Detroit automakers doing well....sort of

 
The other day in the USA TODAY, a headline in the Money Section caught my eye and made me smile.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a headline in the newspaper proclaiming, “Detroit leads March auto sales.” 

As a dyed-in-the-wool domestic automaker defender – some say apologist – it gives me enormous pleasure to read the monthly sales figures out of Detroit and see that the Domestic Three (GM, Ford and Chrysler Group) are slowly but surely gaining sales and even respect.

I am a realist, however.   The improving Domestic Three automakers will never be a dominant force and become known as the BIG Three again.   Presently the best market share that GM, Ford and Chrysler Group could muster in March was 16.9 percent, 16.2 percent and 11.8 percent of U.S. sales respectively.

Back during my college days in the early 1960s, the leading auto news story was rather the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division would pursue its goal of breaking up GM because of the giant company’s overwhelming, monopolistic 60 percent vehicle share in the early 60s.  Apparently the government felt that dividing GM into two companies – one made up of Chevrolet and the other selling Pontiac, Olds, Buick and Cadillac – would give competitors Ford and Chrysler Corporation a more level playing field.

Well, as we know, the playing field got leveled all right, and it wasn’t the outcome of an antitrust suit but rather unexpected competition from imports; first from Europe, then from Asia later in the century.

It’s seems almost unimaginable when reflecting on it today that GM once briefly held over 60 percent of the U.S. market, followed by Ford’s typical 25 – 30 percent share and Chrysler’s 10 – 15 percent take.  I recall as a young man how easy it was to remember the size of each American automaker’s market share.  Take GM’s typical 50 percent figure, divide it by 2 to get Ford’s figure and divide again by 2 for Chrysler’s.

My, how times have changed.   Back in the day when the Big Three dominated, the U.S. auto-making triplets garnered almost 100 percent of the market.   Now, as sales figure from last month show, their total U.S. share amounts to a measly 44.7 percent.  My 50-25-12 sales formula of old doesn’t work any more – by a long shot.

Also showing just how different things are, Chrysler is now only a few percentage points behind Ford in market share and the Blue Oval brand is only a tick or two behind perennial sales leader GM. 

Not only did Chrysler survive the severe recession and emerge as a partner with Italy's Fiat, the company managed to revive its dated automotive lineup with a slew of freshly restyled and very successful products. None represented their efforts better than the mid-size 200, a revamp of the unloved Sebring, which was successfully introduced by rapper Eminem at the 2011 Super Bowl. 

From the sales figures, one could assume that Detroit is in one heap of trouble.  But sales share don’t tell the whole story.   A better barometer of company’s health is how profitable it is.   I’m please to report that the Domestic Three are now lean and mean money machines and the future looks pretty good indeed.

Following the hurtful economic implosion of 2008 – with GM and Chrysler emerging from bankruptcy – all of the automakers used the business meltdown to close under-used factories, shed a large number of workers and eliminate hundreds of millions of legacy costs that had been weighing them down for decades.

While the domestic automakers are only a shadow of their formal selves, they are financially healthy and record or near profits are the norm again.  Gone are costly incentives and over-production.  Now the companies wisely sell only what they build.   Too, after working hard to catch up, the quality of U.S.-made vehicles is equal to or maybe even better than those built by the foreign automakers.

The aforementioned USA TODAY article pointed out that the “Detroit automakers ruled the March sales charts, parlaying their truck and SUV expertise into solid gains while Asian rivals – except for Honda – lagged.”  I swelled with pride when I read that lead off statement.

USA TODAY’s auto writer ended his column by noting the following auto trends and I paraphrase.

- The strong uptick in pickup sales will benefit the U.S. automakers because they still dominate the full-size pickup market.   With the improving housing market resulting in more houses being built, homebuilders will be replacing pickups and that spells good news for Detroit.  It has been reported that automakers can earn up to $10,000 to $15,000 net profit on each truck sold!

- SUVs are still popular and those expensive models are cash cows for the Domestic Three as well.  GM recently freshened its three middle priced SUVs, the Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.  All three experienced robust sales increases in March.  Happily, GM will be replacing its full-size and popular Suburban, Tahoe and Yukon models later in the 2014 model year.  Ford’s Explorer had its best March since the current model was introduced in 2010.  Chrysler’s Dodge Durango/Jeep Grand Cherokee were also recently freshened and are gaining many new buyers.

- While Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia all experience either flat sales or declines, Honda managed a 9.4 percent increase in sales in March, thanks to brisk sales of its all-new Accord and CR-X and the freshened Civic.

So it is a good time to be a Detroit Three adherent.  The domestic automakers have not only dodged another economic bullet, but have emerged in pretty fine shape to face another day.  I couldn’t be happier.

