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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    I hope the crossover coupes get the ax... but I doubt all of them will.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    The data is that it isn't good to put all your eggs in one basket. 2024 is almost the end of the next presidential term, so who knows what can happen between now and then. Chevy having 0 conventional sedans in 2025 doesn't sound like a good position to be in... especially since the Accord and Camry are likely to still be here.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    It hasn't even been officially unveiled yet, but the Porsche Taycan has already secured more than 30,000 pre-orders, 10,000 more than the initial estimates. Porsche initially set production at 20,000 per year but later raised it to 40,000 per year. The extra €2,500 deposits support this raise in production. Porsche has been recruiting for 1,500 new positions to support the manufacturing process. If Porsche does sell 40,000 Taycans in the first year, it will eclipse Porsche's famous 911 in sales. The Taycan is Porsche's EV rival to the Tesla Model S. Porsche is installing fast chargers at all of its dealerships in the U.S. and Europe that can add 62 miles of range in just 4 minutes. The Taycan's total range is around 310 miles. In addition, the first 3 years of charging will be free at Electrify America charging stations. The Taycan's starting price is expected to be arount $90,000. View full article
  4. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Porsche Taycan Pre-Orders Top 30,000"
    It hasn't even been officially unveiled yet, but the Porsche Taycan has already secured more than 30,000 pre-orders, 10,000 more than the initial estimates. Porsche initially set production at 20,000 per year but later raised it to 40,000 per year. The extra €2,500 deposits support this raise in production. Porsche has been recruiting for 1,500 new positions to support the manufacturing process. If Porsche does sell 40,000 Taycans in the first year, it will eclipse Porsche's famous 911 in sales. The Taycan is Porsche's EV rival to the Tesla Model S. Porsche is installing fast chargers at all of its dealerships in the U.S. and Europe that can add 62 miles of range in just 4 minutes. The Taycan's total range is around 310 miles. In addition, the first 3 years of charging will be free at Electrify America charging stations. The Taycan's starting price is expected to be arount $90,000.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Cycles of boom and bust I would imagine.....
  6. Drew Dowdell
    Cutting models from lineups seems to be the order of the day lately. Automakers like Nissan, General Motors, and Mercedes Benz, are in the process of hatcheting the heck out their lineups. Now comes the news from BMW. BMW has been struggling to make money on vehicles less than €40,000, due to fears of another global recession, a marked slowdown in the automotive sector, and Trump inspired trade wars, BMW is looking to cull options and models from their lineup. Gone will be many convertible variants, including the next Z4, the 2-series, 8-series (coupe and convertible). Also pushing up the daisies will be the 7-series standard wheelbase (Not offered in the US), the 1-series 3-door, the 2-series Gran Tourer, and 3-series GT. Even the BMW X2 could get the scythe. On the electric front, the i3 and i8 will be phased out due to their use of expensive carbon fiber, in place they will get much more conventional EV replacements, including a fully electric X3. As far as Mini goes, Mini's future development is being handled by Great Wall Motors for the Mini three-door and 5-door. The Countryman is based on the X1. Mini's future is shaky as the brand continues to fail to bring up its sales numbers. It also has a great number of variants for a small brand, so expect to see some of those reduced. It seems no brand is safe from the global automotive pull back. View full article
  7. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "BMW Planning Model Lineup Cuts"
    Cutting models from lineups seems to be the order of the day lately. Automakers like Nissan, General Motors, and Mercedes Benz, are in the process of hatcheting the heck out their lineups. Now comes the news from BMW. BMW has been struggling to make money on vehicles less than €40,000, due to fears of another global recession, a marked slowdown in the automotive sector, and Trump inspired trade wars, BMW is looking to cull options and models from their lineup. Gone will be many convertible variants, including the next Z4, the 2-series, 8-series (coupe and convertible). Also pushing up the daisies will be the 7-series standard wheelbase (Not offered in the US), the 1-series 3-door, the 2-series Gran Tourer, and 3-series GT. Even the BMW X2 could get the scythe. On the electric front, the i3 and i8 will be phased out due to their use of expensive carbon fiber, in place they will get much more conventional EV replacements, including a fully electric X3. As far as Mini goes, Mini's future development is being handled by Great Wall Motors for the Mini three-door and 5-door. The Countryman is based on the X1. Mini's future is shaky as the brand continues to fail to bring up its sales numbers. It also has a great number of variants for a small brand, so expect to see some of those reduced. It seems no brand is safe from the global automotive pull back.