Car Market in 3-5 Years Predictions

What trends do you guys predict in the car market in 3-5 years?

Im just gonna give my predictions for some automakers because it would be a long post to list all the automakers and what cars they will be making.

I think that the Dodge SRT-4 and the Chevy Cobalt SS along with the future SVT (Cosworth maybe) will be in a horsepower war, seeing who can make the fastest economy car for around 20k.
I could also see Dodge getting back in to the muscle car market, building something to compete with the mustang. With their hemi engine that gets decent gas mileage due to displacement on demand and their newfound access to the mercedes parts bin they could come up with a new car in a few years, The Camaro and Trans Am might come back in some form as well.
Honda will continue to take away any sporting image they have left (the Si is selling poorly from what Ive heard) and transfer it all into the Acura name. Honda will be strictly utility and economy, Acura will be the sportier cars.
Volvo will be a tuner automaker because they have been making a serious effort to revamp a lot of their image and lineup, the new S40 will have a turbo awd option, and I think tuners will capitalize on them.
I hope Mitsubishi is still around too.

Well, RWD sedans and station wagons are coming back in a big way. Chrysler 300C sales are through the roof and Magnum sales are healthy and strong (proof positive that product sells itself). As big daddy Daimler cuts ties to the weak sauce Mitsubishi company, you'll see the phasing out of the FF driveline at Chryco. There will undoubtedly be a Stratus followup, though, and it will undoubtedly share Neon mechanicals to keep costs down. The Chrysler version, the Sebring, may be phased out though. Also, Pacifica sales are on the upswing, so watch out for more of them. PT Cruiser, though, may not see a 2nd generation.

Toyota is a sinking ship, as far as their car line is concerned. The MR2 Spyder and the Celica have been axed for next year and Toyota is claiming that the lukewarm sales of the Matrix and the Corolla S will continue its performance image. The Solara coupe is quick becoming a rental fleet darling and not much else, while Camry sales are eroded by the more attractive (in both price and performance) Nissan Maxima/Altima and Mazda 6. Scion is doing well, and Lexus is maintaining a solid place in the luxury car market even with lagging GS and LS sales.

GM has hit the ground running thanks to Bob Lutz's vision and decision to stop cutting costs by using dullard styling, flabby chassis, and sloppily assembled interiors. New cars like the GTO, Cobalt, Solstice, Equinox, CTS, and Malibu Maxx all have drawn fair praise for being on par if not exceeding their import counterparts and still doing it at a bargain pricepoint. Even the Aveo has become a press darling thanks to it being a more refined alternative to buzzy Korean budget cars.

Ford needs a Taurus replacement. The once mighty Taurus, top in midsize sedan sales, has fallen to around 7th or 8th in sales and shows its age poorly. Ford has been tightlipped about the replacement, but as far as the public is concerned the Taurus is a non-issue.
In fact, beyond the excitement over the brand new Mustang, the Ford line-up is slim-pickings. The Focus has become more roomy and less the economy minded compact it was, and the now ancient Crown Vic is all but a dust collector in sales lots. New Ford SUV's like the Escape, and new minivans like the Freestar just haven't been denting other manufacturers' sales.

That's at least the view on the top 4.

Toyota? A sinking ship? Please. Toyota (as with just about every other brand) shows that sports cars run in waves. They sell very well when they're first introduced and sales trail off (faster than just about any other segment). The end of the Celica and MR2 is NOT a sign that Toyota is sinking. As a matter of fact, in June Toyota cars outsold Chevrolet cars (to take first place) in the US.

The Aveo is just like the other Korean small cars, just smaller (I don't see how a Korean car can be an "alternative to" Korean cars). GTO sales are pretty poor. Equinox sales aren't up to what GM had planned.

Ford? Tightlipped? Ford has announced replacements (multiple) for Taurus coming as soon as this fall. The Five Hundred and Freestyle are coming this year with the Fusion next year and another "crossover" coming the year after. While the Freestar has been a bit of a flop, Crown Vic sales are on par with last year, Focus sales are flat, the Taurus is still in the top ten among best-selling vehicles (fourth among cars and third among mid-sized cars), Escape sales are UP about 25% over last year (still the top-selling small SUV), and the F-Series CONTINUES to set sales records.

