008 highs of $4 a gallon. More affordable fuel has caused buyers to shy away from small cars—a strength of the foreign nameplates. Instead, demand is up, as are resale values, for larger models like trucks and sport-utility vehicles, the specialty of Detroit's Big Three.

Savvy car-buyers are often drawn to models with higher resale values because they expect to recoup more of the original price when the used vehicle is sold.

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Auto show focuses on Affordable small cars

LOS ANGELES — Forget the supercars and green machines. At this year’s LA Auto Show, the emphasis is on affordable small cars and minivans.

The auto industry, trying to climb out of its worst sales slump in decades, wants the spotlight on vehicles it can sell — now.

Last month’s tepid U.S. sales figures only underscored the industry’s need to focus on getting consumers to buy cars, instead of trying to impress auto critics.

So the big global debut at this year’s LA show, which begins Friday, is a redesigned Toyota minivan. And much of the pre-show buzz has surrounded mass-market econo-cars such as the Ford Fiesta and the Chevrolet Cruze.

“It’s a very straightforward way of doing things,” said Dave Thomas, senior editor at online auto site Cars.com. “A Toyota Sienna minivan? That’s not the type of thing you would normally debut at the LA Auto Show. It’s certainly not a sexy car, but it’s a big deal for Toyota.”

Chrysler, which had to endure media jibes for its cut-rate display at last year’s show, certainly got the message.

The focus on practicality also is reflected in the show’s lineup of exhibitors. High-end car makers Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, which have suffered major sales declines during the economic downturn, will not be on hand this year, even though Southern California is one of their biggest markets. Even Nissan’s Infiniti luxury brand will be absent.

Not that the LA show, known for its environmental bent, will be devoid of glitz and green. The event will feature the North American debut of the $245,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost. For the green crowd, Toyota will stage the North American debut of its Prius plug-in hybrid concept, first unveiled in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

But the automakers clearly are focusing much of their car-show marketing efforts on vehicles that will put up big sales numbers — in the neighborhood of 5,000 to 10,000 units a month — and which are priced under $30,000.

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U.S. car companies can compete abroad when they innovate. Buick is one of the top five auto brands in China. Why?

Buick moved quickly to redesign their cars for China’s business elite. The Buick logo was enlarged, seat-back televisions became standard, and the headlights took on a new angle to emulate the eyes of a fabled Chinese bird. They provided fine details, and added chrome and jewelry that would impress Chinese buyers. In short, they listened to the customer.
One example of innovation is a company called Tesla Motors. Because of its nimble success in producing an all-electric vehicle – still on the drawing boards of the big American automakers – our venture capital firm and other forward-thinking money managers are investing in Tesla. Tesla already is selling a sporty two-seater, zero emission, electric car that goes 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds with a range of 244 miles on one charge. They are also planning to produce a four-door sedan that will sell for less than $50,000.

Scott Vruggink
616-581-9195 (cell)
800-750-9008 (biz)
www.affordableautomotive.biz (website)
www.elhart.com (website)
scott@elhart.com (email)
affordableautomotive.biz@gmail.com (email)

Contact Me

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