Drew Dowdell

Last week we reported that Toyota and Suzuki are forming an alliance to share technology and small-car platforms between the two companies. The deal, however, looked great for Suzuki but with not much in it for Toyota. Today brings some clarity to the arrangement. India is currently the 4th largest new car market and is expected to leapfrog Japan to number 3 in the near future. Being such a large and growing market has outsiders clamoring to get in, but one company is already there in a big way. Suzuki's local subsidiary Maruti accounts for 46 percent of the sub-contienent's new-vehicle sales. We reported earlier that Suzuki agreed to provide Toyota with two compact vehicles to sell in India and will produce one of its SUVs in a Toyota factory in India. Toyota has taken a rather hands-off approach to the companies it buys a stake in. Subaru, Mazda, Daihatsu all enjoy relative autonomy from the Toyota juggernaut. The same remains to be seen with this tie up with Suzuki. View full article

The Fiat 500 that helped re-launch the brand in North America has been dropped from the 2020 Fiat lineup according to FCA. The 500 has lingered on with poor sales for years, selling just 1,692 copies in the first six months of 2019. Existing supplies of the Fiat 500 will sustain what demand there is for the little car for months. Continuing on, though unsure as to why, will be the 500X, 500L, and 124 Spider. Why any of those vehicles are continuing while the 500 gets the scythe is unknown... all of them sell even worse than the 500 does. The 500 first came to the US in 2011 when gas prices were in the $4.00 range in certain parts of the country. It initially enjoyed a bit of a sales rush with over 43,000 sold in 2012, the first full year on the market. That year, however, also turned out to be the best year as sales have been downhill since. We think this announcement, along with the fact that there is unlikely to be a followup to the 124 Spider, could be the beginning of the end of Fiat in the U.S..... again. View full article

A near-production prototype Bugatti Chiron on special Michelin tires has broken the 300 mph barrier in Germany at the Ehra-Lessien proving ground. Though full specs were not announced, but it is suspected to have 1,578 horsepower, carbon fiber components, taller gearing, lowered suspension, and specialized Michelin tires. The test mule received a clip on rear tail with a more aggressive diffuser. If the car makes it into production, it will hold the record as the fastest production cars. The current holder is the Koenigsegg Agera RS that maxed out at 277 mph. Just after the record setting run, Bugatti's president Stephan Winkelmann has said that the brand is done chasing speed records. He added, "From now on, we will focus on other areas". View full article

beside the point. Subjective aesthetics aside, he long criticized the XTS for being transverse engined and ignored the fact that it could send 90% of the torque to the rear wheels. Here he is praising the AMG for having a 50/50 split and is looking forward to the even more powerful AMG 45.

All quite true. At best we may see a leveling off of prices for a short while.

We needed the advancements to keep up with the rest of the world. Germany and England weren't going to sit still and not produce. We would have been at a disastrous disadvantage in WWI and WWII if we had just stayed Amish back in 1895.

Automakers are not going to start turning back to unprofitable cars (small, low priced sedans) just because people can't afford what they're producing during a recession. They'll let the used market handle those customers and just dial back on production. Ford and GM are already stashing cash away for a recession. One would assume the other companies are doing the same. If there is one coming, there has been plenty of notice for it.

We won't see cost savings on EVs until there is more standardization of components and parts sharing.

Great Fleet!! I guess I'm waiting till next spring now to get a bike.

That's pretty Amish of you..

We have a user here named @frogger

The XTS and XTS V-Sport could send 90% of the torque to the rear, but you never gave it credit for that. Just another example of you moving the goal posts around to support your favorite brand.

There are two things that make an economy when you boil it down to the basic elements. The flow of money and the flow of goods/services. Roads and cars make that flow much faster and cheaper than horse and buggy. Trains are good for long distance, but suck for the "last mile". Without the road network we have to day (and are letting crumble to bits) is why we have the economy we have today... which even in a recession is still better than 4th world economies.

Funny how years of you harping on transverse mounted engines (especially ones over 300 hp) changes into "teh best evarrr!"

Caught a GMC Sierra 1500 C3 pulling onto the highway. This was the Sierra Denali before they started making Sierra Denalis. Same color as this promo photo And for short shopping trip (7 miles each way) I spotted 4 Cadillac CT6es. Not bad for a car that supposedly doesn't sell. Yet they taunt me.

It looks like it is only related to child seats.

Your next GC is going to be on the Giorgio platform.