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Despite of the controversies regarding massive products being recalled coming from China, this republic is happily enjoying the huge revenues it has amassed from January to July of this year, thanks to the vehicles and auto parts exported to the United States that equaled to as much as $12.62 billion.

A whopping 47.8 percent revenue increase, which is about to beat the previous year's data by a hairline, has been recorded by China's Ministry of Commerce. This positive feat achieved by China specifically comes from the $8.85 billion dollars earned from exporting auto parts, which registered a 32.4 percent increase. Another source of the big revenue of China came from exporting 294,000 autos, which earned a decent 70.3 percent increase. Commercial vehicles are amongst the main exports of the country.

Aside from the exports made by China, the country also earned its much needed boost because the residents of this region are into automobiles. Moreover, China's cheap labor cost has pushed the country to become one of the big three in terms of producing auto parts and vehicles for both local brands and foreign brands. China has 12 major auto parts and vehicles export units scattered all over the region, including Shanghai, Baoding, Guangzhou, Yutong, Liuzhou, and Changchun, amongst others.

Direct TV, which is known for providing satellite televisions for homes, is now capable of equipping these mobile machines with a television that could broadcast live streams. By gearing a car with the company’s discrete roof antenna, motorists can watch countless programs inside their vehicles.

"You figure folks are spending a lot of hours in their car. They already have their video screens. They want local channels,” said Bob Ochsner of Direct TV. “We are really giving folks what they want.”

This new technology, however, is not suitable in Florida because a state law prohibits distraction such as the satellite TV for drivers. Vehicles in this state are not allowed to place screens and monitors that could greatly distract the operator. Only the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) is allowed by the law to be situated where the driver can see the system.

No matter how fancy this satellite television is, automobile owners must know their limits in installing such distraction to their vehicles.

Motorists are now getting conscious of their vehicles’ emission outputs. Countless upgrades of auto parts are utilized in order to offset the noxious gases coming out of their vehicles’ exhausts. To eradicate these harmful emissions as well as that burning costs, automakers are now into manufacturing hybrid cars. One of which is the Swedish company Volvo that has set its eyes in providing hybrid cars to its patrons.

Volvo offers the Volvo ReCharge C30 compact car, which gets its power from both fuel and electricity. The company has stated that this new find can run solely on its battery for as much a hundred kilometer. This reality is a great way to save on those trips to gas stations for refills and more importantly save on the cash.

The engine of the Volvo ReCharge C30 is relatively small, which can only fill up to 1.6 liters. Volvo’s hybrid find can speed up from zero to 100 kilometer under nine seconds and with a maximum velocity of 160 kilometer per hour.

Along with the other new concepts and models of other automobile companies, the Volvo ReCharge C30 was part of the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

India is fast becoming one of the primary sources of auto parts for a lot automotive parts makers worldwide. One the companies that have sought Indian-produced auto parts is a Canadian maker – the Magna International Inc.

Amassing as much as $24.2 million the previous year, Magna is already considered as one of the pioneers in the auto parts business. The Ontario-based auto parts company, which has a wide range of products from vent visors to engines, is planning to buy auto parts that will amount to as much as $120 million. The plan, which will conclude after three years, is to source auto parts from the less popular Indian supplementary auto parts supplier.

“We think the Indian market is at the take-off point now,” said Prasen Agali, who is the executive director of Magna International in India. “We are talking to customers, and the first step is to put in infrastructure and means of delivering the products.”

As part of widening the market of Magna International, the company, along with Amtek Auto, decided to establish a plant in India. This upcoming facility of the two companies' partnership will manufacture engines for vehicles. Another two centers, which will take care of research and development of various auto parts, will also be put up by Magna International in India.

Aside from India, the Canadian auto parts company is also looking into sourcing its products from other regions in Asia and the Pacific. Magna aims for a 10 to 15 percent revenues from these regions in the next three years.

