| Video News & Views
PEOPLE & IDEAS TO WATCH | Driving Factor for Used Car Values | | Tom Kontos, Executive Vice President of ADESA Analytical Services, says that vehicles sold during the recession are hitting their used vehicle second, third, and fourth birthdays with tight supplies, and this will continue going forward. The aftermath of the 2008- recession is the fundamental driver. |
| | | | |
| February 23, 2012 | | | |  | 
| Fleet Trends & Issues | Opportunities & Successful Fleet Management |  |  NAFA Introduces A New Website Designed For Mobile Users Studies have shown that roughly one quarter of all smart phone users rely on their phone as their primary way to access the Internet. Regardless of how fast their connection is, the end experience is only as good as what appears in the phone. Normal websites designed for regular computer monitor screens generally look awkward when viewed on phones. Recognizing this, NAFA Fleet Management Association is proud to announce NAFAmobile.com, an online portal for NAFA Members to quickly access some of the most popular areas of the Association’s website via a site optimized for smart phones. NAFAmobile.com keeps NAFA Members connected to the Association wherever they are. Users can quickly stay up-to-date with important news, check the calendar for upcoming chapter meetings and educational seminars, or read NAFA publications like FLEETSolutions and FleetFOCUS. In addition, the mobile site makes it easy to get membership information, contact the Association, or get the details on the Association’s annual Institute & Expo. Last year, NAFA introduced its Online Buyer’s Guide, the Association’s first foray into mobile computing. With NAFAmobile.com, users have a quick link to the Online Buyer’s Guide, putting information on hundreds of fleet suppliers at their fingertips. The Online Buyer’s Guide allows users to browse for products and services by category or search directly for specific items by company, contact name, keyword, or location. The Guide provides users with the company’s contact information, links to their website, and offers a description of their offerings. Users with a smart phone can even turn NAFAmobile.com into an App for quicker access. - iPhone users: Just open the url in your browser, touch the arrow at the bottom of the browser, and select “Add to Home Screen.”
- Blackberry users: Just open the url in your browser, click the menu button, and select “Add to Home Screen.”
- Android users: Just bookmark the app in your browser then tap and hold (long press) an empty space on your home screen and select “Shortcuts” from the menu that appears. Select “Bookmark” and then select the app from your list of bookmarked sites.
NAFAmobile.com is password-restricted and available only to current NAFA Members as a benefit of their membership in the Association. | |  | |
| Focus On... | Current Fleet Topics
| |  Green Auto Market Tracks Trends in Startup Industry For anyone interested in learning more about electric vehicles, hybrids, and alternative fuel vehicles, it's easy to find a ton of coverage, especially when new versions are unveiled at major auto shows. But what about the numbers? Green Auto Market, The Business of Green Cars, Fuels, and Technologies, was launched by Jon LeSage, Automotive Digest's green editor, who will also soon be bringing back Automotive Digest's Green Automotive Digest weekly newsletter. Green Auto Market is tracking sales figures for hybrids and EVs, OEM and dealer marketing campaigns, fuel and energy prices, green vehicle investor trends, and other developments shaping what's next in green cars and fuels. While it's going to take a few years for this industry to make much of a difference, there will be many jobs, investments, emissions standards, fleet policies, and other factors that draw attention to this new business. For a copy of the February issue and to be placed on the distribution list, contact LeSage at jon@automotivedigest.com. | |
| Association News & Views | Activities, Events & Success Stories | |  2012 FedFleet and more...Taking the Lead!
Workshops have been added to the FedFleet 2012 and more web site! June 26-28, Louisville, KY. Learn more Green Truck Summit...Find Clean Vehicle Solutions!
Be sure to register today for the Green Truck Summit (jointly produced by the NTEA and CALSTART), the leading educational forum on how the "green revolution" impacts vocational trucks. The 6th annual Green Truck Summit on Monday, March 5, and Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN will provide critical insight into the future of clean commercial vehicles. Learn more NAFA I&E: Final Deadline To Save Is Approaching Fast!
Register by February 29 and SAVE!
