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BMW Most Valuable Auto Brand, Edging Past Toyota
October 14, 2011 | 
Author NEW YORK — BMW is now the world’s most valuable auto brand, edging past embattled Toyota, according to an annual ranking of the world’s top auto brands by market research company Millward Brown.
The BrandZ Top 100 report, which was released on Wednesday, found that Toyota suffered from “the pressure of the recession [that] was compounded by performance problems.”
“Among the most valuable and trusted brands in the world, Toyota suffered at least temporary damage to its reputation when it responded slowly to reports of stuck accelerator pedals that ultimately prompted a massive recall,” the report says. It added that “this year’s ranking only reflects the damage done to the brand as the recalls began at the end of 2009; the brand is likely to have suffered further in recent months.”
But the report predicts that the Japanese auto giant is in “a strong position to recover.”
BMW was ranked 25th among the global brands in the report, with Toyota ranked at 26th. Google is the world’s strongest brand for the fourth straight year, the report said. The German automakers, including Volkswagen and Audi, were “viewed as trustworthy brands with style, global distribution, German engineering, and lower prices than prestige makes such as BMW and Mercedes,” the report said.
Ford boosted its brand ranking in the study and was praised for the Ford Focus, which the study describes as ?the first Ford car designed as a global brand.”
Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia were not among the Top 10 in the car category, but the study said they are “considered especially well positioned.”
“The Korean brands offered sharp styling at a competitive price, providing the kind of value proposition that appealed to recession-weary shoppers,” the study said.
Chinese automaker Geely was singled out for its acquisition of Volvo. “China will for the first time produce a quality global car brand,” the study said.
Inside Line says: The German automakers, especially BMW, come out shining in the annual brand ranking study. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Posted in sell your car | 
Tags: auto brand edging, auto brand edging past, brand edging past, most valuable auto | 
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Article Directory – Self-Improvement/Motivation Articles – 376-400 of 8304 Articles
Showing 376-400 of 8304 ,
by Deidre Glendon Have you ever realized that understanding your dreams can help you to bring clarity in your life? Do you know how to utilize your dreams to help you in your everyday life? There is a way and you’re about to find out.
Published 26Apr2011, viewed 132 times
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by David Tatham Our females sometimes bitch. Our males can act like mad dogs. In fact the deranged dog is the most effective description of an individual who has lost all control. And that is the point. Does a dog loose it’s mind, or does it discover one of its own?
Published 29Mar2011, viewed 88 times
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by Michel Maling It is not always easy staying positive and focused. Our short
attention spans are diverted so easily in other directions. The sad
truth is that most of our potential will die with us, as very few people
reach their full potential in life. I have heard people saying that
there is more potential lying unused in the cemetery than anywhere else
on earth.
Published 25Apr2011, viewed 95 times
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by Ronald Worthy Staccato is an Italian word meaning “detached”. In playing the piano, it means that the note is played shorter than its value. A note should be played in this manner if it is denoted by a dot above or under the head.
Published 09Apr2011, viewed 209 times
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by Roger Kenneth Marsh We make choices all day long in each and every moment -life is a series of choices. You are creating your future moments and
experiences, and our “future” is basically the culmination of the series of choices we have made over the past. Wow!
We are very powerful. So choose wisely!
Published 02Apr2011, viewed 89 times
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by Willie Horton If you want to change your life you have a problem! We are psychologically hard-wired to be creatures of habit and change averse. When we do things habitually, we do them without giving them any attention. And because, sooner or later, everything and everyone becomes routine, we end up living mindlessly – where we want to change but we can’t take the necessary action. But there is something simple that you could be doing straight away.
Published 28Mar2011, viewed 181 times
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by Jason C Maxwell Are you in a relationship and find that at the end of the
day you just have no energy left to spend time with that person that you care
about? I know that if you work full time and have other things going on in your
life by the time it gets to be quality time you can be quite worn out.
Published 24Apr2011, viewed 74 times
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by Robin Rushlo For some of us, staying positive is difficult. No matter how much we
want to be positive, we worry, we get mad, and we just let things get
the better of us.
Being negative has consequences. Maintaining a
negative outlook takes energy. Maintaining a negative outlook is a
distraction. Maybe most distressing of all, maintaining a negative
outlook can have detrimental effects on your health (both physical and
mental).
Published 28Mar2011, viewed 80 times
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by Robin Rushlo If you have ever worked in an office or business environment for any
length of time, you know that there are almost always certain types of
people. One type in particular is the entitled.
These are the
people that make no attempt to further their training or development.
They don’t take any classes, they don’t learn new skills (unless they
are forced to by some change in the system),
Published 28Mar2011, viewed 107 times
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by Robin Rushlo Patience, for some of us, is by far the hardest emotion to control. We
know that it takes time to build a multilevel marketing business. We
know that we can’t expect results overnight.
