I think the U.S. automotive industry is finally realizing their plight and I have faith that they will not just give up. I think we are in interesting times and I believe we will witness the U.S. automobile producers compete again.
This guys a nay sayer....but I know what time it is....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...7g.0M&refer=us
[quote]Nissan, Honda May Outshine GM, Ford With N.Y. Autos (Update1)
By Greg Bensinger and Alan Ohnsman
More Photos/Details
March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Nissan Motor Co., Honda Motor Co. and their Asian peers may get a bigger sales boost than their U.S. rivals from vehicles introduced at the annual New York auto show this week.
New models from Asia include Nissan's latest Maxima and the Fit small car and Acura TSX sports sedan from Honda. South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. is showing a two-door version of its Genesis premium car, while Toyota Motor Corp. has a coupe that may be added to its youth-oriented Scion brand.
The new-model count at the show mirrors the rising fortunes of the Asians in the Northeast as well as the total U.S. market. Asian companies account for 10 of the 20 vehicles making their global or North American debuts, compared with two from U.S. automakers, according to the show's organizers. Eight of the new models are European makes.
``The New York show has lost some of the allure for U.S. brands that it once had,' said George Magliano, a New York-based analyst for research firm Global Insight Inc. ``It's still the media capital, but the biggest introductions for them are in Detroit, Los Angeles and Geneva.'
Asian automakers' retail sales in the Northeast U.S. rose 3.7 percent in 2007, compared with a 3.4 percent decline for domestic carmakers, according to data from R.L. Polk & Co. Nationwide, Ford, GM and Chrysler yielded share to the Asians in 2007 for the 12th straight year.
Toyota today said it may miss its global sales target of 9.85 million vehicles this year as a strengthening Japanese yen makes its vehicles less competitive. The world's second-largest automaker plans to boost sales in emerging markets such as China to offset slowing demand in the U.S. and Japan, said Vice President Tokuichi Uranishi.
Domestic Defense
``New York is still important, but we do spread out our product introductions for all the big shows,' Mark Fields, a Ford Motor Co. executive vice president, said in an interview.
U.S. automakers are highlighting a handful of niche vehicles at the event, formally known as the New York International Auto Show. Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford is displaying a prototype taxi version of a European commercial van that's scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in 2009. New York generates about 2,000 new cab sales annually.
``This year, we wanted to show something local more than anything else,' Fields said.
Chrysler LLC is showing its full line of Dodge Challenger sports cars, while General Motors Corp., the world's biggest automaker, is introducing the Pontiac G8 coupe-pickup combo. The vehicle is initially expected to be more of a showroom lure than a sales draw, said Mark LaNeve, sales chief of Detroit-based GM, in an interview yesterday.
Honda's Fit
Honda, by comparison, expects to sell at least 70,000 Fits this year, up from 56,432 in 2007. Next year ``we think with this new car we can do better,' Dick Colliver, Honda's U.S. executive vice president, said in an interview. The Tokyo-based automaker expects as much as a 3 percent U.S. sales gain this year.
J.D. Power & Associates two days ago predicted U.S. sales of 14.95 million this year, which would be the lowest annual total since 1994. Consumer confidence dropped to a 16-year low this month and gasoline prices are at near-record levels, curbing demand. Housing starts, considered a leading measure of truck sales, fell in February to their lowest level in 17 years.
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