Why General Motors Left Europe
CNBC:
In 2017, General Motors,
the largest U.S.
automaker with brands known around the
world made perhaps one of
its boldest moves in its history.
It sold its European Opel and
Vauxhall brands to the French
automaker PSA known for brands
such as Peugeot and Citroen.
It was the end of an era
for GM which had first ventured into
Europe nearly 90 years before.
It also marked the end of nearly
two decades of losses for the
brands under GM's stewardship.
GM executives said the deal
would unload a difficult and
struggling business and allow the company
to focus on its more
profitable North American market and free
up cash to make needed
investments in new technologies such
as electric cars and
autonomous driving.
But the move came with risks.
The European new car market is about
as large as that of the
United States and leaving it would
not only hit GM's volume but
also increase its exposure to the
ups and downs of the U.S.
auto market.
The sale of the unit
also racked up huge costs.
GM took a $3.9 billion
loss in 2017 owing
mostly to the $6.2
billion in costs it had to
shell out for the sale.
So why did GM leave?
Did the automaker simply
screw up or fail?
Was it wise to get out of Europe?
And what does it mean for GM's
future and the future of the auto
industry?
The decision actually says a lot about
how difficult it is to be a
global automaker today and the
sometimes subtle ways markets
around the world increasingly favor
local players who can tailor
their products to
specific markets.
In the end GM may have failed
in Europe in part because it just
isn't European.
The numbers show General Motors was
having a rough time on the
continent in the nine years or
so before the divestiture of GM's
European business.
It bled money at the EBIT line
every single year for a total of
about $14 billion in
losses on $208.4
billion dollars in sales it's nine
year weighted loss of 6.9
percent.
EBIT stands for earnings before interest
and taxation and is the
metric GM uses to report
the money its international business
divisions make.
Its worst year during that time
was during the financial crisis in
2009.
Where GM incurred a 15
percent loss of $3.6
billion dollars.
The best year in that period was
2016 where it still had a 1.4
percent loss totaling
about $257 million.
Now that sounds like an improvement
and in absolute terms it was.
But consider that over the same
nine year period GM turned a
profit in North America of
$28 billion on $823.7
point billion in sales.
That's a nine year
weighted gain of 3.4
percent an automaker generally tries to
target an 8 percent EBIT
for any given region and for
the world as a whole.
GM's rival, Ford for example has an
8 percent EBIT target for its
European business.
The automobiles never really
sold well with consumers.
And one of the reasons they
weren't able to achieve profitability
is because what they did sell
were primarily passenger cars and
not the higher margin trucks and SUVs
that they saw a lot of in
the U.S..
So that's that's a
big part of it.
There's also a lot of headwinds that
they faced on the cost side
of the equation with with the
cost of labor, unions, and
also more stringent regulation
particularly from an emissions
standpoint.
So a lot of those reasons are
why they had such mixed results and
from a market share perspective when
they pulled out they were
they only had about 6
to 7 percent market share.
So it wasn't really a
dominant market for them.
And GM was losing ground
during that time to competitors.
Consider that the automaker
had a 9.3
percent share of the European car
market in 2008 but that fell
below 7 percent in 2014 and stayed
there for two years and then
fell again to around
6 percent in 2016.
Meanwhile European competitors seem
to be faring better.
And once GM sold off its
European business its earnings shot up.
The automaker earned a
global EBIT of 9.9
percent in 2017 and 8.4
percent in 2018.
But why was GM struggling in Europe
when it does so well in the
United States and is
even leading U.S.
automakers in China a market that is
by no means easy to do
business in.
One reason is that
Europe is pretty unique.
To be fair to GM it is not
the only automaker that has had trouble
there.
American cars have never been an
easy sell in the European market.
Ford for example has dialed back
its presence in the region.
Gm is not alone
in their struggles.
You see Ford pulling out of
Europe and American cars just never
have really sold very well there.
That market is really dominated
by the big three German
manufacturers and others.
But it's also a
fairly fragmented market.
So they just really were never
able to compete and consumers just
didn't really like their cars.
There were larger economic and political
factors such as the great
recession and tightening emissions
regulations that made it
tougher for companies to
do business there.
Another factor is the
distinctiveness of European tastes.
At the time GM CEO Mary Barra
said 80 percent of the vehicles in
the Opel portfolio didn't share
parts or platforms with those
sold in any of
GM's other markets.
When we look at the portfolio
going forward from a vehicle
perspective or a portfolio perspective
only 20 percent of the
portfolio overlapped with the rest
of the General Motors
portfolio.
So we think the real opportunity
for PSA is to leverage that
Europe specific scale.
That put the company
in a tough position.
Major automakers generally want to
build flexible platforms and
parts that can be used in
a variety of models in different
markets.
This helps them keep costs low
and achieve those highly desired
economies of scale.
There are forces however that make
it difficult to share parts and
platforms.
Automobiles tend to be highly regulated
products and many of the
markets where they are sold
and the regulations can vary
sometimes widely from
region to region.
One example of this is
fuel economy and emissions regulations.
Both the U.S.
and Europe have them.
But they tend to differ and
producing cars to meet each
regulatory regime costs
more money.
It requires that the company engineer
and test every vehicle to
fit every set of rules.
But many industry observers say GM
made a number of missteps over
the years that contributed to
the brand's struggles in Europe.
Opel and Vauxhall are often thought
of as sensible cars but they
do not have the glamorous
reputations of more premium brands.
GM typically sold Opels and Vauxhalls
in high volumes usually to
keep costs low.
But simple supply and demand shows this
has a way of driving down
prices.
And while GM produced a lot of cars
it was hard for it to make
money on the cars it made.
It also introduced its Chevrolet brand
into Europe which had the
effect of undermining sales
of Opel and Vauxhall.
Both brands already had
difficulty distinguishing themselves in
Europe's competitive landscape and
selling highly similar
Chevrolets right next to
them further confused buyers.
Furthermore the company didn't
have the right products.
