In the modern world, cars are often considered more of a necessity than a luxury. They get us to work; they get the kids to school in the morning; they enable us to visit family at the weekends. It would follow that sales of cars are a reasonable indicator of the strength of the average consumer’s finances.

A new report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that new car registrations fell by 21% in September, compared with August’s figures.

It was the fifth consecutive month that numbers of new car registrations had gone down, and the biggest drop so far – the closest was 18.6% between July and August.

Debt problems or careful planning?
So is this a serious indicator of the trouble the economy faces, or just a sign that people are taking care over their finances?

"It’s important to remember that this is a reflection of new car sales, and not necessarily car sales as a whole," says a spokesperson for Debt Advisers Direct.

"It may well be that as we have seen with the supermarkets, consumers are simply keeping to a tighter budget. The market for second-hand cars could benefit, or perhaps people are just keeping their existing vehicles."

But the spokesperson commented that the shift in spending behaviour still reflected a change in consumer attitudes brought on by the credit crunch. "A major factor will be the limitation in peoples’ ability to obtain credit. Sales of new cars rely almost entirely on credit, because very few people can afford to pay the full amount up front," she said.

"Even for those who are still able to obtain car finance, many will be concerned about the risks surrounding the economy in general, and may want to avoid credit for fear of falling into debt.

"Likewise, some of those who were able to obtain car finance at the peak of the economic boom may now be suffering for it. As prices of other things such as energy and food rise, more and more people are at risk of debt problems, and the more debts you have, the higher the risk."

The spokesperson added that anyone who does find themselves struggling with debt should not hesitate to seek the appropriate help.

"We advise anyone worried about their debts to contact an expert debt adviser as soon as possible," she said. "They will talk you through your situation and help to find the best debt solution for you."

Debt Advisers Direct offer a range of debt solutions to suit various financial situations, including debt management plans, debt consolidation and IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements). If you are struggling with debt , contact one of our expert debt advisers now

Thousand Oaks, CA — Despite a sluggish economy and sliding auto sales, the leading automotive advice site for women, AskPatty.com, is seeing an increase in interest from new and used car auto dealers looking to become more female friendly.

“Women purchase the majority of new vehicle sales in the United States,” says AskPatty.com President and CEO Jody DeVere. “Despite the economic slowdown, our new customer sign-ups are at an all-time high. Dealerships recognize the woman car buyer’s propensity to find online advice before making a major purchase. AskPatty.com can legitimize a dealership in the eyes of interested female customers.”

With women car shoppers spending $300 billion annually on purchasing new and used cars, trucks, car maintenance, repairs and service - auto dealers have begun to recognize that the female audience desires to be sold to differently.

AskPatty.com is a safe place for women to get advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics. Women can shop for vehicles at their network of certified female friendly dealerships across the US and Canada - bringing a new level of comfort to the car buying process.”

Auto dealerships interested in marketing to AskPatty’s audience must become a certified female friendly AskPatty.com dealer - completing an online interactive training course designed and implemented by AskPatty.com, to help dealership employees communicate more effectively with women car buyers.

“Linnehan’s has long recognized that women have long felt alienated by the automotive industry,” said Ryan Linnehan, President and Marketing Director for Linnehan’s, a Maine car dealership. “A good part of our success over the past 58 years has been from treating our female customers with the honor and respect they deserve. Partnering with AskPatty.com was a logical step. We want to provide women with the best automobile buying and owning experience in the state of Maine.”

Visit Linnehan’s here: http://www.linnehans.com/hersite/

By becoming a certified dealer with AskPatty.com, auto dealers have an advantage over the competition in attracting women car buyers to their showrooms. The certification process teaches dealers and sales representatives how to create a safe and comfortable sales environment where women feel welcome - resulting in a more pleasant dealership experience.

