Freedom Motorcycle

Archive for April, 2010

The insurance industry are blaming injury lawyers for the increase in whiplash claims in the UK, costing the industry around £2 billion every year.

They blame an increasing compensation culture affecting the nation with whiplash claims high on the list as one of the more popular cash back moneymaking attempts. The industry feel the knock on effect to car insurance premiums will be a ripple to fear and the fingers are pointed directly at the lawyers who help pursue successful claims.

Amount

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) have stated that they receive around 1,200 claims every day. With the average amount paid out for a whiplash claim around £5,000, nearly £2 billion is being spent on compensation for whiplash injury every year. Additionally, 75% of the UK’s motor insurance claims are for whiplash injuries.

In fact claims have increased by up to 25% over the past five years despite figures showing roads are becoming safer.

According to Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, “The cost of whiplash claims equates to about £66 for every UK car insurance policy, or about 14 per cent of the average Shoparound car insurance premium. This is more than twice the cost of claims for accidents with uninsured drivers.”

“Over the past year, the average quoted Shoparound premium for a comprehensive car insurance policy increased by 8.7 per cent and whiplash injury will become an increasingly important factor in future premium increases. At present, for every £100 spent on premiums, insurers pay out approximately £105.”

Premiums

This will in turn affect car insurance premiums in the UK as the insurers attempt to make back what they have lost through the rise in claims.

A spokesperson for the motor insurance division of the AA commented, “One thing that is certain is that the average premium will continue to rise, but by how much?”

Some commentators suggest a rise of 20 per cent over the next year and certainly, a rise of that magnitude will be necessary if the insurance industry is to achieve an underwriting profit.

Underhanded

Sensing a potential cash cow criminals have got themselves in the act by making fraudulent whiplash claims according to recent reports.

The occasional gang of criminals have been caught staging car crashes so they can proceed with fraudulent whiplash compensation claims.

Although the popularity of such a far fetched scheme is still quite minimal, at least one attempt of this nature has secured a £26,000 lump sum payment for the ‘injured’ party.

Car Fraud Investigator, Peter Taylor, stated, “The scam is relatively easy to conduct: two drivable cars can be bought for around £1,000. An extra £800 is then used to buy fully comprehensive car insurance and the remaining £300 is used to purchase third party cover for the other vehicle. The cars are deliberately crashed and other members of the gang put their names on the claim and claim whiplash injuries 

DAELIM Motor Company (DMC) is the scooter ( http://www.dmc.co.kr/eng/Daelim-Scooter.asp ) specialist manufacturing company. DMC is primarily a subsidiary of the DAELIM Group of industries situated in the United States of America. The DAELIM Group of Industries is a South Korean motor cycle and ATV manufacturing giant that has become not only one of the top 5 scooter manufactures in the world but a house hold name to the millions of customers who enjoy two wheel or ATV transport.

DAELIM Motor Company (DMC) is the scooter specialist manufacturing company. DMC is primarily a subsidiary of the DAELIM Group of industries situated in the United States of America. The DAELIM Group of Industries is a South Korean motor cycle and ATV manufacturing giant that has become not only one of the top 5 scooter manufactures in the world but a house hold name to the millions of customers who enjoy two wheel or ATV transport. Based in Gyeongsangnam-do, with production facilities in Changwon, the company produces over 300,000 vehicles a year for domestic use and for worldwide export. It started production in 1962 to cater to the need and demand of fast, reliable and safe transportation on two wheels. The company was able to immediately pick up on the traffic requirement of speedy, safe and fun vehicles for millions of users that are bound within city limits and can not afford the pricy cars and the high insurance premium associated with the vehicle. Let alone the parking hassle of parking larger vehicles. Precise, accurate, and reliable two wheel transportation was the requirement of the daily commuters of city life. This specific market segment never had the option of low priced, exceptional quality vehicles before. The Korean DAELIM Corporation changed all of that and rose to the occasion as the leading scooter manufacture in the South Asian peninsula. The DMC Company however was initially established in 1978 by the parent company with a merger with Kia Motors. Just within a short span of time, the company succeeded in establishing international footing.

The company has now expanded exponentially with different mergers and subsidiaries all across the world. DMC distributors can be found all over the world catering to the city life commuters. Other models that have been recently manufactured have gone beyond the requirement phase and has matured into fun and exciting supplementary vehicles. The primal vision of the company has always been to completely satisfy customer requirements regarding two wheel transportation functionality. The company places an extensive amount in research and development of their products. This management directive has been an extremely successful business and profitable decision for the company. A plethora of scooters have come out of the assembly line catering to the different market requirements.

