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Re: not exactly true... Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Sat, 10 Aug 2002 17:48:44
In Reply to: not exactly true..., mark, Fri, 9 Aug 2002 22:47:53 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Some good points... I did forget about those cars, but I really think that's it. I just spent a few minutes running through Carpoint's New Car Guide, and without wasting too much time, I didn't find anything else that fit the bill, unless you want to include mini-SUVs which I lump summarily into the "truck" category.
As for the GTO, it's not sold here currently so it doesn't count. By the time it is sold here, GM will have killed off another RWD platform (the Camaro/Firebird), so the net change is Zero.
The AWD Vibe/Matrix is an increase to the sum total of AWD cars here, but a quick look at the sales numbers indicates people don't care. About 30,000 of these cars (combined) have been sold, less than 1/3 of them are AWD. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact you can only get AWD on the 130hp engine, but that's just a guess. Some marketing genius at work, I suppose. And the Catera/CTS I completely forgot about... but it's there.
I missed two - that doesn't change my point.
There are about 200 car models available for 2003 (I can send you a near-complete list if you like) and of those, there are about 30 that are RWD - comprised mostly of BMW & Benz. There are an additional 15 or so that are AWD - comprised mostly of Audi/VW and Subaru. That's less than 25% of all new cars that are something other than FWD, and of *all* the manufacturers out there, nearly all non-FWD cars come from four makers, and nearly all at a pricepoint well above the median. I think that speaks volumes.
I'm gonna stick with my original point: People selling anything but FWD in this country (Europe is different, Japan is WAY different) are doing it for one of two reasons: Too much power to produce a reasonable FWD car, or to maintain a perception of luxury or near-luxury. The only exception to this would be Subaru (whose "gimmick" is AWD) and the Vibe/Matrix twins (who shake all the molds anyway).
As long as there is a continuing trend to high-performance cars, we're going to see some increase in non-FWD cars. There are Civics crawling around with 160hp and Foci running around with 170hp. That's a lot. A current Focus SVT makes as much horsepower as Corvettes of the 70s! But by and large, most people don't buy high-performance cars, they aren't interested in driving fast, and they'll continue to buy as many FWD cars as can be made. If and when gas prices, insurance, or the cost of repairs go up, we'll start to see these hi-po cars slow production and these "oddball" drivetrains disappear again. It'll be the '70s/'80s all over again!
Bottom line: FWD isn't dying. As a percentage, there are more FWD cars being made right now (as a percentage of the whole) than ever before. What makes 2003 different than 1993 is that there are more car buyers and more room in the market for niche cars and performance cars. That's all.
-Justin
posted by 64.166.4...
, Sat, 10 Aug 2002 17:07:00, Fri, 9 Aug 2002 16:58:14, Sat, 10 Aug 2002 17:48:44 <-- Viewing This Message
, Fri, 9 Aug 2002 21:37:17
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