Category Five: November 2009

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Customization is key in up and coming vehicles. Ambient lighting, such as the new Ford Flex's, creates an intimate and personable feeling for the driver.

The Bio Foam product is made of twenty-five percent bio-based materials (such as soy beans) creating an eco-friendly foam seat.

The lane Change Warning system would identify the traffic in the adjacent lane, allowing the driver to successfully merge into the next lane.

The Real Time Navigation system would function like the GPS or navigation system in today's cars but by integrating real-time data the driver can see whether there is upcoming traffic or road construction.
Using new innovations such as Light Altitudes seats would allow for less fuel consumption by taking away from the vehicle's mass.
Electric Window Tinting such as Maybach mooroof can change from transparent to opaque with the touch of a button allowing the driver to choose their preferred interior lighting

Sources:
http://www.plastemart.com/upload/Literature/Bio-fabric-based-PLA-automotive-interiors.asp?LiteratureID=1119
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&subject=innovations&story=futureInns
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&subject=innovations&story=futureInns
http://www.mobile-tex.com/trends.html

Exteriors Forecast 2012

To appeal to environmentally conscious customers, auto glass and paint that reflects solar heat should be made available as this causes car interiors to heat up less. This will not only reduce car emissions but cause cars to run more efficiently. A car running with the air conditioning off will be 20% more efficient then a car with the air conditioning on.

Self-repairing paint that will automatically fill in light scratches on the exterior of the vehicle is a feature that can save time and prevent stress.

Another highly desired car exterior feature includes high-intensity-discharge headlights, also known as HID headlights. HID headlights burn brighter and provide better visibility than a halogen bulb.

Sources:
"More ways to cut car emissions: reflective glass and paint", TerraPass.com - April 14, 2009

"The Most Desirable New Car Features", MSNBC

The End of the Recession is Here!

According to the Arizona Star and the New York Times, during 2009’s 3rd quarter GDP has risen 3.5% which signals an end to the recession. From this point on we anticipate a rise in the economy and though this recovery is expected to be slow, a recovery CAN be looked forward to. The end of the recession in 1982 was met with pessimism that the economy would never be the same and instead the American economy grew by 6% annually (first three paragraphs of this article from the New York Times, dated November 3, 2009) and though we can't expect such a phenomenal growth rate, we should be able to soon see a rise in the economy, slowly but surely.

Will Consumers Be Spending Come 2012?

We feel confident that consumers will be financially optimistic come 2012 because as of the third quarter of 2009 the recession appears to be over and the Consumer Confidence Index is already turning up. Plus, to put it bluntly, Americans are greedy. We want, want, want and so as soon as we have the stability to give into our desires, we will buy, buy, buy. As John Cloud, author of "Recession Psychology: We Will Spend Again" from the Times - April 2009 states "...Americans with money are the kids in the global candy store; they want everything and they buy everything...and..after periods of self-denial and self-control, we want to give in to our base desires." More or less as soon as we can afford it, and with the end of the recession that appears to be sooner rather than later, Americans will begin to spend once more.

Sources:
"Recession Psychology: We Will Spend Again", Time Magazine - April 15, 2009
Consumer Confidence Index - Market Harmonics

Why Make A Forecast for Vehicles? Why Alfa Romeo?

In the past couple of years with the recession, Americans have been more frugal with their transportation expenditures both in buying and driving cars because of the continual increase in automotive prices as well as an increase in the price of petrol. Now that the recession is over, we expect that people will finally want to splurge and give into their wants, the things they have been denying themselves. This includes vehicles and not just any but particularly small vehicles such as Alfa Romeos. In fact, it is predicted that by 2013 the sales of smaller vehicles will rise to 36% of all automotive sales compared to only 21% in 2002.

So, why Alfa Romeo?
Italian auto company, Fiat, has recently obtained 20% of the failing Chrysler company. In attempts to save Chrysler from failure Fiat is bringing several of their European cars to the United States, including Alfa Romeo. In order for Alfa Romeo cars to be successful and save Chrysler in the U.S., their European styling and features need to be changed and adapted to meet the needs and wants of the American consumer.

