Chevrolet, Ford, and others may be axing several sedan models soon
04-04-18, 12:13 PM
#1
Chevrolet, Ford, and others may be axing several sedan models soon
These are grim times for car sales in the United States as crossovers, SUVs and pickups command the attention of buyers, and now a report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that General Motors and Ford are both planning to axe slow-selling nameplates from their lineups.
The report suggests that Chevrolet will end production of the Sonic subcompact as early as this year. It also indicates Ford plans to stop building the Fiesta for the United States (a next-generation model is already on sale in Europe) and discontinue the Taurus, the large sedan whose name, resurrected as a 2008 model after being discontinued in 2006, was for years Ford's bread-and-butter volume car seller. The WSJ cited anonymous sources for both companies who it said were familiar with internal discussions.
If true, the plans would continue a trend of domestic automakers paring their car lineups that began two years ago when Fiat-Chrysler announced it would phase out the poorly selling Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart. Oh, and WSJsays FCA may now even be considering killing off the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, the latter of which would surely displease throngs of muscle-car enthusiasts. And of course GM has been rumored to be considering the axe for several slow-selling cars, including the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, as it eyes adding yet more trucks and SUVs to a market that's already saturated with them.
It's a trend with no end in sight, as fuel prices remain low and the Trump administration eyes a rollback of tough Obama-era fuel-efficiency mandates. Sales of sedans, coupes and other car segments represented just 37 percent of U.S. sales in 2017, down from 51 percent in 2012, the Journal reports.
Ford is reportedly still mulling the long-term fate of the Fusion midsize sedan, having just unveiled a refreshed 2019 version last month, while GM is also considering killing off the Chevy Impala. Elsewhere, we've seen how Honda's well-regarded new Accord is struggling to move units and that even luxury sedans have struggled as more well-heeled buyers switch to luxury SUVs.
Clearly, there is a trend here away from cars, but it's important to note that the Sonic and Fiesta are subcompact cars with thin profit margins and unremarkable sales. The Taurus, meanwhile, is a stale product in a segment that has particularly been hit hard by the SUV trend. So while car fans may be losing some choices, this particular cull seems like unsurprising, low-hanging fruit from a business perspective.
The report suggests that Chevrolet will end production of the Sonic subcompact as early as this year. It also indicates Ford plans to stop building the Fiesta for the United States (a next-generation model is already on sale in Europe) and discontinue the Taurus, the large sedan whose name, resurrected as a 2008 model after being discontinued in 2006, was for years Ford's bread-and-butter volume car seller. The WSJ cited anonymous sources for both companies who it said were familiar with internal discussions.
If true, the plans would continue a trend of domestic automakers paring their car lineups that began two years ago when Fiat-Chrysler announced it would phase out the poorly selling Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart. Oh, and WSJsays FCA may now even be considering killing off the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, the latter of which would surely displease throngs of muscle-car enthusiasts. And of course GM has been rumored to be considering the axe for several slow-selling cars, including the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, as it eyes adding yet more trucks and SUVs to a market that's already saturated with them.
It's a trend with no end in sight, as fuel prices remain low and the Trump administration eyes a rollback of tough Obama-era fuel-efficiency mandates. Sales of sedans, coupes and other car segments represented just 37 percent of U.S. sales in 2017, down from 51 percent in 2012, the Journal reports.
Ford is reportedly still mulling the long-term fate of the Fusion midsize sedan, having just unveiled a refreshed 2019 version last month, while GM is also considering killing off the Chevy Impala. Elsewhere, we've seen how Honda's well-regarded new Accord is struggling to move units and that even luxury sedans have struggled as more well-heeled buyers switch to luxury SUVs.
Clearly, there is a trend here away from cars, but it's important to note that the Sonic and Fiesta are subcompact cars with thin profit margins and unremarkable sales. The Taurus, meanwhile, is a stale product in a segment that has particularly been hit hard by the SUV trend. So while car fans may be losing some choices, this particular cull seems like unsurprising, low-hanging fruit from a business perspective.
Wall Street Journal source
04-04-18, 03:42 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
04-04-18, 03:43 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
04-04-18, 03:50 PM
#5
I expect Yaris Hatchback to go away in the USA, replaced with new small SUV that is going to be built in same factory in France from 2019.
They also might do something about either Prius c or Prius v.
Cutting off those 3 models will let them introduce other models that might be more profitable. It is hard for dealer to stock slow selling cars as well as for Toyota to market them.
They also might do something about either Prius c or Prius v.
Cutting off those 3 models will let them introduce other models that might be more profitable. It is hard for dealer to stock slow selling cars as well as for Toyota to market them.
04-04-18, 06:13 PM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
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04-04-18, 06:34 PM
#9
You talking about the Yaris or the Ford Fiesta??? The Yaris isn't that awful, but a Ford Fiesta or Focus with an automatic transmission, that person must have been brain dead or never test drove the car before they bought it(once again brain dead) I mean who buys a brand new car where transmission slip is a standard feature. Its a brand new car and it already feels like the transmission is broken.
04-04-18, 06:45 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
You talking about the Yaris or the Ford Fiesta??? The Yaris isn't that awful, but a Ford Fiesta or Focus with an automatic transmission, that person must have been brain dead or never test drove the car before they bought it(once again brain dead) I mean who buys a brand new car where transmission slip is a standard feature. Its a brand new car and it already feels like the transmission is broken.
Both cars, however, at least in their base-trim versions, still offer traditional manual transmissions, so, if you don't like the way the DCT performs, you can row your own gears. That can, however, get tiring in heavy traffic. And, to some extent, it's a moot point on the Fiesta, since Ford is probably going to discontinue that car soon in the U.S..
04-04-18, 06:52 PM
#11
Also Ford is foolhardy if they cancel the Fusion. They've sold a lot of them, you see them everywhere. Mid-size sedans are still a huge market segment, even if sales of mid-sized sedans are off 20% of 2 million units a year, that's still a market of 1.6 million cars. I know that's some bull**** math there, but my point is the mid-size sedan market is so big that if sales are off 10 or 20% its still several million units in the USA alone. I also thought it was foolhardy of FCA to abandon the smaller car market. Not everybody wants a boat sized Dodge Charger or Chyrsler 300, they still should have something size wise under those cars, even if the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 were consolidated into one model line. I guess they figure everybody will buy a cheap poser Jeep if they want a car under $25,000.
04-04-18, 06:52 PM
#12
You talking about the Yaris or the Ford Fiesta??? The Yaris isn't that awful, but a Ford Fiesta or Focus with an automatic transmission, that person must have been brain dead or never test drove the car before they bought it(once again brain dead) I mean who buys a brand new car where transmission slip is a standard feature. Its a brand new car and it already feels like the transmission is broken.
LMAO.
04-04-18, 06:57 PM
#13
Some people may be able to afford larger or more well appointed cars, but there are others that cannot. Be it for financial reasons, the need for simple basic transportation, city living - need for smaller more maneuverable vehicle. This is why there are choices and not a one size fits all car. Besides if you could only drive one car the rest of your life and your only choice was between a 90's Geo or a 2013 Fiesta... dunno about you, but I'd be grateful for the latter.
04-04-18, 07:01 PM
#14
You talking about the Yaris or the Ford Fiesta??? The Yaris isn't that awful, but a Ford Fiesta or Focus with an automatic transmission, that person must have been brain dead or never test drove the car before they bought it(once again brain dead) I mean who buys a brand new car where transmission slip is a standard feature. Its a brand new car and it already feels like the transmission is broken.
04-05-18, 05:14 AM
#15
