William Maley

Nissan Group reports May 2018 U.S. Sales NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan Group today announced total U.S. sales for May 2018 of 131,832 units, a decrease of 4 percent compared to the previous year. Nissan highlights: Overall sales of Nissan crossovers, trucks and SUVs set a May record, up 4 percent. Sales of the Rogue crossover set a May record with sales of 38,413 units, up 18 percent. Nissan LEAF all-electric vehicle sales increased 13 percent to 1,576 units. NISSAN DIVISION MAY MAY Monthly CYTD CYTD CYTD 2018 2017 % chg 2018 2017 % chg Nissan Division Total 120,207 124,957 -3.8 574,127 609,488 -5.8 Versa 6,576 9,006 -27.0 37,939 48,403 -21.6 Sentra 18,103 18,371 -1.5 95,104 90,040 5.6 Altima 23,030 23,994 -4.0 96,836 118,242 -18.1 Maxima 3,694 5,948 -37.9 19,548 27,109 -27.9 LEAF 1,576 1,392 13.2 5,292 5,742 -7.8 Juke 72 1,278 -94.4 611 6,352 -90.4 370Z 343 447 -23.3 1,586 2,084 -23.9 GT-R 74 65 13.8 244 311 -21.5 Total Car 53,468 60,501 -11.6 257,160 298,283 -13.8 Frontier 6,938 7,756 -10.5 34,845 29,669 17.4 Titan 3,779 4,937 -23.5 19,173 20,265 -5.4 Xterra 0 0 n/a 0 1 -100.0 Pathfinder 6,119 6,457 -5.2 26,966 38,889 -30.7 Armada 2,216 2,487 -10.9 13,011 11,785 10.4 Rogue 38,413 32,533 18.1 178,198 161,340 10.4 Murano 5,881 6,409 -8.2 29,994 29,162 2.9 Quest 0 384 -100.0 2 4,419 -100.0 NV 1,702 1,769 -3.8 6,695 7,759 -13.7 NV200 1,691 1,724 -1.9 8,083 7,916 2.1 Total Truck 66,739 64,456 3.5 316,967 311,205 1.9 INFINITI MAY MAY Monthly CYTD CYTD CYTD 2018 2017 % chg 2018 2017 % chg Infiniti Total 11,625 12,514 -7.1 61,472 66,872 -8.1 Infiniti Q50 2,945 3,370 -12.6 16,526 16,379 0.9 Infiniti Q60 848 972 -12.8 4,101 5,087 -19.4 Infiniti Q70 390 459 -15.0 2,153 2,864 -24.8 Infiniti QX30 672 927 -27.5 4,158 8,667 -52.0 Infiniti QX50 1,859 1,230 51.1 7,356 6,745 9.1 Infiniti QX60 3,718 3,449 7.8 18,794 14,921 26.0 Infiniti QX70 69 683 -89.9 741 4,094 -81.9 Infiniti QX80 1,124 1,424 -21.1 7,643 8,115 -5.8 Total Car 4,183 4,801 -12.9 22,780 24,330 -6.4 Total Truck 7,442 7,713 -3.5 38,692 42,542 -9.0 NISSAN GROUP MAY MAY Monthly CYTD CYTD CYTD 2018 2017 % chg 2018 2017 % chg TOTAL VEHICLE 131,832 137,471 -4.1 635,599 676,360 -6.0 Total Car 57,651 65,302 -11.7 279,940 322,613 -13.2 Total Truck 74,181 72,169 2.8 355,659 353,747 0.5 Selling days 26 25 127 126 # # #

F-Series Up 11 Percent For Best May Results Since 2000; New Expedition Retail Sales Jump 42 Percent, While Mustang Gains 11 Percent; New Navigator Sales Post Triple-Digit Gain