Opels portfolio was heavily
weighted toward traditional passenger
cars such as
subcompact and sedans.
And the brand missed the boom
in crossover and small SUV sales.
At the end of the day Europe is
a large market but it is a mature
one and does not offer the
opportunities for growth companies can
find in China and other emerging
markets or even the kinds of
opportunity in the U.S..
A lot of it is really reflection
of the economic growth in Europe
relative to China.
You have one of the fastest growing
countries in the world and the
U.S. which is growing stronger a
lot stronger than Europe now.
You know if you look at European
GDP over the last several years
just has really lagged the
North American market in Asia.
China is now the world's largest
car market with 28 million new
vehicles sold in 2018.
That number is likely to continue
to rise as the auto market
continues to grow.
In North America particularly the
United States, is becoming an
ever more profitable market as
consumers turn toward higher
priced crossovers, SUVs,
and pickup trucks.
So GM cut the cord in Europe and
said it would use the money to
focus more on its strong business
selling trucks in North America
while sinking piles of cash
into its investments in electric
vehicles and self-driving cars.
Those aren't cheap aspirations and it may
be a long time before GM
or anyone else makes
money off them.
Meanwhile GM's North American sales
have grown pretty consistently
from 56 billion dollars in 2009
to 113 billion dollars in 2018
according to FactSet.
Meanwhile it was able to sell the
business to Peugeot and a large
automaker that has been successful
focusing on Europe but who
also has plans to
return to the U.S..
They've been very open over the
last few months about their
interest in specifically
Fiat Chrysler.
Which I think they view as a
opportunity to gain a foothold in the
North American market and obviously
you know that company has
said some very well-received brands with
Jeep and a lot of the
new products that
they're introducing.
In a comment to
CNBC, General Motors
said:
Peugeot surprised the industry by saying
it had restored the Opel
and Vauxhall brands to profitability in
part by cutting costs and
introducing new more
profitable models.
Upcoming Chevrolet Cars in India
a2ztube List:
2020 Chevrolet Suburban Review
Joshua McDonald:
All right, what's going on guys this Josh McDonald
And today we're gonna be looking at this 2020
Chevrolet Suburban premiere before we get started make sure to LIKE this video subscribe down below for more content
Let's hop right into it. So here's the key
You can lock unlock your boat start open up the bank glass and the lift gate with it
Same just lock it once hold this button down and she comes to life
This one does have the rst package on it, so you have your black bowtie and grill LED running lights
Are super nice black suburban badging
We also do have the keyless entry so you can lock your unlock it with a key in your pocket
Or on spot marring in the mirrors
Got the running boards on both sides
Have your chrome exhaust tip
Rst badging right there stands for rally support truck
Black bow ties black suburban badging so to open up the lift gate. You can press the button right there
Behind this handle or you can do it with the key
It comes up. It's a power liftgate
You have your power seats right here so you can fold down the back seats like that
And if you click this twice do the cat this chairs and they lift all the way up like that
On both sides
Get a little bit of stores under here
Charging port right there. And for the third row you have a couple cupholders right there one over there little storage pocket
So to put this back down you just press this button
You also have your tow hitch under this thing right here
So to take that off you just got two little screws on both sides
You got one right here and one right here on the other side
You just take that off and you got your tow hitch hookup and your lights down there
Easy fill gas cap
So back here when you lift the seats up it makes it super easy to get to the third row
So you can just run back there and hop in
Lift these back up off the side
So right here you have a charging port that's three prong all your AC controls heated seats view USBs and a charging port right here
We also do have your DVD players
Put those down
And you have two of them. So one for the third row one for the second row
super cool, really
Good space inside of here
Nice leather seating surfaces
All right, so to start all the way up you just put your foot on the brake
Hit this button and she comes to life
So up here. You have your center screen?
you have your info your audio your phone your navigation and your options so
On the info right here. You can see your miles per hour. It also does predict the speed limit right there
fuel economy fuel range oil life tire pressure more fuel economy
Every audio
You can change the radio station by pressing up or down on this
Your phone you can see what phone's connected
your navigation
You can resume your route and have the voice prompts on or off
And your options for the touchscreen?
Here's your steering wheel so you have your cruise control your forward collision alert
You can adjust how far you want that to go off flat
heated steering wheel
These are your controls for the center screen right there
Hands-free Bluetooth and calling
Give your front deck parking sensors your lane keep assist adjustable pedals. You can move those up or down
Trailer gain adjuster
formal drive controls light controls all your window and marry controls you can fold the mirrors in by pressing this
They fold in just like that
You have memory seats up front
All your charging ports and USBs are up here two cupholders wireless charging pad so you can place your smartphone on there no charge it
Super deep console right here. You have a charger port two. USB is in the aux port
You have heated and cooled seats on both sides
Your AC controls right here and your AC controls for up front. It is dual zone
so this side can be different from my side and
You also have your touch screen up here you can lift the touch screen up or down by holding this button down
Do you have a charger port behind there?
So on here you have your audio which is am/fm and Sirius XM radio
We also do have 4G LTE Wi-Fi through OnStar your temperature right there
Your phone you can also have apple carplay and android auto your navigation system right here
Settings weather video texting
OnStar traffic and your apps
You have your glove box right here
Bose audio nice leather seats up front here. You also do have the sunroof
You have your reading lights up here
Three garage door openers are your sunroof controls right here. You have a sunglasses holder
And a little mirror to see into the back seats
You should adjust your tailgate to match. So I'll open all the way up three four sort of cut it completely off
Also, if you push this button it will open up the lift gate just like that and if you push it again
It'll put it back down
Do you have the power sunroof?
