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Some call it robbing from the future; others note that GM is also stealing sales from other automakers, particularly, it seems, Chrysler. Either way, GM is extending zero-percent financing through January 2 "on most 2001 and 2002 Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, GMC, Chevrolet and Saturn models." Sorry, Saab buyers!
Meanwhile, GM's OnStar announced it has nearly two million customers for its high-quality auto telematics system. While OnStar is not yet profitable, it does help to sell high-end GM vehicles, and telematics are rapidly becoming a "need-to-have" feature. Lexus uses a version of OnStar, though with Lexus phone operators instead of the (in our opinion) friendly and competent GM people.
Due to complaints of Jeep Grand Cherokees shifting from park to reverse, NHTSA is stepping up its investigation of 1.8 million Jeeps made from 1993 to 1998. There are now 865 complaints, with five deaths linked to the incidents - quite a few more than the 48 complaints when the government opened its inquiry on June 28. NHTSA was able to duplicate the problem, but only by deliberately putting the shifter between park and reverse. DCX said it could not find anything wrong with the vehicle's design. Chrysler has had a mixed record in dealing with recalls, reacting swiftly to problems it perceived as real and delaying on other investigations where it felt designs to be sufficient - despite a severe public relations backlash in some cases.
Meanwhile, GM recalled 86,312 TrailBlazers / Envoys for the same problem - slipping out of park.
Editorial note: for safety, always use your parking brake - don't rely on the transmission to keep the car stopped. If your car gets hit while parked, having the brake on could also prevent damage. If your parking brake doesn't work well, have it fixed - it's not that expensive, and you may need it quite urgently if your hydraulic brakes fail.
Will there be a turbocharged Neon? What's going on with body changes at the Intrepid/Concorde plant? What's new with the "Rubicon-incapable" Jeep - which may use the 1.6 liter engine developed with Rover? Click here for details and updates.
The 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee won Petersen's 4-Wheel and Off-Road "4x4 of the Year" award. Meanwhile, the new Jeep Liberty won the Northwest Auto Writers' SUV of the Year award. We have found the both to have an unbeatable combination of reasonable price, off-road capability, and on-road refinement (in the case of the Grand Cherokee, that's with the V8).
New rumors have been posted on the new rumors 'n' rants page.
The Financial Times reported that Ford may cut up to one fifth of its United States managerial workforce, or more than 8,000 salaried employees.
Even as the world starts moving to five-speed automatics and six-speed manuals, GM is following the lead of Japanese automakers by installing continuously variable transmissions not just on the upcoming Saturn VUE but, reportedly, on other future small cars. "CVT" units are very efficient, but their construction does not allow them to transfer too much power, so they are generally only used behind relatively low-output engines.
The 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 won Four Wheeler's "Pickup Truck of the Year" award. Details to follow.
by Bill Cawthon:
Here are the preliminary results; some reporting was spotty and Suzuki did not report at all (that's why I waited until this morning to send out the results). VW's car sales are estimated based on previous month's sales of the Eurovan.
Big news is that American passenger cars outsold foreign-badged cars for the first time since last April. Is it patriotism? Is it 0% financing? Only the sales figures after the special financing expire will tell the tale. Other big news is that GM managed to reclaim an overall 31.48% market share (even when you subtract the medium trucks with which they like to inflate their sales figures).
Ford F-Series remains #1 but by the thinnest margin ever; only 628 units ahead of the Silverado/Avalanche. Ford sold 102,424 F-Series trucks, an all-time record. The full-size Chevy was right behind at 101,796 (total of 88,881 Silverados and 12,915 Avalanches). Ford is likely to keep the overall lead, however, it is over 100,000 units ahead of Chevy for the year. Dodge is still ahead of GMC. Americans still obviously prefer to buy American-badged pick-em ups; they drove 262,484 Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and GMC full-size trucks off dealer lots in October. Toyota's full-size Tundra claimed 13,281 sales, just over 5%.
The Honda Accord looks to take the top passenger car sales spot for the year. In October, it edged the #2 all-new-and-cheaper Camry by 678 sales and holds a comfortable margin Y-T-D. Of course, anything could happen. Focus edged by the Taurus to #3, but Taurus will probably hold on to its Y-T-D lead. Cavalier blew past the Corolla to take the #5 spot.
No Chrysler passenger car made the Top 20 in October. Both the VW Jetta and Passat outsold Chrysler's top-selling car, the Dodge Intrepid. So did the Cadillac DeVille. Special financing seems to have helped the mid-size Chryslers more than the Neon.
Dodge Caravan held on to the #1 spot in minivans; despite Mr. Source's concerns, the Chrysler PT Cruiser had its best month ever coming in at #3, right behind the Ford Windstar. The Town & Country was #4.
Ford Explorer remained the top SUV with a commanding 20,000 unit lead over the second-place TrailBlazer. Jeep's Grand Cherokee was #4 behind the escape. Pontiac's Aztek proved you can give the things away by using free financing to move 2,730 units, a figure not seen since the introduction of the Rendezvous.
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