Jeep Grand Wagoneer Poised For 2014 Return: Report

Newsletter Stay up to date on car reviews, buying guides, articles and more The last full-size Jeep Grand Wagoneer rolled off the assembly line in 1991, although the nameplate survived on the high-end, mid-size Jeep Grand Cherokee until 1993. Time really hasn’t diminished the demand for the full-size Grand Wagoneers, and clean, low-mileage used examples today can fetch prices topping $30,000.

Chrysler is well aware of this, so the automaker began discussing plans for the rebirth of the American icon earlier this year. Originally planned as a 2013 model, the realities of the global market have now pushed back the Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s launch to 2014, according to documents published on Carscoop.

Here’s what we know so far: the new seven-seat Grand Wagoneer will share a platform with the recently announced Maserati Kubang. The Jeep will likely get Pentastar V-6 and HEMI V-8 engine choices, and will lean heavily towards the luxury side of the market. Think of it as a competitor to the Cadillac Escalade, not the Ford Expedition.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will top Jeep’s range, which will begin with a new B-segment entry in 2014 to compete against compact crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen Tiguan. Jeep will also have a single replacement for the Compass / Patriot in the C-segment, and will have a replacement for the Liberty in the D-segment.

Look for the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee nameplates to continue largely unchanged (except for refreshes), as Jeep works to grow sales from 400,000 units in 2010 to a stated goal of 800,000 units in 2014.

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Jeep Grand Wagoneer Poised For 2014 Return: Report

Newsletter Stay up to date on car reviews, buying guides, articles and more The last full-size Jeep Grand Wagoneer rolled off the assembly line in 1991, although the nameplate survived on the high-end, mid-size Jeep Grand Cherokee until 1993. Time really hasn’t diminished the demand for the full-size Grand Wagoneers, and clean, low-mileage used examples today can fetch prices topping $30,000.

Chrysler is well aware of this, so the automaker began discussing plans for the rebirth of the American icon earlier this year. Originally planned as a 2013 model, the realities of the global market have now pushed back the Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s launch to 2014, according to documents published on Carscoop.

Here’s what we know so far: the new seven-seat Grand Wagoneer will share a platform with the recently announced Maserati Kubang. The Jeep will likely get Pentastar V-6 and HEMI V-8 engine choices, and will lean heavily towards the luxury side of the market. Think of it as a competitor to the Cadillac Escalade, not the Ford Expedition.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will top Jeep’s range, which will begin with a new B-segment entry in 2014 to compete against compact crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen Tiguan. Jeep will also have a single replacement for the Compass / Patriot in the C-segment, and will have a replacement for the Liberty in the D-segment.

Look for the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee nameplates to continue largely unchanged (except for refreshes), as Jeep works to grow sales from 400,000 units in 2010 to a stated goal of 800,000 units in 2014.

View the original article here

Jeep Grand Wagoneer Poised For 2014 Return: Report

Newsletter Stay up to date on car reviews, buying guides, articles and more The last full-size Jeep Grand Wagoneer rolled off the assembly line in 1991, although the nameplate survived on the high-end, mid-size Jeep Grand Cherokee until 1993. Time really hasn’t diminished the demand for the full-size Grand Wagoneers, and clean, low-mileage used examples today can fetch prices topping $30,000.

Chrysler is well aware of this, so the automaker began discussing plans for the rebirth of the American icon earlier this year. Originally planned as a 2013 model, the realities of the global market have now pushed back the Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s launch to 2014, according to documents published on Carscoop.

Here’s what we know so far: the new seven-seat Grand Wagoneer will share a platform with the recently announced Maserati Kubang. The Jeep will likely get Pentastar V-6 and HEMI V-8 engine choices, and will lean heavily towards the luxury side of the market. Think of it as a competitor to the Cadillac Escalade, not the Ford Expedition.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will top Jeep’s range, which will begin with a new B-segment entry in 2014 to compete against compact crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen Tiguan. Jeep will also have a single replacement for the Compass / Patriot in the C-segment, and will have a replacement for the Liberty in the D-segment.

Look for the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee nameplates to continue largely unchanged (except for refreshes), as Jeep works to grow sales from 400,000 units in 2010 to a stated goal of 800,000 units in 2014.

View the original article here

Toyota: N. American production to return to normal in September

The nation of Japan was rocked by a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami in the month of March, crippling Japanese automakers and their integral supply networks. As a result, global production was either temporarily halted or significantly slowed across automakers, including Toyota, for the months that followed.

