I never understood the appeal of Volvos - I believe that's Latin for "it rolls". They were always a decade behind in design although they are more current now; copied the 1994 Accord for their current design, previous had been the Ford Fairmont.
I thought their appeal was just to commie libs. You must be the exception
Good article:
European and Asian rivals are attacking Detroit’s last bastion of profits, full-size trucks and SUVs
By Bill Vlasic / The Detroit News
DETROIT
The erosion has been steady and relentless, a constant chipping away in every segment from bargain-basement small cars to muscular full-size pickup trucks. Where once Detroit automakers had a few unbreachable strongholds in the U.S. auto market, they are now under assault from foreign competitors at every turn.
In 2000, the best sales year in the history of the American auto market, the biggest winners hailed from overseas.
According to the research firm Autodata Corp., the combined market share of the domestic brands offered by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler unit of DaimlerChrysler AG skidded from 68.5 percent to an all-time low of 65.6 percent amid an onslaught of light trucks from Japan, sedans from Germany and compacts from Korea.
When the dust cleared in a record 17.4-million sales year, sales of the Big Three’s hometown brands dropped 1.7 percent in a market that went up 2.7 percent. Sales of Asian nameplates, by comparison, increased 12.1 percent, and European brands soared 12.3 percent.
Detroit nameplates are under attack on all flanks — design, quality, image, product and price. And there’s no end in sight. A flood of new products from European and Asian manufacturers will ratchet up the pressure on Detroit to hold onto its share.
With industry sales expected to head downhill this year, the competition will only intensify....
detnews.com
Good series:
detnews.com
Good review:
edmunds.com |
