For some time Hyundai has been trying to decide whether to product a pickup truck. Pickups are a large percentage of the North American market, and are highly profitable for the companies with large shares of the full-size segment. But large pickups from Toyota and Nissan have barely dented the market share of the dominant Detroit companies. Could Hyundai hope… More →
Month: January 2015
A redesigned Tacoma not a moment too soon
For the past decade virtually everyone has let their compact pickups whither on the vine. Ford discontinued its once best-selling Ranger altogether. The problem: it was hard to make money on them. But GM somehow got the business case to work for a new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. If they were counting on having the market to themselves, though,… More →
New Titan: Nissan wants to sell more pickups
Nissan was the first foreign brand to offer a truly full-size pickup with the 2004 Titan. But the Titan has made even less of a dent in Detroit’s share of this highly profitable segment than Toyota has with the Tundra. But far from giving up on the segment, Nissan is doubling down with a fully redesigned 2016 Titan. The new… More →
2016 Chevrolet Volt: redesigned with more range
The Chevrolet Volt hasn’t been the breakthrough product GM had hoped it would be, at least not in consumer perceptions, where Tesla has stolen whatever fire it initially possessed. But the roughly 70,000 people who have owned one have tended to love it–the car has outstanding satisfaction scores. For the 2016 model year, GM has drawn on extensive feedback and… More →
New Design Language for Buick
After introducing the Cascada compact four-seat convertible, which has been available as an Opel in Europe for nearly two years but which won’t reach the U.S. rebadged and retuned as a Buick until this time next year, General Motors had a surprise. A large sedan concept, tagged the Avenir, indicates the design direction that will be taken with future Buicks.… More →