S.U.V. sales fell to their lowest level since 1998. And big expensive S.U.V.'s that once commanded a premium, like the Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade and Toyota Land Cruiser, all posted double-digit sales declines in 2005.
"Cheap fuel in America is a thing of the past," said James Press, president for sales operations for Toyota in the United States. "There's a lot more awareness of the impact of a gallon of gasoline."
Ron Pinelli, the president of Autodata, an industry analysis firm in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., said, "I don't know if 2005 is the turning point for trucks, but it's some kind of milestone."
While no one is about to write off the S.U.V., analysts say the appeal has finally waned. "Not unless the consumer really needs one are they going to buy one," Mr. Pinelli said.
The decline in S.U.V. sales last year was bad news for Detroit. Together, General Motors, the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler, a unit of DaimlerChrysler, held 56.9 percent of the American market in 2005, down 1.8 percentage points from 2004, according to sales reports
On Wednesday, Ford's sales analyst, George Pipas, said he did not expect a rebound in S.U.V. sales this year, although he said, "Even a dead cat bounces if you drop it from 10 floors up."
nytimes.com
I can't find it in the article but I read on Minyanville that GM is going to launch 5 full sized SUVs, 2 full sized pickups, and a "handfull" of other SUVs.
If GM is wrong about that buildup (and I think they are) they are going to get crushed.
Mish |
