Crossoveres are all hype!

[Scotsman]

I've always thought so for the most part. Sure they're smaller and lighter than comparable SUV's but don't get that much better of gas mileage. Wagons are a better choice (IMO), but you do need something to manage hauling a boat, jet ski's and other stuff.

DETROIT - We all know by now that it's a devastating year for automakers, whether General Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler or Toyota. The seasonably adjusted annual rate, or SAAR, currently is 14.7 million units, off from 17- to 18-million units in the economically healthier early years of the new millennium. Nobody is buying big trucks or SUVs. Only Nissan and Honda are showing signs of life, and that's because these relatively small automakers have better big-truck to small-car ratios. There's another disturbing trend gleaned from this week's May sales results: crossovers have hit a wall.

Each automaker issues a press release at the beginning of each month touting models that sold well. Ford, to pick on one clear example, spent the first three months of the year announcing "record Focus sales, big gains for Fusion, Milan, Edge and MKX," or something similar. Last Tuesday, the spin was, "May brings record sales for Ford Focus, Fusion."


Ford Edge
Pontiac Torrent

Ford Edge sales fell 2.6 percent from May '07 to May '08, to 12,367. It's up 26.8 percent year-to-date, but it wasn't at full-production as a new model in '07. Lincoln MKX sales were down 15.5 percent, to 2,950 and the smaller Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner also were off substantially. Over at GM, Chevy Equinox sales fell 11.3 percent, to 5,850. Saturn Vue? Off 15.5 percent, to 8,330. Pontiac Torrent lost 43.8 percent, to 1,626.

I can't count the new Lambda crossovers in this analysis, because Buick Enclave was up 58.6 percent, to 2,939, while GMC Acadia fell 27.6 percent to 6,566 and Saturn Outlook was off 38.1 percent, to 2,506. Clearly, there are shortage issues in the Enclave's/Acadia's/Outlook's young lives, and GM veep Mark LaNeve says a "local" UAW strike at their Delta Township, Michigan plant indeed affected supply. We'll have to look at a couple more months to see whether they've peaked out.
Toyota RAV4

Take a look at Toyota. Its small, relatively efficient RAV4 fell 13.2-percent, to 14,917. Highlander was down 12.9 percent, to 10,841 and Lexus RX sales (which includes the hybrid RX 400h) fell 20.6-percent, to 8,082.

Honda reported CR-V sales off 1.5-percent, although the actual number was up by 446 units, to 19,959. This statistical anomaly is the result of counting change by daily selling rate - there were fewer such days last May versus this May. The Pilot is in the midst of a model changeover, but it, too is down, 19.7-percent, to 8,449.

My point is not that automakers should get out of the crossover segment. My argument is they shouldn't spend all their development money on every sub-niche only to discover in five years that drivers are tiring of tall, unibody V-6 station wagons the way they tired of tall, body-on-frame V-8 station wagons a couple of years ago.
Lincoln MKX

Ford division alone has Escape, Edge and Taurus X, and will soon add Flex (a kind of perfect blend of minivan and CUV), plus probably Explorer America and some version of the Kuga concept. It's only certain to get rid of Taurus X while adding three SUVs. It can cover the market with Kuga, Edge and Flex.

Beside Ford's Flex, we'll see the Chevy Traverse, Toyota Venza, Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class and Audi Q5 before the end of this year.

Most crossovers get better fuel mileage than most truck-based SUVs. In May, however, the few Americans who shopped dealerships chose mostly C- and D-segment sedans. That may be enough exposure for the average American family with 2.3 kids to find they can fit in a Fusion or even a Focus, just like the average Western European family with 2.3 kids. As a car guy who always has more fun driving cars, I understand that the U.S. market will always need vehicles like three-row crossovers. But the market doesn't need many more than what we already have.

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6252839/...ked/index.html

[chadrcr]

Excersions now that is an SUV! super uge vehicle....
Any crossover has to be a step ?up? from that. NOT literally.
If only one family can be saved from the excersion....

[The_Blur]

If you go to Europe, you'll see a lot more fuel efficient small cars than you do in America. There are still plenty of SUVs driving around, but there's less of a need for them. In America, every mom and dad feels the need to drive around a huge van or SUV that carries 5 more people than are ever in the car.

I guarantee you, America's economy would still be booming if people were driving reasonable sedans instead of busses for all their kids friends.

[stovt001]

They're a trend, just like SUVs. Really, they are mostly like minivans without sliding doors. Sedans and coupes may be timeless, but large family haulers apparently will always be dictated by what's trendy.

I love wagons. My wife has a 92 Taurus wagon, and it is a great car. It dies randomly every so often, but it can haul tons of stuff, seat 7 (two in the back penalty box) and its pretty fuel efficient, even with a 6 cyl. Its decently powerful and quick up to 60, but past that its all out of ideas, as Clarkson would say.

[Muscle Master]

GMC Acadia and the Chevy Trailblazer's are the best crossovers that GM have, while the rest.......... to me the rest are trash

[Silverado]

The Trailblazer isn't a cross-over...

Crossovers are SUV bodies on a car chassis. The Trailblazer rides on a truck chassis, so it's an actual SUV, not a CUV.

The GM crossovers are the GMC Acadia, the Saturn Outlook, the Buick Enclave, and the Chevy Traverse.

Going from a Tahoe to the Enclave, I can attest that we've gained 25% in fuel economy, while only sacrificing a little bit of room. Even that sacrifice is only noticeable when you take it to the home improvement store or on a longer trip. During the average day, it isn't really noticeable at all.

[DGthe3]

lets look at the history for family haulers
wagons->minivans->SUVs->CUVs

Now, there have been alot of wagons poping up recently, I think the cycle is about to restart

[Muscle Master]

I still think its a bad time for magnum to be discarded

[BumbleBee]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

lets look at the history for family haulers
wagons->minivans->SUVs->CUVs

Now, there have been alot of wagons poping up recently, I think the cycle is about to restart

Power to the WAGON!!!

[Scotsman]

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

I still think its a bad time for magnum to be discarded

Agreed. Too bad Chrysler is now run by a bunch of accountants.

[chadrcr]

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

I still think its a bad time for magnum to be discarded

A new GM Nomad should keep magnum busy...

[Muscle Master]

and the bad thing about it, every 10 blocks I see a magnum, it like the impala, I guess there just high volumes of these cars in PA

[z28camaro2471]

Not only are crossoveres all hype, so are crossovers.

[GTAHVIT]

^LOL