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Jim Benjaminson wrote: "Word from Irag in today news is that coalition forces have discovered a cache of "hundreds" of antique cars in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces. Is it possible that the 1960 Plymouth XNR roadster could be among them? When last photographed in the late 1960s, the XNR was in the hands of Kuwaiti car dealer Anwar al-Mulla."
Federal fuel economy standards, meant to reduce fuel usage, have backfired over the past decade because of the differentiation between heavy-duty light trucks, which are exempt, SUVs, minivans, and pickups, which have a low target of 20.7 mpg, and standard passenger cars, which have a relatively high target of 27.5 mpg. The result has been an effort by automakers to get vehicles classified as trucks, so they could meet the lower standard, and the gradual shift of buyers from cars to SUVs, which can have more powerful, ego-inflating engines as well as, in some cases, greater cargo and interior volume. Cars with serious towing capability have disappeared and large, affordable family cars are fairly rare, as well, their places taken by minivans and SUVs. The government is now proposing, instead of a single standard of, say, 25 mpg combined - which would raise gas mileage overall while encouraging the production of more cars, and eliminating the reward for making and buying SUVs - a larger variety of standards, based on weight, which would punish lighter cars by holding them to higher standards, while rewarding heavier vehicles. Though some officials have claimed they really mean to reign in the largest, most wasteful pickups and SUVs, this seems unlikely while American manufacturers are the dominant sellers of these vehicles. (Indeed, one of the most influential arguments against the single standard is the fact that American automakers are the most heavily invested in the least-efficient vehicles, while Japanese companies sell the most cars - and the most fuel-efficient cars). We have already seen proposals to make pickup trucks completely gas-mileage-exempt, and current rules allow heavy-duty versions of pickups and SUVs (such as the Avalanche) to be exempt as well (which means not only are they excluded from CAFE, but they are also excluded from gas mileage testing - so customers cannot reliably compare the gas mileage of the various heavy duty pickups). Legislation is pending in the House and Senate, and the EPA has invited public comment, though how much of that comment will be used is hard to say. See house.gov, senate.gov, and epa.gov for details.
"Chris the Mopar Man" noted that the Dodge (Neon) SRT-4 came out tops in Car & Driver's test of various sport compacts, including both the Mazdaspeed Protege and SVT Focus, two prior favorites.
Saturn has announced a direct competitor to the Dodge SRT-4 - the Saturn Ion Red Line, with a supercharged 2.0 engine making 200 horsepower. A performance-tuned VUE Red Line is also in the works, with a supercharged 3.5 liter V6 making 250 horsepower (in other words, the same power as Dodge's naturally-aspirated 3.5). Both will be available as 2004 models, introduced at the New York Auto Show to publicize the Red Line series (designed with the General Motors Performance Division) and raise Saturn's flagging sales. The VUE is expected to have a 0-60 of 7 seconds - around that of the 300M Special Edition and PT Turbo - with towing of 3,500 pounds. There is no estimated acceleration figure for the Ion, but it will have a water-to-air intercooler and throttle-by-wire. The Vue will have a five-speed automatic, the Ion a five-speed manual. Both have other performance and trim enhancements such as a lowered suspension.
Saturn also announced a 40-mpg hybrid-electric version of the Vue, probably using technology licensed from Toyota, due for 2005.
Bill Cawthon, of just-auto.com, noted that the market share of GM and Chrysler dropped 7% each, with Ford dropping about 9%. Meanwhile, the last Oldsmobile Aurora was built, with Oldsmobile finally disappearing in 2004; and the Camry passed the Accord as the most popular passenger car. Honda sales were still up over 25%. Other major increases were posted by Kia, Subaru, Suzuki, Saab, and Infiniti. Chrysler captured 44% of the minivan market, but Ford and Toyota are going to be selling redesigned models very soon, and the Odyssey is still strong. (Bill noted that Sienna output will max at 150,000 units, so it's not likely to get the best-seller title, but can still hurt Dodge and Chrysler.)
