waymondospiff

Midsize Sedans Honda Accord - 22,456 (2,432 were the "Crosstour") Toyota Camry - 16,552 Ford Fusion - 16,459 (less than 100 units behind the Camry) Nissan Altima - 16,198 Chevy Malibu - 15,150 Subaru Legacy/Outback - 8,804 Hyundai Sonata - 7,506 Dodge Avenger - 3,442 Chrysler Sebring - 3,160 (Includes Convertible) VW Passat & CC - 3,010 (includes Passat Wagon) Mercury Milan - 2,675 (Mercury's top seller for February) Kia Optima - 2,471 Mazda6 - 2,427 (Outsold by the Milan. Enough said for "bigger is better" Mazdas.) Suzuki Kizashi - 219 (It's a "soft launch," I guess.) The midsize champ is the Accord, but the Fusion came on strong. Perhaps most surprising, however, is that 16,552 people drove off in new Camrys despite the news breathlessly reporting that the Camry is likely to kill you in your sleep. Call it marketing, call it brain-washing, whatever it is, it sells Camrys! Big Sedans Chevy Impala - 11,740 Dodge Charger - 10,363 (people must really like Dexter) Ford Taurus - 6,359 Nissan Maxima - 5,301 Chrysler 300 - 4,487 Buick Lacrosse - 4,045 Toyota Avalon - 732 Hyundai Azera - 204 Kia Amanti - 38 Mercury Sable - 9 (production ended in June 2009) This "big sedan" group is fairly stagnant. The Taurus is doing alright, but it's definitely not going to win any sales crown with its current volume - not as though that's the point, however. It'd be interesting to see big sedans broken out retail vs. fleet. I'd guess the Taurus & Maxima do well in that regard.

***Ford Escape - 15,156 Honda CR-V - 11,828 Chevy Equinox - 8,061 Toyota RAV4 - 6,799 Subaru Forester - 6,315 Nissan Rogue - 6,143 Jeep Compass & Patriot - 4,897 GMC Terrain - 3,789 Jeep Liberty - 3,659 Hyundai Tucson - 2,741 ***Mercury Mariner - 2,096 Mazda CX-7 - 1,796 VW Tiguan - 1,690 Kia Sportage - 1.088 Honda Element - 919 Suzuki Grand Vitara - 294 Mazda Tribute - 246 Escape was a clear winner in the sales roundup, it was even a decent showing for the Mariner. ***Ford Edge - 8,694 Kia Sorento - 8,366 Hyundai Santa Fe - 7,964 Honda Pilot - 6,672 GMC Acadia - 6,478 Chevy Traverse - 5,882 Dodge Journey - 4,139 Nissan Murano - 4,056 Buick Enclave - 3,778 Toyota Highlander - 3,615 Toyota Venza - 3,414 ***Ford Flex - 2,802 Mazda CX-9 - 2,014 Dodge Nitro - 1,201 Hyundai Vera Cruz - 553 VW Touareg - 285 Subaru Tribeca - 175 ***Ford Taurus X - 1 (yes, 1 sold.) This bigger-than-small class is still hard to call a success. The GM big trio did fairly well for a combined total of more than 16,000 vehicles, but the Flex didn't even pull 3,000 units. The Edge did alright with more than 8,000 units, but the other two biggest sellers (Sorento & Santa Fe) are bargains for their size. Are these vehicles simply too big & inefficient to sell well? Edited to add: Toyota Venza numbers. I forgot that wagon exisited!

That's what the Impala is for.

IIRC, the Escape/Tribute came in first in the first small SUV comparison test when they debuted back in 2001 (Competitors included the miserable first-gen Kia Sportage & the last year or so of the Jeep Cherokee.) Ever since then they (Tribute, Escape, Mariner) have dropped to the bottom in every comparison test C&D has done. I don't know if it's personal, but it's seems pretty clear that they don't like the CD2 triplets. I'd say the CD2s aren't great, but the aren't the worst, either. But the fact that the 2006-vintage RAV4 is still ranked as #1 (which I agree with) says that no one has really put a compelling package together in this class. When's the next Escape/Kuga arrive?