Are you are constantly looking at your downline? Do you get upset if
there is even one day when someone new isn’t added? Do you expect to
replace your income in six months or less?
Published 28Mar2011, viewed 175 times
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by Connie Ragen Green Are you ready to meet a man to build a meaningful relationship with? Read to find out how to find the right man to share your life with and build your future together.
Published 23Apr2011, viewed 117 times
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by Marie-Anne Chantal Rasй This article is inspired by an email received from an English teacher living in Japan. The email was very touching and the author identified the teacher’s narration as a story of Success.
Published 07Apr2011, viewed 9 times
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by Levi Reiss Thinking about losing weight and getting in better shape? We briefly examine the SLIM-data Diet presenting its advantages and disadvantages, two days sample
menus, and much more. This unbiased information may help determine if this diet is right for you. Check out the other diets in this series. Don’t get
involved in any weight-loss, fitness, or similar program without discussing it with your medical or other health care professional.
Published 28Mar2011, viewed 116 times
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by Rebecca Mills The top 5 tips to looking thinner in photographs.
Published 26Mar2011, viewed 70 times
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by Deborah Hill Can you trust yourself more than you trust others? It is important that you are honest to yourself so that you can put your trust in yourself and your own instincts to avoid being taken advantage by the hordes of untrustworthy people in the human jungle who are waiting to take your money and your time.
Published 21Apr2011, viewed 186 times
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by John Reiling Certifications are given for project managers to become licensed to work in their chosen field of expertise. In their path towards that goal, there are certain things they need to accomplish and requirements they need to comply. After all that, taking the exam won’t be that hard and they would surely become certified project managers.
Published 29Mar2011, viewed 183 times
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by Deborah Hill Intuitive coaching teaches that each person has their own definition of success, but most people achieve success by being themselves rather than what others would have them be.
Published 21Apr2011, viewed 135 times
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by Jack Dean This is a short documentary about several irrefutable laws of leadership and what it takes to become a successful leader.
Published 20Apr2011, viewed 169 times
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by Beth Price Years ago, most people chose a job or career and stuck to it for 40 years. These days career options can be so much more exciting and even if you love what you do there are still opportunities to add training to your existing career. A career as a personal stylist and shopper is something you might consider and below are some of the careers that work particularly well with personal styling.
Published 20Apr2011, viewed 130 times
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by Deborah Hill There are usually important relationship questions to answer when considering the way others see you, although it is important that you do not permit that relationship to change you and that you remain yourself, rather than change from what others consider you to be, which is frequently a mirror of their own true selves.
Published 20Apr2011, viewed 131 times
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by Deborah Hill 5 ways to develop your intuitive abilities.
Published 20Apr2011, viewed 131 times
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by Rebecca Mills The 7 essential traits to seducing a man or woman and increasing your personal magnetism.
Published 04Apr2011, viewed 166 times
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by Beth Price How special is your mum? Is she more special than a bunch of flowers? If you’re looking for a different present for Mothers’ Day this year, why not think about some gift vouchers for a session with a personal stylist?
Published 28Mar2011, viewed 178 times
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by Andy Grant Have you tried your hand at making a mind movie? This simple tool is
designed to accelerate your ability to manifest anything you want, by providing
a visual representation of your goal or desired outcome. But what are the real
advantages to investing time and effort into making a mind movie?
Published 23Mar2011, viewed 137 times
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by Levi Reiss Thinking
about losing weight and getting in better shape? We briefly examine the Shelton Diet presenting its advantages and disadvantages, two days sample
menus, and much more. This unbiased information may help you determine if this
diet is right for you. Check out the other diets in this series. Don’t get
involved in any weight-loss, fitness, or other such program without discussing
it with your medical or other health care professional.
Published 23Mar2011, viewed 104 times
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Article Directory
Is a Big Letdown Brewing for Le Mans? – Car News – Car and Driver
We’re at Sebring International Raceway, the ancient road-racing course in south-central Florida, where Cadillac is testing twin Le Mans prototype cars — prototypes for General Motors’ return to sports-car racing after some 50 years. They are fast, handsome, world-class cars, built by Riley & Scott, the veteran Indianapolis-based race shop that knows something about top-drawer sports cars. The Cadillacs are powered by potent twin-turbo 4.0-liter Northstar V-8s.
The Cadillac LMP cars will make their debut in February at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. They’ll race here at Sebring, and they’ll race at other venues.
But all those races before next June are simply warm-ups for their greatest challenge, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And the races after June are warm-ups for the 2001 Le Mans.
GM is desperate to dive deeper into European markets, which is why the Cadillac and the Corvette C5-R racer are being tested here at Sebring, are being readied for racing over there. The originally modest budgets for both cars have been increased dramatically.
Why? "We understand the importance of motorsports in international markets such as Europe, and we expect to substantially increase European Cadillac and Corvette sales as a result of our efforts in the Le Mans competition," says Herb Fishel, the taciturn executive director for GM racing.
