Officials from the city of Chattanooga are reportedly working with a deal with Audi to sell the company thousands of acres of land necessary to build new plants and expand in the future. Because Audi can promise the city a huge number of jobs, lawmakers would virtually be able to guarantee their citizens employment opportunities for years. Audi stands to increase its profit margins by moving many of its production facilities to the US. In the year 2009 alone, Audi was able to improve its revenues by nearly 25%.

The maker of luxury cars has always been able to make more money importing its vehicles to the US, however, with the cost of materials, manpower and building a production facility, it remains to be seen if Audi can keep up with its own pace. The deal between Audi and the city of Chattanooga is expected to be finalized by sometime in the year 2012.

The changes that car makers have made to the standard hatchback makes them nearly unrecognizable from the newer lines that have been unveiled. Hatchbacks are relatively inexpensive when compared to SUVs and minivans, but they also come with added room. In fact, hatchbacks that are fuel efficient have become some of the fastest selling vehicles on the market as of now.

Because of the state of the economy, car makers believe that they will continue to sell more hatchbacks than other larger vehicles for years to come. Nearly 70% of all of Ford’s auto sales can be attributed to hatchback sales, with Kia and Nissan following closely behind. Several auto makers have introduced hatchback hybrids and electric variations in order to give their customers the most savings.

So what set hatchbacks apart from other vehicles? For one, they are smaller and closer to the ground than pickup trucks, minivans and SUVs. This means that they are more aerodynamic and get better gas mileage. Unlike compact cars, hatchbacks don’t have standard sized trunks. Delicate objects and over sized items can be placed in the back of hatchbacks without need to strap them down or pad them with stuffing.

The good news is that Ford has upped production of its most popular vehicles. However, now that consumers are gaining confidence, history could repeat itself. There were a few other cars that were also in high demand and not available in stock, but Ford has been trouble moving some of its less popular models. Perhaps if Ford is willing to reconsider its stance on the Electric Focus and up production of the Explorer, the company would become more profitable than it imagined.

When it comes to SUVs, mid-sized, mid-priced models always rule. The Lincoln Navigator was also a car that was in high demand, but the car is also test driven three times on average before a single sale is made. By comparison, the Ford Explorer is sold once for every two test drivers that take it out on the road. Densely populated areas such as Connecticut were amongst the first to report that the 2011 Ford Explorer was not in stock anywhere in the state.

The econoboost has been seen in the Ford Start concept car, but it is still going to take Ford some time to get these vehicles out into production. Consumers are starving for more fuel efficient low priced cars, so the econoboost may be debuting at the right place and at exactly the right time. Even though there are a number of electric and hybrid cars on the market, for some strange reason US consumers are largely opposed to buying environmentally friendly green cars. Studies have been conducted to measure the way that the market responds to new cars, and most Americans just don’t seem to understand the electric and hybrid vehicles are better for the environment, even if they are a strain on their wallets.

There have been smaller engines manufactured by other auto companies. Italian car maker Fiat produced a fuel efficient two cylinder engine, but it was never introduced to the US market. Ford has spent nearly $150 million on the development of the econoboost, and if consumers respond positively the company will make back its investment and then some.

Although it is understandable that a transportation company would want to come up with a way to cut operational costs, that is no reason to virtually hold freight hostage. Car dealers and their customers have absolutely no idea when they will be able to receive their vehicles, which is only hurting the automotive industry even more. When Allied Systems finally releases the vehicles in question it is very likely that General Motors will begin to look for a new company to do business with in the future.