The impact of Mercedes-Benz’s W222 S-Class has been keenly felt in America’s luxury car sector. The S-Class’s most direct rivals have been shunned in favour of the venerable Benz over the last seven months. And yet there’s no denying that big luxury SUVs have cast a shadow over these flagship luxury cars, nor is there any point rejecting the idea that Tesla’s Model S is stealing market share.
Despite a majority of U.S. consumers preferring automatic transmissions over manual offerings, Ford’s plan to offer the 1-liter EcoBoost with only a six-speed manual for the 2015 Focus is seen by the automaker as a sensible decision for the home market.
Vacaville, California. Population 93,899, as of two years ago. Median income $57,667. A series of stripmalls. A Buffalo Wild Wings. And one of Tesla’s Superchargers – the weirdest Supercharger, the Supercharger that I cannot understand the location of, nor the existence of – unless, of course, you’re driving like I was from Napa to San Francisco, and needed a quick charge.
The still you see above is from the latest promotional video regarding the new Smart ForTwo and ForFour. We will certainly see the ForTwo in the United States. The ForFour is less likely, but I am holding out hope – I really like its sister car, the Renault Twingo, and I would love one with the swirly camo wrap seen above.
Change is inevitable, but it isn’t always predictable. Such was the case with a recent death in the family. Eighty-five-year-olds typically aren’t long for this world, but her stroke and swift passing was still sudden.
After some hurried preparations and two flights, I found myself standing on a rental lot. To distract myself from weightier matters, I sought out something I hadn’t driven before. The Toyota RAV4 was redesigned for model year 2013, but I hadn’t driven one yet. Hoping for a vehicular cocoon, I blew through the paperwork and headed east for New Jersey.
One of the frequent themes discussed on TTAC is the rising inequality of the mainstream car market in Europe. Since the Great Financial Crisis, Europe’s auto market has not only undergone a severe contraction in terms of volume, but also a radical shift in its composition.
Wednesday marks the 16th anniversary of the Daimler-Chrysler merger. One day prior to this milestone, Fiat Chrysler has unveiled their business plan for the next 5 years. While the industry norm is to keep future product plans, brand strategies and sales targets as a closely guarded secret, FCA took the unusual step of making it all public, with FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne headlining the event (billed as a conference for investors) at an event in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Each of FCA’s brands and subsidiaries was given the chance to present their strategy through 2018, with healthy helpings of new vehicles, future technology and corporate strategy being revealed.
What follows is a quick guide to some of the changes outlined during the big Chrysler meeting today. Derek will have some in-depth analysis tonight.
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Chrysler’s short-lived and amazingly unsuccessful run at an SRT “brand” is over.
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“Are you interested in our Thousand Dollar Test Drive raffle?” the saleslady eagerly asked. A row of new Corollas beckoned at the front of the lot; their freshly redesigned maws were hungry for customers.
|
Auto
|
April
2014
|
April
2013
|
%
Change
|
4 mos.
2014
|
4 mos.
2013
|
%
Change
|
|
BMW X5
|
4,393 | 3,444 | +27.6% | 14,153 | 15,335 | -7.7% |
|
BMW X3
|
3,544 | 1,914 | +85.2% | 13,974 | 9,125 | +53.1% |
|
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
|
3,831 | 3,280 | +16.8% | 13,965 | 12,442 | +12.2% |
|
Audi Q5
|
3,293 | 3,241 | +1.6% | 12,067 | 11,437 | +5.5% |
|
Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
|
3,144 | 2,702 | +16.4% | 11,415 | 10,212 | +11.8% |
|
BMW X1
|
1,130 | 1,556 | -27.4% | 9,098 | 6,967 | +30.6% |
|
Volkswagen Tiguan
|
1,998 | 2,488 | -19.7% | 8,109 | 10,439 | -22.3% |
|
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
|
2,253 | 2,481 | -9.2% | 7,671 | 10,099 | -24.0% |
|
Porsche Cayenne
|
1,839 | 1,750 | +5.1% | 6,119 | 5,931 | +3.2% |
|
Audi Q7
|
1,462 | 1,183 | +23.6% | 5,551 | 4,084 | +35.9% |
|
Volkswagen Touareg
|
597 | 578 | +3.3% | 2,162 | 3,102 | -30.3% |
|
BMW X6
|
342 | 354 | -3.4% | 1,442 | 1,618 | -10.9% |
|
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
|
274 | 188 | +45.7% | 882 | 800 | +10.3% |
|
—
|
—
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Total
|
28,100
|
25,159 | +11.7% | 106,608 | 101,591 | +4.9% |
It’s not as though consumers hadn’t experienced doses of luxury in their SUVs before the Mercedes-Benz ML, Lexus RX, and Lincoln Navigator began pushing an increasingly impressive wave toward shore in the late 90s. But, especially in the enthusiast community, there was some reluctance to accept the notion of such illustrious brands diving head first into a market that was going to demand perfectly balanced compromises. The traditional off-road ability we associated with SUVs couldn’t be thrust overboard in favour of road manners. Or could it?
TTAC commenter Buickman, better known as Jim Dollinger to friends, colleagues and loved ones, was on Autoline Detroit last week to present his plan to save General Motors. Rather than present it in the form of an article, we’re posting Jim’s Autoline segment for your perusal The video should start right at Jim’s segment, but if it doesn’t fast forward to the 42 minute mark. Let us know what you think of the plan.
Strong year-over-year growth in America’s full-size pickup sector was powered by all five major players in April 2014.
General Motors added 6398 sales to the April 2013 Silverado/Sierra total. Chrysler sold 5265 more Ram trucks than at this time one year ago. F-Series sales improved by 4357 units. Toyota added 1941 Tundra sales for the most significant percentage increase, a 23.5% jump.
Today is Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday used as an excuse by Americans to drink margaritas and eat bad Tex-Mex. But tomorrow, Fiat Chrysler will unveil their next five-year plan, which should clarify the many contradictory product plans being touted by both FCA execs and the media.
Currently, there is only one Lexus plant outside of Japan. A Toyota factory in Cambridge, Ontario makes the Lexus RX crossover, while Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant will come online in 2015. Like other Japanese auto makers, Toyota is moving towards a localization of its production facilities, but one thing they won’t be doing is producing Lexus vehicles in China.
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