  

Sports car enthusiasts are grateful that GM's bankruptcy troubles in 2009 didn't postpone too long the introduction of the 7th generation Chevy Corvette Stingray.  A huge crowd pleaser at every auto show, the Bow Tie division appears to have hit a home run and will offer a true world beater in the competitive sports car market, starting later this summer.

    

Ford weathered the Great Recession and now offers a line-up of winners including the Focus, Fusion and Explorer.  Needing a lot of work is the Blue Oval's luxury brand, the Lincoln.   Arriving now at dealerships - be it belatedly - is the all-new MKZ luxury sedan (shown).  Next up is the smartly styled MKX crossover based on the popular Ford Escape, introduced as a concept at the January Detroit auto show.  

    

Retired Pontiac and Buick designer Bill Porter is Concours d'Elegance of Southwest Michigan's featured designer in 2013

Bill Porter in front of his remarkable, unusual home near Ann Arbor, MI 

There are many enjoyable aspects of organizing a major automobile exhibition like the local Concours.   Each year I meet a large number of new enthusiastic vehicle owners.  I also get acquainted with the invited featured designer.

We started the practice of selecting a featured designer in 2008 when retired GM chief designer and VP Wayne Cherry was invited.  His appearance was followed the next year by another highly regarded GM designer, Cadillac and Buick man Wayne Kady.  In 2010 we attracted a top Ford designer, Jack Telnack, who ended his Blue Oval career as VP of design.   Virgil Exner, Jr. of South Bend joined us in 2011 and we found Chrysler and Ford vehicles designed both by Jr. and his famous father, the late Virgil Exner, Sr.

Last year we had authors Dennis and Terri Horvath as our featured automotive authors.

This year retired GM designer Bill Porter accepted our invitation to be our featured designer.  A great number of Pontiac and Buick nameplates from the 70s, 80s and 90s bear the stamp of Bill’s design touch.

All of our featured designers in the past were gifted automotive artists, but with Bill Porter we have an automotive historian and a walking automotive library to boot.  His resume’ lists pages of awards received, teaching positions held, lectures and gallery talks given and slide presentations produced.

I am enthusiastically looking forward to his Friday, August 9 evening presentation that will be offered to everyone in the community on a first come, first serve basis.  Watch for details later.

I met Bill and his wife Patsy back in March on a bright winter day in Whitmore Lake, a little community just north of Ann Arbor.  One cannot write about the Porters without commenting on their spectacular home built on 20-acres in the midst of farmland and woodlots.  The land was purchased in 1996, the year of his retirement from GM, while the Porters still lived in Birmingham.

Referred by the Porter’s as a “warehouse with period rooms,” the 13,000 square foot structure features living space, studios, workshops and galleries, all designed by Bill to house his and Pat’s wide-ranging collection of art and design artifacts.  The new home shows brilliantly his aesthetic take on architecture that he embraces as an artist and designer.  

He shuns the use of color in the structure itself; instead both the interior and exterior are a medley of grays and other neutral colors, and there is an emphasis on the use of exposed metal, both inside and out.  The period rooms will each have color schemes appropriate to their own eras.

A dominating feature of the Porter’s home is a full-size silo with an observation deck in its top.  It is used not to store silage or corn, its traditional purpose, but as an admittedly romantic spot to ascend and watch dramatic Michigan sunsets over a glass of wine.

Bill and Patsy, married for 54 years, have three grown children and three grandchildren.  Natives of Louisville, Kentucky, both are devoted, successful collectors of Tiffany glass, early American blown glass and Mission-style furniture (Roycroft, Stickley.) 

In addition, Bill has built a very impressive and eclectic collection of early 20th c. paintings by Michigan artists.  The gallery space in their impressive home will be hung with these works on a rotating basis.

Bill received his fine arts education from the University of Louisville, followed by a stint in the Army.  After a brief fling as a neon sign designer, he attended Pratt Institute to earn his Masters.  It was at Pratt that he was discovered by GM and did a summer internship in 1957 at the Warren, Mich. Tech Center. That fortuitous appointment would lead to a 39-year career as a top designer at GM.

His first design assignment as a junior designer at the Tech Center was in the styling and research studio (where the Firebird I,II and III were created.)  In 1963 he was given duties hiring new designers for the design staff.  During this period he visited some 30 colleges in the country searching for the best young talent.

Over his lifetime as a GM designer, Bill Porter drew thousands of sketches of automobiles, like this effort made in the mid-60s of the proposed 1968 Pontiac mid-size Pontiac Tempest/LeMans. Some features were eventually used on the actual 1968 LeMans, including the loop chrome bumper.  But the hidden headlights atop the bumper were not used, nor were the twin bumps on the hood.