And there will be a new PT Cruiser.

as we see more and more companies mergeing i figure there will be only a couple of companies with many different brands, it will be put into 3 catergories:
usdm
1.expensive sports cars such as the mustang corvette and what ever else the can scrunge up
2.big, gaudy,expensive SUVs that will all have 4x4 and nly seat 4-5 people
3.the college car the cobalt, focus and so on, will have "economy" but will not even be close to the jdm and kdm made cars

edm
1. the normal luxury carswith bigger names like bently and aston martin amking "affordable car"
2. SUVs to the extreme .see usdm #2.
3. a new 4-door tuner market awd alpine monster
4.and moving down the coast you wiull see a merger into large companies and lambo and ferrarei going down hill due to gas prices

jdm
1.ECONOMY first of all in a variety of smaller cars
2. the well known tuner market moving up into the higher class of sports cars

This is the result of all the data I collect...

Cars 2007
1. Honda
1. Accord
2. Civic
3. CR-V
4. Element
5. Fit
6. Insight
7. Lattitude
8. Odyssey
9. Pilot
10. S2000
11. SUT
2. Acura
1. MDX
2. NSX
3. RDX
4. RL
5. RSX
6. TL
7. TSX

1. Nissan
1. 350Z
2. Actic
3. Altima
4. Cube
5. Frontier
6. Maxima
7. Murano
8. Pathfinder
9. Pathfinder Armada
10. Quest
11. Sentra
12. Skyline GT-R
13. Titan
14. Xterra
2. Infiniti
1. FX
2. G35
3. I35
4. M45
5. Q45
6. QX56

1. Hummer
1. H2
2. H3
2. Cadillac
1. CTS
2. DTS
3. Escalade
4. SRX
5. STS
6. XLR
3. Buick
1. LaCrosse
2. LeSabre
3. Rainier
4. Rendezvous
5. Terraza
4. SAAB
1. 9-2x
2. 9-3
3. 9-5
4. 9-7x
5. Chevrolet
1. Avalanche
2. Aveo
3. Cobalt
4. Colorado
5. Corvette
6. Equinox
7. Express
8. HHR
9. Impala
10. Malibu
11. Monte Carlo
12. Nomad
13. Silverado
14. SSR
15. Suburban
16. Tahoe
17. TrailBlazer
18. Traverse
19. Uplander
6. Isuzu
1. Ascender
7. GMC
1. Canyon
2. Envoy
3. Savana
4. Sierra
5. Yukon
8. Pontiac
1. Bonneville
2. G6
3. Grand Prix
4. GTO
5. Montana SV6
6. Pursuit
7. Solstice
8. Torrent
9. Vibe
9. Saturn
1. Curve
2. Ion
3. Relay
4. Sky
5. Vue
10. Subaru
2. Forester
3. Impreza
4. Legacy
5. Outback
6. Tribeca
11. Suzuki
1. Aerio
2. Forenza
3. Verona
4. Vitara
5. Reno
6. XL-7
4. Porsche of America
1. 911
2. Boxer
3. Cayenne
4. Carrera GT

1. Lincoln
1. Aviator
2. Mark LT
3. Navigator
4. Town Car
5. Zephyr
2. Ford
1. Crown Victoria
2. Econoline
3. Escape
4. Excursion
5. Expedition
6. Explorer
7. Explorer Sport Trac
8. F-Series
9. Fairlane
10. Five hundred
11. Focus
12. Freestar
13. Freestyle
14. Fusion
15. GT
16. Mustang
17. Ranger
3. Jaguar
1. F-Type
2. S-Type
3. X-Type
4. XJ Series
5. XK Series
4. Land Rover
1. Defender
2. Freelander
3. LR3
4. Range Rover Sport
5. Volvo
1. C40
2. C50
3. C70
4. S40
5. S60
6. S80
7. V50
8. V70
9. V90
10. XC50
11. XC70
12. XC90
6. Mazda
1. B-Series
2. Mazda3
3. Mazda4
4. Mazda6
5. Mazda7
6. MPV
7. MX-5 Miata
8. RX-7
9. RX-8
10. Tribute
7. Mercury
1. Grand Marquis
2. Mariner
3. Montclair
4. Monterey
5. Mountaineer
6. Montego

