TStag Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 I think there are a few contenders - One of the big 3 US car makers get's into big financial trouble following US recession? (probably Chrysler)? - China's biggest car maker makes big splash relaunching MG & possibly Austin? - Chinese car making takes off with big export figures for Chinese branded cars? - The Indian's relaunch Rover, buy JLR and go for broke with the cheapest car in the world ever? - Some one launches a sucessfull eco car with real world practicallity? - BMW announce plans for a 4th brand? (Possibly Issetta or Triumph) - Nissan/ Renault/ VW or some other big company buy's another company? Anything else? I for one think 2008 will be the year of the Chinese and possibly the Indian's. SAIC is gearing up to launch 30 new models over the next few years, most of which seem destined for export. TATA with it's billions should also be one to watch. Personally I think the only other big story will be Cerebus getting into trouble with Chrysler. Now is not the time to be in Private equity.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydro Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Toyota taking over the #1 spot, the media is gonna cream all over that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 The Chinese are going to resurect Leyland/BMC and take the world by storm. Tata with the profits of Jaguar and Land Rover will storm away to massive success. Chrysler will face devestation this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 indian again rides (yea i want a chief) screw everthing else.....walmart sells chicom cars........toyota goes #1 for the next 100 years....president hitlery (lets hope not) bails out chrysler....ford manages to sell 10 taurus vehicle per month (piece of crap thats an embarassment).....challenger is wildly succussful...camaro goes into production and surpasses all expectations..ford announces the new 2009 mach 1 then recinds and announces new hurricane boss 302 then recinds, closes shop and lays off 80K people...detroit goes up in smoke along with the rest of the country and your best friend becomes your ak47...(ok include the dog also)....snooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 indian again rides (yea i want a chief) screw everthing else.....walmart sells chicom cars........toyota goes #1 for the next 100 years....president hitlery (lets hope not) bails out chrysler....ford manages to sell 10 taurus vehicle per month (piece of crap thats an embarassment).....challenger is wildly succussful...camaro goes into production and surpasses all expectations..ford announces the new 2009 mach 1 then recinds and announces new hurricane boss 302 then recinds, closes shop and lays off 80K people...detroit goes up in smoke along with the rest of the country and your best friend becomes your ak47...(ok include the dog also)....snooter .....oh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 .....oh I don't understand it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackHorse Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 indian again rides (yea i want a chief) screw everthing else.....walmart sells chicom cars........toyota goes #1 for the next 100 years....president hitlery (lets hope not) bails out chrysler....ford manages to sell 10 taurus vehicle per month (piece of crap thats an embarassment).....challenger is wildly succussful...camaro goes into production and surpasses all expectations..ford announces the new 2009 mach 1 then recinds and announces new hurricane boss 302 then recinds, closes shop and lays off 80K people...detroit goes up in smoke along with the rest of the country and your best friend becomes your ak47...(ok include the dog also)....snooter Sort of a music video of Red Hot Chili Peppers meets Vangelis and they team up to take on Christina Aguilera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 indian again rides (yea i want a chief) screw everthing else.....walmart sells chicom cars........toyota goes #1 for the next 100 years....president hitlery (lets hope not) bails out chrysler....ford manages to sell 10 taurus vehicle per month (piece of crap thats an embarassment).....challenger is wildly succussful...camaro goes into production and surpasses all expectations..ford announces the new 2009 mach 1 then recinds and announces new hurricane boss 302 then recinds, closes shop and lays off 80K people...detroit goes up in smoke along with the rest of the country and your best friend becomes your ak47...(ok include the dog also)....snooter Wow, someone had a little too much New Years Eve cheer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlRozzi Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 GM continually comparing itself to Toyota to confuse people to the fact that GM isn't #1 anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 nope..not a drop to drink (i do not drink alcohol)...just a tongue-n-cheek reply of 2008 predictions...and indian refers to indian motorcycles which i truly love....they are being built again at the wigwam after a 3 or 4 year hiatus...indian never seems to be able to get it together and produce a modern mototcycle (harley sucks).... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 nope..not a drop to drink (i do not drink alcohol)...just a tongue-n-cheek reply of 2008 predictions...and indian refers to indian motorcycles which i truly love....they are being built again at the wigwam after a 3 or 4 year hiatus...indian never seems to be able to get it together and produce a modern mototcycle (harley sucks).... You got me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