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    For 2019, the most well equipped Honda Pilot you could buy was the Elite trim. That level of Pilot brought on extra trimmings like panoramic roof, standard All-Wheel drive with variable torque management, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated 2nd row, and other trappings. For 2020, Honda is building on that trim and elevating it higher with the Black Edition. Based on the Elite trim, the Black Edition comes exclusively in Crystal Black Pearl Paint, black painted 20-inch alloy wheels, and blackout treatments that remove the exterior chrome trim. Inside, there is a red accent to the perforated front and second row seating surfaces along with red accent stitching. The Black Edition trim starts at $49,620, a $1500 increase over an equivalent Elite trim. After a destination charge of $1,095, you'll be paying over $50k for a Pilot. That's pricey, but a Chevrolet Traverse High Country will run you $54k and a Ford Explorer Platinum will easily touch $60k. The most direct price competitors would be the new Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, which come in a couple thousand less than the Honda Pilot Black Edition. In addition to the new trim, the price of the Pilot goes up by $100 for front-wheel drive trims and $200 for all-wheel drive trims. The 2020 Pilot begins arriving in dealerships today. View full article
  9. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "New Black Edition Trim Tops the Honda Pilot Line"
    For 2019, the most well equipped Honda Pilot you could buy was the Elite trim. That level of Pilot brought on extra trimmings like panoramic roof, standard All-Wheel drive with variable torque management, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated 2nd row, and other trappings. For 2020, Honda is building on that trim and elevating it higher with the Black Edition. Based on the Elite trim, the Black Edition comes exclusively in Crystal Black Pearl Paint, black painted 20-inch alloy wheels, and blackout treatments that remove the exterior chrome trim. Inside, there is a red accent to the perforated front and second row seating surfaces along with red accent stitching. The Black Edition trim starts at $49,620, a $1500 increase over an equivalent Elite trim. After a destination charge of $1,095, you'll be paying over $50k for a Pilot. That's pricey, but a Chevrolet Traverse High Country will run you $54k and a Ford Explorer Platinum will easily touch $60k. The most direct price competitors would be the new Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, which come in a couple thousand less than the Honda Pilot Black Edition. In addition to the new trim, the price of the Pilot goes up by $100 for front-wheel drive trims and $200 for all-wheel drive trims. The 2020 Pilot begins arriving in dealerships today.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Every single car will have some sort of electrification in the medium term future. Most, if not all, new platforms coming out are set up with electrification in mind. Even if it is as simple as the Ram eTorque setup.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    They're not cutting the Encore. They sell more Encores in China than they sell Buicks in the US. And it's on an inexpensive platform.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Leaf is sold globally, Titan is not.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Juke is already dead in the US, but not overseas. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sentra go.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Guys...
  15. Drew Dowdell
    There's one disadvantage to being partially owned by the French, they know how to cut things off when they need to. We reported last week that due to lagging sales and plunging profits, Nissan was readying to layoff 12,500 employees globally, or 9% of their global workforce. It seems that other cuts are on the way as well, though we may not see as much of it here in the U.S. Along with the 9% cut in jobs will be around 10% of its global lineup as well. First to go will be the low-end models in developing markets like India. Their overseas brand Datsun could see the bulk of the cuts, but the US will lose models as well. Expect coupes and hatchbacks to be the first to go, the Versa hatchback for example will not be returning for 2020, replaced by the more crossover-like Kicks. Which coupe might die? The Nissan 370Z, the Nissan GT-R, and the Infiniti Q60 are prime targets. Deliveries of the Infiniti Q60 are down 48.8% as of June. In Sedan-Land, the Maxima fell 30% and the Altima, which is all-new, is down 12.1%. But it isn't just cars that could get kicked to the curb. The Nissan Titan sales are down 22.6%, selling a mere 18,026 copies in the first half of this year. This trails even the slow selling Toyota Tundra by some 36,000 units. The Murano is down 33% year to date. So if you're wondering which models may have their head in the Guillotine, take a look at our Sales Figure Ticker for Nissan for June and put a big red question mark on them. View full article
  16. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Nissan Readies the Guillotine for its Model Lineup"
    There's one disadvantage to being partially owned by the French, they know how to cut things off when they need to. We reported last week that due to lagging sales and plunging profits, Nissan was readying to layoff 12,500 employees globally, or 9% of their global workforce. It seems that other cuts are on the way as well, though we may not see as much of it here in the U.S. Along with the 9% cut in jobs will be around 10% of its global lineup as well. First to go will be the low-end models in developing markets like India. Their overseas brand Datsun could see the bulk of the cuts, but the US will lose models as well. Expect coupes and hatchbacks to be the first to go, the Versa hatchback for example will not be returning for 2020, replaced by the more crossover-like Kicks. Which coupe might die? The Nissan 370Z, the Nissan GT-R, and the Infiniti Q60 are prime targets. Deliveries of the Infiniti Q60 are down 48.8% as of June. In Sedan-Land, the Maxima fell 30% and the Altima, which is all-new, is down 12.1%. But it isn't just cars that could get kicked to the curb. The Nissan Titan sales are down 22.6%, selling a mere 18,026 copies in the first half of this year. This trails even the slow selling Toyota Tundra by some 36,000 units. The Murano is down 33% year to date. So if you're wondering which models may have their head in the Guillotine, take a look at our Sales Figure Ticker for Nissan for June and put a big red question mark on them.