1. Hyundai
1. Accent
2. Elantra
3. LZ450
4. Santa Fe
5. Sonata
6. Tiburon
7. Tucson
2. Kia
1. Amanti
2. Mojave
3. Optima
4. Rio
5. Sedona
6. Sorento
7. Spectra
8. Sportage

1. Jeep
1. Commander
2. Compass
3. Grand Cherokee
4. Liberty
5. Wrangler
2. Mitsubishi
1. Eclipse
2. Endeavor
3. Galant
4. Lancer
5. Montero
6. Outlander
3. Chrysler
1. 300
2. Crossfire
3. Pacifica
4. PT Cruiser
5. Sebring
6. Town and Country
4. Dodge
1. Caravan
2. Charger
3. Dakota
4. Durango
5. Magnum
6. Neon
7. Ram
8. Sprinter
9. Stratus
10. Viper
5. Smart
1. ForMore
6. Mercedes-Benz
1. A-Class
2. B-Class
3. C-Class
4. CL-Class
5. CLE-Class
6. CLK-Class
7. CLS-Class
8. CST-Class
9. E-Class
10. G-Class
11. M-Class
12. R-Class
13. S-Class
14. SL-Class
15. SLK-Class
16. SLR-Class

1. Volkswagen
1. Golf
2. Jetta
3. Marrakesh
4. Microbus
5. New Beetle
6. Passat
7. Phaeton
8. Sfero
9. Touareg
10. Touran
2. Audi
1. A3
2. A4
3. A6
4. A7
5. A8
6. A9
7. TT

1. Scion
1. xA
2. xB
3. tC
2. Lexus
1. ES
2. GS
3. GX
4. IS
5. LS
6. VX
7. RX
8. SC
3. Toyota
1. 4Runner
2. Avalon
3. Camry
4. Corolla
5. ECHO
6. Highlander
7. Land Cruiser
8. Matrix
9. Prius
10. RAV4
11. Sequoia
12. Sienna
13. Solara
14. Tacoma
15. Tundra
16. Volta

1. BMW
1. 1-Series
2. 2-Series
3. 3-Series
4. 4-Series
5. 5-Series
6. 6-Series
7. 7-Series
8. X3
9. X5
10. X7
11. Z2
12. Z4
13. Z5
2. Mini
1. Cooper

Hey wake up the SRT-4 Cobalt SS and Focus are in a horse power war. Dodge is the only one with their heads not up there asses and their balls have droped. M-B sucks and their taking a downhill ride, in a tour de force of faltering tech and crapy low end models, hears a thought let the Chrysler do the cheaper cars and M-B concentrate on making world class cars like they once tried to do. Dodge is on the right path for a rivial of a classic muscle car they were once famouse for, the motor is there the tech is there and the spirt and market is there. Enough teasing us with flexing muscle prototypes let thouse balls drop a little farther and build a sports car with a HEMI a true V8, all thier adolesent friends are doing it Ford and Chevy, show em how to really burn some rubber. Get over it, the Camero and Trans-Am are gone. Take a min. to let it set in. They were both poorly aged over rated under performers that no one likes to talk about. Typical of adolecent behaviour GM has a hard time letting its teddy bear go. But wait what's to miss, theirs another new crap car you can wast your money on, an Astralian build American icon, and if that isnt enough for you its underpowered witch Ive come to expect from GM and overmarketed. But GM will continue to have wet dreams while many of there competitors run to the store for condoms, some forgeting or I mean purpusefully expanding there family in hopes of joining the hip new youthfull neighbours. Honda suchs. Their I said it. Honda is the GM of Japan. They used to make good cars that accually provided some level of competitive porformance. If it werent for ther extremly loyal and aging customers (also like GM) branching out into other Honda brand names they wouldnt be half of what they are today. They need to pull up thier socks and start playing with the big boys, offering some real performance it their performance versions, everyone else has got the consept, its not a difficult one. Volvo needs to brake away a little bit from its weardness without lossing its uniqueness. Thats my take on the automotive community today.