FCA US Reports May 2018 Sales FCA US reports best month of retail sales since July 2005 Jeep® brand reports record May of total sales, up 29 percent Jeep Wrangler reports record May of total sales, up 26 percent Ram Light Duty retail sales rise 18 percent in May June 1, 2018 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC today reported sales of 214,294 vehicles in May 2018, an 11 percent increase compared with sales of 193,040 vehicles in May 2017. U.S. retail sales for the month rose 10 percent to 167,785, making it the highest month of retail sales since July 2005 when 219,045 vehicles were sold. It was also the best May since 2004. Retail sales accounted for 78 percent of total sales. Fleet sales accounted for 22 percent of total sales, a slight uptick from 21 percent for May 2017. Jeep® Brand Jeep brand total sales rose 29 percent to 97,287 vehicles, making it the best May in the company’s history. Driving the brand was the Jeep Wrangler as total sales rose 26 percent to 25,102 vehicles. The results marked the best May ever. Meanwhile, Jeep Compass total sales rose to 17,327 vehicles, making it the best month of sales ever. Ram Truck Brand Ram Truck brand total sales rose 2 percent to 51,884 vehicles compared with the previous year. Ram Light Duty retail sales rose 18 percent in May to 27,011 vehicles. Chrysler Brand Chrysler brand total sales declined 18 percent in May to 14,724 vehicles compared with the same month a year ago. Dodge Brand Dodge brand total sales rose 4 percent to 46,581. The Dodge Journey notched a new May record as monthly sales increased 37 percent to 10,966 vehicles. FIAT Brand Sales of Fiat declined 46 percent to 1,441 vehicles. Alfa Romeo Brand Alfa Romeo brand sales of 2,377 vehicles were up significantly compared with the same month a year ago. Giulia led the brand with 1,175 sales, followed by Stelvio at 1,183 sales.

Tomorrow will be Fiat Chrysler Automobile's final five year plan being presented under current CEO Sergio Marchionne. We reported on what is expected to be talked about yesterday in the rumor pile. Today, we have gotten a clear picture of what will be presented in the plan. Automotive News found the schedule for the five-year presentation on a company website before being taken down. The schedule features sections for Jeep, Ram, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Autonomous Driving and Connectivity, and CO2 reduction. Not listed on the schedule were Chrysler, Dodge, and Fiat. This unsurprisingly sent a number of people into a tizzy as they see this as a possible hint that these brands are going bye-bye. An FCA spokeswoman said Chrysler and Dodge will be talked about in other presentations "as appropriate." We're not sure this inspires confidence. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

President Donald Trump is no fan of German automakers. Take for instance this quote from last January, He has also made comments about BMW in the past few months in light of possible tariffs (which appear to be going into effect today). Now, new comments have been brought to light where the president wants to try and ban German cars from the U.S. German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reports that during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the U.S. in April, Trump said that he will maintain his current trade policy "until no Mercedes models rolled on Fifth Avenue in New York." This information comes from several unnamed European and U.S. diplomats. At the time of this writing, Reuters hasn't able to verify this information. As we reported last week, the Trump administration has ordered a probe into new car imports on the basis of national security. It may result in imported vehicles being hit with a 25 percent tariff. Let's suppose that President Trump somehow presents a ban on German cars, trying to get it implemented may be quite problematic .For one, not all vehicles from German automakers will fall under the ban - an example is the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is built in Austria by Magna-Steyr. German automakers also have a sizable production presence in the U.S. Germany’s auto industry association VDA said German automakers built 804,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year. One thing is for sure; automakers will be dealing with more uncertainty for some time. Source: Wirtschaftswoche, Reuters View full article

Added a quick author's note about the engine lineup.