Specifically at Toyota, the impact of the devastated supply network reached North American production, keeping it at its current rate of about 80 percent of normal output. Today, the automaker confirmed that it returned production for eight out of 12 North American models to full capacity as of June 6, with September the target month to return all 12 models to full production.

“After September we will focus on making-up lost production as much as possible,” said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing, North America. “Our team members and suppliers here and in Japan have worked tirelessly to get us back to 100 percent, overcoming many challenges. The effort in Japan has been incredible, especially in the midst of such tragedy and devastation.”

The world’s top automaker has suffered sizable sales losses as a result of reduced supply and public perception, keeping potential buyers away from “empty” lots.

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Ford predicts 50% global sales increase by 2015, return dividends

Ford’s Alan Mulally has looked into his crystal ball and he sees a bright future for Ford. Really bright.

According to the mid-decade report released earlier today at Ford, the folks at the Blue Oval are predicting global sales to increase by “approximately 50 percent” by 2015, which translates to 8 million annual global sales.

To give a little perspective, in 2010 Ford moved 5.3 million vehicles worldwide – meaning it expects not only to continue growth as an individual company, but it is also anticipating industry-wide growth as the world’s economies continue to stabilize. Ford is not just looking to bump volume, as the automaker says it also expects to raise its global automotive profit margins from 6.1 percent (2010) to 8-9 percent by 2015. North American automotive profit margins are projected to reach an even higher 8-10 percent by mid-decade.

In the past Ford has been plagued by dramatic peaks and valleys in product portfolios, caused largely by allowing successful products to linger in the market far too long. To combat that, Ford announced that it intends to spend roughly $6 billion annually on capital spending by 2015, compared to just $3.9 billion in 2010.

Down with the debt
Ford also reiterated its commitment to quickly and safely paying down its debt, scheduling another $2.3 billion in pay down for the second quarter of this year, with $800 million from its revolving credit line already paid down.

Ford’s debt peaked in 2009 at $33.6 billion, which was down to $16.6 billion by March 31, 2011, with Ford projecting a reduction to $10 billion by 2015.

What about the stockholders?
Ford knows that stockholders are getting anxious about returning to paid dividends, so stockholders should breathe a sigh of relief as Ford committed to returning dividends once the company returns to investment grade in the near future.

“We will continue to focus on maintaining healthy, growing operating margins and creating long-term value,” said Lewis Booth, Ford executive vice president and chief financial officer.

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BMW displeased with 5 GT; wagon to return?

Monday, May 23rd, 2011 @ 3:30 p.m.

North American BMW executives say that they aren’t satisfied with sales of the 5-Series Gran Turismo hatchback and now the company’s regional CEO says that the return of a more conventional wagon might be in the cards.

It’s no secret that the quirky BMW 5-Series GT hasn’t been a big sales success for the German automaker. Conceived with North American buyers in mind, it has hardly been a home run. Sales are settling it at an average of less than 200 a month, about a quarter of what BMW intended. BMW sells plenty of 5-Series wagons in Europe and other markets across the globe, but the automaker thought it would have more success with a taller, less wagon-looking model in North America.

In reality, BMW couldn’t have been farther off. While the 5-Series GT is outselling the old 5-Series wagon, it isn’t bringing in new buyers. In fact, BMW is losing its wagon faithful.

The automaker says that it is luring in buyers from its 5 and 7-Series sedans, but not its wagon buyers, who have mostly jumped ship to Mercedes-Benz. BMW’s arch rival still offers a wagon version of its E-Class in North America; in fact, Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to import a high-performance E63 AMG wagon to supplement its current E350 4Matic.

“The disappointment I have is that I thought a lot of our 5-series station wagon customers would go with the GT,” BMW of North America CEO Jim O’Donnell told Automotive News. “In point of fact, that is not happening. We have lost those customers to the competition – mainly to Mercedes-Benz.”

Curiously, BMW says that it has seen 10 percent of 7-Series owners in Florida replace their cars with new 5-Series GTs – but that relative success hasn’t been nationwide.

As for a more conventional wagon as a 5-Series GT replacement, O’Donnell gave a mild hint: “It’s in the back of my mind. When we do the next generation, maybe we should.”

O’Donnell confirmed that BMW will stick with a wagon version of its 3-Series.

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Toyota to return N. American production to 70% capacity in June

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