Schoner, here's a tip if you expect to be taken seriously. Use proper grammar. It is a requirement of these forums.

Azn:

You're missing a few. Among them, there's a sixth Lincoln model, Buick's LeSabre will probably be renamed next year, and the Scion xB will be replaced.

wats the 6th lincoln model?
Whats the xB replacement?
and Whats the new name for the Lesabre?

Lincoln will have a third sedan. The xB's replacement hasn't been named...but it won't be "the next generation Bb" but will be something different. I've seen rumors that the LeSabre will take on the name Lucerne, but I'm not sure how much faith I have in that name.

I would guess that there are going to be alot more fuel efficient/electric cars out there.

wow i like this thread anyway.
Honda:
I think the Civics will start to drop in sales for the fact that Civics never really get revamped ,just get repackaged and sold again. THe Honda car prices will drop. IF not by then Honda will have a new car out and it will do very well in sales.

Scion:
THe "New" Xb will take a more sportier, SUV type look but make a compact SUV if you will and it will do well for about a year then flop. Scion will eventually flop as a company because of the down sales since it is based for college students and not many buy.

Ford:
The Mustang will make a great comeback through the old yet new style of the car. The Mustang and THe Magnum will be at a HP/Speed Race but winning out will be the Magnum because of the lighter body style and just better v8 engine the magnum will bring.

Mitsubishi:
WIll have a steady sale line but with a new Eclipse concept in production (a guess) with a higher Hp and speed range with a possible turbo charge with it might have the fast paced car people want to buy a Mitsubishi.

Toyota:
Starts to drop in sales but keeps a good pace but with a possible redesigned camry or corrolla it might make a comeback.

Top selling car in 2008: Honda Civic
Top selling car in 2010: New Toyota Car

"They're very aggressive," says GM VP Mark LaNeve. "I truly see us as the underdog now. In my mind, they're No. 1 and we're No. 2."

he's talking about toyota

i like the idea of the Nissan Cube, its a neat looking car and its still only a concept but its seriously being considered to being put in production to compete along with Scion.......

but to me i think that all the cars are getting faster

American: V8 rwd sports cars are making a comeback its that dodge needs to make a 2 door rwd v8 to compete along with mustang and gto, and i think that maybe gm will realize that they need to get their head out of their ass and build another replacement for the camaro, and far as SUV's and trucks go, they getting bigger and badder, but they're also introducing hybrid versions which is just wrong, trucks and suv's were meant to be power, gas guzzling V8's lol IMO, but i tell you its those damn hippies, but yeah the srt-4, cobalt ss, and focus are having their horsepower war

Japanese/Asia: more sportier, power 4 and 6 bangers, newer supercars to compete against american, european

european- i think later on in the future, lambo and ferrari's, and porsche's will try and experiment with 4 door cars and SUV's, audi is making an SUV, and ive heard rumors about porsche experimenting with the idea of a 4 door car

but all thats just my 2 cents

Mitsubishi: continue to struggle and hurt DaimlerChrysler

Mercury: make a new, V-8-powered coupe using the new Mustang's chassis.

check here for a Mercury coupe

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=413417

Cadillac: continue to gain fans on and off the track (Speed World Challenge GT).

BMW: people to not warm up to the new designs

I belive that the Corvette will (already has) rise to the performance arena with the viper and ford GT, but nobaody cares because those cars are way overpriced and will die off in a few years. The new camaro will replace the old vette as a car that doesn't have any competition in its market. The mustang, the GTO, and the Charger/Magnum will be locked in a horse power war until dodge gets tired and just throws a viper motor at one of them. Then they will return to fuel mizers like they were in the 80's. Oh all these dodge trucks are gonna die off in like 4 years it's nonsence and dodge knows it whats more. The srt-4, and cobalt i belive will be in a horse power war, like the muscle cars of old inexpensive, fast, and beutifull. The foucus is gonna be cut because it sucks.
I see Honda, Toyota, and Nissan leaving the U.S. and the luxuray brands staying abd being dubbed as American.

I see Honda, Toyota, and Nissan leaving the U.S.

Craziest thing I have ever heard. No way this will ever happen.

