The year is 2009. While the whole world is covered with unsold cars, one small scarlet-fever-infected village is holding out against the global downturn. Led by their charismatic chieftain Luca di Montezemolo, the tribe from the tiny settlement of Maranello are giving the other marques a hefty kick up the exhaust. The magic potion that has made their foes despair is the latest set of figures from the village. Rising from the huts of Maranello, we see a plume of smoke that speaks of petrol, rubber and wealth.
Everyone is following the worldwide economic recession as the media provide daily tales of doom and gloom and in the States, the search for solutions becomes ever more desperate. Now, the respected "Financial Post" has published a completely crazy study.
Initial new year's figures are now available for the North American car market and the turnover figures are dreadful, being not just red, but dark red! Current statistics compare the month of January with that of last year. You can be sure this is a critical hit parade that nobody wants to head up. 'Top of the pops' (or rather flops) is the Chrysler LLC group who are writing a minus of 68.9%, followed by General Motors with a drop in turnover of 48.8%. Business was also way down in the dumps for the Ford Motor Company who lost 40.2% in turnover. Even Toyota, Nissan and Honda lost many customers, writing respective minus figures of 31.7%, 29.7% and 27.9%. BMW are almost entitled to celebrate with their a drop of just 15.5%, which you could almost call respectable.
The total picture does not look any different with other marques. Vehicles bearing the Chrysler emblem dropped by 68.9%, followed by Volvo, Pontiac und Hummer, who were also down by over 60%. Yet there were still winners who managed to increase their turnover. For example, Hyundai was up by 14.3%, Subaru by 8% and even Kia were up by 3.5% against last year's figures. The route that the American automobile industry is following is more than dubious and there is no end in sight yet for this downhill plunge.
Even the boldest of optimists could not have predicted that the Smart Fortwo would become such a hit on the American market. Astronomical fuel prices and a dearth of thrifty models were the factors behind this surprising success for Smart in the USA.
They had forecast sales of 15,000 units in the first year. But with 25,000 vehicles now sold, they have easily exceeded their target. Much of this success is due to the endeavours of Roger Penske. Not only has Penske enjoyed huge success with his vehicles in various US race series, but he is also the only major Smart wholesaler in the USA. There are a total of 74 dealers in 35 states displaying the Smart in their showrooms.
This year, they are set to be joined by nine more. All the more surprising is the fact that these excellent sales figures have been achieved without any TV advertising. Penske is expecting similar results for 2009 – thanks mainly to the price of a gallon of fuel.
Cars are getting more expensive and, above all, bigger. While the current Polo easily exceeds the dimensions of a Mark I Golf, a no-frills compact family estate is now moving beyond the budget of an average family.
The car industry is stuck in a crisis of its own making.
Nobody wants (or is able) to shell out over €30,000 for a compact vehicle. The success of the Dacia Logan and Sandero shows what people really want. There is no lack of demand; it's just that the manufacturers are offering the wrong products at the wrong time.
Who's going to show any interest in a new E-Class?
Crime rates are rocketing and thieves are getting bolder, while the cars they steal are getting more expensive, more exclusive and more unusual.
The 'unusual' tag certainly seems to apply in Japan. Because Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches don't seem to be all that sought after – or may be it's because they are deemed so desirable that there aren't enough of them to make it into the 'most-stolen' charts. Or there again, it could be down to the latest ingenious anti-theft mechanisms.
Thus it is that the honour of being the most-stolen car goes to the by no means visually unassuming yet also not exactly obvious target for thieves: the Toyota Hiace Van.
Chrysler may be burning to the ground like ancient Rome, but its craziest citizen, the Dodge Viper, is out dancing in the streets. Although Chrysler sales overall are reportedly down a whopping 32%, Dodge continues to produce and sell Vipers at a rate of 100 units per month. Not just that, but the Viper ACR – the $105k track-prepped super-snake – is all but entirely sold out... not in spite of the poor economy, but because of it. Chrysler reports that with stock portfolios rapidly losing their value and dollar values plummeting, investors are seeing the Viper ACR – potentially to be discontinued and retaining a high resale value – as a sound investment opportunity. With smile inducing dividends, too.
While GM and Cerberus talk take-over turkey, the fiscal viability of the Viper unit is bound to make it an attractive asset for any number of buyers. So while Chrysler may be counting its days, the Viper is likely to live on for some time yet.
Auto manufacturers are proud of their technological advances, their spectacular cars and of course their engines. For Ferrari, it's always been the engines that mattered. They say that Commendatore Enzo Ferrari wasn't particularly interested in how good the car was. The main thing was that it had the best engine.
So the man with the dark sunglasses would probably be turning in his grave if FIA President Max Mosley were ever to get his way and impose a homologated engine on the F1 fraternity. Regardless of whether you were driving a red Ferrari, blue-and-white BMW or silver McLaren Mercedes, you would have the same engine under the bonnet!
Inconceivable for most F1 fans and certainly for Ferrari. "A change of this nature would detract from the actual point and purpose of a race series that Ferrari have given their uninterrupted support to since 1950, namely competition and technical progress," was the statement to emerge from the historic marque on Monday. "If this key element were to be abandoned, it would be necessary to consult with our partners to see whether our continued involvement in this sport made any sense at all."
Gallery: F1 - Chinese GP
Former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi sees exactly where his ex-employer is coming from: "Homologated engines are an absolutely absurd idea," he says in the column of an Italian newspaper. "If the day ever comes when we have to use identical engines, it would be wholly understandable if Ferrari were to pull out altogether."
Sales figures from the third quarter of 2008 show that Ferrari are on the right track: the company increased its turnover to €450 million, i.e. up by 22.3% compared with the third quarter of 2007. Profits amounted to €79 million, a 41.1% increase on the third quarter of 2007.
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