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Good lord, I hope the the crossover coupes get the axe. I have such an irrational hatred for those things.

Yup although surely he wasn’t talking about Daimler. They can do anything, except build and market their own pick up, of course. Corrected for fat thumbs on the phone.

Oh; no! Someone here said ( very recently) that once you get out of a segment, it’s nearly impossible to get back in it!

Plus, they never told anyone about it.

The Euro brands should be split off from the American brands. Only the American brands make any sort of money these days.

Agreed. They are the most useless class of vehicles out there not named "Smart".

They don't even market the Sprinter as a Freightliner anymore. They're not going to bring that back. No, they're all about putting it under the 3 pointed star. The money is just being cut. They're trying for $8b in savings. More cuts are coming. I wouldn't be surprised if the Crossover Coupes get the ax next. They sell in miserable numbers.

THIS is a panoramic sunroof! ~

I think the shortie measures up quite well, the perfect size. Confirmed today, radio reception is unchanged from factory.

Maybe you missed the part where I cared. The sales of most of them are dismal and they are utterly useless as CUVs. As as far as your truck maker remark, LMAO! We are not talking about box trucks, cab overs, etc.We are talking about PICK UPS and despite their moniker of being the largest truck maker in the world, Daimler can’t find a market for their dressed up Nissan, hence them dumping it. I mean, you said if Benz wanted to, they could yet they don’t because they can’t.

Kill the pathetic Alfa and Maserati and pour the profits back into Chrysler as a mid tier luxury brand to go against Buick and Acura.

Chrysler being dead is so frustrating because they had the perfect brand to fight the "2nd tier" luxury brands head-on. All they really needed to do was make a luxurious interior and add some fancy adjustable dampers and it would ride like it's on clouds.

..if they were smart they'd have a Dodge version as more of a street and cheaper version, Jeep as a 1 inch lift and market it as an off-road version, and Chrysler as a luxury version(luxury level of Lincoln/Acura/Lexus/Infinity).

Absolutely. Performance-wise it is more comparable to their 1.5T, cost close to the 2.0T, fuel economy(considering fuel prices) closer to the 1.5T. It's stuck in the middle, imo. I just don't like the article comparing it price-wise to the 2.0T because it is clearly designed (and marketed..?) towards fuel economy yet they're using the 2.0T as the reason for it going away.

Too bad FCA hasn't made an Outback-ish wagon....would love to see the Eagle name return for an AWD LX-based wagon, with Hellcat option of course.

They looked cool, but they should have really pushed it harder against the Outback.

Hello, Earth calling Venus, the story clearly touched on the whole company so if a body on frame truck deal is dead and other auto's are going to be pared down, this does then bring up a valid question on what is the update for their Hybrid / EV product lines.

Instead of a big investment to JV or build from scratch a new model to try and enter an existing segment, they should be bold and offer the existing Sprinter truck versions here, maybe with a deeper pickup style bed instead of the shallow tilt bed....focus on the commercial market like the Sprinter vans.

I do think that is a good idea but I don't think it would mop the floor with the other very VERY established HDs.

Their target market for the X-Class was not Europe. They were gunning for the Asia and South American market that the Navara was occupying. Mercedes just couldn’t pull it off. And the Frontier does not such thing. For the year, the Frontier has sold 39K units while the Colorado alone has sold 65K. On what planet is that better sales for the Frontier? The Ranger has sold 30K but hasn’t been on sale everywhere very long.

I'm keeping a log on all of Lincoln's improvements here lately. Wanna know what I call it?

You are free to do whatever you'd like to / spend what you want on your personal car. ?

"I'll be working my way back to you, babe…" ~ Frankie Valli - - - - - Wheelbase : 112" Overall length : 180" Track : 56/58 Height : … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .. 68"

It is no secret that currently, the US and the world are on a CUV binge. Every niche has been explored by numerable automakers to flush out every customer. Chevrolet is no different, and who can blame them for following the market? Which brings us to the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer. Billed by Chevrolet as Camaro-inspired, nevermind the internet clamor over using a revered SUV name from the past, the Blazer could have... SHOULD have, differentiated itself from a sea of CUV appliances by simply being built on the Alpha platform... like the Camaro. A LWB Alpha Blazer would have clearly shown Chevrolet's intent to make the vehicle stand out... and tie it in irrevocably to its inspirator. It would have added value to the brand. It would have made the Blazer special. Instead, they went with the lowest common denominator. If the intent was to make it an urban, street-smart CUV... they missed a golden opportunity in the Blazer. Agree? Disagree? What do you all think?

For the 1971 model year, Chevrolet introduced the handsome, economical, fun to drive Vega in 4 bodystyles: a two-door sedan, two-door hatchback, two-door panel delivery, and two-door wagon. The stylish little car looked like the perfect little brother to the second-generation Camaro. At first blush, it was a breakthrough, (along with the venerable Pinto and unique Gremlin) a uniquely American response to the charming VW Beetle and early Toyota and Datsun subcompacts. It should have been a contender... it could have ensured GM's market supremacy, already enjoyed in the mid-and full-size classes, in the burgeoning subcompact market. But a couple of major issues killed its reputation (engine issues being paramount, lack of corrosion protection being secondary, since the Japanese subcompacts at the time were just as bad) before it could make a positive lasting impression. The Vega's problems are largely responsible for American manufacturers' cession of the subcompact market in its infancy and allowed the rise of Japanese importers. Agree or disagree? What do you all think?

