Chevrolet Prices New Avalanche

2007 Chevrolet Avalanche
Eberhardt Says Compass Gives Jeep New Foothold
Joe Eberhardt, Chrysler Group executive vice president in charge of sales and marketing, said Tuesday that the new Compass will give Jeep a strong entry in the small sport-utility vehicle segment, which is expected to expand rapidly in next few years. Sales in the segment passed 300,000 units in 2005 and could easily triple to 900,000 by the end of the decade, added Eberhardt.
"The segment is going to grow exponentially," noted Eberhardt, adding the Compass also is expected to attract younger consumers looking for an affordable vehicle, and women. The Compass, while it represents a departure from Jeep's traditional emphasis on off-road prowess, also takes the Jeep line into new territory, Eberhardt added.
"I think if we had changed the traditional Jeep, there
would have been a problem," because it would have compromised Jeep's
traditional appeal, he said. The Compass, which is built on the same assembly
line in
Chrysler representatives also pointed out that the Compass will still the most off-road capable vehicle in is competitive set, which includes vehicles such as the RAV4, Kia Sportage, Saturn Vue and Honda CR-V. To make sure the Compass could go off-road, the underbody sits a full inch higher than that of the Caliber, said Michael Berube, senior manager for Jeep Marketing. The fuel line also has been tucked up in the body and the seating position in the Compass is two inches higher than in the Caliber, he added.
Eberhardt also emphasized that the 13-percent increase in the Chrysler Group's passenger car sales was no fluke, with the entry of the Caliber into the passenger car segment in a big way. Moreover, the group's passenger cars now sell with few incentives and have strong residuals, he noted. However, all manufacturers are offering substantial incentives in the pickup truck and SUV segments. Honda, for example, usually offers nominal incentives, roughly $200, on its vehicles but it has been forced to offer hundreds of dollars in incentives on the Ridgeline pickup truck, Eberhardt noted.-Joe Szczesny
Kia Rondo Coming to the

2007 Kia Rondo
The good Vibes are leaving
All Ford Dealers to Get SVTs When
When Ford rolls out its high-powered Shelby GT500 this summer, it will, for the first time, let all of its 3777 U.S, Ford Division dealers sell all vehicles badged as Special Vehicle Team (SVT) cars. In disclosing the change in a dealer-wide e-mail last week, Ford scrapped a process of limiting SVT vehicle sales to selected dealers. Only about 600 Ford dealers were franchised to sell all three SVT vehicles - Focus, Mustang, and the F-150 Lightning. Another 700 were certified for the Focus SVT alone.
The Mustang is the only survivor of the first SVT group. The Focus was discontinued in 2004, and plans to replace the Lightning with the Sport Trac Adrenalin were canceled as part of Ford's new "Way Forward" turnaround plan. A total of 144,994 SVT vehicles have been sold since the SVT program began in 1992.
Ford has not identified what additional products could be added to the SVT
portfolio, beyond the Mustang and the Shelby GT500. Approximately 7200 SVT
Mustangs have been sold each model year. "This will further strengthen the Ford
brand by enabling us to drive more showroom traffic," said Darryl Hazel,
president of Ford's customer service division. -
Ford Reviving Hurricane Engine?
The Detroit News reports that Ford's efforts to develop a rival
to Chrysler Group's HEMI engine could be revived. The so-called "Hurricane"
engine has been put back into development by Ford Americas president Mark Fields
as a means of keeping the company's F-Series truck atop its class. The Hurricane
project had been cut in Ford's massive budget slashing last year; the News
says the plan now recognizes the need to stay competitive with power
offerings not only from Chrysler, but now from
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