So you can see out of here
And it also does tilt up which I'll show you here in a second just pull up on this lever a little tilt for you
Nice wood grain trim inside of here
Yeah, go ahead and pop out give you guys one last look at it
So again, this is the 2020 Chevrolet Suburban for beer with the rst trim
Let me know what you guys think of it down in the comments below
I think it looks really good with a silver color and the black accents
And we'll go ahead and show you guys the windows thicker
So it's a 2020 suburban four-wheel-drive
Premiere it's over ice metallic with the jet black interior
6.2 liter v8 with a 10 speed automatic transmission
total price on is
77856
Is a son and heir tainment system
6.2 rst performance edition rst edition
You can see everything it gives you right there you get 14 miles per gallon city 20 highway
Total price with the accessories is 79 three-one-seven
You guys can go ahead and pause the video right here if you want to take a deeper look at the window sticker
Another thing about this vehicle is like it's absolutely massive
So driving it. It feels like you're driving a 18-wheeler or something
Which is pretty cool
So, I'll Drive it back to the parking spot just so you guys can get a feel for what it looks like
And we just pull my info back up
You can put it in Drive with this handle right here. So you just pull up it from down
Put in the drive you also do have your backup camera
That you can see right there
If you turn your wheel a little line, right your turns with it, so it makes it super easy to back in
You also do have the manual shift you can go up or down a gear in the Tahoe mode
You just press that when you're towing, you know, change the gear ratios and everything
Yeah, super-smooth plenty of power
And I'll go ahead and demonstrate backing it in
My parking spot right here play reverse
You can see that line turns with a backup camera makes it super easy to backup
Straighten it out a little bit
And the seats do vibrate when you get close to objects just to warn you you also do have your hazards that link right there
But yeah guys, that's the 2020 chevy suburban premier
Make sure you guys like this video subscribe down below for more content and I'll see you guys next time
Why Volkswagen Is Betting On Electric Vehicles
CNBC:
Every year, the Volkswagen Group is a
top contender for the title of
world's largest automaker.
The group owns not only the Volkswagen
brand for which it is named,
but eleven other brands.
Hailing from seven European countries,
the group sells cars,
commercial vehicles and
even motorcycles.
It operates 133 manufacturing plants around
the world and sells cars
in 153 countries.
Now this behemoth is trying to forge
a new future for itself by going
electric. Just years after its
executives perpetrated what might be
one of the worst examples
of corporate malfeasance in automotive
history, the American people, the
EPA and their counterparts around
the world have been
defrauded by Volkswagen.
Opinions are divided as to how
wise Volkswagen's bet on electric is,
given that electric cars represent only
a tiny share of the global
car market and face
massive infrastructural challenges.
However, its sheer size and presence
across such a broad range of
vehicles do suggest that if any
traditional automaker has a shot at
going all in on
electric Volkswagen, is it?
Volkswagen's origins can be traced
to the engineer Ferdinand Porsche.
He spearheaded the creation of what
may still be the company's most
iconic car, the type one better known
to the world as the Volkswagen
Beetle. Of course, this legendary
car had a dark beginning.
It was created at the behest
of Adolf Hitler, who wanted an
affordable vehicle that could encourage
the widespread adoption of
cars in Germany.
As Hitler sought to build the fascist
utopia he had imagined in the
years following World War 2, the
company rebuilt itself and began
exporting its beetle first to the
rest of Europe and eventually
around the world. In 1959,
seven hundred thousand Americans buy
foreign cars in this one year.
The car became one of the best
selling vehicles of all time with one
of the longest production
runs in automotive history.
It also became an icon be loved by
a wide range of buyers around the
world. Some customers, particularly in
America, appreciated the cars
engineering relatively small size and
superior efficiency to the
large sedans Detroit automakers were
churning out in the postwar
period. But in the 1970s, the
beetle began to face tougher
competition from cars with new
designs that offered more interior
room and trunk space.
The Beetle also struggled to meet
emerging fuel economy and safety
standards taking hold in the U.S..
So in the mid 1970s, VW began
introducing new vehicles, some of which
it continues to sell today.
Two notable examples are the Passat
sedan and the golf compact
hatchback. The golf initially sold as
the rabbit in the U.S.
went on to be another
extremely popular car for Volkswagen.
The automaker has sold more than
35 million golfs since 1974, which
Volkswagen notes works out to one golf
sold every 41 seconds for the
1976 model year.
The automaker released a version of
the golf called the GPI, which
became something of a legend
in its own right.
The GDI is commonly thought of as
one of the world's first so-called
hot hatches and is often credited
with creating the category that now
includes countless competitors.
Here was a small economical car
with a powerful engine that became
popular with enthusiasts and in
racing, increasingly faced with
competition from low priced and
highly reliable cars from Japanese
manufacturers. The Volkswagen brand
distinguished itself as a
relatively affordable brand with a
German pedigree and technical
excellence. But over time, Volkswagen went
from being a brand to an
automotive empire.
The company now owns a large stable
of names that operate in markets
all over the world and sell cars
at every price point from the very
low end to almost unbelievably
expensive super cars costing several
million dollars.
Some brands such as Porsche were
developed by Volkswagen or by
members of its founding
Porsche and Peak Families.
Many others were acquired, such
as Audi, Lamborghini, Bugatti and
Bentley. Key to managing such a
vast and diverse empire has been
Volkswagen's ability to design very
flexible platforms that can be
used across such a
wide range of vehicles.
What's happened in the
more recent years?
It's really contributed to their not
just growth, but their cost
effectiveness is these new platforms,
these global platforms that
they've created where they can build
so many vehicles, not just for
one or two, but for many of
their brands off of a starting point.
That's the exact same between the
front wheel hub and about the
dashboard or firewall
is the vehicle.
The company delivered ten point
eighty three million vehicles around
the world in 2018,
including heavy commercial trucks.
That makes it the biggest seller
of light and heavy vehicles
combined. By comparison, the Renault
Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance sold
ten point seventy six million and
Toyota Motor sold ten point five
nine million. Volkswagen has been
especially successful in China, the
world's largest auto market.
It had about 13 percent of the
Chinese market in 2018 and sold more
units than any other automaker,
including Honda, Toyota and the
Chinese company Gili.
But the United States has often
been a weaker market for Volkswagen.
