Norway's Think Global will begin selling its inexpensive, eco-friendly vehicles in the U.S. next year.

Norwegian automaker Think Global said Monday it planned to sell low-priced electric cars to the masses and will introduce its first models in the U.S. by the end of next year.

The battery-powered Think City will be able to travel up to 110 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of about 65 mph, the company said. It will be priced below $25,000.

Oslo-based Think said venture capital firms RockPort Capital Partners and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers had made investments to fund its entry into the U.S. under the auspices of Think North America.

"This is not a toy," said Wilber James, RockPort managing partner. "This is a serious car that we expect to sell."

Think North America is likely to be based in Southern California, the investors said, and the cars it sells here will be assembled locally. The venture investors will own half of Think North America. In March, General Electric Co. invested $4 million in Think Global.

Although technology for electric cars has been advancing -- and consumer interest has been rising amid growing concern over gasoline prices and greenhouse gases -- few vehicles have come to market. Last month, San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors began production of its Roadster, an electric vehicle that costs $100,000.

The Think City "is a mass-market vehicle," said Kleiner managing partner Ray Lane, dismissing comparisons to the Roadster. Tesla's car is being produced in relatively small numbers, with roughly 300 expected by the end of this year. "Our desire is to be selling 30-40-50,000 of these cars in a couple of years."

Think Chief Executive Jan-Olaf Willums said the company would bring test vehicles to the U.S. in the coming months.

The Think City runs on sodium batteries, but future versions could use lithium ion batteries, Willums said. The company is working with A123 Systems and EnerDel Inc., to develop the batteries, which would boost range and speed.

With most automakers focusing on hybrid technology, only a handful, including Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motor Co., have announced plans to produce all-electric cars. Mitsubishi's MiEV is set to go on sale in Japan next year.

Ford Motor Co. was the longtime owner of Think but sold it in 2003. It was purchased by Norweigan investors two years ago, and began selling cars in Norway this year, with sales in Sweden, Denmark and Britain expected this year. The company said its annual production capacity in Europe is 10,000 vehicles.

The Think City, a two-seater that can be fitted with two additional seats for children, has a mostly plastic exterior and is 95% recyclable. Willums said a convertible was in development. "Women want to buy it immediately," he said.  ¶ 6:14 AM (0) comments

Today's women bring home the bacon and plan the family car purchases.

The automotive industry increasingly is catering to women with advertising, car designs and sales methods, according to a recent CNN story, which also said women bring in half or more of the income in U.S. households and control about 80 percent of household spending -- including car purchases.

When buying a car, women tend to spend more time in the purchasing process than men, seek more advice from an automotive authority than men and are willing to go to about three dealerships to find the right price and service.

Sales manager Josh Young of Lindquist Ford, Inc., Bettendorf, said a recent sale to a single woman definitely fit that profile. "She talked to her brother, her father, researched online and got a lot of good information on it."

Mr. Young said some women are driven to research their purchase because they're detail-oriented or skeptical.

"I think a lot of women who come in to a sales automotive store or dealership may be worried that they're going to be taken advantage of," he said. "They've heard horror stories."

No matter the gender, Mr. Young said sales staff try to determine the personality of a buyer and cater to their needs.

Jeff Helms, co-owner of Strieter Motor Co., Davenport, said women car buyers are no different than men car buyers. Both genders are just there to buy a car.

"A woman with children who's going to be hauling her family, vehicle safety is going to be real prevalent on her mind," Mr. Helms said. "I'm not sure from the same couple, that the dad wouldn't have that concern, also."

Likewise, he said young and single clients without kids probably are going to be interested in something sporty and practical.

"Whether male or female, there's a chance they'll be paying $4 a gallon this summer," he said. "I think priorities toward what is important in a car have more to do with individual situations than a gender."

Mr. Helms said women long have been a direct influence in the majority of car purchases.

However, women haven't expressed much interest in selling cars, he said. "Because of the long hours in this business in terms of nights and weekends, it's not a business a working mother can gravitate toward."

