Drew Dowdell

Mercedes-Benz will use the Shanghai Motor Show to introduce a concept version of the upcoming GLB small crossover to slot between the GLA and GLC in the lineup. Ahead of the show in two weeks, Mercedes has released a rendering of what the interior of the concept might look like. It shows a very boxy interior with deep HVAC pods, the MBUX wide dual-screen dash, and a 3 point star without the ring on the airbag cover. The controls on the dash, steering wheel, and door look very familiar to existing Mercedes products, leading us to believe that this concept will be very close to the production version. Spy photos of the GLB indicate that the exterior is just as boxy as the interior and that it may be taking a styling queue or two from the king of the Mercedes SUV lineup, the G-Wagon. Like the GLC, expect a 2.0 liter turbo as a base engine with an up-tuned AMG 35 version to come later. View full article

Ford revealed during a debut event for its European electrified models that the as-yet-unnamed Mustang inspired electrified crossover will have a range of 370 miles when it arrives in 2020, but those are using the WTLP cycle, and the EPA range rating could be lower. Ford has previously stated they were targeting a range of 300 miles, so a good guess for the EPA range would be somewhere between those two numbers. Ford has recently trademarked the name "Mach-E" and "Mustang Mach-E". Could this be a name for this new EV crossover? Time will tell. Earlier in 2019, Ford stated that all future vehicle will have an electrified version, something borne out by yesterdays unveiling of the 2020 Ford Escape with two hybrid variants. Ford also teased us with the Puma, a compact crossover set to slot between the Ecosport and Kuga, the Euro version of the Escape. The Puma uses a 48-volt batter and a belt-alternator-starter system mated to a 1.0 liter 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine. No word yet if the Puma will make it to the U.S., but with pint-sized crossovers selling so well in the U.S., we'd not be surprised to see it here in the near future. (Click image to enlarge) View full article

It really depends on what they decide to bring over. Fiat is even more niche than failing Mini. Alfa already has a reputation for poor reliability. I don't think those two things will apply to Peugeot... at least at first.

Infiniti will be debuting the Qs Inspiration concept at Auto Shanghai 2019. The concept uses an all-new flexible architecture designed specifically to enable the use of electrified powertrains. The Qs Inspiration foreshadows the design direction of Infiniti cars. It features an uncluttered driving area and spacious and peaceful passenger zone. The Qs Inspiration follows on the QX Inspiration Concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Auto Shanghai begins April 16th. View full article

We previously had reported that Peugeot was planning on returning to the U.S. by 2026. After having been turned down by FCA for an offer of a merger, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Peugeot is accelerating its plans for a US return to happen in 3 to 4 years, that means as soon as 2022. One advantage they have is their recent acquisition of Opel from General Motors. Through that acquisition, Peugeot gained a number of engineers who have experience designing vehicles for the U.S. market. According to PSA CEO Carlos Tavares, anything Peugeot currently builds is up for consideration to bring to the US market, though it has been hinted that the initial offering will be in the mid-size and compact segments. Peugeot is also looking to disrupt the sales process as well. While they still may use a dealership network, executives appear focused on a new method of vehicle delivery, perhaps using a methodology similar to Carvana where the process is primarily completed online. View full article

Yeah, I do like the R/T. I won't be buying new though, so it's harder to find an R/T used with the options I want. Right now, I'm looking at the 300S with AWD and adaptive cruise. I'm finding 2018s with like 20k miles on them for about $25k

The Enclave/Traverse and the Honda Pilot are the roomiest crossovers you can buy at the moment. The Durango has some length to it, but it's relatively narrow.

I think it was just corporate inertia. There was never an intention to do a Yaris sedan in the first place. It was the Scion iA which got changed to a Yaris Sedan. The Yaris hatch just soldiered on until its demise a few months ago. Mazda had a ready-made Mazda 2 hatch that just needed the right badging and the updated nose.

Apparently not that hot. Their exteriors are nice to look at, but their interiors leave me flat.

Americans are also getting fatter. I get it too. I have an Encore and its fine for just the two of us on a road trip, but now we have the in-laws who we have to cart around a lot also and the Encore is just too small. We won't go as big as an Enclave, but a Durango isn't out of the question. More than likely I'll end up in a big sedan though since I can get one so cheap and it's probably my last chance for a new(ish) 300.

But so should a Buick.

Getting back to the original survey, I wonder if they didn't ask an important question.... with the prices of full size trucks going up so much, are buyers considering downsizing to mid-size trucks? That would be an interesting stat to know... and it would be interesting to find out if brand loyalty plays into it.