I belive that the Corvette will (already has) rise to the performance arena with the viper and ford GT, but nobaody cares because those cars are way overpriced and will die off in a few years. The new camaro will replace the old vette as a car that doesn't have any competition in its market. The mustang, the GTO, and the Charger/Magnum will be locked in a horse power war until dodge gets tired and just throws a viper motor at one of them. Then they will return to fuel mizers like they were in the 80's. Oh all these dodge trucks are gonna die off in like 4 years it's nonsence and dodge knows it whats more. The srt-4, and cobalt i belive will be in a horse power war, like the muscle cars of old inexpensive, fast, and beutifull. The foucus is gonna be cut because it sucks.
I see Honda, Toyota, and Nissan leaving the U.S. and the luxuray brands staying abd being dubbed as American.

I don't see the Viper and Ford GT dieing of anytime soon. They sell all that they make and the dealers can charge more than the sticker price for them and they still sell. I like the Viper and always have but the new ZO6 pretty much kicks the Viper's ass in everything except exclusivity.

As far as the Mustang, GTO, and Charger horsepower war I think the Charger is in it's own class. It always gets put into muscle/pony car comparisons when it's a heavy 4 door pig (and still runs pretty even with the both of them). I think that Dodge will come out with a 2 door Challenger in the next couple years with the 5.7 Hemi and an SRT8 6.1 Hemi and that will be in the same class as the Mustang and GTO and we should have a fun horse power war on our hands.

Dodge trucks are gonna die off??? WTF is that based on. If anything the GM trucks are gonna start dieing off. GM is having money troubles as it is and they make like 6 versions of the same SUV. I see those numbers going down over the next few years. DXC doesn't usually make the same truck and put it across most of their brands.

The SRT4 and Cobalt war is over for now. The SRT4 stopped production in Sept. I believe. I do think the SRT4 will come back 6 months to a year after Dodge releases the Caliber. I do have a prediction with that though...it's pretty much just wishful thinking though. I hope they stick the 4G63 and the Evo drivetrain the the Caliber for the SRT4. I had heard that as a rumor last time I was down at the Dodge dealership.

Why would Honda, Toyota, and Nissan leave the US?!?! They're sales are doing great compared to the "domestic" brands lately.

I don't see the Ford GT dieing of anytime soon. If anything the GM trucks are gonna start dieing off.

The new Silverado will have a similar chassis to the nice 2007 Tahoe.

New 2007 Chevy Tahoe (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=459926)

The Ford Shelby GT-1 could be made after production of the 550 hp GT is done next year.

605 hp V-10 (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=412677)

Well, 5 years from now, Huh? 2010... Let's see here:

The automotive climate will be similar, yet refreshishg. Kind of like Coke with Lemon. Traditional truck-based SUVs will no longer be the hot item. Crossovers will be at the pinnacle of their popularity and wagons will be close behind. Regular sedans and coupes will be mostly uneffected by this, of course. Every major manufacturer will have at least one hybrid vehicle and deisel engines available for most models. Most V8's (truck and SUV) will be deisel or ethenol (however its spelled) capable. There will be a push for economy, as another oil crisis isnt far ahead Im sorry to say. There will be drilling in Alaska in small quantitys. But as far as brands go, this is my perception:

Acura: most current vehicles offered today will be available, all redesigned.

Alfa Romeo: full line sold here due to America's acceptecne of diesel engines.

Aston Martin: still making fast and powerful cars, will have a V6 powered base model.

Audi: Wil new corperate face all worked into the publics minds, they will
offer their full European models here, including the V6 powered A8. New Q5, hybrid Q7, A4 cab replaced by A5 coupe/cab.

BMW: same as Audi, 7 redesinged, 5 about to be.

Bentley: similar to Aston Martin, but will have E-Class sized model to slot in below the mid-cycle refresh Flying Spur. Conti GT redesigned.

Bugatti: Veyron production no longer, 16-cyl sedan released.

Buick: on the chopping block with Pontiac and Saab. Will have many 4-cyl cars too.

Cadillac: all current models available, deisel 6's available on Escalade

Chevy: about the same as today, more emphisis on design and economy, camero out for about a year

Chrysler: 300 redesigned, Aspen sales slowing, all models available with 6's, some with 6 standard, 8 optional.