While they may not be interested in selling cars, women are in management, service and body-shop positions, typically Monday through Friday jobs, Mr. Helms said, adding that they also play a key role in vehicle manufacturing and design.  ¶ 4:22 PM (0) comments

Suzanne Yoculan was preparing her No. 1-ranked University of Georgia women's gymnastics team for a weekend meet at Michigan when she received a phone call about a prospective recruit.

"Carl Edwards?" Yoculan asked. "What team does he play for?"

Roush Fenway Racing, the caller replied.

"Thought he was a football player," Yoculan responded.

No, Sprint Cup series, the caller said.

"I'm a Dale Jarrett-type person," Yoculan said with a laugh.

The conversation quickly turned to the signature backflip Edwards performs after a win, something we've seen often lately with victories in the past two events at California and Las Vegas that took him to first in the points before NASCAR hammered his team with a 100-point penalty on Wednesday.

Yoculan hadn't seen the backflip that Edwards does from the window of his No. 99 car, but she was sure it would be amateurish and predicted he threw his head back to gain momentum.

She changed her mind after a quick glance on YouTube.

"Actually, it was a pretty good flip," Yoculan admitted. "He lifts his arms up like he's supposed to do and checks off like he's supposed to do. And he does not throw his head back like a lot of amateurs do.

"He actually lifts and sets it pretty well. Then he circles his arms and grabs his shins, which is pretty correct technically. Everything is correct except for his legs are apart, which is called a cowboy position. But in terms of positioning of the way he does the flip, he's pretty good."

So the score from the judge from Georgia?

"I'd say a 9.35 if we were still grading on a 10-point scale," Yoculan said.

Kevin Mazeika, coach of the U.S. men's team that will compete in the Summer Olympics in Beijing, was equally impressed.

"I'd have to give him a pretty high degree of difficulty," he said. "After driving 500 miles, and to jump out of a car and do a backflip, it's really amazing in a lot of respects."

So the score from the U.S. Olympic team judge?

"I'd give him a 9.5," Mazeika said. "I'd say it's technically pretty sound."

D-D Breaux, a five-time SEC Coach of the Year for the LSU women's gymnastics program, was even more impressed that Edwards flips in a driver's uniform that is much heavier than the tights typically worn by gymnasts.

"It's amazing he gets that much amplitude for a guy in a fire-retardant suit," she said.

"Amplitude" is another word for lift in gymnastics, which is quite different from "downforce" in NASCAR.

So the score from the judge from LSU?

"He'd probably get a 9.6," Breaux said. "He's not sticking it and he's got some leg separation and his execution is not perfect, but I'd give him a 10 for his driving."

Edwards, pit crew mistakes aside, has been nearly perfect the past two weekends. He's led 150 out of 517 laps and clearly has been the class of the field in both races.

Were it not for the 100-point penalty NASCAR gave him after the lid to his oil tank was found missing following the win at Las Vegas, he would have a 21-point advantage over Kyle Busch instead of being in seventh place.

Now he comes to Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he swept both Cup races during his rookie season of 2005, where he finished second in the October race a year ago, where he has five top-7s in six Cup events.

Although the 28-year-old Edwards performed the flip at small tracks around his home in Columbia, Mo., and in the Truck Series, they didn't gain national notoriety until that spring weekend in 2005 at this 1.54-mile facility, when he also won the Nationwide Series.

"It's awesome to see," Mazeika said of the flip. "It's definitely got a place in the heart of the gymnastics folks."

In the beginning
Nancy Sterling looked out the back window of her house just in time to see her son, 7 or 8 at the time, come down hard on the frame of the trampoline.

"I swear I thought he'd broken both legs," she said with a laugh.

That was the first time Sterling recalled seeing Edwards do a backflip. She didn't think much of it at the time, and thought of it even less as he became a drummer in the school marching band and a guitarist in the jazz band.

"He never did gymnastics or anything like that," Sterling said.

Edwards didn't start to perfect the backflip until he was out of high school and working at a local shop that raced Trans-Ams. It was there he began working out with a crew member that practiced his gymnastic skills during lunch breaks.

After seeing Tyler Walker, then a Sprint Car star from California, perform the backflip after wins, Edwards decided to implement that into his routine at his home track, Capital Speedway.

