{"id":84,"date":"2007-12-26T10:50:11","date_gmt":"2007-12-26T16:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autoramblings.com\/blog\/?p=84"},"modified":"2007-12-26T10:50:11","modified_gmt":"2007-12-26T16:50:11","slug":"2007-the-year-in-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autoramblings.com\/blog\/?p=84","title":{"rendered":"2007 – The Year in Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Lloyd Frazier<\/p>\n

\"New<\/a> This year has been a roller coaster of a ride for the US auto industry.  To end the year, GM is looking at a major recall of about 313,000 vehicles.  The recall was the result of a faulty seal on the rear axle pinion which provides power to the wheels.  The leaky seal could lead to the drivewheel jamming up and locking while the vehicle is being driven, possibly causing the driver to lose control.  Not a great way to close the year for GM here in the states.  However, they had a banner year in China, selling over 1 million vehicles.  <\/p>\n

Daimler-Chrysler divorced the Chrysler nameplate and it was sold to a private equity firm, Cerberus, which renamed the company Chrysler, LLC.  The jury is still out as to whether Cerberus can pull Chrysler, the distant third place domestic automaker, out of its doldrums.  Cerberus says “Chrysler has ample liquidity” and “are fully funded with working capital to meet present and future needs and objectives.”  Chrysler’s revamped mini-van was supposed to be a big hit but has not pulled the numbers as was expected.  Honda’s Odyssey was the favorite family hauler for American consumers this year.  Ford and GM abandoned the mini-van market for the 2008 model year with no future plans to revive their past models.<\/p>\n

Ford is trying to make a comeback.  They hired a new CEO, Alan Mulally, in fall of 2006.  For 2007, Mulally has started to make some needed changes at Ford.  In 2008, we will see if he is really making an impact.  Ford has relied on truck sales to keep them afloat and has not seen a payback this year.  With the overhaul of GM’s light truck line, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, taking a big bite out their share of sales, as well as Toyota’s newly redesigned Tundra,  they must rely more on their other products to keep them afloat.  The F150 gets a redesign in 2009 to hopefully recoup lost sales.  Their mid-size model failure, the Five-Hundred, was re-released as the Taurus.  The Taurus was a big success for them in the past. Ford hopes to bring back former customers to their showrooms once again.<\/p>\n

Cars and Crossovers outsell Trucks and SUVs this year.  Trucks and SUVs have taken a big hit due to higher fuel costs.  American consumers are looking for more fuel sipping options which the domestics are having a hard time providing.  The rest of the world, especially Asia, is quickly filling the demand.  Toyota leads the pack with a well rounded lineup of cars and crossovers.  We will probably see Toyota take the crown as the #1 sales leader in 2008, here in the US and worldwide.<\/p>\n

Toyota is very close to making their 2007 target of 200K units sold for their newly redone Tundra.  At the beginning of December, they were at 177K units sold.  They have been throwing a pile of cash and incentives on the hood to get the job done.  They may finally overtake GM for good in 2008.  They were running neck-to-neck all of 2007 with GM keeping their crown for the year.<\/p>\n

2008 promises to be a very interesting year for the auto industry.  New manufacturers in China are set to thrust more, better quality, low-cost products on to the already  overcrowded world scene.  The domestic Big-Three have to focus on their car lineup and how to meet the demand better than they have in the past.  Reliability and fuel economy have to be their main focus for 2009 and beyond if they want to continue to be a major player in the US.  Technologies such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen will make more advancements, as well.  Stay tuned…its going to be fun to watch!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lloyd Frazier This year has been a roller coaster of a ride for the US auto industry.  To end the year, GM is looking at a major recall of about 313,000 vehicles.  The recall was the result of a faulty seal on the rear axle pinion which provides power to the wheels.  The leaky … <\/p>\n

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