Ford really thinks it could try to take down the Wrangler, Jeep could have found a solution in Japan, and Renault has managed to build a car that people want. All that and more in Tomorrow’s turn by July 20, 2020.
1st Gear: How Much Shot Does the Ford Bronco Really Have Against Jeep?
Early acquires the new Bronco they are ecstaticAnd a lot of people think this is good enough, and different enough, to really take a bite out of Jeep Wrangler’s sales, but there are reasons to remain skeptical. I mean, it’s obvious that the Bronco is probably a good car, and it definitely has its own legion of fans, but it’s impossible to discount how many loyal Jeep’s there are.
Automotive News gave his own evaluation of the situation during the weekend.
“From both a technical analysis and an emotional reaction perspective, it looks like this will have a very good opportunity to turn existing Jeep owners into Bronco buyers and it will certainly make Jeep non-SUV general enthusiasts off-road,” analyst Automotive company Karl Brauer said in an interview. “But having a backlog of stakeholders before the vehicle reaches dealerships is not that difficult to do. The winners are those in high demand six months, 12 months after the cars are available. ”
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That is a potential problem, while the other is the powertrain. Bronco did not debut with any hybrid setup, which is not a mistake as long as it is planned for the future, but the most concerning thing was that it did not debut with a V8 either.
However, one area without as many options as some enthusiasts would like is the powertrain. The Bronco comes with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, or buyers can upgrade to a 2.7-liter V-6. A manual transmission is available only with the base engine. Some off-road purists hoped Ford had included a V-8.
“If you’re looking for a potential Achilles heel in Bronco’s launch plan, that’s what it is,” said Brauer.
Jeep seems more than happy to exploit that weakness.
Hours before the Bronco made its debut, Jeep revealed a Wrangler concept powered by a Hemi V-8. In a not-so-subtle ad accompanying the reveal, the 450-hp concept rips through the field, its engine growling scaring a pack of wild broncos.
My best guess is that Ford will sell around 100,000 annualized of these, although it will be interesting to see how many. By context, Jeep sold 228,032 Wranglers last year in the US
2nd gear: GM is the best in minority-owned dealerships
According to data from the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, by Automotive News.
GM ended the year with 287 minority dealerships, a gain of nine, while Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was No. 2, with 181, a gain of four. Toyota added seven to overtake Hyundai at No. 4 with 81.
Overall, minority dealership numbers continued an upward trajectory after diving during the Great Recession. There were 1,243 at the end of 2019, 29 more than a year earlier, but 31 percent less than the peak of 1,805 in 2005.
Ford Motor Co. had three fewer minority dealers than the previous year, ranking third with 165 stores. Hyundai had a net loss of seven minority-owned stores last year, falling to fifth with 76.
It is strange, and concerning, that minority ownership of distributors peaked 15 years ago.
3rd Gear: Jeep offering loans in Japan
Japanese consumers tend to prefer cash when they buy new cars, but Automotive News reports that Jeep has been offering deferred payments and leases amid the coronavirus pandemic. Jeep says it is the first to do so, and that it has increased sales.
Of Automotive News:
It was on track to deliver a 15 percent sales increase in 2020.
But then COVID-19 came, and Jeep sales in Japan began to drop as customers declined.
[…]
In May, FCA Japan took a page from the American playbook, creating a plan called Skip Loan. It allows customers to skip up to five months of payments and pay next year.
“That type of deferred payment is not uncommon in the US. A type of purchase now, later payment scheme” [FCA Japan CEO Pontus] Häggström said. “But in Japan, no one has ever done it before.”
The imported incentive turned out to be a surprise success. FCA Japan says it has collected 2,000 contracts in the 10 weeks since it offered the financing product. Vehicle financing, which accounted for about 40 percent of FCA Japan’s purchases last year, soared to around 55 percent.
4th gear: Renault sales are down but not for Zoe
It has been fascinating to see electric vehicle sales. shoot in Europe amid the coronavirus pandemic even when overall car sales plummeted. Renault is no exception.
Of Reuters:
French automaker Renault (RENA.PA) reported on Monday a 34.9% drop in global vehicle sales in the first half of the year due to the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak, but said it had seen some signs of recovery in June.
Sales of its ZOE electric model increased by almost 50%.
The increase is likely largely due to government incentives, but at least it’s encouraging.
5th Gear: Former Ford Guy is now a starter boy
Joe Hinrichs allegedly retired from Ford in February, after serving as its chief operating executive even though he is only 53 years old. That was probably due to failed launch of 6th generation Explorer. But, anyway, it’s now on the board of a startup. It is called Wavesense.
Of Reuters:
Wavesense is testing ground penetrating radar location technology with automakers, Hinrichs said. The company maps underground features, then compares penetration radar images to determine the location of a vehicle. The company is also working on a system that can help a vehicle navigate a parking structure in autonomous driving mode.
Hinrichs said the technology promises to be a “significantly lower cost solution” than LIDAR, which uses lasers to measure and locate the characteristics of the road around a car.
Of course.
Reverse: to the moon
Neutral: How are you?
Last night I made a steak with a bunch of onions and a roasted tomato. It was tasty. the Peugeot did wonders
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