"People loved it," Sterling said. "They went crazy."

Edwards didn't showcase the flip in NASCAR until the 11th race of the 2003 Truck Series season following a win at Kentucky Speedway. Sterling recalled how her husband gave a local photographer a heads-up that the flip might happen so he could be in position.

"The guy looked at him and said, 'Are you crazy?'" Sterling recalled. "But the guy ran out there and he was real happy that he did."

Edwards performed the flip two more times during a five-week stretch, and again after being named rookie of the year at the season-ending banquet, the last time Sterling recalls seeing him practice it.

"The only reason he practiced for the ceremony was because he had on a tuxedo and shoes that were pretty slippery," she said.

But the flip didn't truly gain notoriety until the weekend of March 18-19 in 2005. Edwards first wowed the Atlanta crowd when he leaped off the door of his Nationwide car after his first win in the series.

Twenty-four hours later, he did it again after edging Jimmie Johnson with a gutsy last-lap move on near-bald tires for his first Cup win. That started a funny exchange between Johnson and Tony Stewart in the postrace interview over whether Edwards was a driver or a ballet dancer.

"He's a race car driver, not a ballerina," Stewart said.

Replied Johnson, "He did a backflip on the frontstretch, though."

Said Stewart, "Yeah, but he didn't land on his toes doing it. … I'm not going to do a backflip. I don't care how many races I win."

Edwards did the backflip after four Cup wins in 2005. He finished tied with teammate Greg Biffle for second in the points standings, 35 behind Stewart.

The flip took a 52-race hiatus, at least in Cup, from the 34th race of 2005 through the 24th race of 2007. Edwards has been flipping out since then, winning three Cup events and four Nationwide events last season, the latter good enough to give him the series title.

He's won two of the first three Cup races this season to temporarily make fans forget the Hendrick Motorsports dominance of a year ago and the new Toyota power.

"There isn't anyone else that can do it as exciting and fun as him," said Walker, who last weekend returned to the Sprint Car series after nearly a year suspension by NASCAR for failing its drug-testing policy. "I don't believe there's anybody else in the sport that could do one.

"It's brought a lot of publicity for him and all of his sponsors. It's great for the fans. That's what it's all about, anyway, doing it for the fans so they get their money's worth."

Marketing tool?
Geoff Smith began seeing dollar signs after the 2005 Atlanta weekend. The president of Roush Fenway Racing could only imagine ways he could market the backflip with slogans such as "Win one for the Flipper."

Those thoughts occasionally still creep into his mind. For instance, he could sell Edwards to a laundry detergent sponsor with the slogan, "Carl flipped out over your soap suds."

"That might make a little money," Smith said. "It might make a lot."

But Edwards doesn't want to cheapen the act by making it part of a marketing campaign.

"He feels like it will dilute the moment for the race fans," Smith said. "So for the time being, the time to see Carl do a backflip is after he wins a race."

If Yoculan had her way, Edwards would add a full twist to his backflip. She insisted she could teach him in less than half a day.

"He could be the first athlete other than a gymnast to do a full backflip with a full twist," she said.

With the right training, Mazeika said Edwards possibly could have been Olympic material. He would be willing to try in exchange for equal seat time in Edwards' car.

"Not in time for Beijing," Mazeika said. "Maybe London [in 2012]."

Breaux laughed at the suggestion.

"Not at his age," she said. "I wouldn't want to take that on. Carl Edwards Jr., maybe."

But if Edwards were to give up driving for gymnastics, Breaux would start him off on the floor exercise.

Why? No particular reason.

"I'd just like to see him in tights," she said.

Tights aside, Breaux is glad Edwards has moved his backflips from the concrete to the grass infield to protect his knees. So are track presidents who don't want a liability suit for a cracked kneecap or torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Roush officials, concerned with the long-range health of their star, are happy as well.

"If he stays like he is, he probably could do it off doors for another 20 years," Breaux said. "As long as he doesn't fatten up and get a big belly, he'll be fine."  ¶ 4:09 PM (0) comments

A voluntary cash incentive created last April to get the owners of the highest-polluting Southern California cars to repair or scrap their vehicles has yet to catch on with the public.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which uses vans equipped with smog-sensing gear to randomly detect tailpipe emissions, has collected data on 1 million cars, pickups and SUVs in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange counties.