2.0L with 155hp standard? That's practically overpowered. I like this, a lot. But the model shown, if sold in the US would be what? $23-25K? I expect that the majority of Focuses will trade for much lower. My hope is that they planned ahead and the car looks fine with smaller wheels and doesn't have a tacky interior with lots of "dead buttons." Assuming they've taken that into account, what an awesome car. What else in the C-class comes close to this execution? Mazda3? But even then the design isn't as well integrated throughout. This is a sharp car and a game changer for Ford. Way to go Dearborn.

http://www.finance-commerce.com/article.cf...l-media-offline A short article discussing Ford's social media efforts and connecting the online & offline marketing activities. No "news" is being made here, but it's another interesting article exploring Ford's success.

Really? That would be impressive - but I'm not sure how they'd do it. MKS - 3.7L & 6-speed Auto, FWD: 17mpg city / 24mpg highway MKT - 3.7L & 6-speed Auto, FWD: 17mpg city / 23mpg highway Sure, both of those are bigger and heavier, but 24 to 30? That's a huge jump. Also, 300hp? The 3.7L is putting out 273hp in the MKS and 268 in the MKT. While I think 300hp is possible out of the 3.7L, it would appear as though the engine would need additional features to up the power rating that much. And if Ford was unwilling to pay for those features in their $40K flagships, why would they do it on the $20K Mustang? I'll be interested to see it all. I hope it's good, but I'm not holding my breath for 30mpg or 300hp.

It's about time. It would have been better had this call been made in 2007, but better late than never. In 2010, the Mazda2 will nearly be through with it's lifecycle - I assume we get the current car for two years and then it will be replaced by an all-new model to keep up with the global Mazda2. (???) It may be another b-car, but with Mazda's success with the Mazda3 and history of suspension tuning for zoom-zoom, this may leap to head-of-the-class with the Fiesta & Fit. A belated but interesting move from Mazda.

I guess there might be some tooling savings...but I can't imagine it'd make a significant swing in total costs over the life of the vehicle. I personally like all of the FofE products, so I personally don't have a problem with the styling language. But looking at the products there are some distinct differences between FofNA & FofE products and I'm not sure the Mondeo would be as powerful here in the US as it is in Europe and conversely, I'm not sure that the Fusion's big grille would win fans in Europe. Maybe it'll be a homerun. I do see overall trends in Europe & NA are converging somewhat, but I'm not sure if they'll ever be the same. Closer, but not identical. But, maybe there will be a "styling direction" that would still allow for changes like Taurus taillamps instead of Mondeo taillamps and the Fusion big chromey grille vs. the Fiesta's black plastic cross-haired piece. The article isn't really clear on the amount of standardization, just that there will be one language. Wiggle room perhaps for the future?

Sad to see the little truck go in away, there are still lots of older "true Mazda" B-Series on the road. But with the low sales of compact trucks, Mazda's driving-focused mantra, and the difficulty in producing a differentiated-yet-built-in-America-to-avoid-import-taxes truck may mean that another Mazda truck will never see our shores. It'll be interesting to watch Mazda's next moves.

I'm not sure why you'd do that. If more subtle, sophisticated designs are called for in Europe or Asia, while North & South America clamour for more passionate designs, why compromise and miss both marks with an extroverted car in Europe/Asia and a bland, boring car in the Americas? Even weirder considering that the manufacturing of the vehicles is likely to stay separated - there's little to no economies of scale to be gained in production by commonizing across continents. I don't get it.

For me, no story about the Ford Probe is complete without mentioning it's brother, the better-looking Mazda MX-6. All three of the Mazda-derived products (Probe, MX-6, & 626) were great cars to drive for their day. The 2.5L V6 was incredible. About the same power ratings as the Contour 2.5L Duratec, but the Mazda 2.5L was so much more fierce in both power delivery and in sound. It was a sweet-sounding engine as it ran past 3,500 rpm. So nice. But, unfortunately, these cars had a ton of problems. The 2.5L is a sweet-sounding engine, but I've heard of head gasket problems and the fuel economy was pretty lousy. I've seen all three of these cars with paint problems and I remember a particular Probe that had gone completely haywire with the electronics. It wouldn't restart without a jump. Whenever it was running the doors would lock. The sunroof wouldn't close if opened. The windows worked...more or less. And the instrument panel was lit up with all warning lights...just in case. But they were nice looking cars. Unfortunately, a true C/D-based replacement today would be a Fusion Coupe, and that would be much larger than the Probe ever was. And the pricing would overlap the Mustang. I'd guess the closest thing to a Probe replacement would be a Focus coupe - preferrably one with more style and power than the current Focus coupe. But that was a sweet car.