AskPatty.com receives the majority of their new business through the AskPatty.com Website. The recent influx in business can be attributed to the implementation of several online traffic conversion tools, designed by Sapha. AskPatty has been able to effectively convert web and email interest into AskPatty’s services - resulting in more conversions than any other previous marketing efforts.

“We are currently converting 25 percent of our online Web traffic through the use of Sapha’s conversion tool,” DeVere said. “With interest at an all time high, we are making sure to convert that interest into real sales.”

“AskPatty.com has a unique service that auto dealers can benefit from - especially during a slow sales period,” said Benoy Tamang, founder of Sapha, the company that created a three-minute HookTour explaining AskPatty’s certification program and dealer benefits. “By condensing their message into a direct response online conversion system, dealers are able to see the benefits available to their dealerships.”

AskPatty.com’s HookTour can be viewed at http://hooktours.com/8003256/

About AskPatty.com
Ask Patty provides women car buyers with a wide range of automotive information, plus the opportunity to submit questions about car buying, selling, repair and maintenance to a panel of over 50 of the Top Female Automotive Experts. The Advisory Panel, which is headed up by Deborah Renshaw - professional NASCAR driver - is comprised of women who hold various leadership positions in the automotive industry. Web site visitors can also share and discuss their car buying experiences with other female consumers. Women can submit comments, add car reviews and ask questions directly to AskPatty at http://www.askpatty.com.

About Sapha
Sapha is the premier online conversion company. Their solutions instantly improve traffic conversion for Web sites, email campaigns, and landing pages. Sapha delivers proven products that combine rich media, proprietary analytics, and direct response know-how into easy, cost-effective conversion solutions that turn Websites and marketing campaigns into conversion machines. For more information about Sapha’s sales conversion tools, visit http://www.sapha.com.

SANTA MONICA, California –This month’s new vehicle sales (including fleet sales) are expected to be 1.26 million units, a 3.3 percent decrease from July 2007 and a 6.3 percent increase from June 2008, according to Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information.

July 2008 had 26 selling days, two more than last July 2007. When adjusted for this difference, sales decreased 10.7 percent from July 2007. (The chart below sets forth other unadjusted and adjusted comparisons.)

“The combined market share for compact cars, compact trucks and compact SUVs is near its all-time high,” observed Jesse Toprak, Executive Director of Industry Analysis for Edmunds.com. “We expect these three segments to make up around 35 percent of the total market in July, compared to just 23 percent in July of 2003.”

The combined monthly U.S. market share for Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM) domestic nameplates is estimated to be 44.4 percent in July 2008, down from 49.4 percent in July 2007 and down from 46.4 percent in June 2008.

“Recent headlines regarding downgraded annual sales forecasts, adjustments in production schedules and boosts in incentives foreshadow another dismal month,” commented Michelle Krebs, Senior Editor of Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com.

Edmunds.com predicts Chrysler will sell 117,000 units in July 2008, down 14.8 percent compared to July 2007 and up 0.2 percent from June 2008. This would result in a new car market share of 9.3 percent for Chrysler in July 2008, down from 10.6 percent in July 2007 and down from 9.9 percent in June 2008.

Edmunds.com predicts Ford will sell 176,000 units in July 2008, down 7.4 percent compared to July 2007 and up 3.1 percent from June 2008. This would result in a new car market share of 14.0 percent of new car sales in July 2008 for Ford, down from 14.6 percent in July 2007 and down slightly from 14.4 percent in June 2008.

Edmunds.com predicts GM will sell 266,000 units in July 2008, down 15.7 percent compared to July 2007 and up 1.3 percent from June 2008. GM’s market share is expected to be 21.1 percent of new vehicle sales in July 2008, down from 24.2 percent in July 2007 and down from 22.2 percent in June 2008.

Edmunds.com predicts Honda will sell 160,000 units in July 2008, up 13.3 percent from July 2007 and up 12.1 percent from June 2008. Honda’s market share is expected to be 12.7 percent in July 2008, up from 10.8 percent in July 2007 and up from 12.0 percent in June 2008.

