Drew Dowdell

Does Mazda even want a V6 anymore though? If they are the most efficient lineup, like Drew said, then they're probably content with a family of 4's. They'd probably prefer to boost a 4 banger rather than throw in a heavier V6 because they put so much emphasis on driving dynamics. Afterthought: I completely forgot about the CX-9. To me, that would be the only application for a V6 in their lineup. Everything else can be done with an I4, boost or n/a. Why waste R&D dollars on a V6 wen you can go Hybrid for the CX-9 and use a turbo 4 plus a decent electric motor. Better yet, use their I4 N/A as a generator and go with a pure electric AWD power train. Make the CX-9 like the Volt. Pure EV for the first 80 miles and then generator driven. Interesting you mention this as we should see such a setup on the new Town and Country available in a few months. The thought on the 880 that Chrysler is touting about the T&C's intro is 8 passenger and either 80 MPGE or 80 miles on straight electric power. Also, the T&C is going to offer an AWD system with electric motors powering the rear wheels so it doesn't effect the stow and go seating. Oh, I think someone said something about them needing hybrids earlier too. Actually the more I think about it, with a turbo 4 family, a new high tech plug in hybrid system, and the available new rwd platform appearing in the Alfa, why do they need a partner again? They don't need a partner, they need to dump the vampire brands that are sucking blood out of the money makers.... but Sergio likes to keep the Vampires as pets.

Okay, just to be clear, each event is brand specific. Buick is going to have the "extra" car that is currently unknown. It could be anything from just the new Verano which we've already seen in China to a Riviera concept. It is very unlikely to be the new Enclave, though it would be interesting to intro the Envision and Enclave together. But it is a Buick event, so no non-Buicks will be shown there. GMC is showing the Acadia. Cadillac isn't showing anything. I'm sure Chevy will be showing the Bolt, and I'm told Cruze Hatch is also going to be there. That doesn't leave enough time during the 20 minute Chevy press conference to be introing a ZL-1 or Zora or Z28. Those are cars that get a dedicated presser.

Does Mazda even want a V6 anymore though? If they are the most efficient lineup, like Drew said, then they're probably content with a family of 4's. They'd probably prefer to boost a 4 banger rather than throw in a heavier V6 because they put so much emphasis on driving dynamics. Afterthought: I completely forgot about the CX-9. To me, that would be the only application for a V6 in their lineup. Everything else can be done with an I4, boost or n/a. The CX-9 is getting a boosted 2.5 liter 4-cylinder with 250 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. No need for a Pentastar.

Bet they had to ride it hard to hit a mid eight 0-60, Plus some of the competition is a full sec faster to the same mark...... 8 speed in the 2.0 accounts for some manuf cost difference but it's still a bunch more even setting that aside. By early fall there should be a lot of leftover 2.0's on lots with healthy rebates. Am I talking to a wall here? The engine upgrades at other manufacturers are priced about the same or higher and the Malibu comes with some nice features standard that you need to pay more for at Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota. Malibu 2.0T = $28k, Sonata 2.0T = $28k, Accord V6 = $30k, Camry V6 = $32k, Mazda 6 = Not Available, Passat V6 = $36k, Ford SE 2.0T = $27k... The Malibu 2.0T is one of the least expensive engine upgrade options among its peers, so your continued ranting about the cost of the Malibu 2.0T just makes you look silly. And you want GM to price the 2.0T for the same price as the 1.5T just because they're both 4-cylinders? Do you not know how value added pricing works? Another thing you keep forgetting is that Car Play and Android Auto are both standard even in the most base model Malibu which means you effectively can have NAV without having to move up to much more expensive trims. That's a $700 to $2000 "give" from Chevy right there across the lineup. I've used Car Play, and it is superior to a built in NAV in just about every way possible. The maps are always up to date, it uses Siri's voice recognition engine, it gets traffic updates faster, it responds faster... there isn't a built in NAV system out there that can beat it. I assume that once I try Android Auto, which is compatible with Waze, that my feelings on that will be the same. So, yeah, I'd have no problem taking a Malibu 2.0T for $28k when the $28k options at nearly every other manufacturer come with less powerful engines and no NAV systems.

If the Chinese stock market didn't have that circuit breaker to stop trading after a sudden 7% drop and the Chinese central bank hadn't put the equiv of $200 billion into the market the next day, we'd be having a very different conversation today.

Well again... something like that, GM rents out a whole facility and throws a big party. They have rented out a big facility and are throwing a big party to show us Envision (which we've already seen) and highly likely another Buick concept or production car. If they had a big Camaro or Corvette announcement, they wouldn't be wasting the facility on the Envision. The last Z/28 came out in NYC. Chevy is going to be showing the Bolt and a Cruze Hatch most likely.