Ford Transit Chassis Cab (also available in double cab (four-door) styles) Three wheelbases: SWB - 3137mm wheelbase - 9'4" cargo box - 1,704kg internal payload capacity MWB - 3504mm wheelbase - 10'6" cargo box - 2,727kg internal payload capacity LWB - 3954mm wheelbase (156") - 12' cargo box - 2,693kg internal payload capacity (5,937lbs) E250 - 138" wheelbase - roughly 4,400lbs payload capacity E350 - 138" wheelbase - roughly 6,500lbs payload capacity E450 - 176" wheelbase - roughly 9,000lbs payload capacity But the E-Series and F-Series overlap. It'd be my guess that the next Transit is going to be "tougher" to handle more of the E-Series' market. That would include the lower-end of the commercial vehicle market like furniture haulers, plumbers, etc. They'll get by just fine with a Transit-based vehicle. But the heavier-duty delivery services, truck rentals, etc. I don't think will be suitable for the Transit unless it gets a drastic makeover. But, with a drastic makeover, the baseline Transits may be too heavy for the lighter-duty jobs. I think Ford would be wise to offer the F-Series models for the heavier jobs and leave the Transit take the lighter-duty jobs. So I think Ford could easily make the Transit fit into the American market with a lineup of Transit (T-Series?) and F-Series. Ford is hardly going to let this market go without a product, it's just a matter of getting the right product for the right consumer.

I like it, but agree the relationship between the front-end elements seems a bit off, but they aren't as bad as other vehicles. I can't tell from the images - are the headlamps also 6-sided, like the grille, or are they just their own form altogether? I do miss the Volvo shoulder, which, while present, isn't nearly as strong, except for where it kicks up over the fender. The trunk, lights, & c-pillar seem a bit "Civic sedan"-ish, but it's still an attractive look. I have a question though - with the quickly-spreading "coupe profile" on sedans, can we just make them hatchbacks? That trunk opening looks tiny and far better suited to a liftback opening. Scott

GM has a decent lineup of class-leading to class-competitive cars in the pipeline. That'll flesh-out their lineups and make them more competitive all-around vs. the current hit-and-miss approach (value midsize: Malibu, compact car: uhhh...not the Cobalt.) But they have nothing "buzz-worthy" coming out. I don't mean a V8-powered street racer, just nothing buzz-worthy. Like, say, a world-beating subcompact (Fiesta) or a midsize car with more than 40 mpg (Fusion Hybrid) or a 365-hp turbocharged luxury sedan (SHO.) So, without the headline-grabbing capability of flashy cars, what else can GM do to move the needle? It's a job that's going to be tough. I agree with Peter DeLorenzo, marketing the new GM is going to be the toughest job in marketing history. But, like RJ, I'd say that the marketing people at GM, including Lutz, don't strike as necessarily the best-equipped for the job. I hope they do well - but we'll see.

Obviously, something is lost in translation, but the highlights: 2.0L 4cyl, well over 200hp, launching in the XC60. No other vehicle is mentioned, but I assume that this means the 2.5L 5cyl will exit stage left, and not a moment too soon. While I like the 2.5L 5cyl, it's an aging engine and it is outclassed by many 4cyls on the market, like the new 2.5L duratec 4cyl. Will this be announced for the C70 launching in Frankfurt I wonder?

Fair enough - Mercury can't support models that cross into Lincoln territory. Considering Lincoln territory is $35K & up, pretty much every Ford minus the Fiesta & Focus reach into that range. If rumours of a Lincoln-ized Escape/Kuga are correct, that's one more vehicle Mercury can't support. That'd leave Mercury with rebadged Fiestas, Focuses, and base-model Milans 'cause of the 4cyl engine. Then Mercury is just a way to add lower price points to the Lincoln showrooms. Is that the end goal for Mercury? Just to add value to Lincoln franchises?

Agreed on most fronts. However, wouldn't Ford's new "top hat" designs give Ford the ability to alter Mercurys more? I'd think that the next-gen Escape, for example, could feature a blocky Escape, a rounded Mercury, and perhaps one of those oh-so-trendy-oh-so-German-what-the-heck-is-it tall hatchback things (like x6 & Acura's ZDX) that would make for an interesting proposition at $25-30K in a Mercury showroom. Even if the top-hat solution is too expensive, I don't understand why Mercury can't have a midsize crossover - an Edge with a waterfall grille - that seems to be a gapping void in the lineup.