Part of the reason why they haven't
been as strong in the U.S.
is they haven't really penetrated
the pickup truck segment.
They've looked at notable examples from
Japanese OEMs who have tried
and failed. Also, VW Group is
really strong on the coasts.
They aren't really in the
heartland of the U.S.
in 2018.
Volkswagen's share of the global car
market was twelve point three
percent. But the company had three
point seven percent of the U.S.
market. That's not just for
the Volkswagen brand either.
It includes Porsche, Audi
and everything else.
Frustrated with its small share in
the country, Volkswagen said in
2007 it was stepping up its efforts
and plan to sell 800000 vehicles
a year in the U.S.
by 2018.
But it fell far short
of that goal in 2018.
The company sold just three hundred
fifty four thousand sixty four
units in the U.S..
Now the automaker is pushing more
heavily into sport utility vehicles
which stand to improve its
fortunes in the United States.
If current trends continue.
But the company's history has been
a story of wild swings between
popularity and obscurity.
Volkswagen is fascinating because they've
had this kind of ongoing
cycle in the U.S.
where they do really well and they're
kind of dominant, like with the
beetle. And then, you know, they
start shrinking and market share and
they're having trouble competing.
And it looks like maybe they're
even going to leave the market
entirely. And then they decide to recommit
and they come back in and
they go all in on the U.S.
and then they kind of build the
brand again and it starts to
accelerate and they kind
of have another contraction.
I mean, that's what happened
with the diesel gate issue.
You know, five, six years ago.
It's never dull with Volkswagen.
They don't they definitely not had
a consistent experience in the
U.S. market over the last 50 years.
Volkswagen did distinguish itself
in the U.S.
market by being one of the
only automakers to commit to passenger
cars that run on diesel fuel.
Historically, diesel has been far more
common in Europe, where it was
long supported by
government incentives.
But light vehicles that run on
diesel are unusual in the United
States. Diesel power trains have
long been considered more fuel
efficient than their
gasoline counterparts.
And Volkswagen marketed its diesel
engines as a smarter, economical
and environmental choice.
But its promotion of diesel eventually
blew up in the company's face
and led to the greatest scandal
in Volkswagen's history in 2015.
Revelations began to surface that
Volkswagen had devised technology
to cheat on U.S.
fuel emissions tests.
The company had installed devices that
were designed to detect when
the cars were being tested for
fuel efficiency and alter the engines
performance during tests.
The engine would be tuned to
boost fuel economy and meet U.S.
government standards. But in real
world conditions, the engine would
revert to its default setting,
which sacrificed the required fuel
economy for better performance.
Volkswagen pleaded guilty to charges of
fraud in the United States
and had to pay out more than
30 billion dollars in fines and other
costs. Volkswagen has admitted guilt
to federal criminal charges, and
that includes charges of obstruction of
justice and is paying a four
point three billion dollar fine
in the emissions cheating scandal.
Top executives resigned, including CEO
Martin Winterkorn, who stepped
down in September of 2015.
The company is still
reeling from the fallout.
Winter corn and four other
top Volkswagen executives were charged
with fraud in Germany
in April of 2019.
But industry observers say that some good
has come out of the scandal
for Volkswagen. The sheer financial burden
of the ordeal forced the
automaker to cut costs and
streamline its manufacturing and
operations, which ended
up improving profitability.
It also pushed the company to
more fully embrace the growing movement
toward electrification, something Volkswagen was
less eager to do
earlier when it was
so invested in diesel.
It also spurred the creation of
the Electrify America project, which
is investing two billion dollars
in electric vehicle charging
infrastructure and other programs
across the United States.
In addition, it led Volkswagen to
throw its weight behind electric
cars, which many in the industry
say improves the chances for
electric cars to gain more traction
overall in the automotive market.
The company said in 2019 that it
plans to sell 22 million electric
vehicles by 2030.
It has already been showing off
high profile examples of its electric
future. The idea Krause
is a crossover vehicle.
Volkswagen will manufacturer
in 2022.
Also expected in 2022 is a
production version of the I.D.
Buzz concept, a reworking of VW s
classic bus with an electric motor.
Porsche is also getting
into the act.
The Porsche taken is
an electric sports car.
The company is unveiling in
2019 as of July.
Porsche said it had already more
than 30000 reservations for the car
and the company doubled its first
year production target from 20000
cars to 40000.
The taken is regarded as a
potentially powerful challenger to Tesla's
performance oriented electric cars, which
have dominated the high end
electric car market.
Getting an automaker as massive and
varied as the Volkswagen Group
behind electric cars could provide the
catalyst needed to make them
truly mainstream alternatives
to gasoline vehicles.
Still, many in the industry
express skepticism that most customers
are as ready to go
electric as some automakers are.
A lot of investors and the
street is somewhat negative on this,
especially in Europe.
They believe they're going to
be fines, CO2 related fines.
This VW is going to have to pay.
They're not sure of the
consumer demand for a visa.
And they think that they're going to
have to sell these these at a
loss. Time will tell whether
the bet secures Volkswagen's future.
But if it works out, the
German automaker's worst scandal could be
remembered as the ordeal that
made VW even more powerful.
Why Jaguar And Land Rover Face Uncertain Futures
CNBC:
Jaguar Land Rover are two iconic
brands in the automotive world.
Rich with heritage an excellent style
and performance but each have
also suffered Rocky histories.
And for years each were passed between
new owners in Europe and the
U.S. including BMW and Ford.
With BMW owning Land Rover and
Ford owning Jaguar in the 80s.
Then just when they were on the
verge of bankruptcy the two thoroughly
British sister brands were bought
by the Indian, Tata Motors.
Part of the vast Tata Group
empire that makes up everything from
software to food products.
When Tata acquired them in 2008, both
Jaguar Land Rover had their fair
share of financial struggles and
had fought to overcome reputations
for unreliability.
If you were going to say drive
across the country in a given vehicle
and hope that everything went well.
Pre-Tata, Jaguar Land Rover would have been
one of the last brands I
would have picked to do that in.