 In 1965 Bill was assigned to an advanced studio where he created the basic body shell that became the 1968 LeMans/GTO.  He was then promoted to head the Pontiac Studio and oversaw the design of all Pontiac automobiles from 1969 -1973.

During the remainder of the 1970s, Bill headed Advanced 1 studio where he created basic body shells and concept cars.   Says Bill of that time, “I had a ball!”

Later his talents would be appreciated by buyers of Buicks.  He was appointed chief designer of the Buick 1 studio in 1979.  He remained head of that studio until his 1996 retirement. 

Bill has his favorite vehicles that were designed under his watch.  Right at the top is the 1970 Pontiac Firebird, especially the Trans Am model; he was strongly involved with the development of the Firebird’s tremendously popular Trans Am model.   Bill was one of the pioneers in using wind tunnel data in the design of a vehicle.

Bill has favorite Buicks too.  The final Riviera, introduced in 1995 and discontinued in 2000, rates number one.  He is bringing his personal 1995 Riviera to the Concours.

As in past years, we hope to have 8 to 10 featured designer – created automobiles at the Concours for the Pass in Review event.  We are seeking owners who own the following Pontiac and Buick models: 1968-70 Tempests or GTOs, 1973 Grand Ams, 1985 Electra and 1986 or 1992 LeSabre.

I would need at least five of my car columns to adequately disseminate Bill’s lifelong accomplishments.  I recommend that readers take the time to read more about Bill Porter by searching “Bill Porter auto designer” on the Web.  The Internet is full of Bill Porter history and accomplishments.

Retired GM designer Bill Porter was responsible for the creation of dozens of Pontiac and Buick automobiles over his career.  One of his favorites is his last effort, the 1995 Buick Riviera.  Shown here is Bill (on the left) with a fiber-glass, non-running model of the car and Buick Interior Studio Chief Paul Tatseos.  The 1995 Riviera was intended as a 1993 model but GM financial difficulties postponed the intro.

Seeking special Cadillacs

What's a Cadillac without a fin.

 
This time of year I really look forward to the daily visit from my mailman.  The deadline for vehicle entries for the upcoming Concours car show in August is approaching and I receive a number of applications each day.   I have a smile on my face when I open each envelope; eagerly anticipating what vehicle has been submitted.

When all the entries have been received by mid-April and made into a PowerPoint presentation, the volunteer Concours selection committee will meet and review all the submitted vehicles.  From the volume of mail so far, it appears we will have a record number of vehicle owners wishing to have their car, commercial vehicle, motorcycle or bicycle in the fundraising event.

This year the Concours selection committee will again descend on Hickory Corners in late April and assemble in a meeting room of the Gilmore Car Museum.  From the submitted entries the committee will select approximately 90 vehicles, including a representative sampling of Cadillacs, this year’s featured marque. 

As I write this column, 12 Cadillacs have been submitted.  That’s a good number but we are short of Cadillac entries for the 1915 – 1940 period and for the 1950s.  The decade of the sixties is well represented with a large number of entries submitted.

Naturally we want a selection of Cads that represent the luxury brand throughout its long history.  We are especially interested in showing some of the magnificent Classic Cadillac offerings from the twenties and thirties and also two other key examples; a 1948 model to show the beginning of the fin age – which Cadillac introduced that year – and the iconic 1959 model that took the fin age to its outrageous zenith.

There are two “special feature” classes in the Concours this year.   We are seeking a number of vehicles from the turn of the 20th century for the “High Wheeler” class and a few more for the “Lady Owned Cars” special class.

Fortunately, we already have a nice selection of entries for the “Lady Owned Cars” class.  Female interest in the collector car hobby is growing and this year the Concours leadership thought it was time we highlight this car-collecting phenomenon with a special group.

So far we have no entries for the “High Wheeler” class.   If none are received by April 20, committee members and I will get busy and contact the various high wheeler car clubs in the country and see if we can stir up some interest.

For those not familiar with a high wheeler vehicle, here’s a short history lesson.  The high wheeler is an early car body style that is unique only to the United States.  As the name implies, vehicles called high wheelers were built with slender, large-diameter wheels beginning in the late 19th century.  The last high wheeler was probably built around 1910.

Prior to the advent of gasoline engines, high wheelers were powered by electric motors or steam engines.  The high wheeler’s popularity began to wane when standard automobiles became both less expensive and more sophisticated.  It has been written that when Henry Ford introduced the Model T, the high wheeler era rapidly came to an end.