According to the Oakland Press, DCX has announced that the replacements for the current Neon, Lancer, PT Cruiser, Galant, Eclipse, Sebring, and Stratus will be built at the same plants where they are all built now, even though they are moving onto new, shared platforms. Presumably Chrysler versions will be built in Chrysler plants, with the possible (existing) exception of coupes being made by Mitsubishi. Currently, the Neon is made in Belvedere, the PT in Toluca, the Sebring/Stratus sedan in Sterling Heights, the Sebring/Stratus Coupe and Eclipse in Normal, Illinois.
Bill Cawthon wrote:
Here are the numbers without any funny business about daily selling rates, etc. Based on the total volume of domestic-badged light vehicles (tossing out GM's motor homes, medium trucks, etc.), Chrysler and GM were almost tied.GM -- down 6.89%
Chrysler -- down 6.90%
Ford -- down 8.97%I verified these numbers by adding the reported numbers for each model line from March 2003 and comparing them to the numbers for March 2002.
(Details on Chrysler's sales were reported here yesterday).
April 1, 2003: Chrysler March sales
Chrysler Group reported sales of 201,941 units in March 2003, a three percent decline compared with March 2002, calculated on a day-rate basis. Gary Dilts, SVP-Sales, said, "We plan to continue our 'Best Values in America' message in April because it provides a point of clarity for consumers. The campaign combines our product, our warranty and incentive messages into one package that clearly offers the best car and truck values in the U.S. automotive market today."
Chrysler Group's top seller for the month was the Dodge Ram pickup truck. Dodge sold 38,931 units of the Ram in March, an increase of 14 percent compared to March 2002 when 35,457 vehicles were sold. Dodge Dakota pickup truck sales were 11,620 units, up two percent over last year, which helped drive total Dodge truck sales up six percent compared to March 2002. Minivan sales of 45,165 units were up five percent over last year. Dodge sold 29,671 Caravans, up 12 percent compared to March 2002, and Chrysler sold 13,307 Town & Country minivans, up nine percent over last year.
Jeep Liberty posted sales of 14,760 units, an increase of 22 percent compared to last year when there were 12,594 units sold. Also making sales gains was the Jeep Wrangler, with sales of 5,497 units, an increase of eight percent compared to year-earlier levels. Total Jeep brand sales were up four percent compared to March 2002.
The new Chrysler Pacifica reached showrooms in late March. Dilts commented that all indications are that this innovative new vehicle is off to a fast start in the market. "Early reaction from dealers and consumers is that Pacifica will clearly be the vehicle of choice in its segment," added Dilts.
Chrysler finished the month with 535,786 units of inventory, or a 69-day supply that is in-line with industry standards.
Details
Some vehicles had better year-to-date sales. They include the Concorde, up 25% to 10,186 units (January, February, and March); the 300M, up 7% to 8,020 units; the Wrangler and Liberty, both up 8%, to 13,227 and 37,205 units respectively; the Neon, up 3% to 32,156 units; and, most significantly, the Ram up 5% to 97,474 units, and the Caravan up 5% to 63,951 units. (Town & Country and Voyager both declined, so total minivan sales are a year to date loss of 4% - not bad considering increased competition from Kia and Honda.) The Viper also increased a bit, but with production of under 200 units per month, it won't have a huge impact. The all-important profit-center Ram is good news, especially given that the redesigned F-150 just debuted - and Ram sales went up in March!
The really big losers, percentage-wise, were the Intrepid, down year-to-date 28% to 21,666 units - still more than 300M and Concorde combined; the Sebring, down 23% to 24,940 units; the Voyager, incredibly down 52% to 5,104 units (time for that Plymouth logo to go back on?); and the Ram van, down 24%, but the end has come for that venerable vehicle. Equally worrisome, perhaps, are the declines in the PT Cruiser (down 13% to 30,754 units), Grand Cherokee (down 16% to 42,521) and Stratus (down 13% to 25,219). The Durango has also fallen.