I just didn't have
faith in their vehicles.
Worse, Tata had bought these brands
and perhaps one the worst possible
times in recent history.
Right on the cusp
of the financial crisis.
However in the years that followed,
Tata Motors did something many
owners had failed to do
before turning them into moneymakers.
But things are getting gloomy
for jail are once again.
Just as these two legends have
finally found some footing a
drastically shrinking market in China for
JLR and trouble in Europe
are threatening them once again.
The S&P lowered the credit ratings of
both JLR and Tata Motors in
early 2019 and they are
now deep in junk status.
The question now?
Will Tata Motors be able to turn around
JLR once more or is looking to
cut its losses?
Jaguar was founded in 1922 as the
Swallows Side Car company by William
Lyons, a motorcycle
enthusiast and engineer.
Back then the company initially made
side cars, those little pods that
sit on the side of motorcycles.
But in 1935, Lyons built the S.S.
Jaguar.
It was the first car
to bear the Jaguar name.
Over the years the company has
made sleek aerodynamic sports cars and
became known for racing.
Number 20 is the winning Jaguar
which eventually finish nine laps
ahead of the next car.
Having traveled at an
average speed of 93.5
miles an hour.
Perhaps the most famous example was
the E-type which Jaguar started
making in the 1960s.
Land Rover had an entirely
different history making off-road vehicles
used by the military and bucolic
customers in Europe and around the
world starting in 1947.
Over the years Land Rover developed
a reputation for making rugged
trucks an SUV with
a distinct British touch.
Models such as the defender,
developed reputations for ruggedness and
capability rivaled perhaps only by few
vehicles such as the Jeep
Wrangler.
Though also extremely capable, the
brand's Range Rover was perhaps
what anticipated the trend in
high end luxury sports utility
vehicles.
And has even been the target
of scorn for its popularity with
well-heeled buyers who never drive
the thing off pavement.
The two companies were rejoined under
one roof beginning with Ford
buying Jaguar in the late 1980s.
But in terms of fully exploiting the
brand name of strength that we
were building up in the company there's
no question we should be able
to do a better job with the
resources that Ford Motor Company will
make available.
And then in 2000,
Ford bought Land Rover.
Ford under went its own
troubles in the following years.
It had to sell off many of
the premium names they had acquired
including Jaguar and Land Rover.
And another high-end British
automaker Aston Martin.
Just eight years after Ford bought Land
Rover, Ford sold it and Jaguar
to Tata Motors for about 2.7
billion dollars.
Tata Motors did exactly what many fans
and enthusiasts say is the best
thing an owner can do for
car companies as legendary as these.
And it paid off.
Jaguar Land Rover didn't really start
to become a powerful and
competitive group of brands in the
modern automotive world until Tata
took over.
And when Tata inherited both brands
and invested the kind of money
that they had long needed invested.
That's when you saw everything from
the design to the engineering to
most importantly the quality, reach a
level that made them comparable
to things like a BMW or
an Audi or a Mercedes.
Up until 2017, it looked like
Tata Motors had engineered a lasting
turnaround for the
legendary brands.
But things took a turn
for the worse in 2018.
JLR posting a loss of about 4.3
billion dollars in
fiscal year 2019.
Its biggest loss in
the last 10 years.
That loss resulted in a large part
from a nearly 4 billion dollar one
time write down.
However even taking that into account
the company still would have
lost money.
The company said in January of 2019
that it's cutting 4,500 jobs about
10 percent of its workforce.
Jaguar Land Rovers troubles have
hurt parent company Tata motors.
JLR's recent troubles have been one
of the factors contributing to
recent declines.
In April 2019, reports surfaced that
Tata Motors is considering a sale
of the brands to
French car manufacturer PSA.
Reports that Tata Motors denies.
Out of the two brands
Land Rovers and the strongest.
But it has struggled as well.
A big part of the problem, Jaguar
Land Rover sales in China fell about
26 percent in May and
46 percent in April.
In March 2019, the company said sales
in China had fallen 34 percent
for the fiscal 2018 to 2019 year.
It is also facing
headwinds in Europe.
Brexit threatens to raise costs.
More than 40 percent materials used
travels from the European Union to
the United Kingdom.
And it must contend with
increasingly stringent emissions laws in
Europe following the so-called diesel
gate scandal that rocked
Volkswagen and other companies
in the automotive world.
In a comment to CNBC, Jaguar
CEO Ralph space said that:
But the U.S.
may hold the keys
for JLR's recovery.
Land Rover's strongest markets in North
America where it's in the
fortunate position of being a premium
sports utility maker in a time
where U.S.
customers are hungry for SUVs.
JLR sold about 10 times as many
SUV as the United States as did
traditional passenger cars in 2018.
Despite the fact that jaguars portfolio
is still heavy on sedans and
sports cars.
But Jaguar is leaning
into utility vehicles too.
It sold almost twice as many SUVs
in 2018 as its famous sports cars
and sedans.
And unlike brands such as Porsche,
it's brushing aside the usual
criticism that moving towards utility
vehicles is straying away from
its race car roots.
The Jaguar Land Rover
CEO also said:
Jaguar
is also stepping forcefully into
electric cars with its I-Pace
crossover which has been
praised by critics.
The car swept the world car awards
at the New York International Auto
Show in 2019.
But North America's continued appetite for
its vehicles might not be
enough to engineer a full
recovery for the two brands.
Industry analysts worry about a larger
downturn in new car sales is
looming.
The easier path is just sell
Land Rovers people know them by
Land Rovers.
But they are taking a longer path
by of keeping both Jaguar Land Rover
together because there are a couple
of restrictions which are coming
in terms of fleet norms and all
those things which they need to meet
and hence they can work out.
In the meantime Tata Motors has
fended off reports that it's
considering selling the division
to PSA group,.
The very same French automaker that
bought Opel and Vauxhall car
brands from General Motors
and turn them around.
Jaguar Land Rover have history
and heritage on their side.