Sources:
"Fiat Deal with Chrysler Seals Swift 42-Day Overhaul", The New York Times - June 10, 2009

"Small Vehicles Will Be Largest part of U.S. Market by 2013, Ford Says", GreenCarReports.com - November 18, 2009

"Consumer Wants and Needs: Understanding How Consumers Wants and Needs are Impacted by Current Economic Conditions" International Automotive Components - May 2009

Colors

Popular colors for luxury cars don’t vary or change as often as lower priced cars. Alfa Romeo will be marketed as a luxury car at an affordable price and should be offered in colors similar to those of luxury cars. Luxury cars exude class and sophistication and therefore are offered in colors of class and sophistication. These colors include silver, black, white, and red. Since Alfa Romeo’s are offered at a lower price point that young adults can afford hipper, trendier colors should be offered to appeal to this group. Deep plum purple is extremely popular amongst young women, blues appeal more to young men and dark rich brown is predicted to be the next popular color amongst luxury cars.

Sources
"Who's Hue?", Poughkeepsiejournal.com - February 11, 2009
"Color's Bright Future", Edmunds.com

Demographics

We are forecasting the Alfa Romeo brand sports cars for young professionals, ages 25-29. We expect that at this age, men and women have recently joined the work force, quit being dependent on parents, etc. and will be looking to buy a new vehicle to prove their success and independence in the world. The population of people in their 20s grew by 10.8% between 1995 and 2007 and is expected to reach 43.9 million by 2015 making this a wider target market by the year. This is also an age where the higher percentage does not have children and thus is more likely to spend their money on more “wants” such as vehicles. In fact, consumer expenditure for such things as vehicles and transportation is on the rise.

Consumer Expenditure by Product Type
Transportation: 2000 2005 2007 2010 2015 (in Billions) 989.0 1,069.1 1,114.1 1,131.8 1,286.9

Consumer Expenditure on Transport
Purchase of cars, 1995 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007
Motorcycles & Other 311.5 406.4 436.9 420.1 408.5 414.1

Source: "Consumer Lifestyles in the United States: Consumer Expenditure - Spending on Consumer Goods and Services"
and
"Consumer Lifestyles in the United States: Transport - Spending on Transport"
both found at Passport GMID, Euromonitor International

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Athletic Wear Fibers and Fabrics of the 90s

Lyocell/Tencel

Lyocell is a fabric developed in the late 1980s and is made from natural cellulose in wood pulp. It is generally known by the brand name Tencel and was first introduced and became popular in the early 90s. It is soft, breathable, lightweight, quick-drying, shrink-resistant and durable which made it perfect for any and all kinds of sportswear.

Polar fleece

Polar fleece exploded in the 90s. Anything and everything was made from fleece and just about everyone owned something fleece. It was seen on everything from jackets to vests to jogging pants to socks to warm accessories such as ear/headbands. It’s a synthetic fiber, is known for its warmth and can be finished to be water and wind proof which made it perfect for outerwear.

Sympatex

Sympatex is a type of fabric that is either laminated to the underside of or sandwiched between layers of fabrics and is waterproof, windproof and breathable. It’s a completely synthetic fabric and is simply used as a membrane to pieces of outerwear as it isn’t a fully functioning fabric on its own.

Teflon

Previously only known as the non-stick protective finish on pots and pans, in 1991 DuPont found that when used as a finish on outerwear, Teflon made clothing incredibly stain-resistant and water-repelling.

A DuPont Teflon-finished woman's coat

Microfibers

Microfibers gained popularity in the 1990s as the trends turned from cling and fit to drape and flow. Microfibers are man-made and ultra-fine (two times finer than silk and SIX times finer than wool) which means a higher thread count in all microfiber fabrics. They provided protection from wind and rain which made fabrics made with microfibers quality fabrics for active wear.

An Adidas sports bra made with microfiber fabric

Swimwear

In 1992 Speedo developed their S2000 range of swimwear. The fabric developed by Pentland industries was made from polyester microfibers and Lycra elastometric fibers and was then given a special finish. The S2000 swimwear had 15% less drag than traditional swimwear fabrics. Speedo then launched Aquablade suits in 1996 which had an 8% lower surface resistance than the S2000. In 1994 Speedo launched their Endurance line of suits which was made of the world's first chlorine resistant fabric.

A group of Australian swimmers in Speedo swimwear

Gore Tex

Gore Tex fabric was introduced in 1989 and immediately began to be used in clothing. Gore Tex clothing is made by laminating Gore Tex membranes to textiles and then sealing the two together. Gore Tex textiles are popular amongst athletes and outdoorsmen because Gore Tex clothing are windproof, waterproof, and yet still breathable. Gore Tex clothing products are also known for their long lasting durability.