It has mailed letters to the owners of the 7,000 worst polluters in that group -- vehicles that spew as much as 500 times the emissions of an average vehicle -- offering $500 to help pay for repairs. If a vehicle cannot be fixed, the smog district offers $1,000 to scrap the vehicle, or as much as $2,000 for low-income residents.

The district has collected emissions data on 1 million vehicles in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange counties. Owners of the worst polluters have been sent letters offering money to help pay for repairs or, in some cases, scrap their cars

Given that the average owner pays about $350 on repairs when a car fails a smog test, district spokesman Sam Atwood said, district officials thought the High Emitter Repair Or Scrap program was a good deal.

So far, only 100 to 200 vehicle owners have taken the deal.

At Mt. San Jacinto College, the only authorized repair station in Riverside County under the program, just two takers have brought in their cars, college spokeswoman Karin Marriott said by phone. Officials there hope to get more as the emissions-testing vans return to the county in the coming months.

"So far we have had a modest number of takers," Atwood said. "That's what we are looking at right now. How do we improve the program to make it more attractive to people?"

Considering Reasons

The $4 million pilot program, launched with a grant from the California Air Resources Board, will be evaluated when data is compiled at the end of next summer. The air quality district's 13-member governing board then will decide whether to renew and possibly modify the program.

"We have ransacked every kind of option and alternative we can identify" to combat air pollution, said Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, who serves on the board. "I guess this is another one where we're trying to encourage the owners of older vehicles to get them fixed up if they can."

He said the district may have to follow up with those who received the letters to find out why they didn't accept the offer.

"Maybe it's the letter, maybe what is being offered is too low, maybe people don't open it up, maybe they feel intimidated," he said by phone.

Regardless, he said, the district will have to weigh the volume of reduced emissions achieved by the program against its cost.

"What we're finding is that the smog check referees are not looking at what is the quick fix that would be required to simply get the vehicle to pass the smog check," he said. "They are looking at the root cause of the vehicle problems."

While some gross-polluting vehicles can be repaired for much less than $500, "there could be problems that take a whole engine or exhaust system and catalytic converter," says Steve Maser, manager of the Automobile Club's Automotive Research Center in Diamond Bar. "Those things can cost thousands of dollars."

'A Lot of Trepidation'

To get their $500 credit, motorists must take their vehicles to referees at inspection stations operated by the Foundation for Community Colleges, Atwood said. There are only two stations in the Inland area: at the college in San Jacinto and at Valley College in San Bernardino.

He said vehicle owners may be unwilling to drive some distance and then wait one or two hours for testing and diagnosis of repairs.

Atwood emphasized that the program is voluntary and insists that the district has no intention of sharing its smog readings with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

But Maser said those assurances may not be enough for car owners.

"I'm not sure how many people even trust that this is honest," he said. "I am not sure if people who have now tampered with their old cars want the government to see that. Or that they have cheated on their last smog check so they could pass. Now these remote sensors have caught them and they figure there's some trick to get them to bring their car in and they can charge them with cheating on that smog check."

"There is a lot of trepidation out there," Maser said.  ¶ 10:33 AM (0) comments

Before implementing MegaMeeting.com's browser based video and web conferencing software, Automatic Auto Finance (AAF) would have to ask all of their employees to shut down two hours early or open two hours late so they could travel 90+ miles to meet. According to Cody Miller, Multimedia Administrator, “We use MegaMeeting mainly for our multi-store meetings. We used to have meetings once a month because of the distance. Now, because of MegaMeeting, distance is no longer an issue and we are able to meet on a weekly basis. By meeting more often, it helps us keep our people on track and boost morale”.

In addition to conducting company and sales meetings, AAF currently uses MegaMeeting to perform product sales demonstrations to prospective clients, as well as for quality assurance and diagnosing issues with products.

Some of the benefits AAF receives from MegaMeeting's web and video conferencing services, include saving money (by lowering their gas expenses), saving time (by reducing travel) and increasing productivity (by allowing employees to spend less time on the road and more time in the office).