But the global automotive industry
is changing rapidly and it's
unknown how much of that history
and heritage will count in a
business increasingly obsessed
with the future.
2015 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel - TestDriveNow.com Review by Auto Critic Steve Hammes | TestDriveNow
Steve Hammes New Car Reviews:
Hear that? That's a sound you haven't heard
from a Chevy car in a while. In my 17 years
of test drives this is the first American
car I've had with a Diesel engine. But the
headline here is 46mpg highway and it comes
courtesy of the Chevy Cruze.
When 50-state compliant diesel engines began
showing up a few years ago, the push was primarily
engineered by the VW Group. Gas prices were
sky high and alt fuel vehicles were in consumers’
minds.
2015 Chevrolet Cruze DieselSo Chevy decided
to see how a small diesel-powered car would
do against competitors’ hybrids and other
diesel models. Now in its 2nd year, Chevy’s
best-selling global car with a 2.0-liter clean
turbo-diesel is the choice for about one out
of every 10 Cruze buyers in the U.S. GM’s
unreliable diesel models from the 80s left
Americans with a negative impression of this
gasoline alternative but with so many advancements
in the technology since then, diesel cars
nowadays are no more of a concern than any
other propulsion you may choose.
So why go Cruze Diesel? It’s all about fuel
economy and torque with secondary considerations
given to a diesel engine’s reputation for
longevity. In this case, the engine was specifically
adapted for the U.S. market, meeting stringent
emission standards while producing peak torque
of 264 pound-feet that gives this Cruze an
instant on feeling when you press the go pedal,
particularly impressive in passing maneuvers
on the highway. Don’t measure this engine’s
strength by its mediocre 0-to-60mph time of
about 8.5 seconds; it has the low-end gumption
drivers appreciate when stepping off. As for
the efficiency angle, as paired with the only
available transmission – this 6-speed auto
– the city/highway spread of 19mpg is greater
than that of any other new vehicle. Rated
at 27mpg city/46mpg highway and 33mpg combined,
the Cruze Diesel’s return on investment
will greatly depend on where you drive most
of the time. I averaged 35mpg for the week
and during a highway run from NYC to Albany
I managed over 45mpg. So unlike some other
alternative powertrains, the impressive diesel
mileage numbers are once again for real.
The most obvious difference between the Cruze
Diesel and the Jetta TDI is the clatter heard
from the engine. VW really knows how to mute
the typical diesel sounds while Chevy makes
it loud and proud. Does that bother me? Well,
it's a little off-putting and everyone who
stands near it or rides in it instantly noticed
but I'm sure to some diesel aficionados it
sounds like a badge of honor.
It’s also not a sporty car when running
on these fuel-saving tires, instead it promotes
comfortable cruising – diesel sounds and
all. There were also occasions where the 6-speed
felt confused.
The Cruze debuts an updated front fascia this
year with LED daytime running lights and the
Diesel model comes with a rear spoiler, an
aero performance package and ultra low-rolling
resistance tires. Inside, Apple Siri integration
is a welcome addition as is OnStar with 4G,
not 3G, built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. The sport
mesh trim used around the cabin is a unique
look and though the next generation Cruze
will debut shortly as a 2016 model, this car
has maintained its premium composure quite
well with features such as a back-up cam,
side blind zone and rear cross traffic alert
the very agreeable Chevy MyLink system with
navigation. Remote start is always appreciated,
too. And as long as the folks in the front
aren’t too long legged, the rear seats are
useable and are elevated for better forward
visibility.
Priced as the premium model in the Cruze lineup
from $26,485 and stickered here for $29,105,
the Cruze Diesel’s nemesis is the gas fueled
Cruze Eco which the EPA estimates costs $100
less per year to fuel with the culprit being
the high cost of diesel vs. a gallon of regular.
They will Never Buy KIA CAR Again | Engine Change in Just 20 Days of New Seltos GTX+ India
Arun Panwar:
Hello Brothers, I am Arun Panwar
I booked kia seltos gtx+ 6MT Petrol on july 23rd from Prayagraj (ALLAHABAD)
I also told them the date of delivery that was 25th October (generally gtx version of car has 3 months waiting )
and thanks to KIA it was delivered on time and it was first Black gtx+ of ALLAHABAD.
Everything was good and car had no problem 100km done, 300km done
Since I had my exams and dad do not use the car much on 25th day mark car has successfully managed to touch a whopping 550km mark
now on 25th day that is 20th November or nearest sunday ,dont remember the date exactly,
They went hardly 4-5 kilometers and by the time they were returning the engine would start but only for a minute and it was like the engine choked
he fuel has ended but the fuel tank was more than half so after trying multiple times to start engine
Now again thanks to Kia’s responsible service men they towed away the car in 45 mins to service station and after 10 days from then
then that is December 1 KIA unprofessional technical staff could not deduce the real problem
Finally they were saying that the fuel sample in the car failed and they blamed that the fuel was adulterated
Now again thanks a lot to KIA for they ordered an all new engine for my car and import it from south korea
but which car engine was opened in just 25 days how can I trust a company for 10 years
And I filed a law case against the company and they have mere 4 days left to whether provide a new car or they will fight the case in which case I am liable of defamation of company to any extent.
They will Never Buy Kia Car Again | Engine Change in Just 20 Days of New Seltos India
Kia seltos breakdown just after 25 days of purchase
Request to Kia Motors India
Thanks for watching
Plz subscribe
Chevrolet Cruze vs Hyundai Elantra video comparison by CarToq.com
CarToqVideos:
>>The Hyundai Elantra is a car that looks
luxurious, benefiting from Hyundai’s fluidic
design styling. The Chevrolet Cruze though,
looks quite sporty and more aggressive. So
in terms of design language, these cars are
quite different.
That difference also translates to engine
power. The Hyundai Elantra comes with a choice
of a 1.6 litre diesel that puts out a modest
126 bhp of power with a six speed manual transmission
or six-speed automatic, and also a 1.8 litre
petrol engine that puts out 148 bhp of power.