Kind of hard to compare Escalade, Prius, LS600h, Insight, Escape, & Fusion, but hey, why not? I find it interesting that the Escape Hybrid has been available since 2005, has performed well in the marketplace, and is about to lose its only competition (Saturn Vue Hybrid - the mild one, the two-mode never made it to production.) It seems like a marketing opportunity for a RAV4 Hybrid or a CR-V Hybrid.

If the first C4C $1B was spent in less than a week, how long will the additional $$$ authorized last? Can any company replenish supply in that timeframe? I'd guess "no." Largely, C4C is only going to affect inventory already in the system, I don't think any actions taken today to increase inventory will be affected by the C4C incentives. But good luck to Chrysler for ramping up overtime. How long 'til they're idling the Belvidere plant due to excess inventory again?

The 3 bounces around - I'd guess there is some supply/capacity issue with the 2010. Or I wouldn't be surprised if the gapping maw of the new 3 is turning off potential buyers. It sure has an ugly face. As far as the Tribute, I think Mazda is not spending any money on marketing the Tribute. The CX-7 is really the better product - newer, more Mazda parts, wholly-owned manufacturing, and a lot more Zoom-Zoom than the comparatively frumpy Tribute. The CX-7 just works better for Mazda. Also, with the new 2.5L non-turbo base engine coming for 2010, I'd expect the CX-7 to gain some more consideration from customers (fuel economy 2.3L turbo FWD: 18c/25h, 2.5L non-turbo FWD: 20c/28h, a 10%+ improvement.)

Just a couple of notes, I moved the Venza from compact to midsize, that's where I always intended it to be, I just made an error. Same with the Altima over the Prius. I also included bodystyles for the three car categories so there wouldn't be questions as to the bodystyles being added into the sales numbers. I don't have access to inventory, but I'd guess that Ford simply doesn't have enough vehicles in the system to sell more. I think the Fusion will continue to sell well, but below its possible numbers due to lack of inventory. I don't know what the Escape's production numbers are, but I bet it will also suffer from lack of inventory if demand keeps up. And the Focus too. And a quick comment about Altima vs. Malibu vs. Fusion. All three are good products and Nissan has worked hard for years to define themselves as the "other" midsize sedan next to the Camry & Accord. That the Fusion, Malibu, & Altima even trade rankings some months is a solid achievement for both Ford & Chevy. A shocker to me was how low the Mazda6 has sunk. I mean, this has happened before to Mazda, but I didn't think the Mazda6 would simply collapse in sales. Is history repeating itself? 1993 - Mazda 626 reborn as a sporty alternative to the Accord, Camry, & Taurus. The 2.5L 163hp V6 with 5-speed manual was the headline grabbing model. Sales were steady, but paled in comparison to CamCordRus. 1998 - Mazda 626 grows in every way to "solve" what Mazda thinks is causing slow sales: it's small size. The '98 has less character than the '93 model, but is certainly "better" by every measure. Sales collapse. 2003 - Mazda6 is born to replace the boring, slow-selling 626. Back is the Zoom-Zoom, a 3.0L 220hp V6 with 5-speed manual is the headline grabber and the vehicle is showered with awards worldwide. Sales are steady, but again pale in comparison to the CamCordIma. 2008 - Mazda6 is replaced by a big honkin' vehicle and Mazda predicts they've finally figured out the American midsize sedan: BIG! No more wanna-be sports car models - the new 6 is serious & big and has lost the Zoom-Zoom character. Again, the new car is "better" in every way. Sales collapse. Mazda is not a volume manufacturer in the States. They sell to "enthusiasts" who want something different. The people who just want a car buy Toyota or Honda. Mazda has a penchant for dropping their customer base to fight Toyota & Honda for their buyers. They've proven time and again they can't make it happen, why do they keep trying? Anyway, judging by history, here's to the fun-to-drive 2013 Mazda6!!!

They would save more fuel with gear ratios than by stripping weight out of a sub-2,500lbs car. And a windscreen is kind of important. But the last rumours I read about the next-gen Miata involved it losing weight and becoming more "pure," so maybe this is just a preview of the next-gen concept (and I mean concept as in "idea" or "way-of-thinking", not as in "concept car.")