(Author's Note: As was pointed out to me on Facebook, the diesel engine is nowhere to be seen on the consumer site or the configurator. Yet, it appears in FCA's media materials. In an email sent this afternoon, Ram Trucks spokesman Nick Cappa said the option has been dropped for 2018. This review has been updated with this new information. -WM) I’ll admit that I was a bit crazy requesting a 2018 Ram ProMaster van for review. Ever since it was introduced, I have been interested in this rebadged version of the Fiat Ducato van sold elsewhere. Unlike most vans that use a rear-wheel drive layout, the ProMaster uses a front-wheel drive one. I wanted to know if this works for a vehicle designed for work. But I also have an odd curiosity to cargo vans in general as I wondered what it would be like to drive one for a week as my daily driver. This is what I found out. Function over form best describes the design brief for the Ram ProMaster. The overall profile reminds us of an oversized dustbuster with a steeply raked and short front end and tall sides. Awkward is the kindest word to use on the ProMaster’s front end with the grille placed very low, acres of gray plastic, headlights positioned near the windshield, and a large glass area. The rest of the ProMaster’s design fits in line with other cargo vans with clean sides, split-opening rear doors, and a set of optional wheels.  The ProMaster offers a wide variety of configurations. With three weight classes, three body styles, and various roof height and length options, you’ll be able to find a van that fit your needs. Our particular tester is one of the popular configurations; a 2500 with the 159-inch wheelbase and high roof option. Getting inside the ProMaster isn’t tough thanks to wide opening front doors and steps to help you climb up. Once in, you’ll notice one of the key benefits to the ProMaster’s exterior. The large glass area not only makes the interior feel airy, it provides excellent outward visibility. This helps make maneuvering in tight spaces easier. The design is very utilitarian with a plain look and controls within easy reach of the driver and passenger. There are some clever touches such as the integrated clipboard latch on the top of the dash to hold paperwork and numerous storage spaces. Many surfaces are covered in hard plastics which will hold up to the various work demands being put upon by owners. One area that will be a major issue for drivers is the seating position. Instead of you sitting in front of the steering wheel, Ram has the wheel set up similar to a school bus or semi-truck where you sit over it. Not helping is the placement of the pedals where you step down instead of push forward. The end result is a driver being in a hunched over position. This could be somewhat alleviated if there was a tilt adjustment for the steering wheel. But Ram only offers a telescoping adjustment. The only way to get a sudo-tilt adjustment is to adjust the angle of the seat. The seats themselves are perfect for a long workday with excellent support and firm cushioning. It needs to be noted that the ProMaster only offers the bare minimum when it comes to seat adjustments such as angle and position. If you want lumbar adjustments, you need to tick that box on the option list. All ProMasters come with a 5.3-inch touchscreen with FCA’s UConnect infotainment system. Our test van came with the optional TomTom navigation system. The small screen makes it slightly difficult to look at quickly or use while on the move. We would skip the TomTom navigation system as the graphics are quite dated and it takes some time to process before providing directions. At least the base UConnect system has many of the qualities we like on the larger systems such as a simple user interface and snappy performance. Step behind the cockpit to enter the massive cargo space. Our particular ProMaster configuration boasted 420 cubic feet of space and max payload of 4,020 pounds. One of the reasons I had requested the van was to get a number of items at my parent’s house to be donated. The van was up to the task by swallowing up everything including a dining room set. The low step-in height, rear-doors that open up 260-degrees, and numerous tie-down points to keep cargo in its place were appreciated. There are two engines on offer for the ProMaster. We had the base 3.6L V6 producing 280 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. This is paired with a six-speed automatic. There is an optional a 3.0L turbodiesel inline-four with a six-speed automated manual. (No more diesel for 2018 according to FCA). The V6 engine moves the van with no issue even with a large amount of cargo. As for the automatic, it delivers smooth shifts. However, the transmission showed some slowness to change gears. We’re assuming this is due to van only having 350 miles when we took delivery. For those who need a specific setup in the cargo area such as plumbers or painters, Ram offers various uplift packages that include such items as shelving, integrated tool boxes, and dividers. The low mileage might also explain the fuel economy figure of 15.7 mpg in mostly city driving. No EPA numbers are available due to the van’s gross vehicle weight being above 8,500 pounds. It is evident that Ram’s prime consideration for the suspension was tuned to deal with heavy loads and not comfort. With the van empty, the ride quality is quite harsh with many bumps making their way inside. Fill up the van and the ride begins to smooth out somewhat. Steering takes a lot of effort as it's very slow and requires a driver to make a number of rotations to do simple turns. There is a fair amount of road and wind noise coming inside the passenger compartment. If I was to judge the ProMaster like I would with a normal passenger car or SUV, it would be towards the bottom. There is a long list of problems such as the odd driving position, the number of comfort features that are optional, slow steering, and harsh ride. But I need to look at the ProMaster in a different light since it isn’t built for people like me. It is built for people who need a vehicle that can handle holding a lot of cargo or tools, along with being on some sort of worksite for periods at a time. Then the ProMaster begins to show some bright spots. The massive cargo area with the low step-in and tie-down point make it great for deliveries or moving. Using a front-wheel drive setup doesn’t hurt the ProMaster’s capability in terms of payload, and will help the van when the weather becomes terrible like a snowstorm. Finally, the V6 engine is plenty powerful for any situation the ProMaster is in. While I found the ProMaster to be a bit much to be used a daily driver for me, I can very much see the appeal for those in the commercial market. Just be sure to try the seating position as that will be the item that will influence your decision the most. Disclaimer: Ram Trucks Provided the ProMaster 2500, Insurance, and One Tank of Gas Year: 2018 Make: Ram Trucks Model: ProMaster Cargo Trim: 2500 159" Wheelbase - High Roof Engine: 3.6L DOHC 24-Valve V6 Driveline: Six-Speed Automatic, Front-wheel Drive Horsepower @ RPM: 280 @ 6,400 Torque @ RPM: 260 @ 4,400 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - N/A Curb Weight: 4.483 lbs Location of Manufacture: N/A Base Price: $35,095 As Tested Price: $43,460 (Includes $1,395 Destination Charge) Options: Sliding Driver-Side Door without Glass - $595.00 Trailer Tow Group - $585.00 UConnect 3 Navigation with 5-inch Display - $495.00 16-inch x 6.0-inch Aluminum Wheels - $445.00 Wood Composite Floor - $445.00 Premium Appearance Group - $395.00 Interior Convenience Group - $345.00 ParkSense Rear Park-Assist System - $295.00 Rear Hinged Doors with Deep Tinted Glass - $295.00 Speed Control - $295.00 Upper and Lower Side Wall Paneling Group - $295.00 LED Cargo Areas Light Bars - $285.00 225/75R16C BSW All-Season Tires - $250.00 Driver/Passenger 6-Way Adjustable Lumbar Seats - $245.00 Power Folding/Heated Mirrors - $245.00 Security Alarm - $245.00 DOT Certified Roadside Safety Kit - $195.00 Heated Driver Seat - $195.00 Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel - $195.00 SiriusXM Sat Radio w/1-Year Subscription - $195.00 Rear Assist Handles - $150.00 Heated Passenger Seat - $145.00 Instrument Panel Bright Bezels - $95.00 12-Volt Rear Auxiliary Power Outlet - $45.00 View full article

