The Game as it Currently Stands
I've heard rumors that Volvo might pull out of the US market in the coming years, so I began thinking about the state Volvo's in. Being bored at work, I decided to compile a list of car companies who seem to be lost in the woods and those doing well. There are no particular qualities that make me put an automaker in on category or another; I have some who are selling well in the "lost their way", some selling poorly in the "getting it right", as well as manufacturers that I like and don't like in either category. Obviously this list will have an American slant, because we're the only country on earth. Hopefully you foreigners (not you, Kitdy) can chime in about your made-up faraway lands and the car markets therein.
[B][U]Companies Who've Lost Their Mojo:[/U][/B]
[B]Volvo:[/B] Volvo isn't really Volvo anymore; thanks to them pushing the safety issue so strongly, now everyone's doing it! With that edge lost, and their interiors in the last decade compromised by the Ford partsbin, they seem to be another vaguely-luxurious brand with no real direction; fittingly enough, they seem very similar to Lincoln in that regard. Their cars are styled pleasantly enough inside and out, but they don't really speak to a market segment. Despite losing most benefit from their "safe" image, they still have the slightly-stodgy stigma that went with it. Someone looking to buy something a little out of the ordinary won't really consider a Volvo because they don't have the rakish qualities that most other oddball brands seem to have. Compounding the problem, owners of old Volvos drive old Volvos, so that key demographic is lost.
[B]Saab/NEVS:[/B] What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. What does, does not. From what I understand, they will only be selling in their home (Chinese) market for a few years until they car ramp up design and production to start making some new cars. Currently, the idea of a twelve-year-old 9-3 with an electric engine is not particularly appealing and, at the prices Saab feels justified charging, will not entice people into their showrooms. The effects of Chinese ownership have yet to really be felt, neither in the Saab range nor in Volvo's, so there might be a renaissance of boutique Swedish carmakers once all those yuan start making themselves felt. I don't think any of us are holding our breath though.
[B]Suzuki:[/B] I would like to think that there's a market in the US for cheap cars that aren't the godawful Nissan Versa or Korean. I thought Suzuki could have filled that role well. Though we mock them today, the Samurai and Swift (Geo Metro) were very much compacts to suit their respective days; light, simple, frugal, rough around the edges, and, most of all, cheap. I thought that either the SX4 or Kizashi (great name) could fill that bottom-feeder segment quite well. The SX4 had the AWD option and the Kizashi has looks and some degree of sprightliness. From what I understand, they made the cars so cheap by decontenting them, so that once options were added the prices rose precipitously. Still, if you're looking for basic transportation, beyond an A/C or heater, depending upon where you live, and a radio, you shouldn't need any options. I don't think many mourn Suzuki's passing, but I do; so there.
[B]Mitsubishi:[/B] I guess this is beating a dead horse, as calls for Mitsubishi to pull out of the US have been heard ever since that rumor that the Evo was being cancelled. Like Suzuki, their range seems to live mostly at the bottom of any particular size segment. The only reason to buy one, with Suzuki's departure anyway, was that you could get into a Korean-priced car without going Korean. However, the Koreans will not only give you better value for your money, they'll include enough reliability/warranty to get you a few years down the road, too. From what I've heard Mitsubishis struggle to do that and I certainly don't see too many old ones, sporty models excepted, on the road (even in Southern California). They are such a non-contender, that even the i-MiEV, which should be popular, has struggled to have its existence known. Make other sporty things with AWD, they might sell.
[B]Fisler/Chryat:[/B] They do make cars that I like, but they're just so lost in space. Getting a space cadet of an Italian corporation to merge with a space cadet of an American one was never going to produce a [I]rationalist[/I], as Ferrer would say, Fiat lineup. That I can accept. In fact, I would be worried if it was any other way; Italian companies are always making the wrong cars that we love. In this case though, they're making the [I]wrong[/I] wrong cars. There are few silly enthusiast cars, just cars that, with a few exceptions, poorly fit their target market and, in some cases, desecrate their marques good name. On the Chrysler side, their lineup, with names slightly-altered, is the same as before the horrendous kablooie. Dodge has tried with the Dart, which I would really like to like, but other than the Charger/300, I don't seem many viable options there either. RAM angers me, so I'll leave them out. Jeep is doing fine; the only Jeep that matters is the Wrangler and that’s being made. As long as Jeep still makes Jeeps, they can do whatever else the want in their spare time. Also, Alfa, put a little piece of ****ing plastic over the headlights on the 4C and take my money. I still don't quite agree with any number of choices they made on that car, but it's very much an Alfa Romeo.