Dodge: Challenger sales still strong, Durango sales slowing, engines same as Chrysler.

Ferrari: same as Aston, V6 powered Dino

Ford: same as chevy, mustang refreshed to keep up with Challenger and Camero, intros Euro models (Ka, Mondeo replaces 500)

GMC: V6's satndard, deisel V8's optional. Denali sales slowing despite best efforts.

Honda: focusing more on economy than anything else.

Hyundai: Exceptional vehicles for the price. Has new Lexus-like brand of luxury cars.

Infiniti: G35 redesign two years ago, sales still strong. QX56 axed.

Isuzu: slow death

Jaguar: entry level roadster, X-type redsigned to be more upscale, s-type redesigned 2 years ago, steady sales, XJ still doing well, XJ6 available here also.

Jeep: Grand Cherokee redesinged this year, Commander axed in favor of a more luxurious, economical Grand Wagoneer, Liberty redesinged, Wranger available with 4 doors for 2 years now, doing well. Compass is biggest seller.

Kia: respected much more

Lamborghini: V12 Muria available, W8 powered entry level coupe, Gallardo redesigned, Murcielago replaced with new model.

Land Rover: Freelander biggest seller, LR3 (Disco. everywhere else) refresh, RR Sport now available with deisel V8 and gas V6. RR still top dog, deisel V8.

Lexus: has its own uber-luxo brand (a la Mercedes=Maybach), hybrid LS still strong, GS redesign, IS refesh, V8 coupe replacing SC doing well, but not as well as imagined.

Lincoln: Finally has it's act together, cars with good looks and performance. Deisel V8's all around.

Lotus: new Elise, V8 coupe introduced here.

Maserati: Quattroprte redesigned (think CLS style), Coupe/Spyder single car w/ folding hardtop doing well, V6 offered. Kubang crossover.

Maybach: axed.

Mercedes: Eruo line sold here. Alabama built R/ML/GL classes still built here, but to Euro specs.

Mercury: struggling despite rather attractive cars, new Cougar based off the Messanger concept doing o.k. Mountaineer axed.

Mini: recently redesigned, doing very well.

Mitsubishi: struggling to stay afloat.

Nissan: Titan axed, all models redesigned, Z available with deisel V8

Pontiac: Brand depends on sucess of redesigned GTO, model does well, but GM ultimatly cuts its losses. Pontiac killed.

Porsche: Redesigned hybrid Cayenne offered amidst purist crys of "treason". Carerra GT replacement, 911 refreshed, Cayman S doing absolutly astonishingly well, Boxster cheapend due to Caymans success.

Rolls-Royce: Phantom becomes a slow seller, entry level sedan to compete Flying Spur. Coupe to comete with Continental GT/GTC.

Saab: redesinged range, 9-x in its last year of production, still doesnt have a hot item.

Saturn: very Euro, popular cars at good prices. becomes more profitable. Sky redesigned.

Scion: new sedan and wagon, full line redesinged.

Subaru: B9 tribeca axed, STI still going strong, crossover replaces B9.

Suzuki: same as Kia

Toyota: still #1 overall, no real change to line, redesigns and more economy is about it.

VW: phaeton taken out of Us market, sold only with deisel V8 and gas V6. passat refreshed, jetta redesigned, euro line sold here. Toureg replaced by smaller Marrekesh.

Volvo: still great saftly, more stylish cars, XC90 redesigned. XC50 crossover, all sedans and wagons either refreshed or redesigned.

So as you can see, America will be much more European car-wise. Most brands will sell their Euro cars here too. And many or most cars will be either deisel capable, ethynol capable, or hybrids. But The 3 most importand aspects will be:
Economy
Design/Brand
Performance

In that order. It looks bleak for some, great for others. I have yet to make up my mind. But only time will tell folks...

I agree with that a lot^^^

I think in 5 years time the first electric le mans car will be introduced. It won't win at the first race, but it will be the start for the road cars to make the electric future realistic. Once the electric racecars devellop to a high level gas-power will no longer be a substitute.

Why? Well the future may be far away, but once you've seen this:

www.eliica.com

perhaps not that far...