The biggest fleet management event of the year is less than 3 months away! Are you registered yet? The final early bird deadline to save on NAFA's 2012 I&E is Wednesday, February 29. Receive $50 off the on-site registration fee! New For 2012! In Addition To Our 4-Day All Access Registration, NAFA Has Several I&E Registration Options To Fit Your Budget, Including "No Food" Options! Learn more | |
|  "I don't really care who takes credit for it, really. Truth be told, President Bush put in the first money. Truth be told, President Obama put in the biggest chunk of the money, and he had to have the team to do the restructuring. To put in money isn't enough. You've got to do something with it, and I thought they did a good job with the restructuring." Dan Akerson, Chairman and CEO, General Motors, on GM's bankruptcy and bailout in the political spotlight. | | | | | Janice Sutton, Editor
 |  Back in the news: spiraling fuel prices! We asked fuel management expert David Maxsimic, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Wright Express, to give us some tips on how fleets can manage - and curb - these rising costs. Read our interview with David in The Fleet Spot. InformationWeek Global CIO recently published a profile of Steve Haindl, Senior Vice President and CIO at ARI . He says technology is giving fleet managers more access to real-time data. Read Steve's profile in Global CIO. Drive Safety, Janice | | | | Last Minute News
|  | | Congress Drops Tax Break for Truck Buyers
Congress last week declined to extend a tax break that was credited with dramatically boosting truck sales in 2011, but a Democratic lawmaker said the incentive could return later this year. President Obama’s proposed 2013 budget included the measure, which allowed businesses that bought new equipment in 2011 — anything from trucks and trailers to machines and computers — to depreciate 100% of the purchase price in that tax year. Read more What's Really Driving $5 Gasoline Worries
Get ready for a slew of political ads and campaign season stumping by Republicans blaming President Obama for rising gasoline prices that could be at or near $5 per gallon in many parts of the country by peak driving season this summer. While $5 gas prices are catnip for Republican campaign strategists trying to take over the White House and Senate in November, the factors driving up gas prices have almost nothing to do with decisions and policies made by the Obama White House. Read more | | | |  | | Places, Sites, and People for New Ideas
& Applications | | | |
 | |  |  | David Maxsimic
Wright Express
Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing
What Can You Do to Control Fuel Costs? Plenty!
As fuel costs are spiraling upward again, are you getting a little edgy over reining in your fleet's fuel costs? We asked David to give us some strategies that Wright Express has found to work, including shutting off the pump when a driver's limit has been reached. And this is just one tool this expert recommends. He has plenty more!
- [Read More] | Matthew Ashmore
Chevin Fleet Solutions
Project Manager
Chevin Fleet Solutions has named Matthew Ashmore as Project Manager. He will oversee the implementation stages of Chevin’s flagship web-based application, FleetWave. Matthew will also take on a consultancy role, advising prospective customers on how to harness technology to support enhanced fleet operations. Previously, he was a network and server operations manager at Harvard University.
|  | Lilicia Bailey
Manheim
Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer
Manheim Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer Lilicia Bailey has been selected as one of Savoy Magazine’s “2012 Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America.” Bailey and the other honorees, which include prominent African-American executives from Fortune 500 companies across the country, are featured in a special section of the spring 2012 issue of Savoy Magazine.
|  | | | | |  | | Managing Your Fleet Trends, Issues & Opportunities | Fleets Can Measure Carbon Footprint with New Ford Calculator
 | | Ford will offer its U.S. fleet customers a new computer program that measures emissions such as carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen. It also provides fuel-cost estimates based on regional pricing data. Ford says the calculator is simple to use and compares any two models on the market including hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. The calculator will not be made available to retail customers. | | | Assessing Retail vs Fleet Vehicle Registrations in the U.S.
