This is pretty cool. I’m a big admirer of Tesla Motors – they’ve stuck it out with their Roadster, which retails for close to $100k, and have partnered with Toyota to produce the new electric RAV4′s spiffy engine. But they’ve been on the brink of going under before, and they’re hoping that their new Model S – a car that will rival both Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the luxury sedan market – will help pave the way for more profits and more room to expand. Auto transport companies don’t often see Tesla vehicles on the back of their rigs, but some car shippers have seen a few, and the Roadster itself should warrant an enclosed auto transport carrier. It’s fast and its battery is awesome, and the Model S is supposedly going to rival the current hybrids and full-electric vehicles, blowing their range and power out of the water. Here’s to hoping, because I’d love to own one myself. They should give me one for being a staunch supporter of theirs for years now.

While selling hybrids and electric vehicles to today’s generation and their parents is usually pretty easy, it leaves a lot of people out of the loop – specifically, older shoppers. The share of new vehicles being sold to older buyers has increased steadily over the past four years, and older shoppers often engage in fewer shopping activities and are influenced by fewer and fewer forms of marketing, while also being left in the dust in terms of technology. But what does that mean? Well, it means that grandma wants a car that’ll start, stop and get her from Point A to Point B, and they’re being left out of the loop because cars have newer and fancier gadgets that older people don’t give a crap about. It’s true, sorry. Auto transport companies utilize technology because they have to, but a lot of auto transport carriers who own their own shipping rigs usually just stick with what works. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right?

Though gasoline prices dropped an average of $.04 last weeks, the used car market has seen no significant changes in the value of the vehicles being sold, despite auto dealers’ expectations of the floodgates opening. Though dealers remain confident that the value of one-or-two-year-old vehicles will increase, and thus used car prices will go up, once the fuel spikes and drops are over, it could be some time before high-efficiency used vehicle prices soar. Which is always good for consumers, who like to save money at the dealership, and it helps auto transport companies as well considering that they ship a lot of vehicles to and from dealerships. In fact, auto dealerships make up for 10% of an auto transport company’s business each year, with 25% of dealers being repeat customers. So we’ll see how this goes, I guess.

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. has introduced a new touch pad infotainment system that can be placed onto the surface of a vehicle’s armrest, steering wheel or dashboard. It would allow drivers to write numbers or letters with their fingers to issue instructions for various systems including navigation, radio, smartphones and other things. Auto transport companies probably would never use this, because it sounds stupid and idiotic. I’m sorry, but we’re in an era where more technology in vehicles just leads to more accidents, and it’s been proven time and again. Auto transport companies don’t use in-dash systems and can’t text-and-drive or they get fired. But companies think it’s okay for drivers to write while they’re behind the wheel? Seriously? Might as well read a book, right? This just sounds like another dumb idea that will probably make its way into some type of Cadillac or Lexus sometime soon. I’m shaking my head at this one, I just don’t get it.

The new Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid took the top spot in its category in the United States after just three months on the market, passing both the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. Though sales in April were not as strong as in March, the hit wasn’t as severe as the one Nissan took with the Leaf, which saw its sales figures reduce far more drastically than Toyota. These companies are selling enough hybrids for now, but the market seems to be crumbling around them as automakers continue to make new strides in gasoline-powered engines, providing more fuel economy and better savings than hybrid vehicles that cost twice as much. Even auto transport companies have seen the drop off in hybrid vehicles; is this the end for electric and hybrid vehicles?

While there was a time when General Motors, Chrysler and Ford were hurting for cash (just four years ago! Remember the bailouts?), today the companies are raking in the profits. And while you’d think that American companies selling American products to American consumers would be a good thing, investors and stock analysts are predicting something different – very different. In fact, heavy losses in the European markets have led to an 18% drop in stock value for both Ford and GM, and Chrysler has put off initiating a stock offer. I won’t pretend to know Wall Street, but I know auto transport, and while this may not sound like much for the auto transport industry it could have a resounding impact on the automotive industry as a whole if things don’t pickup soon. It’s a global economy, they say, and every bit helps…or hurts, as is the case with the European auto market.

Ever since man invented the coin, people have bought and sold things. And therefore, people needed to advertise their things for sale – first in picture (cave-drawings, maybe?), then in print, then TV, then online – but now, the mobile phone market is opening up, and mobile marketing is starting to lead the automotive marketing trend, at least according to some guy from Mobile Messenger, a major marketing firm. 61% of consumers are unlikely to return to a website they had trouble accessing from their phone, which isn’t really surprising. Auto transport carriers might not have much use for this, but auto transport brokerages certainly could – many brokerages compete online for customers, and being able to reach them from their phones might be a good idea for auto shipping brokerages to get a leg up on the competition.

Remember when the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic were the only hybrid vehicles on the market? I do too. It was just a few years ago. But the technology has exploded in the past few years, and now you can find hybrid vehicles in almost every category, from compacts to sedans to SUV’s and pickup trucks – 48 different transmission options in total across multiple car brands. Auto transporters have noticed a sharp decline in the number of hybrid vehicles being shipped, and this mirrors the country’s lessening interest in the vehicles. Even automakers are looking at new alternative energies, and auto transporters have all but given up on electric and hybrid technology making its way to them. But with sales down and hybrid vehicles continuing to pour out of the floodgates, what’s going to happen next?

New high-definition dashboard displays will help drivers be able to see their navigation screens better as well as allow automakers to keep up on the times as increasingly sophisticated infotainment and navigation systems are released. The new Lexus GS features a 12.3-inch screen, a drastic improvement over the older 8-inch screens, and Ford’s 2013 Escape, Taurus and Fusion models will each offer an 8-inch screen. Auto transporters often use navigation systems, but theirs aren’t usually embedded in the dashboard. Still, it’ll be interesting to see where this technology goes, if it’s safer or helps distracted driving at all, and what new technological wonders will be in store for drivers.

Chrysler is looking at competing with the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla with its new Dodge Dart, the first vehicle built by Chrysler on Fiat Group’s new automotive platform. The company has been on the record saying that the new Dart needs to be “substantially better” than before, and new features have been added to the company’s factory in Belvidere, IL that includes high-tech systems and better training to meet their goal of delivering the best Dodge Dart they can. Auto transporters have yet to give us the numbers, but if what we’re hearing is correct Chrysler might just be an up-and-comer in the tight subcompact market.