truth about domestics

Even though the two companies are not in bankruptcy, nor have they filed for bankruptcy, it sounds like the mere thought of it is enough to scare buyers away. A CNW Research survey gathered responses from over 40,000 consumers who said that they intend on buying a new vehicle. The research shows that the number of people whose primary choice would have been one of GM’s brands dropped by 12% and by nearly 33% for those whose choice would have been a Chrysler vehicle.

Ford, who has not requested any government support, has seen an increase of 12% of consumers who would consider a Ford vehicle as their first choice. Honda saw a 13% increase, and Hyundai and Kia saw the largest increases of 59% and 50%, respectively.

Granted, part of the reason GM and Chrysler are not doing as well is probably because of their greatly reduced advertising budgets. More likely than not though, the entire bankruptcy situation is having a much larger affect on the two Detroit automakers than some people choose to realize.

Read the full article at Reuters.

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

There has been speculation that two important new Cadillac models are on hold – or even cancelled.  Cadillac’s product communications manager, David Caldwell, has indicated that this is not true.  The 2010 CTS Sport Wagon is one of those models that is scheduled to come out this summer.  Built on the same wheelbase as the sedan, the Sport Wagon is scheduled to arrive at dealerships in late May/early June.

The CTS Coupe is reportedly still on track as well, but most likely it won’t be launching until next year so that GM can launch the new 2010 SRX replacement, as it needs to be a hit vehicle for Cadillac.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

Visteon coming down (Brighton Sign)

According to a new study by consulting firm A.T. Kearney, more than half of all current automotive suppliers are at risk of going into bankruptcy protection in 2009, resulting in at least 1 million job loses.  The most optimistic scenario would have 35% of all suppliers going under, while some put that number as high as 70%!  Head on over to Autoblog for the full story.

Autoblog just put up an awesome review of the new 2010 Mustang GT. The review is great and the pictures of the car are awesome, so go check it out here: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/18/review-2010-ford-mustang-gt/

I think I may have discovered my next car…

Check out AmericanMuscle.com and their large selection of
Mustang Emblems.

2010 Buick LaCrosse (GM)

That’s right!  Buick, an AMERICAN brand, has managed to knock Lexus from the top of the J.D. Power 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study!  Buick has managed to get it’s quality down to just 122 repairs per 100 vehicles, knocking Lexus out of first place at 126 repairs per 100 vehicles.  In fact, a large number of the domestic brands did fairly well.  Mercury, Lincoln, Cadillac, Ford, and Chrysler all scored above the industry average.  Brands like Chevrolet, Saturn, Jeep, Pontiac, and Hummer beat out brands like Scion, Mazda and Volkswagen, brands people typically associate with good quality.  This is good news for the Domestic automakers, as they continue to push ahead with quality improvements, in the hope that they can shake their reputations for building sub-par vehicles.  For the full story, head on over to Autoblog.

Chevrolet Camaro convertible

A picture has surfaced of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro in convertible guise outside of the Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant where the coupes are being built.  Head on over to GMInsideNews for more on the story.

Hopefully GM survives long enough to put this car into production, as I think it looks almost as good as the coupe does.  This would really give the Mustang convertible a run for it’s money.  I’m glad I’m not alone in thinking that it’s a good thing the Muscle car wars are back on!

2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (Chrysler)

Many people out there are against vehicles like this.  The 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is actually a pretty incredible vehicle.  It’s fast, handles well, has room for 5 plus their stuff, but still they question: why do you need a go fast SUV?  Well, Autoblog set out to answer that question (and several others) in their week long review of the vehicle.  Surprisingly, even when rated at 13 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, the staff was impressed with the vehicle.  I also happen to like the styling of the truck with the SRT wheels, body modifications and Brembo brakes, plus, who wouldn’t like a 420 hp engine in their car.  For the full review, head on over to Autoblog.

Camaro assembly (Autoblog)

General Motors released a 3D video of the new Camaro being assembled in white space.  It’s actually pretty neat to see, and it looks like it might be used as a commercial someday, as there are blips on the screen listing off features of the car.  Head on over to Jalopnik for the full story.

There will be a lot more posted on the Camaro today, as news just seems to be pouring out onto the web.  Not that I mind, as I happen to love the car and am glad it’s finally hitting the road!

2009 Toyota Tundra (Toyota)

Music to my ears.  What’s that you say?  Toyota residual values drop more than competition?  That’s impossible!  How could this happen!???  Their cars never need an oil change, get 159 miles per gallon and produce only water and sunshine from their exhaust pipes!  OK, time to be serious.  The general market conditions are making new car residual values fall because people are not purchasing cars and trucks like they used to.  Follow me so far?  This has caused the domestic and foreign automakers to see their residual values drop over the past year.  Toyota lost 4% of it’s residual value as a whole, while the Tundra alone dropped almost 15%!

Not only is the market to blame, but some critics suggest that awareness of Toyota’s recent quality mishaps is growing.  Maybe this means that people are finally starting to see that the Domestic 3 produce cars with quality levels at or near their foreign competition.  For the full story, head on over to Autoblog.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS (GM)

There you have it ladies and gentlemen.  The Camaro SS has been taken to the ‘Ring and it’s time comes in at 8 minutes 19 seconds.  Head on over to Jalopnik for a comparison to other GM performance vehicles, like the Pontiac G8 GXP, Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR1.

While this is an impressive number, it is by no means the fastest car on the track.  Not to mention the times are given by the manufacturers, so they should always be taken with a grain of salt.