156n3rd Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Now that Ford Of Europe sells a Focus diesel that delivers 75+ mpg, maybe they and other European builders will try selling them here. If Chrysler goes under, there will be room for any number of companies to sell their superior products here. Anyone familiar with the cars of BMC/Leyland? They were all junk due to constant union/management wars which sent quality plummeting. VW could bring Skoda over here and sell it as a price-leader because veedubs are over-priced and Skodas are better quality. Read What Car? magazine and learn the facts. Come on Peugeot, come Renault, come on Fiat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Now that Ford Of Europe sells a Focus diesel that delivers 75+ mpg, maybe they and other European builders will try selling them here. Is that real-world mpgs? If so, thats very impressive (outdoes Prius, I believe). I think it'd sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy82471 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 (edited) I wouldn't mind GM losing the No. 1 spot to Toyota. Their management and fans have this attitutude as if they are entitled to the No.1 spot. Edited January 2, 2008 by andy82471 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy82471 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I wouldn't mind GM losing the No. 1 spot to Toyota. Their management and fans have this attitude as if they are entitled to the No.1 spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I wouldn't mind GM losing the No. 1 spot to Toyota. Their management and fans have this attitutude as if they are entitled to the No.1 spot. Funny, because Toyota management and fans also seem to have the same idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Explorer4X4 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 All of what you listed is pure rumor. Mind you, they aren't impossible occurrences. I still deem them unlikely. Those are probable significant, important happenings in the auto industry. But I figure the most important vehicle launches are the 2008 Nissan GT-R (which truly is a game-changer), the new Chevy Camaro, Dodge's Challenger. Come to think of it, 2008 is panning out to be an excellent year for performance cars. I think the biggest news in the industry is probably going to be a merger of some kind. Seeing as the Americans are so merger-happy, I bet you anything Chrysler finds another company to latch on to and Nissan seems to be shopping around everywhere for a company. Which is a bad thing, because it seems 99% of all company merges end in disaster. Penn Central anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 My prediction, not that I want to see it happen: Toyota Corolla wins 2009 MT Car of the Year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 So many think Chinese auto will simply walk in and take over the market, as if they are the same level as Toyota. Not quite! Hyundai was supposed to be the "next Toyota", and they are not meeting lofty predictions. India is still in the 1950's.. Next emerging cheap labor region is Africa, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 My prediction, not that I want to see it happen: Toyota Corolla wins 2009 MT Car of the Year. I really wouldn't be too suprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 So many think Chinese auto will simply walk in and take over the market, as if they are the same level as Toyota. Not quite! Hyundai was supposed to be the "next Toyota", and they are not meeting lofty predictions. India is still in the 1950's.. Next emerging cheap labor region is Africa, btw. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the Chinese do when they get here within the next few years. Although with the seemingly widespread reports of Chinese safety test failures, I'm not sure how they will do. I'm interested to see what happens with the Chinese auto manufacturers in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I guess we'll have to wait and see how the Chinese do when they get here within the next few years. Although with the seemingly widespread reports of Chinese safety test failures, I'm not sure how they will do. I'm interested to see what happens with the Chinese auto manufacturers in the US. I've (probably falsely) assumed that you are a young person (early 20's). But, if you are old enough to remember the Hyundai Excel of the Mid-80s, you will remember the initial flurry of sales/accolades followed by a 10-15 year "dark ages", that Hyundai is only now climbing out of. I suspect the Chinese will ape Hyundai's experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 (edited) What will happen in 2008? The drop in sales is more serious than analysts had predicted. Chrysler is NOT sold or broken up this year, as Cerberus uses 2008 to attempt to address the company's problems. For Chrysler, 2009 will be the key year. The drop in sales cripples an old line brand - either Mercury, Pontiac or Buick - to the point that an internal decision is made to phase it out, although no official announcement will be made during 2008. Watch for rumors on sites such as this and GMInsidenews. GM's recovery is hampered by too many old, out-of-date, uncompetitive models. Their sales declines overwhelm any sales increases by the new, much improved models (Malibu, CTS, crossovers), thus continuing GM's sales and market-share slide. New models do not help Saturn, as sales continue to fall, placing the brand's future in question. The Pontiac G8 makes as much of a splash as the revived GTO of a few years ago, because people paying this much for a sedan do not want to drive a Pontiac, plus GM won't have enough money to promote it properly. The revamped Focus runs out of steam quickly. The Taurus and Taurus X continue to founder in the marketplace, as any new advertising campaign does not give the models that much of a boost. The revamped F-150 receives good reviews, but runs into the brick wall of a recession and a collapsing housing market that will really hurt the pickup market. It helps Ford hold on to its percentage of the pickup market, but sales will still decline. The Flex will be a success when it debuts, but not enough to pull Ford's bacon out of the fire. One or more of the old line "buff" books - Car & Driver, Automobile, Road & Track, Motor Trend - is either phased out or merged with another publication as circulation declines. Hyundai and Mitsubishi, desperate to remain in the American market even as their sales remain flat, will continue to increase sales to rental car companies, and thus become the newest "fleet queens." The recession and housing market collapse make people even more conservative with their money and their outlook, which will make the new Corolla a big success. Agree? Disagree? Fire away! Edited January 2, 2008 by grbeck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 The Asian manufacturers see sales decline similar to Ford, GM and Chrysler as economy slows. GM and Chrysler idle plants and increase incentives to move mounting inventory stock. Ford's inventory stocks hold steady as sales decline slightly in 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlRozzi Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Regarding sales specifically, I expect things to pick up by late summer. So I could add; Ford stuns analysts with a big uptick in sales with new Flex, F 150 and a revamped midsize lineup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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