Automobiles with the slender high wheels often used solid tires.  The wide diameter of the wheels provided ample ground clearance.  This was a necessary feature because most roads in America at the time were primitive.  High wheelers also were designed with a wider track than those found on a standard automobile.

The high wheelers were available in many body styles (utility vehicles, runabouts/roadsters; some with detachable tonneaus) and often shared features found on horse-drawn wagon like wood-spoke wheels, similar suspensions and boxy bodies made of wood.

Over 40 high wheeler companies were in business at one point in the United States.  A few had names that might be recognizable – like the Cole, Duryea, Economy, International Harvester, and Sears – but most had a moment in the sun and then disappeared.

Attendees of the Concours car show may recall last year the 1909 Economy G Surrey high wheeler that was featured in the “Family Owned Vehicle” class.  Brady and Emily Mann of Roanoke, IL brought the Economy that his grandfather had purchased new over one hundred years ago.

Readers who know someone who owns a well-preserved high wheeler is urged to contact me.  We’ve had a few of high wheelers in our show in the past and the quaint and almost pre-historic looking automobiles are huge crowd pleasers.

The Concours featured designer this year is retired GM designer Bill Porter of Whitmore Lake, Michigan.  I interviewed Bill a while back and will share highlights of his exciting career with readers in an upcoming column.  

Bill headed both Pontiac and Buick design studios during his career.  Without a doubt his most notable effort while at Pontiac was overseeing the creation of the second gen 1970 Pontiac Firebird.  He takes extra special pride in developing the Firebird Trans Am of that period. 

Bill will join narrator Ed Lucas during the noon Pass in Review and discuss all the cars in the show that he had a hand in designing.   Take a look at the list below and contact me if you or if someone you know owns one of these Porter-influenced vehicles. 

The Porter-designed cars we’d like to have in this year’s Concours include:
1968 – 69 Pontiac Le Mans and GTO, 1970 – 72 Pontiac Catalina, Bonneville, 1970 ?  – 73 Firebird and Firebird T/A, 1973 Pontiac Le Mans, Grand Am, 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix, 1985 Buick Electra, 1982 Pontiac Firebird, 1991 Buick Regal 4-door sedan, 1986, 1992 and 2000 Buick LeSabre, 1991 and 1996 Buick Park Avenue and Ultra and 1995 Buick Riviera. 

Mr. Porter, now in his eighties, is a dynamic speaker and will give a pre-Concours presentation on Friday night, August 9.  Details on location and time of the program are incomplete.  Watch for announcements in this column in July.

Name or just a number

Automakers may have been guilty of stylistic excesses in the 1950s, but Dar still remembers fondly tri-tone paint jobs, 4-door hardtops and fins that soared into the sky.   He also loved the names of 50s vehicles, like the nomenclature affixed to the 1956 Dodge Coronet Custom Royal Lancer, shown here.

Cadillac, as well as Lincoln, recently joined other luxury automakers and name their new models using a combination of capital letters, not a “noun.”  Gone are Cadillac Coupe de Ville and Lincoln Town Car.  Say hello to ELR (new plug-in hybrid by Cadillac, shown) and MKZ (Lincoln’s replacement for the Zephyr.)

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Here’s a question for the readers of this column.   Given a choice, would you prefer that automakers name their vehicles with letters and numbers (referred to as an alpha-numeric name) or with nomenclature based on a usually common word? 

Do you like the sound of a car being named A8 or Coupe de Ville?  Does 328i ring your bell louder than Mustang Boss?  It appears that car buyers are opting for the alphanumeric lingo.  In the past ten or twenty years, it seems that almost all the automakers – especially those selling luxury vehicles – have abandoned using nouns or names and all have embraced using a blend of letters (mostly capitalized) and numbers (some making sense – like indicating size of engine or length of the car and some signifying nothing).

Credit has to be given to the three major German luxury brands for marketing their vehicles using alphanumeric names over a long period of time and becoming extremely successful.  While A4 Audis, C-class Mercedes-Benzes and 3 series BMWs are selling like hotcakes, I for one, really wish that automakers had stuck with using old fashion names for their vehicles.

I have a couple of reasons for feeling this way about vehicle names. 

This may only be a problem for me, but I have a devil of a time remembering car names that aren’t nouns.  When Cadillac started switching its car model names to all capitalized letters it was fairly easy for me to remember their offering’s new names. 

The Deville Touring Sedan became the DTS, the Seville Touring Sedan became the STS and the Catera became the CTS.  That made some sense to me.  I wasn’t happy that Deville became DTS but at least I could remember the name.

Then Cadillac introduced the SRX crossover and the XLR roadster.  It took me a long time to remember those two new names.   The X used in SRX was a good reference, because most of the new crossovers were probably all-wheel drive and X is often used by automakers to identify that feature.    But what the heck does SR stand for?

