Dirty Harry

I saw the Imperial concept at the Portland Oregon Autoshow this year and I can say it is not the Chrysler concept I would ask them to build. I kept hearing people ask which end is the front.

The Chrysler has had to slap BIG discounts on the Commander almost from the start and has been a disappointment to Chrysler from a profit standpoint which is the bottom line. It was intro'ed just as the Mid Size SUV fade ended with a thud & its only selling now becuase Jeep is slapping $8K on the hood in rebates or doing insane lease deals that are going to kill its residual value.

Its hard to sell Stratus' when there are appearently none left. The Stratus has been out of production since july or aug so dealers have few left. The Sterling Heights plant will soon be building the Stratus replacement, the Avenger.

The RDX small SUV has not sold even 7K since its intro, it appears to be the first Honda in a LONG time not to be going over well.

Surprising the Camry is not selling any better with an all-new model that has much improved styling. I had read when the Camry came out they were speculating sales of almost half a million and needed the Subaru plant for the added volume. I guess the myth styling is low on the list for those that buy Camrys is true. Also surprising the 4 Runner has not been affected by the bottom falling out of the mid-size SUV mkt like at GM, Ford & Chrysler. I always thought the 4 Runner was one of the most bland mid-size SUV's out there.

I like their statement that the Eclipse is the volume leader at 2485 units. That line alone shows how pathetic Mitsu is doing. That would project out to less than 30K for their best selling model. In the late 90's & early 2000's when credit was flowing Eclipse was a constant for 60 - 70K year in and out.

The Fusion has done pretty well in it's 1st yr but be careful not to read too much into Ford's upcoming boasts. The Taurus is going out of production and although it only is sold as a fleet car it has so far this yr it still outsold the Fusion 125K units to 100K. These fleet sales will have to be transfered to some line in 2007 so expect big Fusion gains (and possibly Five Hundred gains) nxt yr but little net total sales gain to Ford. Also expect F-Series sales to tank even further in 2007 once the GMT900 pickups and new Tundra hit the market. All of this along with tumbling SUV sales means the Ford Edge MUST be a success.

Since GM is basially contracting Pontiac, Buick & GMC into one big division, one of them needs a version of the Lambda minivan. A minivan always seemed counter to the sporty image Pontiac so it is good to retire the Montana. Buick is not about minivans (Which is why only a handfull of Terrazas have been sold. Whoever convinced management on a Buick minivan is likely selling shoes now). So GMC makes the most since by default although I don't see ever selling much more than 50,000 units.

Its the old spin game to fool the uneducated. When you are looking an automakers sales figure writeup you are never in the No Spin Zone. I think Mitsubishi's indivdual model numbers are so bad compared to a yr or two ago they don't dare show them until they must at the end of the yr.

AH-HA had dropped us the tid bit that this program was out there. Nice to see him proven right again. He is missed.

Can any insiders tell us the status on this program. GMT161 had been progressing for quit few yrs as a Mini SUV on Theta below the Equnox & VUE for Chevy, GMC and Saturn but I have heard rumors it is another victim of the budget axe. With the NG VUE appearing to grow in size and the Equinox almost as large as a T Blazer it seems with rising gas prices this a program that needs to see the light of day. Any insight?

The 300 is a true Detroit success story that gives hope to Ford and GM. The 300 has not been just a sales success by Chrysler but is has given them styling leadership and forced GM and Ford to re-evaluate their product plans to combat it. In addition, the extra revenue the Hemi models have generated will allow cars like the Challenger to see a production line. EXCELLENT WORK CHRYSLER.

If that were the reason for this decision (which I doubt) it should have been made yrs ago, not at the 11th hr after they have dropped tons of $$ and time into the program then show it to journalists. GM definitely does not have extra cash to throw away to change change horses mid-stream. Poor decision planning like this is why they lost $10 BILLION last yr. It makes GM look bad you no matter which way you cut it. Come on GM get your ducks in a row!!

It seems obivious this program is another casuality of GM's lack of cash but what is amazing is that this one got all the way to being shown to Wall St and journalists and got great reviews supposedly. For them to pull the plug with no alternative set shows how bad the situation is for GM.

Almost 2yrs after its intro the 300 is still on fire (and w/out incentives). WAY T0 GO CHRYSLER!!!!. Now don't screw it up with shaky quality.