An investment was made by American Capital Strategies Ltd. to the One Stop Buyout(TM) of Dynojet Research Inc. which takes in the form of a senior subordinated debt and favored convertible, common equity as well as senior term loan. In addition, American Capital also provides a revolving credit facility. Dynojet is a developer of Aftermarket Performance Parts, products and diagnostic tools for automotive and motorcycle industries. Previous to the investment of American Capital, it was a portfolio company of Graham Partners.

As said by Darin Winn, the Regional Managing Director of American Capital, “For the past 35 years, Dynojet has been a pioneer in product development in the motorcycle and automotive industries and we are excited to add this innovative company to our portfolio. Our one-stop financing capabilities and intensive and focused internal due diligence resources allowed us to quickly complete this investment.”

The investment of American Capital will reach to an estimated $11 billion in the last 12 months, by way of its funds under its administration and direct investment. The year-to-date investment is approximately $9.9 billion with an approximate $11 billion for quarter to date. The company has invested about $8.1 billion in the last 12 months excluding the funds under management which reached to approximately $7.3 billion year to date and around $1.3 billion quarter to date.

“Dynojet is the clear leader in its industry, commanding number one market share in practically every category in which it competes. The team at Dynojet has built the most recognized brand name in the market for fuel management products and dynamometers, which are devices that measure engine performance. Furthermore, under the leadership of President and CEO Robert Vlcek, the Company has expanded its target markets, augmented its product portfolio and achieved robust financial performance,” said Frank Do, American Capital’s Managing Director.

According to Brian Martin, the Vice President of American Capital, “Dynojet competes in an attractive industry with strong growth trends in the motorcycle parts and accessories market driven by favorable demographics, an increasing installed base of motorcycles and the conversion from carburetion to electronic fuel-injection fuel management. Dynojet’s strong market position and ability to quickly develop new products bode well for the Company and will enable it to meet anticipated market demands.”

Robert Vlcek, Dynojet’s President and CEO, also commented on the matter, saying “We are pleased with American Capital’s investment in Dynojet. American Capital’s ability to fund the entire transaction and the dedicated team in the Los Angeles office makes working with American Capital quick and effective. I look forward to Dynojet’s continued innovation and excellence with help from American Capital.”

News via money.cnn.com.

A three-year supply contract was made between Wonder Auto Technology, Inc., China’s leading producer of automotive electrical and suspensions parts, and a foreign auto company. The contract specifies that Wonder Auto is projected to provide the Shanghai-registered global automotive parts procurement center about 800,000 automotive alternators. All of the supplied alternators will then be exported out of the country to a large-scale international automotive manufacturer. The three-year contract value is estimated to reach approximately $32 million with an approximate value of $11 million for each year.

According to Mr. Qingjie Zhao, the Chairman and CEO of Wonder Auto, “This contract marks one of the most exciting milestones yet in the current stage of Wonder Auto’s continuing growth. Our selection to supply this major global auto parts center is another indicator of our growing reputation for delivering high-quality, cost-effective products in large quantities. This new contract complements our recent agreement to supply the European aftermarket and the opening of our Detroit office as we position Wonder Auto as an emerging force in the global auto parts marketplace.”

Mr. Zhao concluded the statement saying, “With this large new customer and the other new and existing customers, we are optimistic that our anticipated sales in 2008 could exceed $140 million, with over $20 million in net income.”

Wonder Auto Technology, Inc. is based in the city of Jinzhou in Liaoning Province of China. The company has made its expertise and dedication in manufacturing, designing and development of automotive electrical and suspension parts. It also supplies industries for Aftermarket Performance Parts and other products. Wonder Auto ranked as the second biggest producer of alternator and starter in 2006 in the Chinese market.

To know more details about this news, visit money.cnn.com.

One of the essential auto components that add to the safety features of a vehicle is the headlight. This makes driving possible especially at times with very limited visibility like in foggy weather or at night. The headlights help extend travel since the parts light up the road as well as making the vehicle visible for other drivers.

As said by Bryan Gregory, the consumer education’s director of Advance Auto Parts, “You will want to make sure of two things; that you have the correct type of light bulb in your vehicle’s head lights, and that the lights are aimed properly for maximum downrange illumination, if they are not adjusted properly, they may not be serving their purpose, which is for you to be able to see and be seen when you need it most.”

The proper alignment of headlights contributes to the safety of vehicles in the thoroughfare. Any misalignment could affect the ideal function of these lighting components, causing potential danger not only for the car owner but other drivers as well. The area of accurate visibility can be harmed if the headlights are not well-fixed. Very high beam can be blinding to approaching drivers which could possible cause any mishap or collision. The functions of headlights are affected by several factors including the size and load of vehicle, changes in the ride height, potential bumps or impacts and frequent use of headlights during driving.