The Japanese automaker Mazda re-established its brand in the United Kingdom six years ago and is now close to finishing its circle of dealerships with a total of 12 open points.

“We have got good coverage,” said Mazda UK managing director Rob Lindley. “We have 155 active dealers and only 10-12 open points left.”

By the end of September, Mazda expects to gain sales that will amount to 9,600 sold units in the UK, with the help of the company's 12 dealers.

“We are in the process of talking to interested parties and looking at premises,” said Lindley. “We are completely full in Scotland but still have points to fill in the major conurbations.

Barnsley, Gateshead, Banbury, Uxbridge, Camberly, and Bristol are among the key Mazda dealer points. Joining the six established Mazda dealerships are Barnsley and Croydon. Moreover, the automobile manufacturer is eager to complete the Mazda network. The two additional Mazda dealerships will further help the company in marketing its new products this month such as the full-electric car Mazda RX-8 Kuro, which is limited only to 500 units, and Mazda 2 super mini, and as well as its other vehicles.

“By next April the Mazda 2 could be our biggest seller with sales hitting 15,000 units compared with just 4,000 annual sales of the old model,” said Lindley.

According to the Mazda marketing director Lindley, the first step of the UK Mazda is to give good and effective arrangements to its potential dealers. Offering a better profit share, which is about 10 percent, to the future dealers is the plan of UK Mazda.

Owning a car is a privilege that must be accompanied with a big amount of responsibility. Aside from learning how to stop and go and the etiquettes on the road, looking after its numerous auto parts and its parking space are also included. For these and other reasons, a lot of college students in the US have opted to go for the rental cars.

Carnegie Mellon University, for example, has about 7,000 or more students. A big number of these students probably brings cars, but the Pennsylvania-based campus can only provide 2,700 measly parking spaces, which are already for the students plus the university's faculty and personnel. With such parking space problems, most of the students do not bring autos anymore or more so, get a new one. The car space woes also affect the University of Minnesota, amongst others.

"With some 80,000 folks here a day and just 20,000 parking spaces, anybody we can encourage not to bring a car makes it better," said Mary Sienko, who is the University of Minnesota's marketing director.

As an answer for the parking problems, the Carnegie Mellon University and University of Minnesota are part of 70 colleges and universities across the United States that are working with the car-sharing services. These establishments offer per hour rentals to people from the universities.

In the US, two of the biggest car-sharing companies, which both started campus car operation five years ago, are the Massachusetts-based Zipcar and the Seattle-established Flexar. Zipcar and Flexar have veered away from the traditional no below 25-rule and started to accept customers as young as 18.

The yearly membership costs from $25 to $35, while hourly fees costs $5 to $9, for both companies. The given rate of both companies already covers the insurance and the gas.

"It's so convenient," said Carina Enbody, who is a senior advertising major in Minnesota. "I'd rather not have a car and have to deal with the maintenance and gas."

With the worsening global warming, it is only best to do something or to finally put a halt on this grave environment problem. Automobiles, which are mostly if not all are running on gas, are some of the biggest factors that contribute to the air pollution, thus part the movers in this crusade are the vehicle manufacturers themselves. There has been a sudden clamor for electric-driven cars as the supposed answer for the pollution problems, but are electric cars that good?

The electric cars may offset the burning cost of fuel and the alarming pollution problem. Countries that have not been gifted with oil deposits tend to depend greatly on the Middle East, which is the primary source of fuel. Unfortunately, when prices go up, automobile owners tend to suffer the costly amount too. With the pollution caused by the fuel-driven cars plus the cost of fuel, people have started to look for alternatives like the electric cars.

A Tesla Roadster, for example, may run from zero to 60 miles per hour in four seconds and even without the gas. By plugging this electric car at night, it can already kick 200 miles the following day. Auto parts such as the exhaust pipe or the engine no no longer have a place in this four-wheel machine. Then there is also the Toyota Prius, which is considered as a hybrid car, that has already been part of the top most wanted autos in the US just last summer. Unlike the Roadster, the Prius runs on both gas and electricity. When running slow, the electric motor provides power, while the engine starts working as the vehicle gains more speed.

