Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Cheap Gas = Trucks to outsell cars again this month]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/24/cheap-gas-trucks-to-outsell-cars-again-this-month/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/24/cheap-gas-trucks-to-outsell-cars-again-this-month/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/24/cheap-gas-trucks-to-outsell-cars-again-this-month/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's the same old story, people say one thing, yet do another. The price of fuel has fallen to the point that it's no longer financially ruinous to fill the tank on a full-size pickup, so looks like truck sales will eclipse cars in December. Despite the public's rhetoric about smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles, the populous has seemingly gone back for another feed at the truck trough. Winter tends to remind people of the things that SUVs and trucks are good for, like plowing and effortless going in inclement conditions while also carrying a passel of rugrats and their associated detritus. Not only are truck sales expected to be up, Hybrids will be the flip side of the trend, underperforming compared to what everyone might have thought a mere four months ago. It might end well for the automakers, with higher profit trucks bouncing back, though the investment in green and hybrid technology will go wasted if the marketplace ignores it, a real danger with fuel prices easing... for the time being. Hat tip to reader "Throwback"

[Source: CNN, Photo: yammeringmagpie]


Cheap Gas = Trucks to outsell cars again this month originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>energy pricesEnergyPricesfuel pricesFuelPricesgas priceGasPricesuv and trucksuv salesSuvAndTrucktruck salestrucksTruckSalesWed, 24 Dec 2008 09:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Chrysler plans to idle minivan plant in St. Louis]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/30/chrysler-plans-to-idle-minivan-plant-in-st-louis/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/30/chrysler-plans-to-idle-minivan-plant-in-st-louis/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/30/chrysler-plans-to-idle-minivan-plant-in-st-louis/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


Click above high-res gallery of the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

Now that General Motors and Ford have completely abandoned the minivan market for good, the American originator of the species faces only Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia and soon Volkswagen as manufacturers that also offer competitive choices. Perhaps you'd think that Chrysler would be benefiting as the only domestic automaker currently playing in the segment, but it seems that sales are down this year by 13 percent for the Chrysler Town and Country while the Dodge Grand Caravan is down an alarming 35 percent. High gas prices are the obvious reason why the minivan market is seeing such a harsh downward trend, and likely the culprit behind Chrysler's impending move to idle its St. Louis South minivan plant as early as December, which would leave some 1,500 employees jobless.

Utility vehicles have been the biggest gas-price casualties, and slow sales are said to be forcing the Jefferson Avenue assembly plant in Detroit where the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander are assembled and the Toledo, Ohio North assembly plant which builds the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro into extended shut-downs, as well.

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Chrysler plans to idle minivan plant in St. Louis originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chryslerchrysler town and countryChryslerTownAndCountrydodgedodge grand caravanDodgeGrandCaravanjeepjeep salesJeepSalesjefferson avenue plantJeffersonAvenuePlantminivan salesMinivanSalessouth st. louisSouthSt.Louissuv salesSuvSalestoledo north plantToledoNorthPlantMon, 30 Jun 2008 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[GM postpones redesign of trucks, SUVs]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/gm-postpones-redesign-of-trucks-suvs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/gm-postpones-redesign-of-trucks-suvs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/gm-postpones-redesign-of-trucks-suvs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



If you've been holding your breath in anticipation of General Motors redesigning its trucks and SUVs, you're probably going to pass out so start breathing again. According to reports, it's gonna be a while. GM has announced that it's postponed any planned redesigns of its pickups and SUVs to a future date sometime beyond their previously planned 2012 redesigns. What'll it do with the extra time and money? Pouring over its entire product lineup to provide the most fuel efficient vehicles possible to a demanding public. The General announced the move in response to this drastic consumer shift away from trucks and SUVs.

GM isn't the only automaker to make product decisions based on the current vehicle market, as Toyota, Honda, Ford and others have all announced that they are shifting their lineups to include more fuel efficient vehicles. If you haven't noticed, $4-a-gallon gasoline seems to have changed the auto industry in a big way overnight. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: Yahoo]

GM postpones redesign of trucks, SUVs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fuel efficiencyFuelEfficiencygeneral motorsGeneralMotorsGMsuv salesSuvSalestruck salesTruckSalesThu, 19 Jun 2008 14:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Americans CRaVe the CR-V, replaces Ford Explorer as best-selling ute in U.S.]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/13/americans-crave-the-cr-v-replaces-ford-explorer-as-best-selling/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/13/americans-crave-the-cr-v-replaces-ford-explorer-as-best-selling/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/13/americans-crave-the-cr-v-replaces-ford-explorer-as-best-selling/#commentsFiled under: , ,



It looks like the age of the traditional body-on-frame SUV is coming to a close for most mainstream customers. While there will continue to be a market for big SUVs like the Tahoe and Expedition for customers who actually need to haul or tow stuff, many customers in the high volume mid-sized segment are realizing they can get by with something a little smaller and lot more fuel efficient.

The Ford Explorer dominated SUV sales charts throughout the 1990s and into the first part of this decade with sales of 445,157 in 2000. In the last couple of years, however, Explorer sales have tanked seeing it drop from first to fourth on the sales charts. Last year ,sales dipped to 179, 229 and the freefall shows no signs of letting up. The numbers are down another twenty-three percent so far this year.

On the flipside, sales of the redesigned Honda CR-V are up forty-two percent so far this year and it has jumped to the number one spot on the chart followed by the Toyota RAV-4 and Ford Escape, with the new Ford Edge coming on strong as well. The CR-V is doing so well that Honda is having to consider how to increase volume to meet the demand. For the first time, the automaker has started importing extra units from Japan to supplement the main production facility in East Liberty Ohio. Ford has already announced plans to move the Explorer to a unit-body crossover platform, which can't happen soon enough. The only problem will be finding a place to fit into a lineup already filled with the Escape, Edge, Flex and Taurus X.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Americans CRaVe the CR-V, replaces Ford Explorer as best-selling ute in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 May 2007 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CR-Vexplorersalessuv salesSuvSalesSun, 13 May 2007 13:29:00 EST