JAGUAR LAND ROVER REPORTS US SALES FOR MARCH 2019 Second Best March Sales Month Ever for Jaguar Land Rover with 13,171 Units Sold from Last Year’s All-Time Record Jaguar Brand up 27 Percent for the Year All-time Sales Records for Discovery and Range Rover Velar (MAHWAH, NJ) – April 2, 2019 – Jaguar Land Rover today reported March 2019 U.S. sales: Land Rover had its second best ever March sales month with 9,492 units, a decrease of 13 percent from 10,972 in March 2018; Jaguar sales were 3,679 units, a 13 percent increase from 3,260 units in March 2018. Jaguar Land Rover total March U.S. sales reached 13,171 units, a 7 percent decrease from 14,232 units in March 2018. “Jaguar Land Rover continues to achieve strong monthly sales due to its robust product offering in the market,” said Joe Eberhardt, President and CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC. “In addition to the continued success of the Jaguar F-PACE, we are also proud that Land Rover has achieved record-setting sales with the Discovery and award-winning Range Rover Velar.” U.S. MODEL HIGHLIGHTS Land Rover Land Rover had its second best ever March sales month with 9,492 units, a decrease of 13 percent from 10,972 in March 2018. Land Rover Discovery achieved an all-time sales record with 1,185 units sold, up 14 percent from its previous record of 1,039. The Range Rover Velar achieved an all-time sales record with 2,162 units, up 9 percent from its previous record of 1, 987 units. The Range Rover Sport continues to be the brand’s sales leader with 2,317 units sold. In the U.S., the 2019 Land Rover model line-up features six models; two within the Discovery family, and four within the Range Rover Family. The Land Rover Discovery and Discovery Sport – bring new levels of sophistication, desirability, capability and versatility to the Discovery family. With variable five- and seven-passenger seating options in both the compact Discovery Sport and full-size Discovery, this family of vehicles features the latest connectivity technologies, a variety of innovative storage solutions and the same on-/off-road capability Land Rover is best known for. The Range Rover Evoque delivers Range Rover luxury and refinement in a compact footprint. For 2019, Land Rover offers customers further personalization options, including Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™3,4. Bringing a new dimension of modernity and elegance to the Range Rover family, the 2019 Range Rover Velar is designed to fill the white space between the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport; offering levels of luxury, refinement and all-terrain capability never before seen in the mid-size SUV segment. For 2019MY the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models evolve with updated interior and exterior design enhancements as well as new driver assistance features. Jaguar For the month of March, Jaguar sales were 3,679 units, a 13 percent increase from 3,260 units in March 2018. The award winning Jaguar F-PACE continued to lead the brand’s performance with 1,730 units sold, up 15 percent for the year. The Jaguar E-PACE achieved 563 units, up 126 percent from 249 units sold in March 2018. With the addition of the Jaguar E-PACE and the battery electric I-PACE, the New Generation of Jaguar lineup expands to seven models for the first time in the brand’s storied history, while new model derivatives like the Jaguar F-PACE SVR and the XF Sportbrake Prestige diversify the portfolio offering customers greater choice. For 2019 the Jaguar ‘PACE’ family of SUVs and crossovers has expanded since the debut of the F-PACE, the brand’s best-selling model. Last year, Jaguar introduced the E-PACE compact crossover, as well as the brand’s first-ever all-electric production car – the I-PACE, mid-size performance SUV. In addition to the ‘PACE’ family of SUVs and crossovers, the Jaguar brand includes the F-TYPE sports car, the XE compact sport sedan, XF premium mid-size sedan, XF Sportbrake mid-size wagon and the brand’s luxury flagship – the full-size Jaguar XJ. Each model delivers segment leading driving dynamics, timeless design and the latest connected technologies. For added peace of mind, every new Jaguar vehicle comes with Jaguar EliteCare, a Best-in-Class ownership package1. This warranty is further expanded for Jaguar I-PACE customers covering the electric battery for 8-years / 100,000 miles and a 70 percent state of health2. Jaguar EliteCare coverage includes a New Vehicle Limited Warranty, Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance and 24/7 Roadside Assistance, each for 5-years or 60,000 miles, as well as Jaguar InControl® Remote & Protect™ connected services for 5-years and unlimited mileage. Jaguar Land Rover announced in 2017 that from 2020 all new, or significantly updated, models will incorporate some form of electrification either optional or as standard. The company will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across its model range in the coming years; embracing fully electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and mild hybrid (MHEV) vehicles as well as continuing to offer ultra-clean gasoline and diesel engines

The Accord really is the best family sedan out there right now. As is the Civic in its own class. But the Mazda 3 could make some inroads if they get the advertising and marketing right.