And then along came the Corvette-based XLR.  It didn’t have all-wheel drive but still had the X in the name.   I eventually remembered the new names, but they don’t come to me in an instant.

The new names must be working for Cadillac because the GM luxury marque isn’t giving up on using the three cap letters to name their new models.  At the recent Detroit auto show, Cadillac introduced a new model called the ELR.

Can you guess what those letters stand for?  In some ways, the name ELR makes some sense.  The ELR is Cadillac’s version of Chevy’s Volt plug-in hybrid model.  Unlike the 4-door Volt, the ELR is a two-door sporty coupe.  Can we assume that the E stands for electric and the L stands for luxury?  Now if only the ELR was a little convertible, I could than make the argument that the R stands for roadster.

As it now stands, I have no idea what the R stands for and I guess it doesn’t matter, as long as I can remember the new car’s name.

Again it may be my age, but I’m from an era when there were cars built and sold that had really wonderful names.   I recall going to the dealer in Lapeer and sitting in an Eldorado Biarritz convertible or seeing in the catalog the photos of the Cadillac Eldorado Seville and Eldorado Brougham.  Just saying those Cadillac names would make folks feel wealthy and important.

Over at the Dodge dealer you could put you money down for a Dodge Coronet Custom Royal Lancer (the Lancer indicated it was a hardtop.)  My tongue and brain feel better saying Coronet Custom Royal Lancer than saying 750i or Q50? 

I’m really pleased that domestic makers are still coming up with new names that don’t have cap letters and numbers in them.   Chevy moved from Cobalt to Cruze in naming its most recent compact car.  The Bow Tie brand still calls its family sized cars the Impala and Malibu.  They didn’t even think of changing the Corvette’s name when the seventh generation of the iconic sports car was introduced in January.

Dodge likes to use names from the past.   They have the Charger, Challenger and just brought back the Dart name.  That was a good move.  Chrysler uses numbers in calling its full-size sedan the 300 but that makes sense.   The highly regarded 300 letter series performance cars of 1955 to 1965 have defined the brand.

Ford and Chevy has introduced new models in the past with names that start with the letters F and C respectively.   For a period of time back in the sixties, all Chevys had to start with the letter C.  There was the Chevy Corvair, Chevy II, Chevelle and Camaro.

Ford followed suit with the Falcon and Fairlane.  They broke the “F” tradition in 1964 when choosing a name for their pony car.  Instead of Filly, they selected Mustang.  Chevy weaned itself of the C tradition with the Monte Carlo and later the Lumina, Malibu, Monza and other models.

Of late, Ford is back to naming new offerings using the letter “F.”   The Focus and Fusion being current examples.

Perhaps the automakers are drifting into alphanumeric names and away from using nouns because the good ones like Mustang and Impala are already taken.   Of course, if you are Toyota, you can always just come up with interesting sounding names like Camry and Yaris and find buyers galore.  I checked my dictionary and neither of those words are listed.

Are there still good names available for automakers to use?  I think so.  I don’t have time to leaf through the dictionary to find some examples but somewhere in my Funks and Wagnall there must be a winning name that we can all pronounce, spell and relate to. 

We can then look forward to the introduction of a new Chevy Arapahoe pickup and not a Chevy MPUX4 (that stands for massive pick up with four-wheel drive, in case you wonder). 

I’m going to post this article on my blog site (see address at end of column).  I’d like to hear your feedback on my auto names observations.

Dar's and Chuck's top ten beautiful and homely cars

 

I’m writing this column in the south, enjoying 70-degree temps and observing from afar the frigid and snowy weather that engulfed the Midwest just after I departed St. Joseph.

Joining me is my good friend Chuck Hassel, a fellow car nut who grew up in the Chicago area but now resides in South Carolina.  We’ve make our visit south each January to escape the colder northern climes (well, at least I do) and, more importantly, to discuss cars.   We love all kinds of cars, be they new or old.

Chuck has been ogling cars since he was a little kid.   His education includes degrees in engineering from Purdue and product design from Art Center College in California.

I showed Chuck a copy of my last week’s column about the Hemmings Classic Car editorial with Richard Lenitello’s eight ugliest cars and my reaction to his selections.   Naturally we began coming up with ugly candidates of our own.   We agreed up with our top ten list.

We also thought it would be fun to see if we could come up with a list of the ten most beautiful cars.   It was a challenge, but we did it. 