I suspect the Zora may debut at Cobo. I kinda doubt it. Something like that would be a big event and Chevy has two other cars debuting. There's no way they'd fit something like the Zora into the 20 minutes they have allotted along with the two others. If they did it at an off-site, William and I would have gotten invites (like we did for Buick this year and last, and for Stingray)

Is that $45k before or after the giant discounts on the S-Class?

"under 9 seconds" could very well be a lot like the 8.7 seconds the old Malibu 2.4 would do. Which is fine for drivers in this class. If you want a bit faster, the Hybrid is actually faster than the base model by about a second.

Looking like a cross between a Kia Soul and a Range Rover or Volvo XC90, Kia released a teaser for a surprise concept they will be showing next week at the Detroit Auto Show. This could signal Kia's return to the large SUV segment after the less than stellar sales of the 2009 - 2011 Kia Borrego. Kia says the concept will feature state of the art health and wellness technology and a new direction for Kia's design language. Little else has been released at this time. The Kia SUV concept will be officially unveiled at 2:15pm eastern time on January 11th. Stay tuned to CheersandGears.com for all of your 2016 Detroit Auto Show coverage View full article

Low inventory. On new you mean, right? But still, a fire sale on outgoing model combined with some new, with such a significant drop, should be troubling. On both. There are 8,304 new 2015 Camaros listed in inventory right now for over 3,000 Chevrolet dealerships. That means an average of 2.7 2015 Camaros per dealership. Some will have more, some will have none. There are a bit over 3,000 2016 Camaros for the same total number of dealerships, so 1 per dealer. It gets pretty hard, even with strong incentives, to sell an old model when the fantastic new model is sitting in the showroom. A Camaro (or Mustang, or Challenger) is largely an emotional purchase. You don't buy these cars because you need a car today... so if someone really wants one, they'll probably also be willing to wait for the perfect 2016 to come along or order straight from the factory.

Most brand lines down significantly. Note the numbers for GLC have a footnote.

Low inventory.

The Tigershark is actually a collaboration between FCA, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi. Each manufacturer tunes it differently to their own needs. But you're right, it would have been better if those three had paid Mazda to do the engine.

No doubt about it. Are U going to Detroit?? I think I'm gonna stay East Coast this year and do New York again. OH.. PM sent Oh of course. I travel to all 4 major auto shows each year. daaaaang.. I wish I could do that. How is Chicago's? That's within driving range for me for a little weekend trip. As a member of the press it's the least important to attend. If my day job didn't pay for the trip to get there, I probably wouldn't go, and may skip it this year. As a member of the public, it's the largest and nicest facility, but there will be fewer concepts shown there on the floor.

It's all the 200. They probably pulled back incentives. They must have pulled them back hard or people don't find it worth paying full price for it.. either/or/and.. I think it's a good looking car. I haven't really looked into them much and I've only heard negative things about the trans in the I4. You can't look at one month of numbers when there are huge swings like that. It almost always signals something else going on beside huge shifts in the market (VW excepted at the moment). If you look at the December 2014 Fiat-Chrysler Sales, you'll see that the 200 was up 187% over the previous year. 2014 was the first year of the new model so old/big fluctuations are to be expected. What is more important is that the 200 is up 52% for the whole year, and Chrysler brand as a whole is up 5% in spite of T&C being down big as it nears its end.

No doubt about it. Are U going to Detroit?? I think I'm gonna stay East Coast this year and do New York again. OH.. PM sent Oh of course. I travel to all 4 major auto shows each year.

Buick is going to see some big sales gains in the next 24 months as Enclave, Regal, Verano, and Lacrosse all get replaced. Edit: Plus, I hear we're in for a surprise at Detroit.

It's all the 200. They probably pulled back incentives.

