Crazy 'Bout a Mercury

When we purchase an automobile, we are also acquiring an amorphous but very real image, that is, the statement which the automobile makes about its owner to the public. Such images are forged in popular culture, and Mercury is an automobile brand that had an auspicious post-WWII popular culture debut. In 1948, K.C. Douglas recorded “Mercury Boogie” on a 10-inch 78-RPM, with its memorable line in the chorus “I’m crazy ‘bout a Mercury.” Five years later in 1953, George and Sam Barris transformed a 1951 Mercury Club Coupe into the Hirohata Merc, creating a classic of customization that has been described as “the most famous custom of all time” (Taylor 2006: 56). Ford occasionally attempted to take advantage of these strong roots in popular culture formed in the make’s earliest days, but the company’s efforts were not notably successful. In spite of Mercury’s promising beginnings in media, it has had only a slight presence in music and film. Mercury’s image never influenced the automobile market beyond the first few years, and it was unable to prevent the brand’s 2011 demise.

Local Protectionism, Market Structure, and Social Welfare: China’s Automobile Market

This study documents the presence of local protectionism and quantifies its impacts on market competition and social welfare in the context of China’s automobile market. A salient feature of China’s auto market is that vehicle models by joint ventures and state-owned enterprises command much higher market shares in their headquarter provinces than at the national level. Through county border analysis, falsification tests, and a consumer survey, we uncover protectionist policies such as subsidies to local brands as the primary contributing factor to the observed home bias. We then set up and estimate a market equilibrium model to quantify the impact of local protection, controlling for other demand and supply factors. Counterfactual analysis shows that local protection leads to significant consumer choice distortions and results in 21.9 billion yuan of consumer welfare loss, amounting to 41 percent of total subsidy. Provincial governments face a prisoner’s dilemma: local protection reduces aggregate social welfare, but provincial governments have no incentive to unilaterally remove local protection. (JEL L24, L32, L62, O14, O18, P25, R12)

Estudo comparativo entre transmissões automotivas automáticas e manuais

O mercado automobilístico vem intensificando a criação e a aplicação de novas tecnologias veiculares. Nesse sentindo, entre os elementos que sofreram notável evolução, destacam-se as transmissões automotivas, que são objetos fundamentais na dinâmica veicular, pois contribuem para o deslocamento do automóvel e, além disso, são ofertadas no mercado nas mais diversas variações. O objetivo deste trabalho foi elaborar uma análise técnica comparativa entre os principais modelos de transmissões presentes no mercado: automática e manual. Primeiramente, foi realizada uma comparação em relação à parte mecânica estudando os principais cálculos associados ao desempenho de modelos equipados com esses mecanismos e foi realizada uma análise econômica. Os resultados mostram um relacionamento de aspectos que englobam desempenho, manutenção e consumo entre esses componentes com bons resultados. The automobile market has been intensifying the creation and application of new vehicle technologies. In this sense, among the elements that have undergone notable evolution, automotive transmissions stand out, which are fundamental objects in vehicle dynamics, as they contribute to the displacement of the automobile and, in addition, are offered in the market in the most diverse variations. The objective of this work was to elaborate a comparative technical analysis between the main transmission models present in the market: automatic and manual. First, a comparison in relation to the mechanical part was carried out, studying the main calculations associated with the performance of models equipped with these mechanisms, and an economic analysis was carried out. The results show a relationship of aspects that encompass performance, maintenance and consumption between these components with good results.

Using Extrapolation Techniques of Big Data to Improve the Effectiveness of Sales Forecasting – Empirical Evidence on the Egyptian Passengers Automobile Market.

Sales forecasting is the tactical and strategic trigger for a significant number of crucial functional and management activities. Extrapolation techniques will be used as mathematical tools for demand forecasting, where extrapolation methods estimates or generate values beyond the range of the original set of data. A triangulated approach of experimental essences was applied to data analysis composed of ARIMA, exponential smoothing and grey model GM(1,1). This research is an endeavor to demonstrate the robustness of certain extrapolation models and procedures with a view to word improving the effectiveness of sales forecast in terms of relevance and accuracy. The forecasted sales for both brands is both reserved and yet relatively optimistic. Thus, manifesting the high risk/high return profile of the Egyptian passenger automobile market.

Research on Industry Situation Changes and Development Strategies of New Energy Automobile Companies

This article sorts out the development of China’s new energy vehicle industry from three levels of policy, market and technology, and judges the development trend. At the policy level, R&D and innovation support policies, promotion fee policies, and going out policies will become development trends. At the market level, the future automobile market will gradually pick up and maintain a steady development trend. At the technical level, the level of three-electric technology and intelligent network technology will be further improved. On this basis, the company’s development strategy is analyzed in order to provide a reference for the development of new energy automobile companies.