One of the interesting things about sales figures is seeing what sells well, and what does not. Based on the past, we'd expect the Neon to be far and away the best seller, especially given its competitive advantages in space, speed, and handling. However, it has not fared that well, with about 32,000 sales in the first quarter, in a segment where Chrysler has in the past had no problem selling 200,000 units per year. But the best sellers appear to be mostly minivans and trucks, with even the Durango, not a standout in its class, pushing 25,000 units. The mighty Dodge Caravan carried 63,951 units over three months, and we suspect if Plymouth was still around we could count on the Voyager to grab another 40,000 or so. As it is, the identical Chrysler versions sold nearly 35,000 units, with the Pacifica coming up as well (with sales of 551 so far). The Liberty, which is in our opinion a class leader, sold 37,205 units, but the aging Grand Cherokee beat it with 42,521. The PT Cruiser, once seen as a mere niche vehicle and then later as a fad, managed 30,754 sales - almost as good as the Neon.
In terms of body families, the minivans sold roughly 100,000 units; the Sebring/Stratus, apparently including coupes even though they are totally unrelated to the sedans, 50,000; the about-to-be-replaced LH, about 40,000. (These are all YEAR TO DATE numbers covering three months.)
Neon 32,000 Rising PT Cruiser 30,000 Falling Sebring/Stratus sedan, coupe, conv. 50,000 Falling fast LH series 40,000 Falling Minivans 100,000 Falling Ram 97,500 Rising Dakota/Durango 53,000 Falling Following are the actual numbers, provided by Bill Cawthon, and presumably released by Chrysler itself.
Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR % Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Sebring 10,525 13,302 -18% 24,940 32,828 -23% Concorde 2,718 2,683 5% 10,186 8,270 25% 300M 2,452 2,930 -13% 8,020 7,601 7% LHS 0 88 -100% 0 309 -100% Prowler 200 200 4% 257 535 0% CHRYSLER CAR 15,895 19,203 -14% 43,403 49,543 -11% PT Cruiser 11,054 14,015 -18% 30,754 35,671 -13% Pacifica 551 0 0% 551 0 0% Voyager 2,187 4,528 -50% 5,104 10,751 -52% Town & Country 13,307 12,703 9% 29,665 31,806 -5% CHRYSLER TRUCK 27,099 31,246 -10% 66,074 78,228 -14% CHRYSLER BRAND 42,994 50,449 -11% 109,477 127,771 -13% Wrangler 5,497 5,263 8% 13,227 12,387 8% Liberty 14,760 12,594 22% 37,205 34,880 8% Grand Cherokee 17,965 20,175 -8% 42,521 51,307 -16% JEEP BRAND 38,222 38,032 4% 92,953 98,574 -4% CP CAR 15,895 19,367 -15% 43,403 49,923 -12% CPJ TRUCK 65,321 69,278 -2% 159,027 176,802 -9% CPJ DIVISION 81,216 88,645 -5% 202,430 226,725 -10% Neon 11,324 11,795 0% 32,156 31,588 3% Stratus 10,060 12,378 -16% 25,219 29,501 -13% Intrepid 7,448 14,372 -46% 21,666 30,575 -28% Viper 143 158 -6% 589 369 62% DODGE CAR 28,975 38,703 -22% 79,630 92,033 -12% Dakota 11,620 11,825 2% 27,980 29,882 -5% Ram P/U 38,931 35,457 14% 97,474 93,729 5% Caravan 29,671 27,427 12% 63,951 61,768 5% Durango 9,586 10,865 -8% 25,088 27,154 -6% Ram Wagon 0 1,597 -100% 0 3,949 -100% Ram Van 1,942 2,639 -24% 5,224 6,959 -24% DODGE TRUCK 91,750 89,810 6% 219,717 223,441 0% DODGE DIVISION 120,725 128,513 -2% 299,347 315,474 -4% TOTAL CAR 44,870 58,070 -20% 123,033 141,956 -12% TOTAL TRUCK 157,071 159,088 3% 378,744 400,243 -4% TOTAL CAR & TRUCK 201,941 217,158 -3% 501,777 542,199 -6% Total Minivan 45,165 44,658 5% 98,720 104,325 -4% Total Sport Utility 47,808 48,897 2% 118,041 125,728 -5% Selling Days 26 27 75 76
March 31, 2003: Zetsche wins award
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, President and CEO of the Chrysler Group, has been named World Trader of the Year by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. The award is presented annually to an individual or company that has demonstrated exceptional involvement and made significant contributions in the promotion of international trade in Southeast Michigan. (From thecarconnection.com)
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