Drew Dowdell

Ford is getting ready to introduce a new Escape for the 2020 model year on April 2nd. The compact crossover is one of Ford's best sellers, moving as many as 308,296 units in 2017. The growth trend has stalled though and sales dipped to around 272k units last year. The current generation went on sale in 2013 and was facelifted for 2017, but since then, new editions of the Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Equiniox, updated Jeep Cherokee, and Toyota RAV-4 have hit the market. Ford offered a teaser video via twitter today that gives some hints as to what to expect from the 2020 Escape. The 2020 VIN decoder shows that the current 2.5 liter 4-cylinder will not be making a return, instead replaced with the 1.5T that will carry over. The 2.0T also remains as an upgrade. Hybrid fans can rejoice because after a 7 year absence a hybrid will be returning to the lineup and will also be joined by a Plug-In Hybrid option like the Lincoln Corsair. No word yet on the range of the PHEV. We'll hear the whole story about the Ford Escape on April 2nd. View full article

With Jeep and RAM... the C part of FCA is in a better position than they've been in years. They really don't need to merge with someone if they make smart use of the platforms they already have. Make a small entry-lux SUV on the Renegade platform for Chrysler in the same formula as the Buick Encore. Make a large crossover off the Pacifica, call it Aspen if you like. Make an Envision sized crossover off the Cherokee for Chrysler. Build it in the US and take all the sales from Buick. Make a new 300, Charger, and Challenger, off the Guilia platform The next Dodge Journey can be based on the extended Jeep Cherokee that we don't get. The Durango remains as is, an extended rebadge of a Grand Cherokee but with more street intentions than off-road. Sell the Chryslers and Jeeps in China and the EU. Dodge and Ram remain brands for the Americas. Punt Fiat back to Europe and leave it there. Alfa can stay if it can make a business case for itself through platform sharing.

My dad's I6 in his F-150 will likely outlast the rest of the truck. I6es just seem to go on forever.

I did just fine in a RWD CTS with winter tires on.

The problem is that some brands are regional. The French won't buy Nissans, nor will the Chinese. They'll buy Renaults. Everyone buys Jeeps. Americans won't touch Fiats, but Europeans are fine with them. Nissan does well in the US with cheap financing. So there will likely need to be some heavy rebadging going on and each brand stay in its home territory.

It will probably be Nissan Kicks in size.

China is a very different market than what we have. They are moving to BEVs much faster. Will Daimler-BMW get to 500k units is anyone's guess, but I do think that China is where they will sell the majority of them.

I only had an Escalade for a week as a rental and I bragged about it.

FCA really has no debt to mention. One thing Sergio did before he died was pay that off.

I think Hyundai's thought process is that there will still always be a sedan market, and they want to be the default choice as the other manufacturer retreat. Kinda where the Pacifica and Odyssey are for the minivan market today.

Actually, Cadillac prices their V6 where the other guys price their Turbo-4. And they priced their Turbo-4 where the other guys priced their low-output turbo-4.

I have a carb, that's why I was wondering. But my carb has electronically controlled metering. It is said that this carb is sensitive to dirty air filters.

Seems like a smaller car though

@dwightlooi I think Ford is doing that too on at least one engine line.

What about on old cars without mass airflow sensors and such?

The issue is that SMK keeps saying that Cadillac doesn't have a competitive turbo 6... the truth is they have 3 versions of turbo 6 that are more than competitive. (3.0tt = 400hp, 3.6tt = 420hp, 3.6tt = 460hp)

I have no problem with faux leather seats. I just have a problem with getting them in a $40k+ car. In a Jetta... no problem.

ATS Turbo 4 = 272 hp / 3-series Turbo 4 = 255 hp ATS Turbo 6 = 460 hp / 3-series Turbo 6 = 382 hp / M3 Turbo 6 = 425 HP What you're implying is that the ATS doesn't have a competitive engine simply because it also offers a 335hp naturally aspirated 6. It's kinda moot though since the ATS sedan is now out of production and the CT4 will be replacing it, likely with a 400hp 3.0 V6. I'm sure SMK will find some other reason that it "isn't competitive" like the ashtray liner being the wrong material or something.

Which model are you referring to? The A 35? Cadillac most certainly does have a competing product.

Because they lose money and their current business model isn't sustainable. From the article: It's trading that high because of the hype and that investors are wary of the other tech stocks out there.

Then why ever change them at all?

The Volkswagen Arteon is taking the scenic route to the US with a delayed launch brought on by some delays in getting its engine certified for the US. The US version of the Arteon debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in 2018 and we recently reported that the Arteon would finally go on sale sometime in early summer. Volkswagen has announced pricing for the U.S. model will start at $35,845 plus $995 destination charge for the base SE front-wheel-drive model and $37,645 for all-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is available on all trims, generally costing about $2,000 for the upgrade. Arteon SE comes with heated 12-way power seats with faux leather, three-zone automatic climate control, rain sensing wipers, and an 8.0 inch diagonal infotainment screen including Android Auto and Apple Car Play. 18" alloy wheels and LED headlights are standard. Arteon SEL starts at $39,995 for FWD and $41,795 for 4Motion AWD. It adds adaptive front lighting, panoramic sunroof, remote start, Napa leather seats, driver seat memory, ambient lighting, navigation, a 12.3 inch digital cockpit systems, and adaptive cruise control. Arteon SEL Premium starts at $44,945 and features standard 4motion, heated steering wheel, paddle shifters, ventilated front seats, massaging driver’s seat, heated rear seats, brushed aluminum, tri-color ambient lighting, and a 700-watt premium audio system with 12 speakers. The R-Line Package is available on any trim level and includes 19-inch alloy wheels for $1,265 or 20-inch alloy wheels for $1,765 View full article

They offer more options and more power.