Well, the holiday season is officially upon us. This is the time of year when people are thinking about travel plans, trendy gifts and dropping temperatures. One thing noticeably off that list is the purchase of a new (or used) vehicle, even with all of the fanfare for end of year and holiday sales events. There is just too much else going on to think about dealing with the typical automotive purchase, which inevitably brings to close a year that a sports team might consider a “rebuilding” one. That’s just the way it is.
A quick scan of daily industry news turns up several items that really shouldn’t shock anyone and serve as a fairly appropriate snapshot of the entire year. Ford is recalling 1.2 million vehicles, and trucks no less, a diesel from VW is running circles around the Prius and the House of Representatives has approved an energy bill destined not for the president’s desk, but rather the oval bin underneath it.
So what’s new?
Rather than just dwell on the low sales volumes or other negatives, we should be looking at the bright spots in the industry, no matter how difficult they may seem to find. After all, this was a pretty incredible year one way or another. Each of the domestics had their own victories in a successful divorce (Chrysler), and major about face (Ford, which lost $12.6 billion in 2006 and has earned +$90 million so far this year) and GM, that has been receiving pretty good reviews on new vehicles. Never mind that pesky $39 billion dollar 3rd quarter tax charge, the company has signed a new labor agreement as well, which really could pave the way to a brighter future.
Across the pond, Porsche has clubbed its date (VW/Audi) over the head and is dragging her back to the cave, while BMW has raised the bar once again with the industry best new 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz is quickly climbing back up the reliability ratings. Similar things can be said with most of the other brands, meaning pretty much wherever you look, there is a silver lining.
And even though we have seen enormous change, some things just tend to stay the same.
MotorTrend car of the Year: Toyota Camry
Bring on 2008!
Nice your comment.I agree you.Keep rolling on it.
Posted by: used cars | January 31, 2010 at 12:59 AM