Chevrolet Volt: The Reveal

It’s out. Woohoo.

I’ve expressed my opinion on this before, but those were blurry spy photos. Chevrolet officially announced their upcoming Volt today. It is a 2011 model, and I’m hoping with all my might that they’ll put out a new model a couple years after that. Why, you ask? Well, just look below:

This car isn’t ugly, exactly, but it’s definitely not what anyone was hoping for. This is exactly like when you meet some cool girl online, and she’s really into the environment and activism and all that jazz, and then she sends you a picture and she’s SMOKING HOT. Only thing is, when you finally get her to agree to a lunch date, she looks nothing like she did in that picture she sent. She’s not quite hideous, but she’s short, overweight, and reminds you of your dog (not that this situation ever happened to me).

That’s pretty much how I feel with the Volt. I was promised a supermodel (go check out the original concept) and I got… well, I got this.

I’m not saying I’d refuse to drive one if the keys were just handed to me, but I certainly won’t be buying one when they come out, either. Especially considering the price tag Chevrolet has been considering (40k, give or take). At least this way it’ll be way easier to just save my money.

The Volt is still a plug-in hybrid, which is great. It still goes a decent distance on battery power alone, and it stills gets great gas mileage when you are utilizing fossil fuels. It just doesn’t look good doing it. I’m all about reducing impact on the environment, but it’s as if everyone thinks we have to drive dumb looking cars in order to be green.

There have been some rumors of a Cadillac model using the Volt’s technology. I for one would love to see some sort of CTS variant plug-in hybrid. Heck, they might even make it look sexy. Here’s hoping.

A Hybrid in the Le Mans?

That’s got to be some sort of tabloid article, right? Nobody would dare pull something like that.

If you thought anything along the lines of the above sentences, YOU’RE WRONG! But at least it’s in a good way, you pessimistic little blog-troll.

French car company Peugeot will be entering a gas-electric hybrid into the Le Mans series next year. Want to see a picture? Okay!

Renault have announced they will be launching a range of electric cars, including the Twizy (pictured), between now and 2012

Renault set to launch electric car range 'before 2012'

Ecowheels: The French car company is launching more new electric vehicles in the next year than any other manufacturer but there's a possibility they are jumping the gun.

The definition of Renault’s trademark slogan ‘Va Va Voom’ is lively, sexy, passionate and exciting. In recent years it has covered these bases with its Renaultsport range; bold designs including the booty-shaking Mégane; and Formula 1 engines deemed worthy for current champions Red Bull.

Is all that about to change? Renault’s announcement at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show that an electric car range would go into production this year shocked many, prompting accusations it was abandoning its roots and playing its eco hand too early.

‘I’ve heard quotes from people saying Renault has bet the farm on electric vehicles,’ says Andy Heiron, head of the electric vehicle programme at Renault UK. ‘If you’re going to do it you need to offer a range of vehicles and we’ve made a very significant investment.’

Heiron, 45, had been with the company for 23 years before being handed the ‘the most interesting, broad and quickly evolving job’ he’s ever had at the end of 2009.

‘Somebody said to me EV years are like dog years,’ he says. ‘We’ve crammed in about seven years of activity into just 18 months and when I think about what we were talking about just a year ago, people have changed their opinions and now a lot of manufacturers are upping their forecasts quite significantly.

‘There’s a collective movement towards electric vehicles. There’s still a lot of cynicism out there but the only proof of this particular pudding is going to be in the eating.’

Between now and October next year, Renault will be bringing an unprecedented four EV models to the British market: a Kangoo van in November; the ultra-compact Twizy in March next year; the Fluence Sedan next summer; and Clio-style hatchback the Zoe (pictured below) in October 2012.

Renault’s huge EV commitment seems all the more risky as France has long had an unwavering love affair with diesel.
‘I don’t think we should write-off France as an EV force,’ says Heiron. ‘Admittedly Citroën and Peugeot have taken a Mitsubishi product but all of the major manufacturers and a few niche ones have embraced it.

‘The [diesel] love affair will go on. We’ve never said everyone will move across wholeheartedly to electric vehicles, it will just become a closer choice between petrol, diesel and electric. ‘Some will switch to fit their moral compass, others because it makes financial sense.’

To achieve the latter, Renault believes it has taken a unique approach to pricing. Motorists lease the costly battery rather than owning it, undercutting rivals like the £25,990 Nissan Leaf.

‘Take Fluence,’ Heiron says. ‘You pay £17,850 on the road. It’s totally different territory to the products already out there in the mid to late £20,000s.’

Battery leasing will typically cost between £70 or £80 a month, depending on your contract and the number of miles per year.

‘The Fluence battery is £75 including VAT for a three-year, 6,000 miles-a-year contract,’ adds Heiron. ‘That’s comparable to a full tank of fuel in a small to medium size car.

‘In terms of realistic running costs, and forget off-peak Economy 7 energy tariffs, £3 will charge a 22kw battery, that’ll get you 100 miles. That’s 3p a mile compared with up to 15p.’