| | Sales to fleets are a good way of gaining product exposure, but they are often viewed as a means of eliminating excess production, especially those to rental car companies. Polk compared retail vs. fleet vehicle registrations for eight brands to determine those that more closely match production to retail demand. Import automakers have seen a more consistent retail/fleet mix. | | |  | | Driver Safety Management Practices, Policy, & Training | DOT Guidelines Press Automakers to Limit Distractions
| | The Department of Transportation is not going away, when it comes to in-car technology and safety issues. Guidelines issued last week propose that automakers design dashboard technology to limit the amount of time drivers take their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel by limiting the complexity and amount of inputs required to complete a task. More proposals will apply to hand-held devices. | | | Consumer Reports: New Safety System Could Prevent Crashes
| | Consumer Reports' Annual Auto Issue features a new safety system designed to prevent vehicle crashes from occurring. The technology allows cars in the same area to communicate with one another over a wireless network, exchanging data about each vehicle's speed, location, and direction of travel. Cars can also communicate with roadside infrastructure. The NHTSA says the technology has the potential to help drivers avoid or minimize up to about 80 percent of crashes involving unimpaired drivers. | | |  |
| Manufacturer Developments Design, Production, & Services | Automakers Bet on EVs as Analysts Predict Surging Interest in Plug-ins
| | Early sales of plug-in cars have been disappointing, but automakers are continuing to bet on electricity as the best available technology to curb pollution and reduce foreign oil dependence. LMB Automotive says Americans bought 19,874 plug-in cars in 2011 and predicts the number to rise to about 70,000 in 2012, 170,000 in 2013, and 250,000 by 2015. | | | J.D. Power Ranks Lexus Tops for Dependability
| | The 2012 J.D. Power & Associates Vehicle Dependability study ranks Lexus highest in vehicle dependability among all nameplates. In addition, the Lexus LS has the fewest problems in the industry, with just 72 problems per 100. Rounding out the five highest-ranking nameplates are Porsche, Cadillac, Toyota and Scion. Mini and Scion post the greatest year-over-year improvements from 2011 by 60 and 55 problems per 100, respectively. | | |  |
| Driving Green Initiatives, Actions, & Implementations | Oil Prices Continue to Surge
| | Rising oil prices could become a key issue in the upcoming U.S. presidential election as they approach a nine-month high. Petroleum prices have been moving upward for the past few weeks, but the latest surge began when Iran announced a halt to exports to Britain and France. The average gasoline cost has already topped the $4/gallon mark in some areas of the U.S. | | | Obama Proposes Increasing Battery Car Tax Credit
| | In his latest budget proposal, President Obama wants to increase the current $7,500 tax credit available to buyers of battery cars and plug-in hybrids to $10,000 with the goal of boosting demand for the high-mileage vehicles. Critics have questioned the credits, but proponents say the credits are critical to encourage the vehicles' development. The President set a goal of having at least one million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2014. | | |  |
| The Intelligent Vehicle Telematics, Telecommunications, &
Technology | Automakers React to Consumers' Electronic Expectations
| | The next few years will bring more changes in car electronics as automakers strive to stay on top of the latest in the digital world. Spansion CEO John Kispert shared his predictions on more changes in car electronics. They include going digital with all major instruments, driver assistance to warn about hazards, gesture and voice recognition, better engine control, and black boxes. | | | Automakers Aim for More Intuitive Voice-Recognition Systems
| | The NHTSA has tentatively embraced voice recognition to reduce driver distraction, and automakers are working to make conversational commands easier. Ford and GM have embraced software that uses natural language for commands with Sync and OnStar and continue to work on the technology. Guidelines governing voice technology are expected from the NHTSA by 2014. | | |  |
| Fleet Vehicle Remarketing Marketing Strategies, Channels,
& Sales Data | Credit Union Lending Network Allies with OVE.com and GE Capital Fleet Services
| | CUDL, a major auto lending network for credit unions, announced a new initiative with Manheim’s OVE.com and GE Capital Fleet Services. They will cooperate to further expand GE’s remarketing channels and to offer CUDL’s dealer network a new online vehicle buying program. CUDL also has a separate alliance with Open Dealer Exchange.
| | | Rental Fleet Sales a Big Part of Toyota’s January Numbers
| | Toyota has upped fleet sales and incentives to increase US market share for its Camry and other products – half of its January sales went into daily rental fleets. Toyota says sales went up 7.5% for its redesigned Camry, but rental fleet sales are playing a big role in the numbers as Toyota recovers from months of production shortages. | | |  | | | | | | | 
|  | Green Truck Summit 2012
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
March 5-6, 2012 | | | The Work Truck Show 2012
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
March 6-8, 2012 | | | RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition
The Expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, PA
April 15-18, 2012 | | | NAFA 2012 Institute & Expo
America's Center
St. Louis, MO
April 21-24, 2012 | | | The National Vehicle Leasing Association 2012 Annual Conference
Renaissance Worthington Hotel
Fort Worth, TX
April 23-25, 2012 | | Stats and Smart Charts
| Used Vehicle Price Forecast – 2012
[Click to enlarge graphic]
 - Chart shows NADA 2012 used vehicle price forecast w/ change relative to Jan. 2012 seasonally adjusted
- Demand will be up, supply down, and more credit will be made available to facilitate sales
- NADA estimating that on seasonally adjusted basis, used vehicle prices will increase by 1.8% through end of year
| | 
| | | | | |
