Fancy That: Study Shows Sportscars Arouse Women

And to think all those times we saw women drooling over exotic sports cars we actually believed that their real interest was about the owner’s bank account - how foolish of us… Believe it or not, according to scientific study performed by Bermuda based luxury motor insurers Hiscox (it’s not ours, we swear), the sound of a luxury car engine is actually more appealing for women than men.

A total of 40 participants, 20 men and 20 women from professional backgrounds, aged between 22 and 61 years of age, took part in Hiscox’ (they couldn’t have picked a worse name) experiment. The participants were exposed to a 30 sec recording of the engine sounds of a VW Polo, a Maserati, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. After 20 minutes their response was measured by the amount of testosterone found in their saliva -now, don't get perverted boys. The result? -Continued

Hiscox –this is getting really stupid but we can’t help it- found that the Maserati had the biggest impact on women with 100% of the female participants showing a significant increase in testosterone secretion. Surprisingly, only 50% of male participants showed an increase in testosterone in reaction to the Maserati. The boys seemed to get a bit more turned on with the Lamborghini as 60% showed an increase in testosterone levels. Not surprisingly, 100% of the female participants showed a decrease in testosterone in reaction to the Polo’s engine sounds

David Moxon, the psychologist who conducted the study commented: “We saw significant peaks in the amount of testosterone in the body, particularly in women. Testosterone is indicative of positive arousal in the human body so we can confidently conclude from the results out today that the roar of a luxury car engine actually does cause a primeval physiological response.”

Thanks for the tip Alex! , Study Source: Hiscox

America’s 10 Most Leased Vehicles: It’s All about German Luxury Cars

The easiest way to get behind the wheel of an expensive luxury / sports car if you can’t afford to buy it cash or through a loan is to lease it. Basically, what you do in leasing is that instead of putting a loan for the entire cost of a vehicle, you borrow an amount for the cost of a car brand new minus what it will be worth (estimated value) at the end of the leasing period. This results to lower monthly payments even though you’ll have to pay an extra amount if you want to keep the car.

Even though most automaker’s in the U.S. are beginning to either cut back on leasing like BMW and General Motors or quit it altogether like Chrysler, this form of ownership remains quite popular in the luxury car segment. According to a study from .D. Power & Associates' Power Information Network (PIN) that was published on 'BusinessWeek', the 10 most commonly leased vehicles in the U.S. belong to the luxury segment. -Continued

From the 10 vehicles with the highest lease share, seven belong to German automakers with four of those being BMWs. The 7-Series tops the list with a lease share in 2008 of 85.3% (!) followed by Saab’s 9-7x with an equally mind-blowing, 82.2%.

BMW 7 Series

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 85.3%
Starting price: $77,625
Sales through July 2008: 8,190
Sales through July 2007: 8,634
Percent change: -5.1%

Saab 9-7X

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 82.2%
Starting price: $41,145
Sales through July 2008: 2,321
Sales through July 2007: 3,259
Percent change: -28.8%

Audi A6

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 74.1%
Starting price: $42,950
Sales through July 2008: 6,321
Sales through July 2007: 6,410
Percent change: -1.4%

BMW Z4

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 70.7%
Starting price: $37,525
Sales through July 2008: 4,116
Sales through July 2007: 5,420
Percent change: -24.1%

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 70%
Starting price: $52,775
Sales through July 2008: 25,101
Sales through July 2007: 25,473
Percent change: -1.5%

Land Rover Range Rover

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 69.6%
Starting price: $78,450
Sales through July 2008: 4,775
Sales through July 2007: 6,610
Percent change: -27.8%

BMW 6 Series

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 68.6%
Starting price: $77,425
Sales through July 2008: 4,218
Sales through July 2007: 5,190
Percent change: -18.7%

Audi A4/S4

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 68%
Starting price: $32,700
Sales through July 2008: 26,770
Sales through July 2007: 25,205
Percent change: +6.2%

BMW X3

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 67.3%
Starting price: $39,425
Sales through July 2008: 11,257
Sales through July 2007: 16,926
Percent change: -33.5%

Jaguar XJ Sedan

2008 lease share through Aug. 10: 65.8%
Starting price: $64,500
Sales through July 2008: 1,514
Sales through July 2007: 2,500
Percent change: -39.4%

Via: BusinessWeek , Data: J.D. Power & Associates' Power Information Network

Used Large Pick-Up & SUV Prices Tumble in the U.S.

As long as you don’t mind being best pals with your local gas station owners, now’s the time to buy a used large SUV or a pick-up truck. According to a report from Manheim Consulting, an Atlanta-based provider of used-vehicle data, wholesale auction prices for used large SUVs in July averaged $10,187, down a whopping 26% from year earlier and 1.7% from June. Likewise, wholesale auction prices for large pick-up trucks averaged $8,825, a 20% decline from last year and less than 1% from the previous month. Prices for all used vehicles in the U.S. in July averaged to $9,297, a 4.3% drop from a year earlier but about 1% up from June.

Via: Bloomberg

Parking Prices Study: London and Sydney Top the List

If you happen to own a car and for any reason decide to rent a parking space in the centre of London or Sydney, rising gas prices will be the least of your worries. According to a recent study performed by Colliers International, a property consultancy, London is the most expensive place in the world to park your car - the City topped the list at $1,167 (₤600 or €733) a month with the West End in second place at $1,136 (₤584 or €714). In third spot is Sydney, Australia at $775 (A$825 or €486).

Surprisingly, three more Australian cities made the top ten list with Brisbane at number five and Perth at number eight –Melbourne is eleventh. The most high-priced area to park in Asia is Hong Kong which takes fourth place at $742 (€467) a month while midtown New York City is ranked fifth most expensive at $585 (€367).

In terms of daily parking costs, London’s City submarket tops the list at $68 (₤35 or €43) followed by Amsterdam, London’s West End submarket, Moscow and The Hague. The cheapest city to park in the world is Delhi at a mere $1.75 (€1.1) for the whole day! See the complete Top 25 list along with analytical data on parking prices around the world after the jump. -Continued

Source: Colliers International

America’s Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles: Japanese Carmakers Top the List…

Even thieves seem to prefer Japanese vehicles over their American counterparts. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) theft report study that examines data reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the most reported stolen vehicle in 2007 in the States was the 1995 Honda Civic. The top-10 list comprises of 7 vehicles from Japanese carmakers and just three from the former “Big 3”–’97 Ford F-150, ’94 Chevy C/K 1500 and ’04 Dodge Ram.

On a side note, the FBI preliminary Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data reveals that motor vehicle theft in the U.S. is headed for an 8.9% decrease in 2007, with final data set to be released later this year. Follow the jump to see the complete list. -Continued

Most Stolen Vehicles in the U.S. in 2007

1. 1995 Honda Civic
2. 1991 Honda Accord
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pick Up
5. 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pick Up
6. 1994 Acura Integra
7. 2004 Dodge Ram Pick Up
8. 1994 Nissan Sentra
9. 1988 Toyota Pickup
10. 2007 Toyota Corolla

Source: NICB