Conserving natural resources has become one of Audi’s top priorities when it comes to their production process. They understand that when effeciency is maximized they will also reap cost savings. Using logistics software such as PackAssistant allows Audi to save almost 20% in shipping costs by reducing the overall number of shipments that they receive from various manufacturers throughout production. To show Audi’s commitment to the environment, they have pledged to cut their carbon dioxide emmisions by 30 percent by 2020 (this is a 30% reduction based on their 1990 carbon emmissions). Although the quantity of automobiles produced by Audi has risen in the past years, they have been able to keep overall energy usage at the same level, which is yet another example of Audi’s green-ness.

Audi Auto Group is choosing rising standards in logistics since this particular German auto manufacturer is using “green electricity” to move their cars from their Ingolstadt manufacturing plant all the way over to the North Sea loading port of Emden. This makes Audi the first company in Germany to fully take advantage of green electricity in this part of the production process. The progressive logistics concept is an advanced step for the car industry and a valuable facet of Audi’s strategy of assurance that production is sustainable in every way imaginable.

This CO2-free train rail freight moves concept Eco Plus is a recent request from the logistics area of German railway operator Deutsche Bahn: DB Schenker. Transporting vehicles within the nation’s existing network of rails, the energy demanded is satisfied entirely by German renewable green energy. The electricity is acquired in addition to by Deutsche Bahn which means that emissions remain avoided from the get go. The TVSD has approved Eco Plus from DB Schenker and the energy supply network. Currently, about 18 and a half percent of the German railway system utilizes green electricity. The Eco Plus company feeds this green energy into the German railroad power grid. Typically rail power is provided in one of these following forms:

• Natural Gas
• Nuclear Power
• Coal

Since rail transport cannot be the exclusive means of transportation, Audi utilizes a group network called The Logistics Center GVZ to ensure that all trucks on the road are full before hitting the pavement, thus increasing overall effeciency. This results in less carbon dioxide released into our atmosphere. Other Audi suppliers also utilize the same Logistics company to contribute to this environment consious effort.

Audi is setting new standards in responsible electricity consumption for their vehicle transport through Germany within the highly saturated car manufacturing business. DB Shenker is partnering up with Audi to enable green electricity for their railways. The benefit is immediately obvious: reduction of carbon dioxide emmisions which are harmful to the environment. This move by Audi will affect almost 70% of their vehicles since in addition to fully assembled cars, they will also be able to utilize this green transportation to move large components to different plants. The assembly of the Audi TT is an excellent example of moving large pieces of a vehicle through a massive assembly line that is powered by a green railway. Instead of shipping the partially assembled TTs via truck, Audi saves money and the environment by using green electricity. The frames of the Audi TT are moved to another plant where the body panels are attached, and then the TT returns to the original plant. Yet another plant is responsible for engine assembly so there is more transport of large materials involved. Audi has reduced Co2 emmisions by about 36 thousand tons by using the green rail system and eliminating over 325 thousand truck trips which is the equivilent of ten million kilometers by rail.

Audi has also invested in technology that increases energy efficiency of their auto manufacturing plants. For example, robots can be made to work more efficiently and tools as simple as welding tongs can make a difference. One of the coolest ways that Audi ‘recycles’ power is by using energy from testing that would otherwise be wasted. When testing engines, the motors produce energy, which they smartly feed back into the assembly plant’s energy grid! They also take advantage of ‘waste heat’ which is the heat that is a byproduct from one plant. Audi can use this heat energy and effectively convert it into useable power to reduce CO2 waste.

Mazda has teamed up with AutoAlliance Thailand, Co. LTD. AAT with a 350 million dollar investment in creating the newest pickup truck from Mazda. This deal clearly shows Ford and Mazda’s dedication to Thailand and the investment adds to the total of over 1.85 billion dollars of investment into the AutoAlliance Thailand auto production plant.

This joint pickup truck program will help Mazda figure out how their workforce and resources are positioned in the global market. The AutoAlliance plant in thailand is already one of the most technologically advanced factories in the nation and it is fully capable of handling the requirements of this relationship. This plant is already known to produce high quality products with low cost in mind to compete with other manufacturers.