There is a wide range of headlights and other lighting parts manufactured and offered in the market, may it be in OEM or Aftermarket Performance Parts. Modern headlights are crafted from sophisticated technology, providing outstanding illumination most of the time. Since the parts are located in front of the vehicle, they are the ones most exposed to damages. Thus, it is important to check the headlights together with other auxiliary lighting components. Repairs must be at hand if they show signs of malfunctioning like for brake lights, running lights, marker lights, third level brake lights and fog lights.

Advance Auto Parts provides more information on headlight replacement which can be visited via www.AdvanceAutoParts.com. The details on how to replace the headlights are shown at the site’s Advance Know-How Section for “Headlights and Taillights 101″ How- To Video Clinic.

To view other information about this article, visit www.newsobserver.com.

The increased use of automobiles especially in Canada indicates a prospective growth in the region’s Aftermarket Performance Parts and service businesses. More people are having a longer time driving their own vehicles as shown by a recent study.

Based from the released study by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, there are more than six million automobiles still traveling on the road in the previous year though these vehicles are already older than 10 years. In 2000, 28% passenger vehicles that are bought 15 years ago can be seen in the thoroughfare but eventually, there is an apparent increase, reaching the number of cars to 43%. In addition, the imports brands remains to be enduring since a lot of these autos are still in use today. More than half of the import cars purchased in 1991 are actively driven on the road.

As said by Dennis DesRosiers, an industry analyst, “Canadian drivers are taking full advantage of their vehicles’ increased usage potential by extending their ownership into previously unplumbed high-mileage territory. Never before have we seen such compelling, large-scale evidence of improved long term durability - regardless of nameplate origin, country of manufacture, or class of vehicle.”

The positive boost in auto business provides a better opportunity and hints the expansion for Canada’s $16 billion automotive aftermarket industry. This business field is in line with the manufacturing, distribution and installing of replacement parts for automobiles aside from the offered equipments, accessories and tools.

“The longer those vehicles stay on the road, obviously the more work gets done. It’s just increased the size of that market exponentially. The future’s pretty bright,” the president of Automotive Industries Association of Canada, Ray Datt, commented.

For more details about this article, visit canada.com.

Not until after 2003, BMW, just like other car brands, cars were distributed in Ireland through imports. Toyota for instance, one of the leading OEM’s, sell with the use of a local dealer. BMW made a decisive choice last 2003 to put up its own national office in Dublin, sending its own agent since 1967, Frank Keane to set up the organization and structure there using the BWM traditional and yet proven process.

The 18 dealerships encompassing all BMW and MINI cars and BMW motorcycles in Ireland are being handled by the new BMW local office.

A big change and benefit for local vehicle owners and customers is the availability of both OEM and aftermarket parts since a lot of automakers now has direct control of its business network. This constitutes convincing dealers and customers that are used to the idea that aftermarket is the only option until manufacturers convinced them otherwise and promoted it as a great opportunity.

The dealers didn’t appear to realize it at first, that if given a great after sales experience, the customer and seller would fashion a valuable relationship, and produce new sales as well. In the present, online shopping for OEM and Aftermarket Performance Parts is available; this is applicable to that of new cars, through this, parts can be sent over for a next-day delivery.

Visit other related articles via ireland-digital and valuationresources.

EDO Performance, successful distributor of automotive replacement tools and Aftermarket Performance Parts, is proud to announce that it has teamed up with Zero/Sports Racing Development. As it goes, EDO will now become the exclusive distributor and authorized installer of Zero/Sports products for North America.

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Zero/Sports is an engineering company that actually specializes on Subaru vehicles. Said company is the premier name in Aftermarket Performance Parts of Subaru vehicles in Japan. In fact, Zero/Sports was even given official Subaru part numbers due to the company’s outstanding products.

To date, EDO Performance will now be offering Zero/Sports products that include: cooling products, turbo kits, brake pads, stainless steel brake lines, exhaust systems, strut tower bars, performance suspension, and aero kits, just to name a few. For a more detailed list and other information, please visit the sites of both organizations:
www.edoperformance.com
www.zerosports.co.jp

Franchise Capital Corporation, a leading organization in Aftermarket Performance Parts, specifically in exhaust airflow technology as well as a known NASCAR Performance Collaborator, has announced the release of its investor newsletter for the period of October 2007. The said newssheet takes into account a detailed statement of Chief Executive Officer Bryan Hunsaker, from which he confers on various facets of the aftermarket supply industry, as well as the projected advantages of the company’s recent acquisition of Dr. Gas and Aero Exhaust, Inc.