A quick look at the key markets I see shaping the car market now and in the near future. A condensed version of the sheet I used to post at the end of each month. Compact Crossovers Ford Escape - 20,241 Honda CR-V - 19,151 Toyota RAV4 - 15,912 Chevy Equinox - 10,834 Jeep Patriot - 8,084 Subaru Forester - 7,574 Kia Sportage - 7,266 Nissan Rogue - 6,770 Mercury Mariner - 3,682 Jeep Liberty - 2,874 Saturn VUE - 2,758 Jeep Compass - 2,736 Honda Element - 1,516 Hyundai Tucson - 1,106 Pontiac Torrent - 891 Mazda Tribute - 779 Midsize & Large(*) Crossovers Toyota Highlander - 9,407 Ford Edge - 7,857 Hyundai Santa Fe - 6,793 *Chevy Traverse - 6,690 Honda Pilot - 6,340 Toyota Venza - 5,780 *GMC Acadia - 4,974 Dodge Journey - 4,165 *Buick Enclave - 3,797 *Ford Flex - 3,631 Nissan Murano - 3,457 Mazda CX-9 - 1,856 Mazda CX-7 - 1,369 *Saturn Outlook - 926 Subaru Tribeca - 707 *Hyundai Veracruz - 519 *Ford Taurus X - 366 *Chrysler Pacifica - 108 Midsize Sedans (I left out the large cars (Taurus, Impala, G8, 300, Maxima, Avalon)) Toyota Camry - 33,974 (includes remaining Solara sales) Honda Accord - 29,774 (includes coupe version) Nissan Altima - 19,252 (includes coupe version) Toyota Prius - 19,173 (questionable inclusion, but it's too big & pricey to call a compact) Ford Fusion - 17,610 Chevy Malibu - 15,339 (outsold Impala!) Hyundai Sonata - 13,381 Pontiac G6 - 8,193 (includes coupe & convertible sales) Dodge Avenger - 5,616 Merc Milan - 2,934 Chrysler Sebring - 2,781 (presumably includes convertible (???)) Kia Optima - 2,680 Mazda6 - 2,517 Subaru Legacy - 2,340 (+6,247 Outback units, for 8,587 total units) Saturn Aura - 1,415 Compact Cars Honda Civic - 30,037 (sedan & coupe) Toyota Corolla - 29,593 (sedan & "Corolla Matrix" sales) Ford Focus - 21,830 (sedan & coupe) Hyundai Elantra - 13,616 (sedan) Mazda3 - 9,771 (sedan & hatchback) Nissan Sentra - 9,496 (sedan) Chevy Cobalt - 9,435 (sedan & coupe) Dodge Caliber - 7,814 (hatchback) Subaru Impreza - 6,247 (sedan & wagon/hatch) Kia Spectra - 5,616 (sedan & hatchback) Kia Forte - 3,631 (sedan (Koup hasn't launched yet)) Pontiac G5 - 2,723 (coupe) Honda Insight - 2,295 (hatchback) Saturn Astra - 558 (3- & 5-door) Subcompact Cars Honda Fit - 8,876 (5-door) Nissan Versa - 8,530 (sedan & hatchback) Hyundai Accent - 7,634 (3- & 4-door) Toyota Yaris - 5,483 (3-, 4-, & 5-door) Chevy Aveo - 4,961 (4 & 5-door) Kia Rio - 1,719 (sedan & hatchback) Pontiac G3 Wave - 1,100 (5-door) I found the results interesting.

Re: the Lincoln "face." MB, BMW, Audi, Volvo, and even Cadillac are all working on iterations of design themes that have been around for multiple vehicle generations. I think Lincoln is heading in that direction, but before it can make derivatives of a design language, they need to establish a design language. With the MKX next year, all Lincolns (save the Navigator) will have a very similar look. By the time they start on the next MKZ/S/T/X they'll be able to take an establish design and make variations on it. But to begin with, they need to create a consistent design theme. Kudos to the powers-that-be for giving Peter Horbury the ability to finally give Lincoln a "calling card." Now it's up to Ford and Moray Callum to maintain the design theme and evolve it for each individual product. And to the dissenters - is the look any worse than other new luxury cars on the market? I think not, but I find the new grille & look blandly attractive. Maybe it's just me. Scott