Fuel Prices Are Too Low

Petrol and diesel prices are considered very high by most people. You get the impression that they will only get higher in the long run, because reserves are dwindling while demand rises. These fuels are essential for shipping and aviation but not so much for cars. So why are people not switching to vehicles with alternative fuels? Because such vehicles cost more to buy and the current fuels are

L Rover - 25 Years In The USA: Summary (Part 3)

When Land Rover came to the US, sales were modest. That was to be expected as the Range Rover model that was the entire range was trailblazing the luxury SUV category. With that segment gaining popularity and new models being added, the marque accelerated in the mid 90's. Today Land Rover has a strong following in the country, and the US is a very important market for it.

Below is a summary of

L Rover - 25 Years In The USA: 2001-12 (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of a three part series covering LR USA.


After the demise of the Defender in the US, the brand soldiered on with just two models until 2001, when the Freelander debuted. It was never that popular in the US, and the name was changed to the LR2 in 2007.


The Discovery became the LR3 in 2004 and in 2009 the LR4.





Year
Total
Discovery
R Rover
Freelander

L Rover - 25 Years In the USA: 1987-00 (Part 1)

This is the first of three installments, tracking LR sales in the USA.

Despite the fact that Land Rovers have been around since 1948 and Range Rovers from 1970, LR only made it to the States in 1987. Initially sales were only the Range Rover, the Defender arriving in 1993 and the Discovery model in 1994. Below are sales for those years by model:






Year
R Rover
Defend


1987

Light Truck Production USA: 2011

Ford is consolidating its position as the largest light truck maker in the US. Nearly 720,000 F Series trucks rolled off Ford production lines. Jeep grew strongly, thanks mainly to sizable increases for both the Compass and Grand Cherokee models. BMW benefited from the X3's growth.

1 Ford Total 1,521,000 +16.8%
Ford 1,511,000 +19.7% Lincoln 10,000 -2.4%
2 GM Total 1,158,000 +3.5%
Chevrolet

Car Production USA: 2011

A modest increase in car production for the US, bearing in mind these figures exclude light trucks. Honda slipped down from 3rd th 6th, and Ford nearly went past falling Toyota production.

Chevrolet benefited from the Cruze model - up over 300% while Hyundai enjoyed strong increase in Elantra production. For Honda, the Accord model took a sizable fall in numbers.

1 GM Total 1,891,000 +0.8%

Vehicle Production Mexico: 2011

Vehicle manufacturing is an important industry for the country. There are not many brands involved but volumes are solid.

First up is car figures. For years there was little variation, but things have accelerated of late, with 2011 very successful.

1 Nissan 542,000 +18.8%
2 VW 515,000 +18.4%
3 Ford 455,000 +16.5%
4 GM 139,000 -21.6%
5 Fiat 57,000 New
Total 1,707,000 +16.1%

Now for Light

Car Sales Malaysia: 2011

Car sales in Malaysia were down slightly in 2011, but 2010 was a record year so 2011 was strong. Local brands Perodua (who make Daihatsu cars under license) and Proton took nearly two thirds of the market, not what it used to be but substantial nonetheless.

Below are sales by brand and increase/decrease:

1 Perodua 179,989 -4.6%
2 Proton 158,601 +1.0%
3 Toyota 63,493 -10.7%
4 Honda 32,480

The Rover 75

The Rover 75 was to be the saviour of MG Rover. It was to replace two cars, the 600 and 800. A good deal of money was spent in making it a quality offering. However, it didn't sell well, as the production figures below testify. The second figures from 2001 were for the MG ZT variation:

1999 53,700
2000 31,300
2001 33,800 3,500
2002 32,100 6,900
2003 30,400 8,000
2004 24,200 6,800
2005 5,200

Fiat 500L

Fiat used to have the 600 and 600 Multipla models, bigger versions of the tiny 500. It has revealed a new 600 (or Multipla?) at the Geneva show, called the 500L. L stands for large. I don't know why they are using the 500 designation if they are drawing on historical models for the current range. It looks the part at the front end but seems contrived at the rear. It's not a looker, is it? Will

Protected Car Markets

The uneven playing field that is trade never ceases to amaze me. China slaps hefty duties on imported vehicles, which forces anyone wishing to sell cars in any meaningful volume to make them locally. Yet China doesn't face the same duties when it exports. China now has a massive trade surplus, yet the system continues uncontested.