January 5, 2016 SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. ANNOUNCES DECEMBER 2015 SALES AS BEST SALES MONTH EVER; SETS SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEARLY SALES RECORD Subaru sets a new all-time sales record of 582,675 vehicles; up 13.4 percent over 2014 December 2015 marks best-ever sales month in company history 49th consecutive month of year-over-year growth Best December ever for Legacy, Forester, WRX/STI, Outback and Crosstrek Best year ever for Forester, WRX/STI, Outback and Crosstrek 29th consecutive month of more than 10,000 Foresters sold 22nd consecutive month of more than 10,000 Outbacks sold; Best Outback month ever Cherry Hill, N.J. - Subaru of America, Inc. today reported record-breaking sales of 582,675 vehicles for the 2015 calendar year; an increase of 13.4 percent over the previous annual record of 513,693 vehicles set in 2014. This is the seventh consecutive year of sales records for Subaru of America and eighth consecutive year of sales increases. The December sales total of 56,274 vehicles marks the company’s best-ever sales month, eclipsing the previous best month of September 2015 (53,070). December also marks the 22nd successive month of 40,000+ vehicle sales for the company which continues to outpace the industry.Nearly all of the company’s current models contributed to its sales success in 2015. The Forester, Outback, WRX/STI and Crosstrek sales were notably strong as each carline achieved new annual sales records. The Forester and Outback mid-size CUVs finished the year with sales of 175,192 and 152,294, up 9.5 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively. The small CUV entrant, Crosstrek, added 88,927 sales to the year-end total, while the Legacy sedan achieved 60,447 sales in 2015. On the performance side, the company’s WRX and STI models were up 32.3 percent with annual sales of 33,724.“As our franchise closes its seventh consecutive annual sales record, we have to give our heartfelt thanks to our retailers, distributors and colleagues, as well as Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. for making these historic results possible” said Thomas J. Doll, president and chief operating officer, Subaru of America, Inc. “2015 was another stellar year for the Subaru franchise and we are very optimistic about our continued success in 2016.” “December represented the best month ever for Subaru of America, capping off the best year in the company’s history, in both sales and market share,” said Jeff Walters, senior vice president of sales. “Subaru is well positioned to continue its success into 2016. We have the right product line-up, strong marketing and a superior retailer network providing us with a solid foundation for future growth,” added Walters. Carline Dec-15 Dec-14 % Chg Dec-15 Dec-14 % Chg MTD MTD MTD YTD YTD YTD Forester 16,797 15,163 10.8% 175,192 159,953 9.5% Impreza 6,059 5,808 4.3% 66,785 57,996 15.2% WRX/STI 3,089 2,816 9.7% 33,734 25,492 32.3% Legacy 5,759 5,457 5.5% 60,447 52,270 15.6% Outback 16,067 14,772 8.8% 152,294 138,790 9.7% BRZ 413 416 -0.7% 5,296 7,504 -29.4% Crosstrek 8,090 5,482 47.6% 88,927 70,956 25.3% TOTAL 56,274 49,923 12.7% 582,675 513,693 13.4%

Finishes December Up 90 Percent; 24 Percent Increase for the Year ROCKLEIGH, N.J. (Jan. 5, 2016) - Volvo Car USA, LLC, (VCUSA) reported U.S. sales of 9,341 vehicles, an 89.9 percent increase versus December 2014. The top seller for the month was XC60 crossover with 3,510 vehicles sold, an increase of 68.8 percent versus December 2014. The all-new XC90 luxury SUV finished the month right behind with 3,135 vehicles sold. For the year, VCUSA reported 70,047 vehicles sold, an increase of 24.3 percent versus 2014. The XC60 finished the year with a 35.6 percent increase versus 2014. “2015 is a true milestone in the turnaround of Volvo in the US,” said Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA. “To close the year with our best December since 2007 truly underscores the successes we’ve had this year and there is no better signal of what is to come in 2016 for us.” Following an $11 billion investment, the positive momentum has materialized with the first all-new model off the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the XC90, with world-first safety technologies, a new design language, new powertrain architecture and a range of class-leading connectivity services. United States Retail Sales By Car Range - December 2015 Models December 2015 December 2014 % Year To Date 2015 Year To Date 2014 % S60 1,486 1,866 -20.4 % 16,706 20,457 -18.3 % S60 CC 104 0 100.0 % 287 0 100.0 % S80 176 79 122.8 % 1,887 1,753 7.6 % V60 296 357 -17.1 % 4,362 4,990 -12.6 % V60 CC 202 0 100.0 % 2,769 0 100.0 % XC60 3,510 2,079 68.8 % 26,134 19,276 35.6 % XC70 432 470 -8.1 % 5,118 5,093 0.5 % XC90 0 68 - 112 3,952 -97.2 % All-New XC90 3,135 0 100.0 % 12,665 0 100.0 % C30 0 0 - - 66 - C70 0 1 - 7 779 -99.1 % Total 9,341 4,920 89.9 % 70,047 56,366 24.3 % * I, II, III etc shows which generation the car model belongs to.

Get the low hanging fruit first. They need a new family of fuel efficient 4-cylinder engines. The Tigershark just isn't cutting it. Mazda is the most fuel efficient of all manufacturers aside from Tesla. They have zero hybrids.

Shall I post the thousands upon thousands of pictures of gas powered cars that burned to the ground with no reasonable explanation? Exactly. One of my cars is a model that had a number of unfortunate fires, but when it happens it doesn't make more than a 15 second blurb on the local evening news. The Honda CR-V window switches could short out and catch fire if they got wet. Ever open your door in a heavy rain? Honda had to recall that. There are also large number of CR-V Engine fires due to a poorly designed oil filter seal. The seal can separate from the oil filter when it is removed and stick to the engine block, when the new filter is installed, it then has a double seal which causes an oil leak. The oil leaks down onto the hot exhaust pipe in front of the catalytic converter causing a fire. A quote from a mechanic: "what is simply a mess on any other car is potentially hazardous on a CR-V" Naturally, Honda denies any flaw or wrong doing. Who was it who said "Amateurs building cars."? Does that apply to Honda too where they design cars where fluids can leak onto things that shouldn't be leaked on?

Steve didn't get his wish.