[B]VAG: [/B]I am biased, but their products do very little for me. Like I said above, I reserve the right to be capricious in my choices. Their diesels seem to have found their niche, but I don't really care. In my eyes they are overpriced, overdamped, oversprung, and sold under false pretenses of German quality. Porsche's current trajectory, which I know is not VW's fault, is also not to my liking. I did think the XL1 was a very cool car though.
[B]Jaguar:[/B] I was going to lump Land Rover in but Land Rover has a niche, whereas Jag seems to have lost theirs about 10 years ago. I like their current range, but in a disinterested way. Even the F-Type is too artificial and the rest of their range lacks the confidently-understated plushness that they used to have. Blame the marauding Germans for pummeling their market segment into a pulp, but, unfortunately, the impetus is on Jag to make a car that is quintessentially Jaguar, but not in a segment only shopped by those who want German cars.
[B]Honda/Acura:[/B] Honda used to make cars for engineers. You could nerd out on all the little details that were always just-so. They also drove nicely, helped no doubt helped by being the only Japanese company that didn't feel the need to give their cars 18" (450mm) of ground clearance for the American market. Of their current range, the nicest thing I can say is that the CR-Z is a good idea executed poorly. The Accord is also a good car, but it's ugly and no significant improvement on its forebears. Everything else they make might as well be a Toyota. The luxury market has become so bloated and the power so much that Acura cannot hope to compete with a steadfastly-FWD range. They've also positioned themselves way too far upmarket; to use an outmoded metric, they should be far nearer Buick/Olds territory than Cadillac. In that range they can sell warmed-over Hondas if those Hondas are interesting to begin with and do well with them, too. Getting rid of the beak would be wise, too.
[B]Lincoln (duh):[/B] I like the looks of a good number of their new releases, but still...
[B]BMW/Peugeot:[/B] They urgently need to stop making ugly cars.
The Other Side of the Coin
[B][U]Automakers on Their Game:[/U][/B]
[B]Mazda:[/B] Ah yes, Mazda: the darling of the realistic automotive enthusiast. With the exception of the CXs, everything they make I like, and they even put an engine that I like in those SUVs! I look forward to the Alfiata and hope Mazda doesn't get caught up and dragged down by an Italianate mess in the process.
[B]Tesla:[/B] Tesla managed to take one of the most traditionally-awkward genres of cars and they've made it cool. Electrics aside, it's a fast well-handling car that looks better than any four-door in recent memory. This is the type of car that Jag should be making. They're also Californian, which I like.
[B]Kia/Hyundai:[/B] I don't think saying the Korean manufacturers are going through a renaissance would be that controversial of an opinion; their quality is increasing and their styling is improving in leaps and bounds. While cost still drives their purchase, they are making a better and better argument for themselves, not just as cheap cars, but as cars. The extensive warranties and the panoply of features make them solid, if uninteresting, buys. To bastardize a Churchill quote "it is the end of the beginning" for them; they are real car manufacturers making competitive products. Now all they need to do, like the Japanese before them, is find their "voice" both in design and engineering. I still don't really have a cogent idea of what a Korean car is other than cheap, so I look forward to them changing that. I also look forward to the Stinger.
[B]Scion:[/B] I hate calling them that, but that's what they call themselves. Though less popular on this retrograde coast, they still enjoy a fair amount of popularity and a sound ethos: reliable, sometimes interesting cars for young people. While the xB, tC, and xD do little for me, the strength of the FR-S and iQ elevate them onto this side of the list.
[B]Subaru:[/B] I don't really like their cars, but they have very successfully carved out their niche in the market. Living in Connectishit, I see them every-goddamn-where. The WRX and STI as a model are getting a bit fetid; no rally involvement and seemingly minimal attention from Subaru are not doing those cars any favors, which the new one seems unlikely to improve. Maybe it's all part of their endgame; Subarus are for nice people, they are no longer blue cars with 4" exhausts that have somehow been t-boned by a lampost. How the BRZ fits in to that plan, I'm not sure, but let's not question it, okay?
[B][U]Companies Who Just Are:[/U][/B]
[B]Toyota/Lexus: [/B]See Scion. Their bread and butter is doing what it's meant to do as it has always done: nothing worthwhile for an enthusiast, but nothing to scoff at. The march towards world domination moves relentlessly forward.
[B]Ford: [/B]Ford is interesting, they seem to be trying all the right things, and should probably be on the good list. They’ve brought some of their much-clamored-for European joints as well as keeping the Mustang consistently at the top of the ponycar heap. Their cars tend towards the boring, but I think I’ve miscategorized them.
[B]GM: [/B]With Cadillac and Corvettes as the high points, GM continues to crank out general motors for general peoples.
[B]Mercedes-Benz/Audi/BMW: [/B]They continue to cater extremely well to their ever-growing niche.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten some cars. Sorry.