That needs to be amended a bit: If the Corvette and the Cadillac do well at Le Mans, it will bode well for GM’s sales department. If the cars don’t qualify or race well, it will not.
Which brings us to a potential good news/bad news situation for GM.
The good news: Recent developments suggest that the Cadillac in particular stands a better chance of doing well at Le Mans than one might have thought six months ago.
The bad news: That’s because a stunning number of the top competitors are staying home. If Caddy does well, it will be against a severely weakened field. The field the Corvette will compete against is narrow but deep — the Vipers have dominated GTS and likely will again, with a possible challenge from the Corvette and from Porsche. The GTS class needs some new competitors, but it likely won’t get many in 2000.
Most of the attention at Le Mans, then, is paid to the top class, where the Cadillac will compete. Against whom, though? Consider the following:
It appears last year’s winner, the factory BMW team, won’t be back. And the cars likely won’t even be there as a privateer effort, as BMW wants to leave the race as a winner, and it is concerned that without full factory support, the cars — and consequently BMW — would lose.
Mercedes, still humiliated by last year’s flying-car debacle, will stay as far away from Le Mans as it can. Mercedes will compete in a European touring-car series, but few in the U.S. will care.
Toyota, last year’s runner-up, apparently won’t return. After paying CART team owner Chip Ganassi a reported $35 million to switch from Honda to Toyota, and preparing for a Formula 1 future, it has other places to spend its millions.
Nissan, the third-place car last year at Le Mans, is out, despite winning a recent race that would have guaranteed the R391 a starting spot at the French race. Nissan is, of course, cash-strapped and making cutbacks all over.
Porsche, after testing a brand-new car in preparation for a 2000 return to Le Mans, has suddenly pulled the plug. The company’s official line is that it needs all its engineering expertise for new civilian projects, such as the upcoming sport-ute that will be built with Volkswagen. We’re not sure what the real reason is, but if anyone thinks the very healthy Porsche company will be grabbing its race engineers and making them work on four-wheel-drive SUV transfer cases %#151; well, no.
So although there may be a few scattered private entries of the above-mentioned marques — including a tired Ferrari or two — full factory sponsorship will be rare, and it is tough to win overall without the full force of the factory behind you.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/00q1/is_a_big_letdown_brewing_for_le_mans_-car_news
The eyes have it, claim safety campaigners
The government is being asked to rethink the rules on testing drivers’ eyesight in a bid to improve road safety.
Charity Brake wants the number-plate test given to learner drivers to be replaced and regular eye-testing introduced for drivers to keep hold of their licences.
The campaigners say their ideas are supported by 75 per cent of drivers who backed compulsory eyesight testing every five years, in a survey of 1,000 motorists.
Brake says these changes would ensure the UK complied with a European directive that aims to “harmonise standards of driver vision” and improve road safety.
The group swung into action after a Government paper proposed to make the current test even easier, reducing the distance drivers need to be able to read a number plate to 17 metres from 20.5. There are currently no rules for compulsory eye tests after a driver has passed their test.
“As a charity that supports families devastated by road deaths and injuries, we recognise how vital it is to ensure all drivers have good eyesight,” said Julie Townsend, campaigns director for Brake.
“Being able to see clearly what’s in front and around you is fundamental to safe, responsible driving. So it’s baffling that the government proposes making the number-plate test even easier, rather than taking the opportunity to tighten up regulations.”
Brake says its campaign is backed by Joy Barnes, from Sheffield, whose niece was killed by a driver with defective eyesight.
Sheffield’s Labour MP Meg Munn said: “The death of Fiona was tragic and could have been avoided. It is astonishing that in the 21st century the eyesight test involves reading number plates. It is time that the government understood the devastation caused by road deaths.”
However, not everyone agrees action is needed. Claire Armstrong of campaign group Safe Speed said: “We must always base road safety decisions on proper and intelligent science, and sound engineering. This approach is over zealous.
“As people age they attend opticians less. Perhaps assistance with costs is all that is required to retain better vision among drivers, rather than further regulation and penalties.”
The Institute of Advanced Motorists said it had been investigating the issue and was “unconvinced” compulsory eye-testing would have a major impact on road safety.
The IAM’s Neil Grieg said: “Defective eyesight is only recorded by the police as a contributory factor in 0.4 per cent of fatal crashes and overall in only 0.2 per cent of all injury crashes.
“The cost and time involved in compulsory and more complex eyesight checks would therefore be hard to justify in road safety terms. For the IAM it is more about ‘looked but failed to see’ as opposed to being unable to see.”
Do you think regular eye-tests should be mandatory? Let us know your thoughts by posting your comments below and voting in our poll.
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Posted in sell your car | Tags: improve road safety, number plate test, test even easier | No Comments »