Another country that follows a similar pattern is Brazil. The

The Bentley SUV; Sanity Prevails

Every vehicle made by marques such as Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin are beautiful. There is a high quality of style with such British brands. Bentley cars aren't quite in that league when it comes to good looks, but they are acceptable. German car design is to my eyes possibly the worst there is, no offence meant to any readers from that nation. I think designers from Germany hijacked

VW Group Worldwide Sales By Region: 2012

I already have had a request for breakdown by region for VW Group 2011, so here it is (see below for part 1). Western Europe is the biggest region but China easily so by country. Below are the 2011 and 2010 sales, followed by the percentage increase or decrease. Top nations in various regions are included as a no cost bonus.

Western Europe 3,131,000 2,882,000 +8.6Germany 1,153,000

VW Group Worldwide Sales By Brand: 2011

VW call them deliveries, I presume that means sales. Anyway, the VW Group did well in 2011. This is a company in a hurry, impatient to be the biggest in the business. They should do it, but much depends on China. Sales are stalling there and VW Group is so strong in that market. Of course, VW are pushing hard in all markets, but could be more evenly spread around the world, in other words is

UK Car Making On The Up In 2012

It must be said that UK car making isn't as big as it should have been due to the total mismanagement of the industry in the 70s. Having said that, it is surprisingly strong when compared to the dark days of the 80s. Most local brands went under, the American brands largely left (GM seems to want to close the last plant) but the Japanese came in. They liked what they saw and liked even more what

The European Car Making Mess

I wrote this article in December 2009: http://tiny.cc/BVGf2b
Just over two years later little has been done about European overcapacity. Both Fiat and GM closed a plant in 2011, but that was not enough by far. GM and PSA are trying to save costs with a cooperation deal as I mentioned in a recent article. That will achieve little if they both fail to bite the bullet and close factories. So what

Jaguar XF Shooting Brake

Just released in Geneva, the XF Shooting Brake. Originally the term 'Shooting Brake' was a vehicle to take gentlemen out shooting, with all that entailed. The Wagon or Estate car that Jaguar has released is due to hit European showrooms in the third quarter of 2012. I have to say that it will sell well, due it gorgeous styling. Their is nothing on the market in that segment that looks so

Older Cars Where I Live

I was on my bike yesterday around the town I live and I took my camera. Well, I came across three old cars. I took snaps of them and here they are:


A 1957 Ford Prefect. A mild climate and a not too strict warrant of fitness regime means as long as they are reasonably maintained, you can have one. Something different. This is the 100E model and it was made from 1953 to 1959. A total of 100,554

LR Defender Sales By Country: 2011

The Land Rover Defender is coming to the end of its long and illustrious career. Yes, there will be a replacement, but it will be different and it has to be. No vehicle has a right to last essentially unchanged for over sixty years. Yet the Landie has.

Establishing sales data by country for this model is difficult. In Europe, many are sold as commercial vehicles, which are rarely broken down

UK Net Car Importer

Most countries are 100% net car importers as they have no car manufacturing. Even some car making nations are still net importers due to the limited nature of production. The UK falls into that latter category. So by how much? Well, if you make local car sales 100%, then measure production against that you can find out. If production is half of domestic sales, then the figure is 50%. So we are

Jaguar XK Sales By Country: 2011

The XK is a fine car. Nothing covers ground in such an effortless way. Jaguar say "Breathtaking performance, sporting luxury and advanced technologies create a grand tourer with the heart and soul of a sports car". That says it very well.

1 USA 1,738
2 UK 1,336
3 Germany 560
4 Canada 148
4 Italy 148
6 France 133
7 Switzerland 77
8 South Africa 67
9 Australia 55
10 Spain 49
11 Russia 35
12

GM & PSA

GM has bought a 7% share of PSA (Peugeot and Citroen). I don't see why they would. Back in the year 2000, GM bought 20% of Fiat, which was to save them both handsomely in financial terms. It didn't turn out to be that way, so GM decided to leave the alliance. To do so, GM had to pay Fiat $2bn to get out.This time round, the venture is more limited in scope. Any real savings will take years to