The specific features of MegaMeeting that AAF implements most often are the video conferencing capabilities that allow meeting attendees to see each other and the built-in audio (VoIP).

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MegaMeeting.com is a leading provider of 100% browser-based Video & Web Conferencing solutions, complete with real time audio and video capabilities. Being browser based and working on all major operating systems – Windows, Mac & Linux; MegaMeeting.com provides universal access without the need to download, install or configure software.

MegaMeeting.com web conferencing products and services include powerful collaboration tools that accommodate robust Video & Web Conferences, including advanced features such as desktop/application sharing, i.e. Word and Excel documents and PowerPoint presentations without the need to upload any files. MegaMeeting is ideal for multi-location web based meetings, virtual classrooms, employee trainings, product demonstrations, company orientation, customer support, product launches and much more.

For more information please visit MegaMeeting.com or call (952) 955-6346.  ¶ 12:38 PM (1) comments

Larry Tyler, executive vice president of Total Advertising Marketing Solutions of Las Vegas, is a veteran at helping companies generate more traffic at their booths, sell more products and close more deals. For the past two years he has been one of the charter premier West Coast distributors of GUGO travel certificates, which allow companies to add value to their products in an enjoyable and positive way.

His company (www.tamslv.com) specializes in gaining a competitive edge by giving access to sought-after premiums for both off and online applications. A veteran of 15 years in the automotive industry, Tyler previously served as marketing director for several AutoNation stores in Las Vegas and has sold similar products in the past.

Tradeshow Lifestyles recently asked about the latest products in his industry.

Lifestyles: What's hot in incentive programs right now?

Larry Tyler: Get Up & Go Travel incentives (www.getupandgo.com). You have to give your prospects another reason to buy. It’s a better way to prompt prospects to take action, whether it’s to visit your showroom, open an account or buy a premium item. In addition to the high quality products and services you provide, it gives a compelling reason to act today.

Lifestyles: Why are incentive programs such an effective marketing tool?

LT: Which do you think is going to be more effective as a sales incentive, a coffee mug or a vacation? For the same price as a T-shirt or a restaurant voucher, you could be giving away a great vacation. Incentives with the highest perceived value are proven to yield the best results.

Lifestyles: What is the competitive advantage of your company?

LT: You’ll supercharge your marketing campaigns. You’re probably already using ads, mailings, a Web site and maybe even cold calling to generate leads and sales. Imagine if you could supercharge the effectiveness of each of these marketing efforts to increase sales. If you owned a NASCAR racecar and wanted it to have a chance of winning, you’d use the proper fuel, 110-octane leaded gasoline. The same is true with your marketing. You need the right fuel to make it perform.

Lifestyles: Most Get Up & Go programs require activation through the Internet. How does the system work?

LT: Customers have the option of activating their certificate by mail, online fax or phone. Once the certificate is activated, within five business days they’ll receive a confirmation letter from Wyndham Worldwide, the parent company, informing them that they have one year to travel. Wyndham Worldwide is one of the largest owners of resort lodging, including some of the most prestigious properties in the world. It offers individual consumers and business customers a broad array of hospitality products and services, as well as various accommodation alternatives and prices from a portfolio of world-renowned brands.

Lifestyles: What type of companies would benefit most from your service?

LT: All kinds of businesses are currently using our incentives, from Fortune 500 to “mom-and-pop” businesses. It just really depends on what you would like to accomplish. In the tradeshow arena, exhibitors use Get Up & Go to attract potential customers to their booth.

Lifestyles: What should an incentive buyer keep in mind when making a decision about which service to purchase?

LT: Are they easy to use? Stay away from programs that are hard to use. We use an “encourage redemption” model, while a lot of our competitors use a “breakage” model, where they make it hard for a consumer to travel. And being a Fortune 500 company does not hurt (N.Y S.E: WYN).

Lifestyles: As your company continues to grow, what programs will you be offering?

LT: We just launched Shop Till You Drop, which is a shopping rebate program that allows customers to receive rebates from brands such as Bass, Bed Bath & Beyond, Charlotte Russe and many more.  ¶ 5:21 AM (0) comments