Last week I attended a presentation by Michael Dunne on the impact Chinese auto makers will have in the U.S at the Detroit-based Automotive Press Assocation. A few years ago Dunne wrote American Wheels, Chinese Roads: The Story of General Motors in China, an excellent book on that topic. He has long advised auto makers on how to operate in… More →
Author: Michael
New Reliability-By-Generation Pages
We know that the amount of information TrueDelta provides can be overwhelming. To make our reliability stats easier to grasp, we’ve changed the default pages to by generation rather than by model year. With fewer ratings on the page, we can use revised, larger faces and also include photos of the cars. The by-year stats (with absolute repair frequencies rather… More →
Two new crossovers from Volkswagen: Atlas and Tiguan
For some time Volkswagen has aimed to become the world’s largest auto maker. Their weak spot has been North America, where they lag far behind Toyota and General Motors. To rectify this, Volkswagen invested heavily in a new Tennessee factory and in two sedans developed specifically for what they perceived to be North American priorities: interior roominess and low cost.… More →
2018 Kia Stinger, my thoughts. And yours?
Partly because there were far fewer new cars revealed than in past years, the Stinger emerged as the star of the 2018 Detroit auto show (NAIAS). Some designers I spoke with from other auto companies were fans. What do you think of the exterior styling? Is it good enough to make people who would otherwise be buying Audis and BMWs… More →
Will This Help Sell Buicks?
Buick offers some fine cars, but their marketing strategies suggest a combination of frustration and desperation. For most of their models Buick now offers: 1. A 1SV trim level 2. A “Sport Touring” trim level The 1SV model lacks only a few features than the next level up, but costs far less. To take the most extreme example, in terms… More →
40th Car Reliability Stats Update
Do something four times a year for ten years, and you’ll have done it 40 times. Today’s update to TrueDelta’s car reliability stats, covering through the end of June 2016, is our 40th. I can’t believe it’s really been that many. Car reliability has improved dramatically since we began. For some models (including the 2013 Toyota Tacoma) dozens of members… More →
In Reliability: New Faces, New Scales, and by Generation
People sometimes find the breadth and depth of TrueDelta’s car reliability information overwhelming. Even those that don’t often want a quick snapshot of how a model has been faring over multiple model years. For both purposes we decided to add car reliability stats by model generation. What’s a model generation? When a car model receives a significant update, it begins… More →
Coming (maybe): a record number of new or redesigned car models
Merrill Lynch just presented its 26th annual “Car Wars” study at the Detroit-based Automotive Press Association. Their analysis tries to predict which auto makers will fare best in coming years based on how much of its product line will be updated. Overall, the auto industry will be launching more new or fully redesigned models over the next four years than… More →
Fiat 124 Spider vs. Mazda MX-5 Miata Pricing
Fiat has released full pricing and features information for the new Miata-based 124 Spider roadster, and many people are surprised that they priced it very close to the Mazda. At the bottom of the ranges, the 124 Spider starts $255 higher than the MX-5 Miata, $25,990 vs. $25,735. Note, though, that the Fiat is a 2017 while the Mazda is… More →
2017 Chrysler minivan: price up about $2,000
The new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica promises to be a very good minivan. But don’t let the $29,590 starting price, $1,400 lower than the 2016 Town & Country’s, lead you to think it’s also a less expensive minivan. The base 2016 Town & Country includes about $3,600 in features that are not standard on the base 2017 Pacifica. Adjust for this,… More →