As a backgrounder, Franchise Capital has newly entered into an agreement to obtain 100% of the Dr. Gas’ common stock, thus enabling Franchise Capital to fully utilize Dr. Gas’ design, manufacturing, and engineering abilities in order to boost the availability of Aero Exhaust products.

In his welcoming message to shareholders, Bryan Hunsaker affirms, “The recent announcement of a merger between Dr. Gas and Franchise Capital Corporation is a key step of our roll-up strategy. By merging Dr. Gas with Aero Exhaust, we accomplish several important goals, including: 1) Dr. Gas can immediately start producing Aero Exhaust product allowing us to ramp up our sales and become more competitive in the marketplace; 2) we can immediately start applying our sales and marketing skills to the Dr. Gas Product line; 3) we can apply our operational background to Dr. Gas to help them achieve manufacturing efficiencies; and 4) through our access to public capital, Dr. Gas will have the ability to invest in more capacity and infrastructure to better serve our growing client base.”

Moreover, Hunsaker attends to other particular aspects of the industry of aftermarket supply: “We have charted a course and are committed to building a company that will be a long-term, significant player in the automotive aftermarket supply industry. The automotive aftermarket is a fragmented market, with numerous automotive enthusiasts that have innovative products and ideas but lack the size to effectively market and distribute products. The major distribution channels within the automotive aftermarket prefer vendors who can supply a wide array of products to leverage buying power and simplify the supply chain. Since these two dynamics are divergent, our strategy is to establish our company as a recognizable brand that can supply our distribution partners with a comprehensive line of innovative products. Our approach is to leverage our existing strengths and assets and to combine our strengths with others in the market through a roll-up of companies in the early to mid stages of growth that provide varying assets to the company. Much like the manufacturing, product and R&D assets of Dr. Gas, we are looking for others with varying distribution channels, complimentary products and effective sales assets.”

“From a revenue perspective, it is important to realize that the exhaust market is a cyclical market with the more robust sales numbers in early to mid spring and early summer. This plays very well into our plans to facilitate increased manufacturing of Aero’s products so we can supply our distribution partners. We are working to capture as much of the early 2008 growth as possible and carry that momentum throughout the year. We look forward to showing the initial results of our ongoing efforts in the first and second calendar quarters of 2008.”

Hunsaker then concludes his “CEO Greeting” by affirming: “We have not taken a short-term view, and we believe that we are building a company that will be a long-term, significant player in the automotive supply industry. We are optimistic about the growth that is ahead for the company and are excited to see the benefit of that growth come to those shareholders that are genuinely interested in the future of Aero Exhaust, Dr. Gas and other companies that are included in our roll-up strategy.”

In addition to the abovementioned subject, this October newsletter also provides a review of the events and press releases given by Franchise Capital throughout the previous month.

To get ahold of a detailed and complete copy of such document, the newsletter’s PDF version is posted in the archive section of the company website, http://www.franchisecapitalcorp.net, under the “Newsletters” tab. Similarly, an announcement has already been disseminated through the Franchise Capital’s website mailing list.

SORL Auto Parts Inc., top producer and distributor of automotive air brake valves and other components, has just announced that it has been invited to grace the Goldman Sachs & Gao Hua Securities’ China Frontier Conference. Relatively, the location of said conference is said to be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Beijing on November 12-13, 2007.
The two-day conference will be centering on the leading Chinese corporations that represent key sectors such as property, power, retail/consumer, financial, technology, commodities, telecom, manufacturing, auto, media and conglomerates.

For more details and information regarding SORL Auto Parts, below is a brief company profile, as taken from its press release statement:

About SORL Auto Parts, Inc.
As China’s leading manufacturer and distributor of Aftermarket Performance Parts such as automotive air brake valves, SORL Auto Parts, Inc. ranks first in market share in the segment for commercial vehicles weighing more than three tons, such as trucks and buses. The Company distributes products both within China and internationally under the SORL trademark. SORL ranks among the top 100 auto component suppliers in China, with a product range that includes 40 types of air brake valves and over 800 different specifications. The Company has three authorized international sales centers in Australia, United Arab Emirates, and the United States, with additional offices slated to open in other locations in the near future. For more information, please visit http://www.sorl.cn/.

ALLDATA and Chief Automotive Technologies has duly announced their partnership in the form of the ALLDATA Collision™

Tagged as the Chief V.I.P. or Vehicle Information Portal, this ground-breaking product permits collision shops to obtain a fast and convenient access to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) data needed to create efficient repairs and estimates on today’s vehicles.