Since July 2007, AutoAlliance Thailand has been exporting Mazda and ford pick up trucks to over 130 countries around the world. The plant was also rennovated in July of 2009 to accomodate the manufacture additional vehicles from ford such as the Ford Fiesta and Mazda 2.

Geico has added an additional application to in addition to the GloveBox insurance app that is already available for the iPhone. The new car insurance quote application for the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is simply an additional dedicated mobile portal to Geico’s internet service offerings.

An app need not be downloaded to be effective. Geico’s website servers simply detect that the user is on an iPhone and they serve up the best mobile experience possible for the device. This means that the user interface was built specifically for the touch screen on the iPhone 4. It is a slick website that makes it super easy to get insurance quotes.

A useful tool for getting auto insurance quotes on the go! Also great if you don’t remember what the gecko looks like.

The GloveBox app is a iPhone app that is essential for Geico policy holders with iPhones. With it, the insured can:

• Pay insurance bills and order auto insurance ID cards
• Report an Accident or start an car insurance claim
• Call for roadside assistance in the event of an emergency
• Call for a rental car or taxi if needed
• Watch how to videos on tire changing and other light auto maintenance
• Even watch some TV about cavemen and geckos if so inclined

In addition to bringing their insurance technology up to speed, Geico has also been spending some money on education in America. There’s no better place to invest than in the future of our country.

83 College and university students will receive a One thousand dollar Geico Achievement Award in 2010. These recipients are the best among their schools in math, computer science, business or a related field and they have also played an active role in leading their community or school.

Know someone that might qualify for the Geico Achievement Award and needs an extra thousand bucks in their pocket? Geico Achievement Award Application Instructions

Short term auto insurance is necessary for some people. For example someone could own a car here in the United States and live outside of the country. This person may need to acquire a short term auto insurance policy if they do not maintain auto insurance constantly.

The state of California DMV requires that vehicles must maintain at least liability insurance to be eligible for vehicle registration. Thus the idea of “short term auto insurance” in the state of California is not really a feasible option.

Major insurance companies standard policy lengths
Geico: no temporary insurance offered. 6 month policy standard.
AIS (insurance broker): shortest policy is 6 months
The General (car insurance broker): shortest policy is 6 months, typical auto policy is 12 months
Farmers: no short term auto insurance available
State Farm: no temporary car insurance

It seems like most major carriers, including insurance brokers that shop many different insurance providers for their customers, do not offer any auto insurance policies for less than 6 months in California. If short term auto insurance such as 1 month auto insurance is really required then it makes sense to check with each potential insurance provider individually to see what fees would be charged for early cancellation. The fee for early car insurance cancellation varies and it the car insurance cancellation rate itself can be variable depending on the length of time left on the policy at the time of cancellation.

Here is an example of how a 6 month auto policy with a cancellation might work:

The 6 month premium is 600 dollars. The policy is canceled after 1 month so the insurance provider charges a cancellation fee of 100 dollars. The remainder of the policy is refunded to the customer at a prorated rate. $600/6 = $100 per month, and 1 month of the policy has been consumed already. Therefore the insured would be entitled to a refund of $400 in this scenario.

Tesla, future manufacturer of the 109 thousand dollar electric powered Tesla roadster that bears a striking resemblance to the new Lotus Evora, went public today with their IPO priced at around 17 bucks a share. Many investors took advantage of this opportunity and drove the price of this electric car manufacturer’s stock up to a final resting place of $23.89, which is a gain of $6.89 per share or 40.53% for TSLA.

Tesla raised over 200 million dollars today. They have already made plans to produce their cars at Toyota’s old NUMMI car manufacturing facility in Fremont, CA. As of today, this plant has shut down because of all the negative press that Toyota has received. Toyota is still getting complaints about their cars going crazy and putting their owner’s as well as other people on the road including pedestrians lives at risk today. In the San Francisco Bay Area, one woman reported that her Toyota Highlander went out of control even though it was not on the recall list.