So, behold, our list of the ten homeliest (ugly seems too cruel a word) and ten most beautiful American cars ever offered.  After each vehicle selected we have added a brief remark on why it was selected:

TEN HOMELIEST VEHICLES:

            1937 - ‘39 Willys (bug-eyed headlights and a pointed snout)

1958 Buick (massive looking, a ponderous chrome-mobile)

1958 Ford (a failed attempt to duplicate the look of the new 4-place T-bird)

            1958 Oldsmobile (see 1958 Buick above)

            1958 Packard (stacked fins and tacked-on quad headlights, a sorry end to a great marque)

            1961 DeSoto (unrelated dual grille openings, clunky-looking taillight housing)

            1961 Plymouth (cabbage grater grille with Halloween headlights that scared small children)

            1980 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar (the stylist must have lost their French curve, a box was their inspiration)

            2000 – ’05 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (a crisp design that obviously sat too long in the hot sun)

            2001 – ’05 Pontiac Aztek (not sure if it’s a van or a car but not Pontiac’s best effort)

High on many automotive lists of homely cars is the overwrought 1958 Buick, shown here in the Limited series.

           

The rather scary front end styling of the 1961 Plymouth has been said to be so ugly it scared small children.  It certainly wasn't designer Virgil Exner's best efforts.

TEN BEAUTIFUL VEHICLES:

           

            1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow (one of the first American vehicles to feature breathtaking aerodynamic lines that set it apart)

1936 Cord 810/812 (Gordon Buehrig’s Cord was a styling masterpiece, radical for its time, still eye candy today)

1939 Lincoln Continental Mk 1 (One of Edsel Ford’s best efforts, providing a must-buy luxury car for the Palm Beach set)

1953 Studebaker (Studebaker stunned American car buyers with Raymond Loewy’s European inspired design)

1955 Chevrolet (featured a Ferrari grille, V-8 power and all-new body of classic simplicity)

1960 Dodge Matador/Chrysler New Yorker (perhaps Virgil Exner, Sr.’s highest achievement and his most successful fin effort)

            1961 Lincoln Continental (award winning then, still stunning to look at)

            1966 Buick Riviera (Words like elegant, graceful and sophisticated are used to describe this Dave Holl’s masterpiece)

            1970 ½ Chevrolet Camaro (in production for 11 years, the crisp, clean  Italianate pony car was a huge favorite) 

1971 Plymouth Satellite coupe (a muscular yet elegant car, it’s bold loop bumper was a perfect compliment to the athletic car)

 This photo, taken at the Concours d'Elegance of Southwest Michigan in St. Joseph, shows me standing in front of one of Studebaker's prettiest coupes ever.  The 1953 - 54 Commander coupe was designed with input from internationally known Raymond Loewy.  Most best looking car lists include this design beauty.

Above is the iconic and great looking 1961 Lincoln Continental 4-door convertible.   Considered by many to be the finest looking Lincoln ever introduced.   Wouldn't it be great if Lincoln could return to market a Town Car-like model that has the impact of this landmark luxury model.

If you don’t recall what some of our selections look like and a photo is not shown, use your computer’s search engine and type in the year and car.  Photos galore will appear to remind you just how ugly or beautiful these cars were.

2012: A good year or not so good?

 

Ford Motor, like the other domestic automakers, have had a pretty good year with modest sales improvements.   Recalls, however, have become an issue, especially for Ford with the popular 2013 Escape.  Between July and September, the all-new crossover has been caught up in four recalls ranging from bulky carpets to engine fires.  Brisk sales of the popular vehicle appear to be unaffected, however, as Ford has quickly acknowledged the problems and issued quick fixes or provided loaner cars.

How would I describe, with few words, the domestic auto business in the past year?  How about:  Not so good.  Good.  Pretty good.    

The not so good news?  Sluggish Sales:  Vehicle sales have continued to show improvement over the course of the past year, but the SAAR (Seasonal Adjusted Annual Rate) figure expected at the end of December is still only about 15 million units sold.  While way better than the 11.4 million vehicles sold in 2009, it is still two million short of the glory days prior to the Great Recession when automakers routinely sold almost 17 million vehicles annually.

Broken cars:  Recalls have been a common occurrence in the auto industry since the government made them mandatory way back when.

The year 2012 had the fairly typical number of recalls.  In Dearborn, however, the folks at the top must be scratching their heads over the four-in-succession recalls posted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Association since the introduction of it Ford’s all-new 2013 Ford Escape crossover.  

From stuck carpets to engines catching on fire, it has been a rough year for Ford since the first recall on July 6 and the last on September 5, 2012.  Fortunately for Ford, sales of the enormously popular utility vehicle have not been affected too much.  This might be because the company responded to each recall forcefully by acknowledging the problem, finding a fix and going out of the way to accommodate buyers of the Escape by offering loaner cars. 