The dedication and commitment of producing exceptional two wheel transportation to the market masses has cemented DAELIM as one of the leading scooter manufactures around the globe. The product as well as the service offering after purchasing the product is certainly a unique user experience. The Company prides itself in its quality of engineering staff, effective marketing specialists and keen business leaders that are always on the road understanding the ongoing requirements of the end users. Without a detailed understanding of the requirements of the users and ensuring the products measure exclusively well with the requirements, DAELIM would not be at the position it is in the market. As the company hones processes, procedures and manufacturing timelines, the products are not only becoming more versatile but customer centric.

The engineering excellence of the company stems from assembling scooters that differentiate themselves by their features and engine quality. An extensive amount of die casting parts are used in the assembly line that ensure quality is maintained and optimized with the upcoming product line ups. The in-house superior quality of Korean engineering has become the true hallmark of the company’s international success. This attribute alone adds considerably to Korea’s foreign currency acquisition.

One of the major engineering success stories is the development and manufacturing of the 100 cc motorcycle in the early 1990’s. It took an aggressive three years of engineering excellence and thorough testing of all components of the product to finally release the Altino powered motorcycle. Interestingly enough the hard work, dedication and commitment immediately paid off a few months after the successful launch of the first product of the company. Even management could not fathom its success. The primal difference was the immediate recognition of the Altino motorcycle being far superior in engineering, quality and durability than its fierce competitors. This unique differentiator was immediately understood by the motorcycle enthusiasts that started the revolution of mass production of all the different types of scooters from this company. During the three years of testing, extensive parts originating from different die casting companies were testing rigorously to maintain the quality of the product as envisioned by the management. All different die casting materials were used ranging from zinc material to top quality aluminum. The rigorous testing was able to produce a comprehensive list of parts that could outpace the competitors and prove to be substantially superior in performance.

It was in 1997 that the company started migrating from the 100 cc models to the more advanced and superior horse power models. The Trans Up 125 cc models were now the talk of the market and produced similar results. The overall excellence of the product was the aero dynamics of the body. This again was due to extensive research of how different die products blended into the quality measurement of the company.

One of the greatest success stories of this company was the Delfino that changed the very perception of the scooter industry. The 100 cc scooter was not only unique in design but was able to win the hearts of thousands of devoted scooter fans by its superior and light weight performance on the roads. The entire parts ranging from headlight to the sliver dashboards all stemmed from superior die casting techniques. The quality of the parts also ensured a more robust and safe drive for the drivers. The scooters facilitated luggage and even different peripherals keeping in mind safety of the driver. The other primal differentiator of this scooter giant is the after sales activity and customer centric experience. Customers have easy access to tech support online and via the different distribution channels. Replacement warranties and quality of dealerships prove to be the difference in the market. Almost all of the DAELIM products have a 2 year warranty.

For more information about Daelim scooter visit: http://www.dmc.co.kr/eng/default.htm

Ford Motor Company’s Mustang model, dubbed as America’s favorite muscle car will be celebrating its 45th anniversary in the automotive market. As a part of the celebration, Ford will answer the needs of consumers who want more natural light in their cars when driving by providing them a third roof option.

For the 2009 model year, Ford will add up the Ford Glass Roof Mustang in the company’s product lineup. This new roof option will be available over the V6 powered Mustang as well as the high performance Mustang GT model starting at the summer of 2008. In addition, Ford offers the Glass Roof Mustang because of the increasing production of sunroofs in North America by about 200 percent.

According Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president, Global Product Development:

“Mustang is an icon in our product lineup, and we are committed to keeping Mustang news fresh every year. As the automotive landscape becomes increasingly competitive, features such as a panoramic glass roof will help differentiate our products from the competition.”

With a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $1,995, the new glass roof is expected to provide customers with a less expensive option that a convertible model without compromising the versatility and climate-controlled environment of the coupe, according to Ford. The Glass roof of the Ford Mustang is made of tinted privacy glass. This allows the glass roof to reduce infrared rays and vehicle cool-down time by about 50 percent. The glass roof is also equipped with a built in manual roller blind that allows owners to further control exposure on the sun. Moreover, according to Ford, the glass roof also “protects interior fabric material from solar radiation deterioration and discoloration by reducing solar light transmittance” and “features a layer of vinyl that reduces noise, vibration and harshness.”

Assembled at the Automotive Alliance International plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, the glass roof for the Ford Mustang is a safety glass, which means it will not shatter with sharp and jagged edges unlike other typical glasses used in the automotive industry.

Paul Randle, chief nameplate engineer also commented: “Quality is a continuous process. The whole team is passionate about it, which results in our paying attention to the smallest details. Our owners have high expectations, and we always want to meet them – with strong features like this new roof option, quality and performance.”

Other upcoming Ford Mustang models next year include the Mustang Bullitt and the powerful Shelby GT500KR, which will arrive in dealerships to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra GT500KR. Anyway, customers can also get Acura models like the CL equipped with Acura CL cold air intake while waiting for these Mustang models to arrive in showrooms.