Friday will mark the end of an era as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne will present his final five-year plan before he retires next year. Bloomberg has gotten a possible preview of what to expect from various sources. The overall plan will see FCA focus their resources on "promising niches" instead of competing against such brands as Volkswagen and Toyota in the mass-market. This is possibly seen as a possible plus if FCA was somehow able to partner/merge with another automaker. Jeep is expected to be the focal point of the new five-year plan. Currently, the brand makes up 70 percent of FCA's profits according to estimates from analysts. Marchionne wants to double the sales of brand by 2022 from 1.4 million vehicles sold last year. To do this, Jeep will expand its presence in Asia, Brazil, and Europe. The lineup will also expand with hybrid models arriving next year. Ram Trucks will also be expanded to other markets around the world. There is also talk about possibly combining Alfa Romeo and Maserati as "a single division in FCA's financial reports." Investors could see as a possible first step to a spinoff. Meanwhile, Fiat's lineup is expected to be cut down to just 500 and Panda, with sales limited to Europe, Brazil, and emerging markets. This could mean Fiat withdrawing from the U.S. and China due to poor sales. The former could be problem due to dealer contracts. There is also talk about shrinking Chrysler, though we don't know how much smaller it could get aside from just disappearing. We'll find out more details later this week. Source: Bloomberg via Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article