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    by the time the SUV/CUV fad fades, the market will have shifted more to EVs and autonomous vehicles... and who know what those will look like. Rolling toasters probably.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    I forget where I read it, but the C8 was built with electrification in mind.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    When the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette debuted a week and a half ago, there was some speculation that buyers might not go for it because of its mid-engine design or its outworldly styling. Well the nay-sayers might just have to start cooking up their crow. According to Michael Simcoe, GM's Design Chief, the orders have nearly hit the first year of production numbers. "It's nearly sold out. It's so close that it's bound to be sold out soon." Simcoe said. Now the caveat is that Simcoe has not revealed what the planned production numbers will be, so we have no idea if it will sell at a higher or lower rate than the C7 Corvette. The 2020 Corvette Stingray comes with a mid-mounted LT2 V8 making an SAE certified 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque when equipped with an optional exhaust. In Z51 form, the car can hit 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. Pricing will start under $60,000. View full article
  20. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Corvette C8 Almost Sold Out Already"
    When the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette debuted a week and a half ago, there was some speculation that buyers might not go for it because of its mid-engine design or its outworldly styling. Well the nay-sayers might just have to start cooking up their crow. According to Michael Simcoe, GM's Design Chief, the orders have nearly hit the first year of production numbers. "It's nearly sold out. It's so close that it's bound to be sold out soon." Simcoe said. Now the caveat is that Simcoe has not revealed what the planned production numbers will be, so we have no idea if it will sell at a higher or lower rate than the C7 Corvette. The 2020 Corvette Stingray comes with a mid-mounted LT2 V8 making an SAE certified 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque when equipped with an optional exhaust. In Z51 form, the car can hit 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. Pricing will start under $60,000.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Ford also priced their F-150 diesels too high for people to make the jump. I think GM did the right thing by keeping the diesel upgrade cost low.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    The Chevrolet Malibu will follow the likes to the Ford Fusion and Chrysler 200 by following them into that great nameplate junkyard in the sky after 2024 according to a report by Automotive News. There is a possibility of an electric successor to the Malibu, but nothing is certain at this point. An electric replacement would fit with GM's timeline to build 20 new EVs by 2023. Before the ax falls in 2024, the Malibu could get one last face lift for the 2022 model year to help it through the final stages before retirement. The Malibu is built in the Fairfax KS plant where the Cadillac XT4 is built. This follows on reports that the Chevrolet Camaro will also die in 2023. Other cars that are up for the chopping block are the Sonic after 2020 and the Spark after 2021. The Bolt and Equinox will get a freshening next year. With the Impala, Cruze, and Volt already dead, these changes will leave the Chevy brand without any sedans after 2024. With the Buick Regal also possibly canceled once the contract with PSA runs out, it may be that the only sedans available from General Motors will be from Cadillac. View full article
  23. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Chevy Malibu to die after 2024"
    The Chevrolet Malibu will follow the likes to the Ford Fusion and Chrysler 200 by following them into that great nameplate junkyard in the sky after 2024 according to a report by Automotive News. There is a possibility of an electric successor to the Malibu, but nothing is certain at this point. An electric replacement would fit with GM's timeline to build 20 new EVs by 2023. Before the ax falls in 2024, the Malibu could get one last face lift for the 2022 model year to help it through the final stages before retirement. The Malibu is built in the Fairfax KS plant where the Cadillac XT4 is built. This follows on reports that the Chevrolet Camaro will also die in 2023. Other cars that are up for the chopping block are the Sonic after 2020 and the Spark after 2021. The Bolt and Equinox will get a freshening next year. With the Impala, Cruze, and Volt already dead, these changes will leave the Chevy brand without any sedans after 2024. With the Buick Regal also possibly canceled once the contract with PSA runs out, it may be that the only sedans available from General Motors will be from Cadillac.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    He'll do an SUV, but not if it looks too much like a wagon... so Flex but Explorer It doesn't make sense to me either...
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Some sort of Quill drive?
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