HONDA TAGS MODEL X FOR YEAR
END

Honda Model X Concept
’02 Los Angeles Show, Day I by TCC Team (1/3/2002)
2001 IS SECOND-BEST
It’s official – 2001 was the second-best sales year
ever for new cars and trucks. The total of 17.18 million vehicles finished just
behind 2000’s tally of 17.4 million vehicles. As automakers are reporting
December sales figures, some clear winners have emerged from last year’s
rollercoaster economic ride:
· For the year, Chrysler dropped just under 10 percent; while GM’s sales fell by about a percent and Ford’s sank six percent.
· Ford’s F-Series range sold more than 911,000 copies, continuing its 20-year truck dominance;
· Toyota had its best year ever, as it sold 7.5 percent more vehicles than in 2000;
· Honda’s Accord became the best-selling car in America for the first time in a decade;
· Hyundai reported a 42-percent increase in vehicle sales;
· Among luxury brands, Lexus took the overall sales crown, while BMW passed Mercedes-Benz for second place;
·
And for the first time, as TCC reported last week, trucks took more than half of
all U.S. sales — 50.9 percent of the total new-vehicle market.
Trucks Set To Pass Cars by Joseph Szczesny
(12/31/2001)
GM SETS 2002 INCENTIVES AT
$2002
While it’s discontinuing
its zero-percent financing deals, General Motors says it will offer buyers a
$2002 rebate on any 2002 model-year vehicle bought or leased. (In response,
Chrysler says it won’t match the new round of incentives.) With GM abandoning
its zero-interest loan program in favor of new cash rebates, many industry
analysts now expect a sharp decline in U.S. auto sales in the coming months. The
automaker's own forecast calls for a drop of more than one million units this
year, to something over 15 million vehicles. But Bob Lutz, Chairman of GM's
North American operations, is turning cautiously bullish. "My personal feeling
is things have bottomed out," he told TheCarConnection at the L.A. Auto Show.
"Personally, I would not be surprised to see (sales) somewhat better than
that."
GM PLANNING FULL-SIZE
OVERHAUL
General Motors Corp.
is preparing for a major overhaul of its full-size pickup trucks in 2003. The
overhaul of popular full-size Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks comes only four
years after GM first introduced them in 1999, which would seem to be a record
time for a facelift in the segment. In the past, pickup trucks would remain in
production for a decade or more with little or no change. But GM officials
insist the overhaul will go beyond minor changes to the front fascia. "We're
talking about new sheetmetal on the outside and new features in the inside,"
said one GM official familiar with the plans. The extensive facelift represents
a clever bit of counterprograming against archrival Ford Motor Co., which is
still agonizing over getting the oft-delayed replacement for its own full-sizers
into dealers’ hands in the next 18 months.
Lutz: “Turmoil and Change” at GM by TCC Team (12/24/2001)
XLR ON HOLD, ART & SCIENCE UNDER
ASSAULT

Evoq_Front
Lutz: “Turmoil and Change” at GM by TCC Team (12/24/2001)
GRAND PRIX
INVESTIGATED
Pontiac’s ’97
Grand Prix is the subject of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration. The federal agency says it’s looking into the coupes and
sedans after receiving some 18 reports that the vehicles’ steering wheels lock
up without warning. No injuries have been reported; if the agency determines
there is a problem, the next step would be to issue a
recall.
CHRYSLER STAYS HOME
Chrysler’s “Home for the Holidays” is apparently
with us through Easter. The company says it will continue to offer seven-year,
100,000-mile powertrain warranties on all its vehicles sold through March 31.
Chrysler began offering the warranty before Thanksgiving, along with
zero-percent financing on some models. The extended warranties are available on
2001 and 2002 models.
How Bad Off Is Chrysler? by Jim Burt
(12/10/2001)
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