Everything seemed good with the electric cars, but automakers just have to make sure that the technology will last long enough and of course, comes with an affordable tag price.

The Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd. is overwhelmed for a future $150 million profit that is expected to be accumulated this year until 2014, thanks its auto parts establishments expansion plan as well as a great deal it made with its dealers.

In the next two to three years, the Toronto-based corporation will start its expansion plans, along with its dealers, that will need $120 million. The company sees these times as the best way to implement the plan of widening the retail side of the Canadian Tire Corp. By 2014, 200 stores will be up and running.

"Canadian Tire is the brand in Canada. I think it's a good growth strategy and a great defensive move," said Lawrence Stevenson of Callisto Capital. “There has already been an aggressive expansion of auto parts stores in the United States, and Canadian Tire has cleverly anticipated their potential move into Canada.”

There is also an expected profit raise due to the auto parts initiative it will have with its dealers. Canadian Tire's gross income will amount to a burning $15 to $20 million next year and will go up to $80 to $100 million by the end of the seven-year period.

At present, the Japanese automaker Honda is currently being supplied with auto parts from various countries in Asia. The manual transmission parts are being provided by the Philippines, the automatic transmission parts are being sourced by Indonesia, and the Honda body parts come from Thailand. Honda has a different source even for the standard bumpers, which come from Malaysia. For the intricate Honda engine parts, the multinational corporation has just recently planned to get these auto parts in the Honda Motor India (HMI).

Since the critical engine parts will be sourced in the New Delhi-based HMI, India will now become a key country in Honda's Asia-Oceanic sourcing strategies. Through the Honda Siel Car, which is the subsidiary of Honda, the Japanese automaker will be provided with the vital engine parts for its products sold in the Asian and Oceanic regions. The much affordable tariff structure of India, which will become effective in the start of the Indo-Asea free trade agreement (FTA), has attracted Honda to pursue the country.

“Once the FTA comes into effect, we will be in a position to source engine spares from India at competitive prices,” said Masahiro Takedagawa, who is the head of the HMC Asia. “We already have component hubs operating in a few countries in Asia for our automotive needs as common vehicles specifications help leverage cross-nation operations. India could emerge as an important sourcing destination, once the tariffs are lowered to the Asean level.”

Two years from now, Honda's second plant, which is based in Rajasthan, in the country will start its operation and this would mean business again for Honda. The new plant will join the Greater Noida Honda plant in increasing the production of the company.

“We expect a minimum volume of three lakh unit to support any kind of local sourcing,” said Takedagawa. “Once our second plant becomes operational, India could be an ideal sourcing hub for the Asia-Oceanic region along with South-East Asia.”

A showcase of the latest auto parts find was one of the highlights of the Vietnam International Exhibition on Auto and Auto Parts or Auto World 2007 in the Phu My Hung International Exhibition Center in the 7th District of HCMC which started last Wednesday.

Countless auto parts, automobiles, components, and other related products, which came from various regions of Vietnam, were scrutinized in the said expo. Vietnam National Trade Fair and Advertising Joint Stock Company or Vinexad was the team behind the successful four-day exhibition. About 80 establishments around Asia took part in the Auto World 2007.

Aside from the usual vehicles and automotive parts exhibited in the event, the auto expo has also introduced new and innovative products, which include engines, fuel vehicles, audio equipment, electric components, car care products, and tires, to name a few.

The distributor of Korea's Hyundai cars Viet Han Motor Company has also displayed two seven-seater vehicles in the auto expo. The Hyundai Veracuz and Santafe have been part of the event. Hoang Nhu Nhat, who is the spokesperson of the Hyundai distributor, has announced that these Korean automobiles can be imported directly from its homeland.

Moreover, the expo has also showcased a sport equipment show tagged as Sportex Vietnam 2007.