These six sedans are the fleshy part of the American car market. Big-name D-segment sedans sell like crazy, and pretty much made Honda and Toyota what they are today. Their dominance of this segment, often called “Camccord” after their two best-sellers, remains unchecked as each has spent three months on top of the chart. But there’s danger down below. Hyundai’s Sonata has been making steady progress all year (June excepted), and the Malibu has enjoyed more modest, but equally steady growth. Altima all but matched Camry in February, and gave Accord a scare in March. There’s still a tight pack of four nipping at the heels of the big dogs. Time to start coming up with a new nickname for the D-Segment?
Just yesterday, I noted in my write-up on Mazda’s June sales performance that
with a Nagare-saddled Mazda5 replacement waiting in the wings, Mazda isn’t even well positioned to defend the segment it helped define in the US market, just as GM finally starts taking it seriously
Well, today Mazda announced to Automotive News [sub] that it would be targeting 30k annual sales of the Mazda5’s “Nagare-saddled” replacement. Last year’s 18,488 units was the second-best sales year on record for the 5, as sales fell from 2008’s all-time high of 22,021. In short, Mazda’s compact CUV has always been at least 8k units away from its new Mazda5 sales goal. On the other hand, Mazda never properly marketed the 5, and both GM and Ford are moving into the segment with the GMC Granite and Ford C-Max. Will Detroit’s move into this otherwise-ignored segment (currently contested by only the 5 and the Kia Rondo) bring buyers in, or force already-marginalized players like Mazda out? The fate of the 5 seems to hang on the answer to that one question.
A three-way relationship in the open is every man’s dream. Those who tried it usually recommend against it. Why? Just ask them. As predicted, Mazda is putting an end to the three way Chinese Changan-Mazda-Ford joint venture. Mazda wants to go it alone with Changan, and no longer play third fiddle. (Read More…)
The group CameraFraud.com announced yesterday that 127,000 Arizona voters had made it clear that they want voters decide the future of automated enforcement in the state. The figure fell short by about ten percent of the number legally required to force a measure onto the ballot against the will of lawmakers. Initiative proponents see this as a merely temporary setback. Arizonans Against Photo Radar Chairman Shawn Dow believes that his group is stronger than ever and will be able to flex its political muscle to force change in the state.
Several years ago, I paid heed to my inner child and attended Iron Maiden’s “Aces (Very) High Tour”. During one of the breaks, singer Bruce Dickinson said, “I don’t know what’s going on. We’re still making records, and I think they’re pretty good. But nobody on the radio wants to play them. They don’t play […]
“2010 could become the best year in the history of the automobile,” said Daimler’s Zetsche today, while Automobilwoche [sub] was furiously scribbling notes. “The best times of the car are in front of us.” Times are especially well for manufacturers for luxury cars. Had Dr. Z been drinking? Not necessarily. (Read More…)
And again, it’s time for a TTAC tradition. We ask the patent-pending TTAC market oracle: What were last month’s new car sales in China? TTAC was forced to develop this oracle, because China is always a bit late in reporting official numbers (it’s a big country.) So we devised our patent-pending China prediction system, call it the I-Ching of the automotive business: Take GM China, deduct a few points, and like a miracle, you have the performance of the Chinese market. Works all the time. Usually. Sometimes, it doesn’t.
Our oracle says that the Chinese market will come in at a growth in the low 20 percentile range. Why? (Read More…)
Auto Express reports that GM is going to sell the Chevy Chevrolet Camaro in the United Kingdom by May 2011, with a convertible version later that year. It will only be available in the top level Gestapo SS trim, and will have the 6.2 litre, 426bhp V8 engine. Unfortunately, GM couldn’t be bothered to respect local driving customs and will sell the car in left-hand drive only. That’s right. Pricing is yet to be confirmed as exchange rates are sensitive at the moment, but GM is aiming to keep the pricing in line (I thought it was a V8?) with the Nissan 370Z, which starts at £28,345. Now while there are many American-philes (probably located in the North of England) who are doing a “dosey-doe” around their living rooms at this news, there are a few of problems (and here comes the pessimistic part). (Read More…)
Fiat do Brasil launched today the Punto in 2011 guise. It’s all about the engines man! Out goes GM’s very-long-in-the-tooth and old-school, not to mention wasteful and power-challenged 1.8L mill, and in come new 1.6 and 1.8L (both with 16v) lumps. So all good and new. Right? Not so fast… (Read More…)
Look at our overall June sales numbers, and it’s clear that Daimler beat BMW Group last month (with help from an estimated 11 Maybach sales). By brand though, BMW won the volume game by nearly 1,000 units, with Lexus about another 1,000 units behind Mercedes. In general though, things were good in the luxury sector last month. In terms of percentage, the three “backmarkers” of the luxury field made some of the most dramatic gains, with Porsche booming 137 percent, and Jag/Landie combining for a 53 percent increase. Full numbers post-jump.
In the first six months of 2009, Mazda sold over 7,000 more vehicles than did Subaru. This year, Subaru’s six month volume is over 10k units higher than Mazda’s. Meanwhile, in a scenario that does not bode well for the forthcoming Mazda2-Fiesta showdown, Ford’s Escape outsold its Mazda Tribute cousin 15 times over. In 2002, for comparison, that ratio was closer to three Escapes for every Tribute sold (145,471 to 44,989). And with a Nagare-saddled Mazda5 replacement waiting in the wings, Mazda isn’t even well positioned to defend the segment it helped define in the US market, just as GM finally starts taking it seriously. Mazda has little room for failure… and plenty of opportunity. There will have to be many more months like this one.
78 liters of displacement, 18 cylinders, 12 turbocharges and a tame 3,500 hp and 10,300 lb-ft of torque make for one mean Mini. Well, it would if it actually worked. Instead, this will probably just be on static display at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Fun fact: the engine alone weighs about 15 times what an original Mini did.
Kia may be dumping its generally bland model names for the increasingly favored “alphabet soup” paradigm, but Land Rover has gone the opposite direction, naming its “LRX” concept the Range Rover Evoque at its official unveiling [presser here]. Ironic, considering that the alphanumeric crowd is forever insisting that its unintelligible gobbledygook conveys an upmarket image. How very provoq-ative…
Like several other full-line manufacturers, Nissan’s car sales lagged in June (up 2.7 percent), as the brand’s nearly 11 percent growth was driven primarily by increases in truck sales. On the other hand, few of its vehicles actually lost sales. The Cube dropped 11 percent to 1,896 units, and the Altima fell 2.6 percent, as did Nissan’s sportscars, the 370Z (-3.5%, 892 units) and GTR (-44%, 84 units). Every truck and Infiniti vehicle was up, though, leaving Nissan with a solid, if generally weak sales month. Full numbers after the jump.
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