Goodyear is working on a new type of tire that will all but eliminate the idea of the spare tire, which is great news for auto transporters as flat tires and blow outs are a major problem for their large trucks. The new technology is called Air Maintenance Technology and actually puts a small pump inside the tire that will continually pump in air into the tire when needed to maintain optimal tire pressure. The new system will be able to keep people on the road for much longer and will prevent flat tires from almost all causes but a complete blowout or a really major leak. Prices have yet to be determined.

According to autonews.com, automakers, dealers and analysts are all cutting their projections for sales for later this year and some into next year. This comes at a time when the automotive industry was seeing major gains after the economic collapse in 2008 and the subsequent bailouts for Chrysler and General Motors, and, truthfully, comes as a complete shock to a lot of people, including this blogger. Automakers are noticing a relative lack in consumer confidence as of late, and in light of the recent stock market problems and talks of another recession, I can’t really say I blame them. They’re looking at losses of 20,000 units or more – 20,000 units going unsold is a huge problem for automakers, and dealers will be feeling the loss too – as will auto transport companies. Less vehicles being bought means less vehicles being shipped, which means harder times for everyone. As I’m fond of saying when I talk about automotive news, only time will tell.