The Chevrolet Cruzehas a 2-litre diesel engine
that puts out 164 bhp of power and 380 newton
meters of torque with a six-speed manual or
six-speed automatic transmission. It clearly
is a lot more powerful than the Elantra.
When it comes to ride and handling, the Cruze
again has an edge. The manual variant may
have a bit of stiff clutch and stiff suspension,
but this translates to much better sporty
handling compared to the Elantra. The Elantra
has a soft suspension and lacks steering feel,
but it feels like a nice car to travel in,
as it has more space than the Cruze.
Both cars are pretty well equipped – with
Bluetooth, cruise control, climate control
etc. The Elantra top-variants also boast of
cooled front seats and a reverse camera.
Overall, if you are an enthusiastic driver,
you will love the power and handling that
the Chevrolet Cruze offers you. However, if
you want a comfortable car to get from point
A to point B, and love to be pampered by luxury
features, the Elantra will appeal to you.
2016 Chevrolet Cruze | CarGurus Test Drive Review
CarGurus:
The Chevrolet Cruze is an affordable,
fuel-efficient car, but year after year
it keeps getting outsold by the Honda
Civic, Toyota Corolla, and the Ford Focus.
I'm Clifford Atiyeh with CarGurus, and
this is the 2016 Cruze.
Now that it's in the second generation,
is it worth the attention?
Let's take a drive and find out.
So driving the Cruze you feel the
steering wheel, which is heated on our
Premier trim - very nice - but these are not
paddle shifters behind me here, they're
actually
volume and seat controls for the radio,
which is nice, but there's really no
manual control at all of the car.
So there's no SS version of the Cruze,
not like the Cobalt that they used to
have from years ago, but the steering is
pretty good actually for this
model.
We're riding on 17-inch tires. You can
actually move up to 18s if you order
the RS package, but the ride is actually
really composed over pretty much
everything, and the same goes for
the engine. There's only one engine available now
in the Cruze - it's a turbocharged 1.4-liter 4-cylinder. It's 153 horsepower and
177 pound-feet of torque. That may not sound like a lot, but the
gearing on the 6-speed automatic is
such that it doesn't really have to
downshift as much, because there's a lot more torque now than the previous car.
So before the Cruze had a separate Eco
trim, which is only a really small
percentage of cars you could find on the lot, that had the highest fuel economy. That's
no longer the case now. Our car gets 40
miles per gallon on the highway, as rated
by the EPA, and 30 in the city. Now
depending on the wheel size and other
various trim choices you have, that can
go as high as 42 on the highway.
In combined driving we've averaged about 36 miles per gallon.
That's a pretty good number for a car this
size. Even under full throttle
the Chevy Cruze is actually really quiet in
here - you don't really get a sense that
the car is vibrating, that it's groaning. Part
of that also have to do that there is no
continuously variable transmission like
you see in some Nissans and some Hondas.
That tends to keep the revs up really
high all the time so that the car always
feels like it's straining. This
transmission is really smooth even
though it's not like a 7- or 8-
speed or even the 9-speed automatic
transmissions that you're seeing
nowadays. The ratios are pretty good, and
that means that to be honest I'm not
really finding that I'm lacking for power.
The Cruze also has an automatic
stop/start system that will shut down
the engine when you're fully stopped. Uh,
it's kind of annoying because i actually
there's no way to turn it off. There's no
switches here,
there's no settings in the infotainment
system or in this main central screen
here.
I haven't found it. Now the engine just
restarted and we have to go,
but as you see we have the air
conditioning on, too, and so it really can't
stay off for very long because running
off the main 12-volt battery.
This is not a hybrid. A lot of car makers
are doing this to promote higher EPA
numbers, but in reality it doesn't really
do that much - just kind of upsets you.
So that is annoying - I wish there was a
button for that, but there isn't.
I was driving for about 2
hours this morning, and the seats are
actually quite good.
They're not at all flat - they're actually
pretty supportive. Moving around
not too badly here - not that you would do
that in normal driving, but on some of
these little fast switchbacks,
it's nice to know that you can still be
in place. Again it's not a sports sedan, and it's not
supposed to be, so you can't really get
your hopes up if you're in this part of
the market. You would probably get a
used 3 Series, but you can also search for
that on CarGurus if you want to, but you're here to learn about this car. So
it's not torturous to sit in the back of
a Cruze, cause there's actually quite a lot of leg-
room - you almost think you're in a
midsize car, but it's quite nice.
Optional heated rear seats that we have
here and a 120-volt household outlet.
The only problem really - there's enough
headroom, there's enough legroom -
there's no center headrest - that's kind
of an oversight.
It would be nice and certainly an added
safety feature, but what is good is there's
10 standard airbags in this car
including rear side airbags.
Those aren't federally mandated, and you
hardly see them even as an option in
luxury cars, so the fact that you can get
one in a Chevy Cruze? That's pretty good.
So there's 14.8 cubic feet of cargo space
here in the trunk, and it's a really
nicely designed cargo hold.
You don't even need to fold the seats
down. Now it's a little bit less than the
Civic in total room, but more than the
Corolla.
Now if this isn't enough for you, for 2017
there's a hatchback model of the Cruze coming
this fall. The nav in our car has an 8-inch
screen, the standard car has a 7-inch.
It's a touchscreen - it's got all the familiar
apps that you're seeing on iPads and all
the other tablets these days. All these
apps here can be rearranged
if you touch and hold it. You can move
things around to anywhere you like.
It's got all the systems like Bluetooth
and everything else you're used to. This
also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,
so if you have a connected smartphone
with a USB cable, that will replace the
regular Chevrolet screen with the
smartphone display right on here so you
can easily access it.
