US Auto Market: Return To Old Strength

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Was there something? There is no longer any sign of the crisis in the US auto market. The giant GM, once still struggling for its existence, has long since returned to its old size. The industry is booming, and BMW, Audi and Mercedes are also benefiting from it.

Probably brings the bizarre flight and driving device Terrafugia that many Yorker on the New auto show fascinated the optimistic mood in the North American auto industry to the point.

The thing is like a car with the wings that fold out. Not only can it take off from the ground, it has also received US road approval. What more do you want? Above all, it is the recently published figures for the first quarter of 2012 that inspire hope that the existential crisis has finally been overcome. Almost all manufacturers report increases of up to 40 percent and more over the previous year for this period. This is by no means only true for the volume models from domestic production or those of the Asian competition.

Audi, Mercedes, BMW benefit

German manufacturers in the top segment such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also being carried by the strong upswing and are reporting quarterly records; The Stuttgart-based company is even the best ever with over 61,000 units sold. Thanks not least to the new Passat and the Jetta, which has always been loved in the USA, Volkswagen recorded an increase of over 34 percent, and Audi of 18 percent. According to the otherwise rather cautious "Wall Street Journal", the US is even emerging as the most important car market - especially since Europe and China are increasingly weak. Forecasts now assume that sales of the 14 million mark in sales in the land of the American Way of Drive are likely to be cracked in the next few months.

It's not only sunshine on New York's streets on these April days. The good mood also continues in the Jacob Javits Convention Center, where the New York International Auto Show takes place every year. It is hard to imagine that General Motors and Chrysler, for example - two of the big three from America's auto city Detroit - almost collapsed just a few years ago.

GM has grown stronger

Today GM has reinvented itself thanks to significant government support. As is well known, Chrysler entered into a marriage with Fiat and appears more and more frequently behind the proud old logo of the subsidiary Lancia. But it also works in the opposite direction: there is a lot of Alfa Romeo's Giulietta in the compact new dart from Chrysler subsidiary Dodge. In the USA, this strategic partnership has apparently not hurt the third-largest manufacturer: since 2011, the Chrysler Group has gained over 40 percent, in the first quarter of this year an astonishing 34 percent. The reasons for this are the good workmanship, more modern equipment and efficient engines. This combination alone has also given Ford an increase of 40 percent in the new Focus.

These record numbers as a sign of life in a revitalized US key industry are all the more astonishing because fuel prices have also risen sharply. Americans have now had to get used to around four dollars per gallon (around four liters) of fuel. Instead of falling into shock as in the past, today they pragmatically choose the performance-optimized, economical vehicles that promise between 38 and 40 miles per gallon. Diesel engines are also becoming more and more attractive. Mazda presented the Takeri diesel concept at the trade fair. And this trend may have moved Porsche to focus on the Cayenne as a diesel in New York.

Cars are on average eleven years old

On average, the cars on America's roads are around eleven years old. So old = like almost nowhere else. Now that the principle of hope reigns again, there is of course an enormous amount of catching up to do. In addition to the much sought-after, more compact sedans such as the newly introduced Impala from Chevrolet - a famous name from bygone times - the crossovers and the various SUV variants are also bestsellers in all price categories. There was hardly a manufacturer who did not show one of these lifestyle mixes at the fair: for example Buick with the Enclave, Cadillac with the luxury crossover SRX, Lexus with the RX, Infiniti with the JX.

The trade fair premieres from Mercedes-Benz, for example, fit the spirit of optimism as if tailor-made. The M-Class is the bestseller among SUVs with the star and has increased by over 45 percent compared to March last year. But now there is also the completely newly developed, luxurious GL and the facelift of the compact lifestyle SUV GLK. The third Début, the SL 65 AMG, is in a different league. With the new 3 series and the X1 facelift, BMW is also counting on a long-term positive development in the US car market.

There hasn't been so much relaxation for a long time. And so much interest in alternative drives. Having e-vehicles and hybrids on offer is part of the sustainability-oriented zeitgeist. But even Americans still shy away from the prices, although Toyota is offering a model under $ 20,000 with the small PriusC. And who would have guessed that 30 fuel cell-powered Mercedes B-Class models are already in private hands in California? This number is even expected to double by the end of the year.

Powerful engines are the trend

But despite these trends, the US is still the country of car guys and seemingly unlimited engines. Of course you can see a lot of beefy SUVs and the large pick-ups at this fair, such as the best-selling vehicle in the USA today: the huge F-Series flatbed trucks from Ford (albeit with in-house Eco Boost technology).

Of course, those cars that have traditionally inspired dreams do without eco and eco: the muscle cars and evil super sports cars. They are still there and there again: for example the new Viper from Dodge in the sports outfit from in-house specialist SRT, which boasts a ten-cylinder and 8.4-liter displacement. Or the classic muscle car from Shelby based on the Ford Mustang GT500 that is supposed to unleash 1,000 horsepower. And they too will find their buyers. (SP-X)