Foreign Offerings More Interesting than American
Friday, April 10th, 2009A couple of interesting tidbits out of the New York Auto Show . . .
Mercedes-Benz showed off a new E250 Bluetec concept, the strongest indication yet that it will in fact introduce a four-cylinder diesel in North America. The E250 puts out 204 hp with 369 lb-ft of torque. Fuel efficiency is 28 mpg city, 39 highway. The sedan will go on sale in Europe next month.
And Subaru, the only carmaker actually selling during these hard times, debuted the next generation Outback set to go on sale later in the summer. It’s 1.4 inches shorter than the previous generation, something current owners asked for. Subaru’s sales rose 1.6 percent during the last quarter and the Outback is expected to continue its popular run.
With Standard & Poor’s cutting ratings for both General Motors and Chrysler, more and more buyers are shying away from the troubled American brands — and the European and Asian competition is more than willing to step in and take up the slack. On Friday, April 10 S&P analysts said if Chrysler goes bankrupt they anticipate a liquidation, whereas they see some form of GM going on. Still, most consumers aren’t thinking “buy American” at the moment — incentives notwithstanding.