We've also got Pandora on here, we've got
live weather, because it's also comes
with Sirius XM. This vehicle also has an
onboard Wi-Fi connection - it's a 4G LTE
system through OnStar. OnStar now has
that trial, essentially the
3-gigabyte trial that you get when you buy
the car, and then of course everything
expires, like most new cars, and you
have to have a monthly fee. Only problem
is with this touchscreen,
we're parked in an area right now where
there's shade. Because there's no no covering
over it, it can really be washed out in
direct sunlight, and that's kind of a
problem with a lot of screens.
Our car has the Sun and Sound package,
and that has obviously a sunroof, it's got better sound, it's got a 9-speaker Bose
system versus the standard car's 4
speakers, and we also have navigation - it's an 8-
inch screen versus the standard 7 inch. Now for $27,000 there actually are a few
options that this car doesn't have. You
can load up a Cruze all the way up to a
little over 29, and that's with two
Driver Confidence packages.
Those are a bunch of driver-assist
features like blind-spot alert, and you
have lane-change assistance,
you've got Lane-Keep Assist, which will
actually move the steering wheel for you
to center the car between the lanes, and
also forward-collision alert. Those
are nice to have, but again those aren't
very critical. Average transaction prices
for new cars are over $30,000 these days, so it's not too
surprising to see a $27,000
Chevy Cruze. Our car's pretty fully loaded
and offers a lot of refinement, some
luxury, and a lot of technology you won't
find elsewhere.
It's not as sporty as the Ford Focus, but
if you value refinement, you'll probably
like this car more than the others.
This is an incredibly competitive
segment, so we'd like to hear from you.
Would you consider a Cruze over an Elantra, over a Focus, Civic, Corolla?
Let us know in the comments below, and if you like this video, subscribe to our
YouTube channel, and check out my full
review on the 2016 Cruze on
CarGurus.com. Thanks for watching!
2019 Chevrolet Blazer | Just One Problem | TestDriveNow
Steve Hammes New Car Reviews:
While the compact and 3-row SUV segment has
been growing by leaps and bounds, this 5-passenger
midsize type has been getting squeezed out.
But with our insatiable appetite for utility
vehicles these too are on the comeback. This
is the all-new Blazer.
When we last saw it a decade and 5 cogs ago,
the TrailBlazer was an American-built, body-on-frame
sport utility whose key competitors included
the Ford Explorer and Dodge Durango…models
that’ve since moved on to the 3-row arena.
Having its name pruned once again to simply
Blazer, this 2019 Mexican-made reboot weighs
nearly 300-pounds less, now arranges its 6-cylinders
in a V formation, produces more horsepower
but less torque and improves MPGs by over
30%; collectively, a microcosm of the industry’s
evolution during its 10-year hiatus.
Similar in length, wheelbase and ground clearance
to the TrailBlazer before it, the new Blazer
is marked by daring design and robust levels
of technology. This one here is the sporty
RS trim with a host of distinguishing traits
and blacked-out features that lend it a Camaro-like
persona. Not for the introverted, the Blazer
RS is a visually stunning specimen with a
futuristic patina and crazy 20” Dark Android
wheels. So you see it and think it’s going
to be all spicy and sonorous, but in reality
it’s soothing and serene.
The Blazer’s design says racy but this SUV
is more of a teddy bear, with the headline
being quiet and soft. This RS trim is all
about style and the V6 is very strong but
the Blazer coddles its occupants with automatic
everything and technology that doesn’t fight
you. For something that looks this cool
though there’s not a lot of excitement here. Over
300 horsepower produces some torque steer
when you step on it and while the 9-speed
is typically very smooth there is one exception;
in stop and go traffic it tends to lurch ahead
as you slow down and start again…something
GM should address with a software update because
it sullies an otherwise pleasing experience.
Though a large one - this is the Blazer’s
only real gaffe and it seems like something
that could be addressed with a software update.
This V6 can be found in over a dozen current
GM products and here it’s rated at 308 horsepower
and 270 pound-feet of torque so acceleration
feels more than adequate and the all-wheel
drive system is the one utilized in recent
Buicks - sourced from driveline supplier GKN,
it incorporates torque vectoring technology
to help steer the vehicle making on-road performance
more stable and dynamic as well as enhancing
off-road capabilities. Plus, it makes the
setup more fuel-efficient by providing an
AWD disconnect; driver selectable when not
needed. Other modes include Sport, Off-Road
and Tow that affect steering effort, shifting,
torque distribution and traction control with
a simple twist of the knob. And I’m all
about the Blazer’s forgiving, compliant
suspension tune and hushed, Buick-like cabin
while at the same time appreciating its gutsy
motor and precise yet relaxed drive.
On a cool day like this as soon as I fire
it up my heated seat and steering wheel automatically
go into action. I like the simplicity of the
controls and the intuitive use of technology.
And the Blazer has a healthy dose of that
with wireless device charging, WiFi hotspot,
the Marketplace feature that provides convenient
access to a number of food and service vendors,
the safety alert seat that vibrates the bottom
in the direction of potential dangers, the
customizable gauge display, air vents that
double as thermostats, auto high beams and
dynamic radar cruise control. But the look
and feel of it all doesn’t match it’s
over $48k price tag.
The RS AWD is priced from just under $45,000
while other less adorned trims with 4-cylinder
power start in the low $30s. With everything
you see here including the Cadillac-esque
rearview camera mirror, MSRP is $48,270 and
in that lofty air I just need a little more
luxury in the presentation. I also need
a 360 degree camera button that’s not buried
within the touchscreen. And heck, might
as well throw in a heads-up display.
The rear seats benefit from tilt and slide
functionality as well as a flat floor so 5-passenger
accommodations it truly is. There’re also
heated with additional USB ports. A panoramic
roof is optional. And then in the back,
the bowtie projection automatically triggers
as you approach to show you precisely where
the foot activated sensor is, and cargo management
is more thoughtful with a sliding divider,
lots of cubbies, underfloor storage and remote
levers to the drop the rear seats.
Bigger than the Equinox and smaller than the
Traverse, the Blazer fleshes out Chevy’s
SUV lineup with a boldly-styled yet quietly
composed midsized comeback.
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