Automakers generally are even more hesitant to leave big segments of the industry than they are to join them. By the time they identify a type of vehicle as hoary and future-less, their fixed investments in that type of vehicle generally are long paid for, so profits are easier to come by from just continuing to build and sell it.

Still, GM and Ford both left the minivan market several years ago; that likely turned out to be the right call as the segment continues to fade in light of stronger SUV sales. But more recently, both companies also left the compact pickup-truck market.

Now it looks like GM, at least, is coming back. The company said that it plans to return to the segment next year with two trucks targeting younger, more active buyers and competing against the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, which currently dominate the segment.Continue reading...

Kubang! It's not Chinese, it's Italian. But Maserati is aiming its new luxury SUV Kubang concept vehicle at the growing China market in the hopes of eating some of Porsche's lunch.

While it's rare to see a Porsche Cayenne SUV on streets in the West, the model is an astoundingly common sight in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing. The driver is almost always a woman. China is Porsche's largest market in the world for the Cayenne SUV. And while sales of Porsche in China may be slowing due to a flattening of China's luxury car market, sales of the Cayenne specifically may slow because the marketplace is about to get a lot more crowded.

While the West is still nursing its SUV hangover, Chinese drivers are just entering the nation's SUV age. Brands, luxury and less luxurious, are lining up to cash in as mainland consumers begin delusionally rationalizing SUVs.Continue reading...

Kelley Blue Book, the agency that produces the most popular reference for automobile resale values, recently announced its 2010 Best Resale Value award winners. One American auto brand stood above its peers.

Kelley predicts that Jeep's resale value will improve 2.8 percent in 2010, one of only two brands to post an increase and tops among all American automakers. President and CEO of the Jeep brand, said:

"The Jeep brand’s high resale value is a testament to a legendary, iconic brand that provides consumers an array of SUVs that deliver a unique blend of freedom and adventure, capability, best-in-class claims and value."Continue reading...