I think at least one, if not two of the Japanese makes that are still here today would not be had the domestics (not just GM) properly manufactured their first generation of sub-compacts. Datsun would never have gained a foothold, Mitsubishi would be unheard of, and possibly even VW would have pulled out before the first Rabbit was built. Honda and Toyota would probably have persevered, but Lexus and Acura would be a decade younger than they are.

Yer funny

Then again- you read the text here and maybe I'm off in my assessment. 4.3L V6 diesel, 101 HP, 5-spd manual, plus basically aping Chrysler's Ram Induction 'math' of the 1960s.

It weighed more than a Cutlass V6 tho- by hundreds of pounds. 350-D might have been pretty close. Point is, 110 HP in the midst of an era of top-to-bottom performance malaise is not as big a deal as hindsight would imply. Dad had a '77 Safari 301, with 135 HP, that I drove 1000s of miles. No speed demon, certainly heavier than a Cutlass diesel, but it was 'fine' for regular transportation duty. I don't think the diesel's performance killed it then - it was the unreliability.

Sure… just like the BMW/Daimler alliance.

Don't forget :

I still think the efficiency alone(excluding the fact it costs $3800 more than a comparably equipped 1.5T gasser) makes a very viable choice for those who commute 70-100 miles a day but they don't want to be stuck in a car. As we all know CUVs are all the craze so you'd think if people knew about it, it would have sold well enough to be kept around.

Good idea. What a missed opportunity. Typical GM marketing--missing opportunities, even when one is staring at them in the face. Mary Barra needs to fire those losers and hire some real imaginative types who can sell ice to Eskimoes.

Ya know we are talking consumer trucks, NOT Class 8 Commercial Trucks that the public DOES NOT buy or Drive! So let's stop the goal post movement and stay with the program of Consumer retail trucks, again NOT COMMERCIAL TRUCK SALES! People HAVE NOT paid a premium for a Luxury pickup truck unless it is from FORD, GENERAL MOTORS or RAM! And NO we are not talking about the rare 6x6 G-Wagon Pickup truck that was one made of only.

Maybe, maybe not. The Buick 231 V6 was already spreading throughout GM's car lines by 1978 with fewer pollution issues than any diesel engine at that time. Properly engineering a diesel V8 would have more likely found its way into pickup trucks and that engine would have done much better in an S-10 than a 98 Regency. A turbocharger added to the diesel would have been the next big thing.

Really? How are Uber & Lyft's profits? They're also "knowingly" chasing EV sales; how's the profits there?

In their defense, they probably just refer to it as a CVT. That was on a comparison page.

? What a mouthful, clearly the Japanese marketing team did not get the memo about minimal is better versus having an acronym of LCVECMIATwO. ?

Of course, with Jeep they could do luxury also with a Jeep Eagle Summit. Have a Trailhawk and Trackhawk versions (differentiated from Dodge Magnum SRT, which would be more street and performance). For the Jeep version I'm thinking something conceptually ala the Volvo V90 CC or Audi Allroad. (I love the idea of a Jeep Eagle sport wagon).

Yes. Though maybe a differently styled Magnum version for Dodge also. I think a second gen Magnum wagon w/ Charger styling would have been nice.

Yes, same 2.4T as in the Ascent. 6 cylinder is gone. My friend has 2016 3.6R Outback. It is a very nice car, engine was good but CVT completely kills all the fun. On the positive side he gets very good fuel economy for a 6-cylinder. I think he paid for the fully loaded under $35k, now it is going to be close to $40k. Prices getting really crazy.

This x 1000

Subaru is masterful at coming out with new models yet they look and feel the same to their fans but are improved. Maybe it’s time to look at a Legacy but still there isn’t much to get the emotions going and that is really the Subaru brand. Practical. Will have to look at their full standard safety feature list. So many other makes now have so much more of the safety features standard than GM does.

REALITY, Mercedes is not all things to everyone. People who want trucks want it from a real truck company, not a Luxury car company, attempting to be a Chevrolet of all things with a model for every nook and cranny. Double Reality is that MB is going to have to stop wasting money on pie in the sky have something for everyone and get back to what they made money on, a focused luxury / performance line. Toyota / Chevrolet buyers buy Toyota / Chevrolet or equal. The Badge snobs who bought the few A, B & C auto's are turning them back in off lease in record numbers and going elsewhere as only 36% are retained. This dumps allot of luxury level Auto's on the used car market and yet there are only so much a down market can absorb. Welcome to the 21st century.

It is. But they were never in the American pick up market. It is hard to enter too. I was never a big fan of the Mercedes pickup idea. I think it better left dead. If anything I would say Daimler could do a Freightliner pickup that could mop the floor with the F-super duty and Silverado HD.

..Lincoln Log..

Dfelt, this thread is not about hybrids and EV's. Good Lord man. Looks like Benz is finding out that a li'l hustle will get you nowhere. You've got to go all-in. Didn't they learn ANYTHING from Chevy's Nissan collab... the brill City Express?

Quite handsome I have to say, Europe only though (Ford Mondeo Active)

You also wouldn't notice one passing you in the other direction. The only real difference is the badge on the trunk or hatch.