Randy Gard, Chief Automotive Technologies President, highlights the value of such a product: “It’s virtually impossible to correctly repair today’s vehicles without knowing exactly what systems, materials, specifications and procedures are included. Our integration with ALLDATA enables Chief to provide this information not only to shop estimators, production managers and parts order personnel, but also to the measuring system sitting next to the vehicle being repaired.”

“Having this invaluable OEM data both in the front of the shop and at the technician’s ‘point-of-use’ is huge. The result will be a tremendous improvement on shop and technician efficiency as they both will now know exactly how that vehicle needs to be repaired and, with Chief Design-Based Repair Systems, will have the necessary tools to do so.”

Jeff Lagges, ALLDATA President, remarks on the mutual benefits of the two companies’ alliance: “ALLDATA is very excited about our product integration with Chief Automotive Technologies. Along with our association with one of the premier brands and companies in the collision industry, we’ve had the opportunity to work closely with their team and experience first-hand their commitment to excellence. ALLDATA’s mission for over 20 years has been to improve our customers’ ability to perform their jobs and maximize their business opportunities. Chief is committed to the same vision, and together we feel that we have a powerful solution to get this done.”

Indeed, this ALLDATA-Chief integration provides a welcome opportunity for collision shops to efficiently streamline and speed up their estimation and repair procedures. More than this, the said product also enables subscribers to access ALLDATA’s extensive and far-reaching mechanical problem-solving and repair database.

Below are brief profiles of Autozone, Autozone’s ALLDATA, and Chief Automotive Technologies, as provided in the release statement.

About AutoZone
As of August 25, 2007, AutoZone sells replacement parts and Aftermarket Performance Parts for cars and light trucks, as well as selling chemicals and accessories. Business is undertaken through 4,056 AutoZone stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico. AutoZone also sells the ALLDATA brand automotive diagnostic and repair software. On the web, AutoZone sells diagnostic and repair information and auto and light truck parts through www.autozone.com.

About AutoZone’s ALLDATA
ALLDATA is the leading provider of automotive repair information and solutions to the Professional Automotive Service Industry. Professional automotive repair shops across North America depend on ALLDATA for their automotive repair information needs, and purchase AutoZone parts from more than 2,000 AutoZone Commercial program locations.

The ALLDATA(r) subscription, available online and on DVD, provides comprehensive, factory-correct repair information. Also available are: ServiceCenter(sm) ELITE strategic shop management system; ProCarCareZone(sm) web-based shop marketing tools to bring in new and repeat business; ALLDATA CollisionConnect(sm), the only comprehensive source of OEM collision information, delivering factory-correct, unedited and regularly updated information for structural repairs and more; and the AZ Parts(sm) Catalog and AZ PartsConnect(sm) programs for aftermarket parts estimating and electronic ordering. ALLDATA(r) DIY provides consumers with repair articles, factory technical service bulletins, and illustrations for a specific vehicle, along with a link to ALLDATA-approved repair shops. Visit www.alldata.com for more information.

About Chief Automotive Technologies, Inc.
Chief Automotive Technologies, Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of high quality collision repair products and services, including frame pulling equipment, vehicle anchoring systems, computerized measuring systems, vehicle frame specifications and comprehensive training on structural analysis repair and collision theory.

Headquartered in Grand Island, Nebraska, USA, Chief also operates a number of facilities throughout the world, and is a key provider of collision repair equipment in more than 48 countries globally.

Nissan’s presence at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas marks the Japanese automakers’ ninth year of participation and celebration of its performance vehicles. For this year, Nissan is proud to exhibit a lineup of vehicles meticulously built by its aftermarket vehicle suppliers and customizers. These include three 350Z sports cars, two custom-made 2008 Nissan Altima Coupes, two Titan trucks, and two Sentra sedans. Furthermore, a special Xterra SUV is also included, and from which the creators are Nissan’s own engineering division. These ten vehicles have been on display last October 30 to November 2 at the Nissan SEMA booth.

Bill Bosely, Nissan Vice President and General Manager, is confident that the company offerings in SEMA would have a positive impact to the program guests: “Nissan is thrilled to be at the 2007 SEMA show with a full array of vehicles, from our 350Z sports car to our full-size Titan trucks, which once again proves that Nissan vehicles are the premier foundations for creative expression by their owners. What I’m most excited about is how SEMA offers Nissan and its customers a glimpse to the over-the-edge performance potential of the all-new 2008 Altima Coupe, just like our partners did last year with Versa.”

NISMO, Nissan’s leading supplier of superior Aftermarket Performance Parts and accessories for its vehicles will also exhibit several NISMO high-performing components, accessories and apparel.

For a more detailed list and description of all the Nissan goods in the Sema Show, visit the following website:
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/10/30/069105.html