No More Cars At Buick For The U.S.

WOW...that is unusual.. every stinking XLE i had ever seen had a sun roof. and the V-6.....

 

i have the Galactic aqua mica....

basically, dark blue with metallic flakes that make the car look like there are green waves when the sun hits it...

it was either that one or the other blue one, i think it was the blue streak in fact...

 

I haven't heard directly, but I suspect this has to do with the CAFE laws. Vehicles classified as "cars" have to meet one standard and vehicles classified as "trucks" are subject to another.

The PT Cruiser for example is a truck, go figure.

Anyway Obama's EPA wanted mileage for cars to be somewhere up over 50mpg by 2025 or something. Which was almost impossible for anything with more than 4 cylinders without going hybrid. Cars take about a decade to develop so it caused some crash engineering projects. BMW's new turbo 4s (over complicated and expensive, reliability questionable) Nissan's CVTs, (unpopular, confused people that don't understand how it works) Chrysler's 9 speed transmissions. (Just gear the #### out of it! And hope it makes it past warranty) and Toyota's Hybrid all the things!

I'm not sure if the regs have been relaxed but we've got some overpriced, over complicated #### coming into dealerships over the next few years and they look like they will be terrifying out of warranty. $5000 for a replacement Prius battery, $4000 engine repairs on German cars, infotainment systems tied into engine management on domestics. It's a nightmare.

So it looks like the domestics are going to toss all the unprofitable sedans because there's always been more of a markup with SUVs. (Of course it was even better when they'd take a $12k pickup truck, slap a rear seat and leather onto it and charge $40k! I don't think purpouse built CUVs are as profitable, but they do have the "it's a truck, so we don't have to get 50mpg" loophole.)

Chrysler is going to keep selling 300s, Chargers and Challengers because Fiat stole all their R&D money. When that platform stops selling? Chrysler is done. Fiats are already played out too, and Alfa was an ego trip for an executive who died recently. So that's all she wrote for Chrysler.

Ford is F-150 and Mustang. Nothing else matters. Bill Ford isn't a car guy and his royalty checks keep him comfortable, so he'll keep hiring and firing CEOs until he dies. Long term strategy? Hah.

GM bent over backwards to appease China. The new Caddys are underwhelming, (I hear the Escalade will be hot though) Corvette was launched with a strike. Chevy doesn't matter to 90% of the car buyers, and nobody looks at Buick.

Nissan is having trouble in the boardroom.

Honda is getting its mojo back.
Toyota wants to get more street cred.
Mitsubishi is,,,, well we can work out SOME sort of payment plan.
Mazda is in its own little world (God love em)

Hyundai/Kia/Genesis is trying to be taken seriously. (And you should! They're on fire!)

And ze Germans vil still separate ze juppys fromz zer moniez!