Wednesday, May 14, 2008
NEW CAR PREVIEW 2008
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Hatchbacks, small cars, minicars and sedans are the hottest properties for 2008, mostly fueled by consumers’ desires to cut fuel costs.
“At Ford, we believe small cars and crossovers will continue to grow in the coming years,” says George Pipas, Ford’s U.S. sales analysis manager. In the past, some automakers were their own worst enemies, as in the case when they began the practice of “cloning.” The cloning of cars involves marketing the same vehicle using different brand names to build a “new” product for the showroom. As we roll into 2008, it’s time for a quick look at the four top models I test-drove in 2007 that I think will continue to be strong contenders in the new model year. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety determines how protective vehicles are when involved in an accident. For more than 30 years, the IIHS has been a leader in finding out what does and doesn’t work when a vehicle is involved in and accident. You snooze, you lose. U.S. tax credits have run out on some of the country’s most popular gas-electric hybrid vehicles. Early car radios were not very popular because they were expensive, large and took up too much space. Besides, there weren’t that many radio stations, outside of big cities. Statistics show that there has been a sharp drop in teen-age driving fatalities since the 1990s. Manufacturers are addressing power and practicality—the two primary demands of pickup buyers—with cleaver, sophisticated solutions. |
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