In the last decade or so, we have seen Alfa Romeo, Daihatsu, Eagle, Plymouth, Oldsmobile, and Daewoo all either leave the U.S. market under their own nameplates or go completely out of buisness. Subaru considered doing so in the mid-1990's....until the Outback increased their sales enormously. More recently, Nissan almost left....until Renault ( who itself left the U.S. in 1985 ) gave them a shot in the arm. VW, believe it or not, has also recently considered doing so...in spite of Beetle sales. There have been rumors of the Mercury nameplate being dropped...all denied by Ford. Mitsubishi supposedly is considering biting the dust if their new 10-year warranty doesn't do the trick....Daimler-Chrysler has already pulled the plug on their life support. Isuzu's sales are near an all-time U.S. low...they actually have only two vehicles left, one a GM design.
So, my question to you forum members is: Which auto manufacturer will actually BE the next one to fold here in America? Yes, I know....as auto enthusiasts, none of us like to see ANY brand fold.....and as an auto consultant, I firmly believe that the more competition the average customer has for his / her auto dollar, the better. But, unfortunately.....like it or not.....we deal with the harsh realities of the modern auto industry. If it doesn't sell, it goes...period. Today it is the survival of the fittest.
Anyhow, let's hear your opinions.....then I'll give you mine.

 

I'm going to go with Mercury. I don't really see anything big in their future. The biggest mistake they ever made was doing what they did to the poor cougar.

-Anthony

 

BMW, if they don't fire Bangle.

Jon

 

buick

 

What amazes me about Isuzu is they specialized in SUVs before this SUV craze and never capitalized. How they just let everyone pass them is beyond me.
Jeep too. We are talking about JEEP. Great brand, well repspected. They just let everyone pass them too with SUVs. They should be SUV leaders. Sigh...

Buick is here to stay, it sells well,good quality, solid customer base.

I put my money on Mercury. WHy they exist I have no idea. They get hand me downs from FOrd and Lincoln. Mercury has no brand. The re-sale of a used tampon. The Maurader, which I thought would have done well, didn't. Mercury offers nothing to Ford.

Mitsu needs to wake up quick. They BOTCHED the Eclipse with this V-6 FWD, no AWD, no turbo crap and stupid styling. They wanted to go after an older client. Morons.
THe Diamante is 8 years old and wasn't the best 8 years ago let alone now.
The Montero is too big, too underpowered, to strange looking.
The EVO is THE CAR for them but with them denying warrenty claims for a rally car, well, they are pissing off their only happy campers right now.
The new Galant looks like a Maxima abortion. Funny thing is the last Galant was picked first in Car and Driver against like 10 others but they never capitilized on that. CAN U SAY MARKETING!

 

i still think buick all the people that are buying them are dying old mans car just my 2 cents

 

I agree Buick is here to stay. Izusu got into trouble because they persisted too long in making truck-based SUV's with part-time 4WD in an age when more and more people wanted smoother-riding and driving car-based SUV's with foolproof electronic AWD systems for on-pavement foul weather. ( I pointed this out myself to Isuzu reps myself about this several times at auto shows) They exist today, though, with a lot of GM money.

Keep it up, though...you guys have some good input.

 

I would be really surprised if BMW went out of business... people will always buy BMWs, even if Bangle is making the designs. To most of America, it's a BMW, so it's worth buying.

My votes? Either Mercury or Isuzu... neither of those brands have anything really strong going for them... most of Mercury's lineup doesn't make sense to me either... kind of stuck in between Ford and Lincoln

Mitsubishi is also having a lot of problems lately, and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if they were next in line to go. A lot of people know this and it's making people think twice about buying a Mitsubishi. Who wants to buy a car from a company who will be out of business in 3 years?

 

I guess I am just a disgruntled and disappointed BMW enthusiast.

Imagine if all BMWs made in the future have the same recurring, unexplainable problems like those of the new 7 series, plus the ugliness of Bangle cars.......

Gawd....

Jon

 

I'm surprised Saturn hasn't come up. They suck right now and I think if they continue down this road they
won't have a long future.

I think the other most likely candidates are:

Izuzu, Suzuki, & Mercury

 

aturn Ion
New for 2005

-Revised front fascia/grille (all sedans) gives more substantial, integrated appearance
-Machine facing for alloy wheels (Ion·2/Ion·3) and new chrome beltline molding (Ion·3 sedan) for more uplevel appearance
-New front/rear seats (Ion·2/Ion·3) enhance lateral support, comfort and appearance
-Various interior refinements improve appearance and harmony
-Substantial improvements to noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels based on:
-Acoustic engine cover (except Red Line) and other powertrain-related enhancements
-Use of Quiet Steel multi-layered laminate for plenum and dash
-Improved ride and handling resulting from revised steering calibration, new hydraulic rear bushings and improved front lower control arm bushings
-Larger, four-spoke steering wheel provides improved ergonomics and complements revised steering calibration for improved on-center feel
-Hydra-Matic 4T45-E transaxle replaces optional VTi (quad coupe) and Aisin five-speed automatic (sedan)
-OnStar Gen 6 hardware with upgraded hands-free capability
-Exterior colors: Dragonfly Green replaces Eden Green (Ion·2/Ion·3 sedans); Pacific Blue replaces Electric Blue (Ion·2/Ion·3); Summer Blue added as Ion·2/Ion·3 quad coupe specialty color; Chili Pepper Red added for Red Line

More excitement!

 

I am going to go another route and say mitsubishi.........

 

It cost GM over 900 million to pay off Oldsmobile dealers so thats 1 reason they have not closed the doors at Saturn, Gm is maybe suppost to replace the entire Saturn lineup with cars overseas, which ones I forget, think 1Sick actually posted the article, but then the UAW cause problems for GM.

Mercury getting a rebadged Escape Mitsubishi dealers are ghost towns, Isuzu well at least they still make Diesel engines

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned Isuzu. I see nothing goiod in theri future and its market (cheap cars) is being quicly gobbled up by Hundai.

 

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