Last year 324,222 Canadians bought a large pickup, virtually all of them from a Detroit-based automaker. Why, you might ask, do Nissan and Toyota even try to compete with the likes of FCA’s Ram pickup, the Ford F-Series and General Motors’s twins, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra? I mean, Nissan is currently doing somersaults …
Car companies play the long game on fuel efficiency and electrication
Pump prices are low, but the car business plays the long game on fuel efficiency and emissions, so the parade of cleaner and “greener” vehicles continues. Car companies play this game because they must. Their business plans must balance consumer demand with macroeconomic conditions (interest rates, overall employment, commodity prices and such) and a long …
Road test: evolutionary thinking on the Smart fourtwo
For quite a while now, every time I’ve seen a Smart fourtwo dressed up in its blue and white Car2Go logos and paint, my first thought has been “loser.” For me, Smart has long been the car brand for those who can’t afford and certainly can’t appreciate what a real car is and what it …
VW is making diesel-gate worse, not better
What a shock it must have been this week when U.S. government officials delivered a massive smack-down to VW executives who clearly fail to fathom the depth and breadth of their diesel-gate dilemma. Make no mistake, VW’s problems are not going away quickly or inexpensively, and the company’s leaders are making things worse. Their arrogance, …
January 25, 2016 | Commentary, First on the Grid Like Comments (0) |
Subaru is a hot brand, but needs Toyota to grow
Subaru’s Canadian sales exploded last year, surging 10.9 per cent. All that growth despite an uninspired marketing plan. Subaru spends piles of money sponsoring triathlons and rallies. No one cares about triathlons and rallies, other than triathletes and rally geeks. All that growth despite a relatively modest spend on sales sweeteners. Astonishing. Subaru grew despite …
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