We think it is an excellent time to hit the car lots. Sales are slow, inventories are high, raw materials (steel, chemicals, plastic, rubber) are depressed, and interest rates are near zero. Demand is off due to the credit crunch. Dealers and manufacturers are hurting and are hungry for business.
The following list is our list of favorites from the San Diego Car Show. This is our list of All Pros (some are Hall of Famers) from the half a thousand vehicles from around the planet on display there.
Despite the bad publicity recently, Chevrolet and Chrysler have some of the best products in the market. The non-Chevy part of General Motors (GM) must be restructured. Also, Honda (HMC) has emerged to be a Big-4 player in the US. They work and act more domestic than even Chrysler.
We were disappointed with Ford (F), Toyota (TM) and Nissan (NSANY), and feel they have tired old product lineups. A strengthening Japanese Yen may force Toyota and Nissan to become the Big-5 and Big-6 in the US. Toyota's quality ratings were the lowest among all models studied, especially for the pickup/SUV part of the product line.
Hyundai and Tata Motors of India are "up-and-comers." Volkswagen, Daimler (DAI) and Mazda are "one or two-hit wonders," and need more successful products. Mitsubishi, Subaru and Suzuki should consider exiting the US market.
Overall, Toyota, GM, Ford, Nissan and Honda have global scope and scale. The rest may have to combine in some form or fashion in the longer-term.
Best Brands (best place to spend a weekend afternoon working the car lots):
Honda
Chevrolet
Dodge
Best Overall Vehicle (safe, AFV ability, cheap, good mileage):
Honda Civic - Sales are up 10% for this sporty car that gets 31 MPG with a nice interior. There is 4/5 star safety, and the price is $18-24K. There is 60% US and 30% Japanese content. Smog emission levels are excellent. There is a natural gas version and a hybrid version that gets 42 MPG and costs $24K.
Honda Fit - This is a hot selling crossover that gets 30 MPG and has 4/5 star safety. The cost is $19K. Smog emissions are 25% below average. The interior is futuristic and 100% of content is from Japan.
Chevy Malibu - Sales are up 37% for this sporty car with an excellent interior and retro concept. The car gets 28 MPG and costs $28K. There is 4/5 star crash protection and has 80% US content. This car emits 70% less pollution than average. There is a hybrid version that gets 30 MPG and costs $26K.
Chevy Cobalt - Sales are up 3% for this sporty looking car with a decent interior. Mileage is 31 MPG with 4/5 star crash rating. Content is 71% US and 16% Mexico. The cost is only $16K and smog emission levels are excellent.
We'll continue with our San Diego Auto Show findings as the day moves along.