I wanna do what Sofyan does

United States - Retail Sales By Car Model - March 2019 Models March 2019 March 2018 % Year To Date 2019 Year To Date 2018 % S60 1,428 621 130.0 % 3,809 2,029 87.7 % S60 CC 0 13 - - 114 - S90 181 659 -72.5 % 793 1,825 -56.5 % V60 37 230 -83.9 % 86 410 -79.0 % V60 CC 15 292 -94.9 % 38 600 -93.7 % V60 II 21 0 100.0 % 26 0 100.0 % V90 49 18 172.2 % 108 52 107.7 % V90 CC 116 224 -48.2 % 326 552 -40.9 % XC40 1,550 1,001 54.8 % 3,577 1,079 231.5 % XC60 0 48 - - 188 - XC60 II 2,936 2,331 26.0 % 6,636 5,845 13.5 % XC90 3,236 2,796 15.7 % 6,659 7,389 -9.9 % Total 9,569 8,233 16.2 % 22,058 20,083 9.8 % * I, II, III etc shows which generation the car model belongs to.

Not good to be not prepared for the changeover on your biggest selling vehicles.

CLA, GLE, GLA sales fell off a cliff.

What happened with the Crosstrek? They're super popular around here. Odd to see them fall like that. Forester too.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported March sales of 27,004 Mercedes- Benz models. Mercedes-Benz Vans reported March sales of 3,533 units and smart reported 90 units, bringing MBUSA to a grand total of 30,627 vehicles for the month. On a year-to-date basis, MBUSA recorded sales of 71,171, adding 7,476 units for Vans and 231 vehicles for smart, bringing the year-to-date sales volume to 78,878. "While demand for our SUV lineup and new A-Class remains strong, we're still in the ramp-up phase of our launch," said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of MBUSA. "We expect to further fuel momentum with the upcoming launches of our highly anticipated new models in the months ahead." Mercedes-Benz volume leaders in March included the GLC, C-Class and E-Class model lines. The GLC took the lead at 6,282, followed by C-Class sales of 5,514. The E-Class rounded out the top three with 3,712 units sold. March sales of Mercedes-AMG high-performance models totaled 3,435 units (+27.4%) with 9,684 vehicles sold year-to-date (+27.1%). Separately, Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) models recorded sales of 10,560 vehicles in March, an increase of 0.1% when compared to the same month last year (10,554). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 30,365 vehicles, an increase of 2.1% from the previous year (29,741). Mercedes-Benz Passenger Vehicles Mar-19 Mar-18 Monthly % YTD 2019 YTD 2018 Yearly % A-CLASS 890 _ _ 890 _ _ B-CLASS 0 33 _ 3 122 _ CLA 1,366 1,949 -29.9% 5,210 5,455 -4.5% C-CLASS 5,514 4,984 10.6% 15,002 13,350 12.4% E-CLASS/CLS 3,712 4,024 -7.8% 10,394 12,435 -16.4% S-CLASS 1,204 1,627 -26.0% 3,151 4,565 -31.0% SLC/SLK 234 224 4.5% 509 586 -13.1% SL 184 227 -18.9% 436 640 -31.9% AMG GT 427 114 274.6% 644 381 69.0% GLA 1,871 2,254 -17.0% 4,721 6,524 -27.6% GLC/GLK 6,282 6,064 3.6% 15,366 16,260 -5.5% GLE/M-CLASS 2,196 4,573 -52.0% 6,535 11,656 -43.9% GL/GLS 2,423 1,974 22.7% 6,017 5,496 9.5% G-CLASS 701 360 94.7% 2,293 1,004 128.4% TOTAL 27,004 28,407 -4.9% 71,171 78,474 -9.3% Vans1 3,533 2,967 19.1% 7,476 8,186 -8.7% smart 90 110 -18.2% 231 321 -28.0% MBUSA Combined Total Mar-19 Mar-18 Monthly % YTD 2019 YTD 2018 Yearly % GRAND TOTAL 30,627 31,484 -2.7% 78,878 86,981 -9.3% 1Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner Sprinter and Metris Vans are sold and marketed in the U.S. by Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler Vans USA, respectively.