Edmunds.com predicts Nissan will sell 88,000 units in July 2008, up 0.2 percent from July 2007 and up 16.0 percent from June 2008. Nissan’s market share is expected to be 7.0 percent in July 2008, up from 6.7 percent in July 2007 and up from 6.4 percent in June 2008.

Edmunds.com predicts Toyota will sell 217,000 units in July 2008, down 3.3 percent from July 2007 and up 12.1 percent from June 2008. Toyota’s market share is expected to be 17.2 percent in July 2008, even from 17.2 percent in July 2007 and up from 16.3 percent in June 2008.

SALT LAKE CITY–Vehix, the multi-platform digital automotive network, today announced a convenient new way for consumers to list cars for free on one of the nation’s top automotive websites. This free classified ad service also provides access to one of the largest self-qualified car buying audiences online.

“We have thousands of people visiting Vehix.com daily to shop for and purchase cars,” said Meade Camp, COO of Vehix. “With our free auto classifieds, we’re not only providing consumers with a fast and economical way to sell their cars, but also access to thousands of users that are already interested in purchasing a car.”

Visitors can click the “Sell Your Car” button and post their ad on www.vehix.com in minutes to expose their vehicle to more than one million potential buyers each month. For users that need more help, a downloadable guide with listing tips and instructions called “Selling Your Car Online” is also available.

“My car sold in about 2 weeks,” said Vehix Customer Suzanne Kauss. “I can’t believe how easy it was to sell my car for free on Vehix and so fast. The buyers lived three hours away, and because it was on Vehix, a reputable site, we negotiated the price over the phone, met and handled the transaction. It was just that easy.”

The free classified ad service also benefits Vehix media partners and dealers. Prior to launching the service nationally, Vehix successfully tested the service in May and June 2008 in two markets — Chicago and Minneapolis. In Chicago, Vehix added more than 1,500 free listings and the Minneapolis market added more than 1,300 free listings. Overall, the average daily searches of vehicles in these two markets were up 67 percent, proving that consumers that list vehicles also search for vehicles on Vehix.com.

Record-high gas prices across the country are fueling the urge for car owners to identify ways to reduce their gas consumption. As a result, more people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are considering hybrid vehicles and the number of registered hybrid vehicles has risen dramatically in many cities. The top communities for hybrid cars in Massachusetts are:

“On the cusp of the July 4^th holiday travel season, we’re finding that drivers in many cities are embracing hybrid vehicles and their beneficial offerings,” said Dick Welch, president of Travelers of Massachusetts. “As trends change and needs evolve, Travelers is committed to providing innovative insurance products, like the hybrid auto discount. Every city in the state saw gains in hybrid car registrations, which underscores the growing necessity for the right insurance products to protect these investments.”

Travelers, which analyzed spring 2007 and 2008 data supplied by the state Registry of Motor Vehicles, noted that the figures prove motorists in the Commonwealth are increasingly seeking relief from record-high gas prices.

In researching the data, Travelers compared the number of registered hybrid vehicles in these cities in April 2007 to April 2008. Boston saw a 76 percent increase in registered hybrid vehicles, Newton was at 51 percent, Cambridge 43 percent, Brookline 45 percent and Lexington a 51 percent increase in registered hybrid vehicles in the past year.

(a) Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, April 2008

“This information suggests that consumers see the inherent value in driving hybrid vehicles that offer fuel-efficiency and environmentally-friendly options,” said Welch, “Now more than ever, there are various incentives hybrid drivers can take advantage of including up to a 10 percent discount on their auto insurance coverage from Travelers of Massachusetts.”

For information about federal and state incentives for hybrid owners and how to take advantage of the hybrid discount, visit www.hybridtravelers.com.

About Travelers

Travelers understands that life and business are inherently dynamic and that the best way to serve agents, brokers and policyholders is to deliver insurance that evolves to stay in-synch with life and business as they change. For more information on being in-synch, visit www.travelers.com.