Range anxiety and charging infrastructure problems still exist though. ‘There is always going to be a leap of faith,’ Heiron concedes. ‘I don’t know what it means but people tell me there’s going to be a placebo effect.’

Renault is among the major manufacturers exhibiting at EcoVelocity next month, if the proof is in the pudding, come down and try a slice of French fancy.

Are Bad Credit Motorcycle Loans Possible

Are bad credit motorcycle loans possible? This is a question I am asked over and over again, whether it is just meeting a person on the street or though e-mail from a person that found my motorcycle financing website. Well the short answer is yes bad credit motorcycle loans are totally possible even if you have a bankruptcy on your credit report. However, there are certain things you need to consider before looking for a bad credit cycle loans because you can be taken advantage of just because you have poor credit.

First off understand that over and over again in the world of motorcycle loans, I see cycle buyers with bad credit tend to focus more on desperation for getting approved for motorcycle financing rather than making a good decision for there financial future. As a result, when the typical motorcycle buyer with poor credit is approved they are often stuck with hefty fees, and backend products that leave them paying much more for their motorcycle than they should.

If you have bad credit and need a motorcycle loan, the best advice I can give you is do not let someone tell you that you have to pay document fees, extended protection, Gap insurance or other add on products to get approved. Sure you may have to sacrifice for a higher interest rate on your bad credit motorcycle loan, but you do not have to get taken to the cleaners with a bunch of other fees.

It is the above reasons that it is important to try to sometimes go straight to the lender and find a lender that will finance bad credit motorcycle loans I am not going to tell you that it is easy to get approved like if you had good credit but if you work a bit you can find motorcycle lenders specializing in bad credit. Here are some options you may want to consider.

1. Online Motorcycle Lenders: The nice thing about working with online motorcycle lenders is that you are going directly to the lender and there is no middle man involved with placing you in a loan that may put you in a bad situation. Going directly to the lender for bad credit motorcycle loans is always better in my opinion because the lender does not want to place you in a loan you will default on. On the other hand, going through a middle man you will find the middle man will want to place you in a situation where they will make the most money which could be a very bad loan for you.

2. Credit Union: Your local credit union may buy bad credit motorcycle loan more often than the average loan at a dealer because the credit union only has a small percentage of its overall loan portfolio in bad credit motorcycle loans. This allows them to control losses a bit better than a dealer because they have other thinks finance not just motorcycles. So they may approve bad credit motorcycle loans a dealer will not touch.

3. Personal Loans: Many people with poor credit tend to many times go for personal loans. I only recommend this option as a last resort, but I would much rather a bad credit applicant get the credit straight before getting a personal loan. The reason being is personal loans typically have very negative terms for motorcycle buyers and they can sometimes have interest rates in the 30% range. This is not a good situation for a motorcycle buyer.

4. Local Banks: Sometimes local banks can be an option for finding bad credit motorcycle loans, but typically they are stricter than Credit Unions. So check with your online motorcycle lender or credit union before going to a local bank. But similar to a credit union, local banks probably do not have a ton of their loans in motorcycles so this helps you chances of getting approved sometimes. Many times the less experience a bank has with motorcycle loans the better for you because they can sometimes evaluate bad credit motorcycle loans the same way as a car loan which typically is much more lenient.

So in a nutshell, if you are looking for bad credit motorcycle financing it is totally possible. It will require you to do a little more research than the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giftypical person with good credit, but your efforts will be well worth it when you are riding your new motorcycle. The best thing for you to consider is not getting frustrated if one lender turns you down, because there is definitely a bad credit motorcycle loan out there waiting for you. You just have to start online or at your local credit union to get going in the right direction to financing your motorcycle.

Motorcycle Loans For Military With Bad Credit

Motorcycle loans for military with bad credit aren't hard to come by. In fact when you start your search for the lender you will find more then an ample supply of companies just waiting for your business. Have you really thought his purchase through though?

There are many reasons for having bad credit. Some credit scores are easily brought back to par by checking your credit report and making sure your personal information is up to date. Other things can happens to your report as well, such as your credit report might show UN paid bills that you know you have paid. Things like this can be disputed with proper proof of payment. On the other hand there are issues such as bankruptcy, divorce, unpaid loans, tax liens etc. That makes up a nasty credit score. The only way to fix these types of things is with time & budgeting.

Every one knows motorcycles are great fun so the want for one is valid. They don't use a lot of gas, you don't have to worry about playing taxi for your friends and all in all it is a reliable means of transportation. If you want that bike bad enough you are going to get it, but think it through. A good saying to live by is "If you find yourself in a hole....quit digging!"

Like mentioned before motorcycle loans for military with bad credit aren't hard to come by, but what is going to be hard to come by is getting a reasonable APR. If you want that loan you are going to pay for it largely in interest. The better bet is to work on your credit score first before you make your purchase!

Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Military-Loans-Online.com. He provides more military auto loans, home loans, payday loans and military motorcycle loans [http://www.military-loans-online.com/motorcycle-loans.html] that you can research in your pajamas on his website.