Auto brands struggling:  Another not so good situation for the auto business in 2012 was the inability of several marques in the U.S. to make much headway in becoming financially viable in the highly competitive auto business.  I’m talking about Buick/GMC, Lincoln, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar and Mitsubishi.

GM dropped Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab in 2009 so they could focus on the remaining Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet brands.  The decision seemed to make a lot of sense.  It’s far easier to create and promote four brands than eight. 

Cadillac is still struggling but making progress with a raft of new product. Buick, while sales have improved slightly, is still a little wobbly.  The division that once sold 800,000 vehicles struggled this past year to reach 200,000. 

Will the upcoming all-new Buick Encore mini-crossover help to improve sales?  That is the unanswered question.  If Buick does eventually falter, heaven forbid, then I see GMC joining Buick and meeting up with Olds, Pontiac and the others in car heaven.  

The post-bankruptcy GM built its dealer organization combined the Buick and GMC outlets, for the most part, as a single dealer group.   If Buick is gone, GMC sales aren’t large enough for the truck-only dealer groups to survive.   Being a twin of the Chevy trucks, it would be logical to drop the now 101-year-old GMC brand.

I’ve written about Lincoln’s plight in a recent column.   Once selling as many as 230,000 luxury cars and trucks a year (1990), now Ford Motor struggles to sell 100,000 of the luxury brand.   Let’s hope the fresh, new product in the pipeline succeeds in resuscitating this once proud marque.

Imports Jaguar, Mazda, Volvo and Mitsubishi are also struggling to build sales and are fighting to stay viable.  I sincerely hope they all succeed but they all need a boatload of new buyers in their dealer’s showrooms.  Don’t be surprised to see a merger or two involving these brands in 2013.

 The good news?    Improving car sales:  In all the gloom and doom, there is good news, lots of it.  Car sales are on the upswing.  

Quality improvements:  Vehicles are getting better (if we ignore the pesky recalls of late).  The quality numbers for domestics are nearly matching the better imports and for the most part, all cars sold today are vastly improved over the poor quality we suffered through in the 70s and 80s.

Cars are safer:  New safety features, happily, really do work.  I know, because each day that I drive my new Verano I’m reminded.   There are chimes to signal that something might be behind my car and I should stop.  There are blinking lights in my rear view mirror to warn me that a car is in my blind spot.  I’m even warned, with a noisy beeping sound while backing out of my driveway, that a car is approaching my driveway from either direction. 

It’s all these wonderful passive safety features that caused my car insurance to actually be LOWER than what it cost to insure my 11-year old Neon. 

Lots of options:  I think it’s good news also that so many new power plant options are now available to consumers.  Want performance, Camaro and Mustang have reasonably priced models that approach super car numbers.   Want economy, you have an amazing variety of powertrains available – from all-electric cars like the Nissan Leaf, Tesla and Fiskars to hybrid models like the segment leader Toyota Prius and many others.

Then there is the plug-in Chevy Volt hybrid that eliminates “range anxiety” by offering all electric power for over 35 miles, with a back-up gas engine available to charge the batteries in the sedan if needed.

So it has been a pretty good year.  Depending on what happens in Washington regarding a resolution to the so-called “fiscal cliff,” auto sales are expected to continue to improve in the New Year.   If taxes do rise dramatically, this will undoubtedly affect car sales but no one can predict what the impact will be. 

The folks in the auto industry have probably been holding their breath this past week, hoping that the representatives and senators in Washington do what they were elected to do and take care of the people’s business. 

This car guy would like to see the playing field be level next year for the automakers, providing them a whole year of no drama (no higher taxes, no earthquakes, no floods, no tsunamis, etc.)   Then just maybe we’ll see U.S. auto sales again attain the 17 million-level and jobs will be created and more safe cars will be bought and enjoyed on our highways.

Permit me to use this year-end column to wish all readers a Prosperous and Happy New Year.

Good auto news in 2012 was the wide variety of power trains available in showrooms.  In addition to the traditional gas-powered, internal combustion engines, car buyers also had options to purchase all-electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrids.  Some, like the Chevy Volt, eliminated electric car “range anxiety” by having a gas engine on board to re-charge the batteries on the go.

Calling all Caddies (Dar on hunt for 'Stanard of the World'

 

Cadillac, on its 110th anniversary, has been selected as the featured marque of the 9th annual Concours d'Elegance of Southwest Michigan.  The Concours selection committee has created a list of desired vintage Cadillacs for the show.  Not surprisingly, the limited edition 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham - a $13,000 car when you could buy a Chevy for $2,000 - is on the list of desirable models once sold by the GM brand.

