The best-selling car in Japan is about to change as government subsidies on hybrid cars has lead to a drop off in sales of the Toyota Prius. Analysts expect the Honda Fit to take the top spot. Prius sales began to dip in September after the government subsidy program ended, but Fit sales remained strong, buttressed by the introduction...
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Nissan has traditionally played second fiddle to Honda in terms of sales figures, but the company’s strong numbers in China, combined with Honda’s declining fortunes have helped Nissan surpass Honda. Nissan moved 4.08 million units in 2010, with Honda only pushing 3.56 million. Although Honda’s sales were up by 5 percent, it did little to...
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With 200 of Lincoln‘s 1200 dealers staring down a possible termination of their franchise, an upcoming dealer meeting will provide little comfort to retailers of Ford’s luxury brand, as the Blue Oval will not share upcoming product details with Lincoln’s sales force. Even though Ford is aggressively targeting Lincoln dealers with a demand for a...
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Volkswagen broke ground on a new engine plant in Puebla, Mexico, which is expected to come online in 2013. The $550 million plant is expected to supply engines to vehicles built at Volkswagen facilities in Mexico and Chattanooga, Tennesse. An estimated 700 jobs will be created at the plant, along with auxiliary jobs for parts suppliers....
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Following the lead of General Motors, Honda and Nissan, Volkswagen is looking into creating a sub-brand for the Chinese market, which would sell ultra-affordable compact cars in the world’s biggest auto market. “A local brand is our opportunity to participate in segments where Volkswagen is not represented yet,” said Volkswagen China’s CEO Wolfgang Neumann, in...
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Mitsubishi‘s American plant will transition from making less-than-thrilling cars like the Eclipse and Endeavor SUV to producing vehicles for the global market. The transition will occur in 2014 as part of its new business plan. The vehicles will share a common platform with the Lancer compact car and Outlander crossover. Along with the Eclipse and...
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Kia‘s Rondo small minivan and Borrego SUV have been dumped from the U.S. lineup, ostensibly after slow sales forced Kia to cease importation. Although originally reported by Automotive News, Kia declined to comment on the matter. The Borrego was never a strong seller in the U.S., although the large SUV, along with the Rondo small...
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Surging demand and ambitious sales targets are causing BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz to expand factories in Europe and North America to simply keep up with production obligations. China and America are leading the resurgence for the German automakers, with Audi planning to roll out 13 new or upgraded models in 2011 alone, in the hopes...
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Hyundai was able to achieve a 45 percent market share in South Korea in 2010, falling well below its target of 52 percent. Luckily, the failure to meet the target thanks to phenomenal growth from the Kia brand, owned by Hyundai and Kia’s new Optima and Sportage. For 2011, Hyundai is targeting a more modest...
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We’ll spare you the awful cliches about failing to learn from the past and get right to the point. “Emerging markets” like China and India are all the rage right now for profit-hungry car makers, but the same problems of too much supply and weakened demand could spell doom for OEMs if a similar situation...
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From recalls to unintended acceleration to lawsuits, 2010 was not a good year for Toyota. The seemingly infallible automaker had its reputation for quality and reliability shattered forever – but that didn’t stop the brand from coming out as the sales leader in a few categories. Yet again, the Camry was America’s best selling passenger...
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For the first time in 25 years, the Chevrolet Camaro has outsold the Ford Mustang, beating the Blue Oval’s pony car by roughly 8,000 units, with 81,371 Camaros sold. More surprising is that the Camaro managed to unseat the Mustang despite the lack of a convertible version. A droptop Camaro won’t bow untill mid-2011. Despite...
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After a dismal 2009 , American automakers look set to gain market share in 2010, despite fewer brands, a drastically reduced dealer network. The last time the Big 3 gained market share was in 1995. The strong profitability of the domestic automakers has been linked to lower manufacturing costs, a reduced debt load and careful...
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Toyota is projecting sales of 8 million units in 2012, according to parts suppliers who have been briefed by the auto maker. The projections do not include units sold by Toyota subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino. The last time Toyota sold such a volume was in 2007, when the company moved 8.42 million vehicles. Toyota expects...
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It’s official, the economic recovery is complete. Don’t believe us? Just ask the folks at Maserati, who were able to sell every single GranTurismo Convertible that landed States-side in 2010. In total, Maserati shifted 1,717 units this year, which included 558 units of this gorgeous convertible. The GranCabrio – as most of you will know,...
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Analysts at Goldman Sachs’ Japanese arm have a dim forecast for Toyota, projecting an operating loss through the 2013 fiscal year, with Goldman predicting continued sales downturns in the United States, Europe and Japan, which comprise Toyota’s three biggest markets. Toyota sales, hammered hard by recalls earlier in 2010, are not projected to keep pace...
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Hyundai is celebrating its first ever year in which it sold 500,000 vehicles, with the Sonata leading the charge, moving over 183,000 units. The Elantra and Santa Fe were second and third, respectively. The company’s previous record was 467,009 units in 2007, but Hyundai expects to sell about 537,000 units this year. The record year...
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For all the hype surrounding Ford‘s Fiesta subcompact, which is capable of hitting 40 mpg, it looks like subcompacts, especially those than can hit the vaunted number, aren’t selling all that well in the USA. Even though gas prices will almost certainly hit $3 a gallon, customers are still gravitating towards compact cars, according to...
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Honda is cutting the base price of its slow-selling Insight hybrid by $1,600, and offering a base model that retails for $18,950, putting it $4,610 below the cheapest Toyota Prius. Honda achieved the price cut by removing features like Bluetooth connectivity and a GPS navigation system, while using cheaper seat fabric and a two speaker...
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Carlos Ghosn, head of Renault-Nissan, offered a series of very optimistic forecasts regarding electric vehicles during a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, while stating bluntly “There are customers who want really zero emission cars.” Ghosn predicted that 10 percent of auto sales in the year 2020 will be comprised of zero emissions vehicles, and Nissan...
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Mazda‘s CEO is hoping to double American sales to 400,000 units within the next 5 years, thanks to new fuel-saving technology known as SkyActiv, as well as a push upmarket. The new SkyActiv gasoline and diesel engines, as well as weight saving technology, will help Mazda position their cars at a more premium price point....
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Lexus and Mercedes-Benz have been neck and neck in the luxury car sales race in the United States, and the high stakes means that Lexus may resort to laying down cash incentives to help capture the number one spot. After Mercedes bested Lexus by 3,000 units in September, reports are emerging that Lexus will offer...
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Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, has a problem; too many dealers hocking not enough product. While recent Lincoln’s have been well received by critics, it’s not necessarily translating into sales. Lincoln moved 83,000 cars last year, while class leader Lexus sold about 216,000 – a pretty substantial gulf. And while Lexus only has 230 dealerships in the United...
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Volkswagen‘s Passat will disappear after the 2010 model year to make way for the upcoming New Midsize Sedan (NMS) that is positioned against the Toyota Camry rather than continue with the Passat’s European-derived engineering. The Passat always developed a cult following among a certain group of buyers,, but never developed widespread acceptance among mid-size buyers....
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