Toyotas Prius which has gathered it's share of attention in the U.S. after the rise in Gas prices hasn't seemed to have the same desired results in China.
China whose economy which has grown by leaps and bounds seems to have no effect on Toyotas green aspiration Asia, Chinese consumers seems more interested in status cars and Buicks , then again a Buick is a status car in China.
Toyota Slashes Prius stickers
The Chevy Cobalt which replaced the Chevy Cavalier and seems to have also fallen between the cracks in the minds of the the kids and younger adults who normally shop in this segment.
It's hard to say why the Cobalt takes a back seat in the mind share department, maybe the fact that it resembles the cavalier could be one reason, otherwise this is a very nice car that deserves more attention than it's been given.
As if this would surprise anybody, Volkswagen has decided that it will go ahead with production of the Scirocco in Europe with an eye towards bringing it stateside.
With the Camaro making its debut in a few months and with more competition to follow, now is the time for VW to bring their sporty coupe to the party, the only caveat here is that the car needs to be competitive on price or this one will sit on the sales floor waiting for someone to pony up the money.
LinkThere's not much to say here that hasn't been said,a diesel engine in this Jeep is a step in the right direction, the only problem is that the rest of the package is out of step with what people want today.
If you want serious towing capacity then go for something in the full size segment, otherwise your needs are better served with a roomier vehicle that can utilize interior space more inefficiently.
GM probably has a better answer to your quest for a Big crossover, and Ford my be able to meet your needs with it's upcoming Flex, otherwise most people would be better off steering clear of this throwback.
Here it comes and here it is, the latest Consumers Report list of the top Autos sold in the U.S., as usual the list is mostly dominated but the Asian makers with the list changing to reflect the growing popularity of the Korean brands.
While there is no denying that Lexus has a product that's hard to beat, one can't help but wonder if the product and enthusiasm of the owner can have as big impact and difference in perception, lets face it, the person who buys something like an LS 460 is more apt to show interest and have a favorable opinion on the car vs the person who just scratched together enough money to buy a Chevy Aveo.
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From Autoweek
The first-generation Scions were hits right out of the box in 2003 and 2004. But generation two has struggled. All of which begs the question: Is this a brand built to last?
The changeover of two of Scion's three models--the boxy xB and the xD hatchback--dragged on for months and helped depress sales 24.8 percent in 2007 to 130,181 units. But even with new vehicles, Scion can't seem to pull out of its slump.
"We seem to be having more sales peaks and valleys than previously," said Farlon Smith, general manager of Beechmont Toyota-Scion in Cincinnati.
In the past, Scion routinely notched 15,000 to 20,000 sales per month. But January sales were 7,782 units. In January 2006, Scion sold 10,701 vehicles with about 60 fewer dealers than it has now. The average sales per outlet during that period dropped from 11.9 to 8.1.
Scion had 856 dealers as of Jan 1, 2005. But as sales soared in 2005 and 2006, more dealers piled on, even if they weren't in hip, urban neighborhoods.
Currently, 963 of 1,224 Toyota dealers carry the brand. As sales per dealer decline faster than overall volume, one Toyota insider questions whether dealers will give Scion the same share of mind as when vehicles were flying out the door.
Toyota executives insist the soft market is hurting all players and that Scion's grass-roots marketing strategy requires time for the new vehicles to gain sales momentum.
While there seems to be a good deal of explaining going on for why things seemed to have stalled for the second generation of Toyotas supposedly hip Scion brand nobody seems to have a good explanation.
It seemed to have been a good move on Toyotas part, my argument here is that the second generation of Scion may not be quirky enough for the crowd that the brand was originally launched to appeal to, then factor in the addition of many new models from Scions competitors and this may have brought the unexpected slow down in sales.
The tricky part about selling in this niche is that this a traditionally trendy market where potential buyers may flock from one brand to another to get in on the latest thing.
Selling to this market is markedly different than the traditional passenger car market , the average Camry buyer may stick to one brand or model, but this is different group all together.