In a little more than a month, I will oversee the mailing of over 1,200 Concours invitation letters to vintage vehicle owners with addresses throughout the Midwest.  The letter, from me representing the selection committee of the Concours d’Elegance of Southwest Michigan, will invite owners to submit a vehicle or vehicles to show in the 2013 August car show fundraiser.

In years past an average of 80 vehicles have been selected.   This year the decision has been made to increase the total by a dozen or so vehicles.  The show will remain in St. Joseph’s Lake Bluff Park.

Like past years, a featured marque has been selected.   To celebrate its 110th anniversary, the General Motors luxury brand Cadillac will be celebrated in 2013.  We will be seeking a large number of significant Cadillac models to invite to St. Joseph and participate in the noon lead-off Pass in Review event.

Cadillac has produced many fabulous automobiles over its long history.   Naturally, we have some favorites we’d like to see in the show.   On the list includes the first Cadillac, the 1903 model.  Concours narrator Ed Lucas is hopeful further locate a 1903 Ford Model A as a companion model, as they are nearly identical.

Cadillac was first with a self starter with its 1913 model – we’d like to have that car, as well as the 1915 Type 51 model that was propelled by Cadillac’s first V-8 engine.   Just about any Cadillac from the 20s or 30s will be welcome.  Whether it is a formal limousine, dual cowl phaeton, convertible Berline or sport phaeton – we won’t be fussy. 

Cadillac sold Series 452 V-16s from 1930 to 1937 and any one of them would be a great addition.  I’m a huge fan of the 1938 Sixty Special, one of renowned designer Bill Mitchell’s first effort at GM.   Cadillacs from the 1940s on the list include the 1941 model and the all-new, post-war 1948 – 49 offerings, especially the fastback coupe.

My favorite Cadillacs are from the fifties.  We’ll hope to have at the show the rare 1953 Eldorado convertible, either a 1957 or 58 Eldorado Brougham, maybe a 1957 Eldorado Biarritz or Seville or the iconic finned 1959 convertible.

Favorites from the 60s include any 1961 – 62 models, any 1965 – 66 models and the 1967 front drive Eldorado luxury coupe.  Great 1970s offerings include the 1971 Cadillac or the first smaller Cadillac, the 1975 Seville. 

Cadillac with an interesting history will also be invited.  Powerful and famous people were drawn to the “Standard of the World” mystique and bought the luxurious car.  A great looking Cadillac once owned by a celebrity will be a welcome addition.

The Concours leads off the 1:30 and 3:00 Pass in Review events with cars representing a special featured class.  This year we are seeking both horseless carriage “high wheeler” vehicles from the early days of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries for the 1:30 event and “Lady Owned Cars” at the 3:00 presentation. 

High wheelers on our list include a Holsman, Economy, International and others of that era.   Readers who have attended the Concours show may recall the wonderful 1909 Economy Touring high wheeler belonging to Brady Mann of Illinois.   If you own a high wheeler, or know of someone who does, please get in touch with me.  We hope to have a half-dozen of these interesting vehicles.

As I attend more and more car shows, I’m noticing the increasing numbers of ladies who own and show vintage cars.   We will make an effort to find at least six female owners who can show their vehicle. 

An invite has already been extended to Margaret Dunning of Plymouth, Mich.  She is the 102-year old Internet sensation who shows a 1930 Packard 740 Roadster, which she has owned since new.   She has already accepted invitations and shown her beautiful Classic Packard at Pebble Beach in California and at the St. Johns’ Concours (formerly Meadowbrook) show in Plymouth.

 Naturally, we hope she will be free and can accept our invitation.  A suite at The Boulevard Inn has already been reserved for her.

If readers own any of the cars discussed in this week’s column or know of someone who does, please get in touch with me soon.   I will add your or their name and address to the master mailing list, and send an invitation in late January.  If you would like more information about the Concours, don’t hesitate to contact me.

A reminder to past show participants.  If you have had a vehicle in the Concours, it is eligible to be shown again if two years have passed.   If you showed your vehicle in 2010 or earlier, please consider applying again.

The 9^th Annual Concours d’Elegance of Southwest Michigan fundraiser will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2013.  Be sure to visit our Facebook address at www.facebook.com/ConcoursSWMI.  We’d love to have you “like” us and stay in touch.

The Concours' selection committee is seeking "high wheelers" automobiles to fill a special class for the 9th annual car show on August 10, 2013.  High wheelers, also called "horseless carriages," were built at the beginning of the auto era in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.   This 1909 Economy G Surrey, owned by Brady Mann of Illinois, is an excellent example of a high wheeler and was on display at last summer's Concours d'Elegance in St. Joseph.