German Car Zone

Yes, it might take a decade, at worst... some perceptions are really hard to change, no matter how irrational they may be.

The greater the difference is between what a given person believes that he or she needs and what the same person really needs in terms of size of car, the longer the adaptation to the current world will take.

For instance, if this is what you think you need:


And this is what you need:


This will take some time.

That isn't always true Doc. There is in fact a huge "need" for trucks like the Ford F150. All types of industries and businesses need them not mention farm/country folks. A VW Golf isn't the answer for millions of people.

M

Here's some U. S. car and truck market share data, since the 'first energy crisis'...



from:

U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Home Page

Like I said, "when you think you need an F150".

I know that there are those that use cars like an F150 istead of an ordinary truck, but this is not about those horse collectors and industry users. It is about those that uses these vehicles instead of what they need. My guess is that there are quite a lot of image buyers here...

This is quite telling. No way in heaven more than a small fraction of these sales of light trucks are sprung from genuine need. This will be fought.

Sure it is doc. A lot of people need these trucks. Sales of them are really low now compared to a couple of years ago, most of the people buying them now are not "I want one" type buyers. The housing market alone accounts for huge number of these trucks.

I guess you have to live here to understand this. Then gas went to nearly $5 a gallon it forever seperated the "want" from the "need" buyers in the pickup and non-luxury suv segments.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that everyone who buys an F150 needs one, but a lot do and I'd say most do even if its 51 percent. The want buyers downsized last year and during CFC.

M

I had this discussion with NarutoRamen and I got this impression from him too. I guess I have to experience it.

But. Needs will also change but more importantly, the usage will change. Over here, there is also a great need for small trucks, but they are almost never used as a means of personal transportation, they are used for what they are built for and then the user gets into his or her ordinary car when going to the store to get milk.

It will be interesting to see these statistics for 2009.

Some new info about MB's future small & compact car lineup:

- for the beginning, there will be 4 new models-a 3dr hatch, a 5dr hatch, a compact SUV and a 4dr coupe;obviously, it exists the possibility of a further expansion of variants(e.g. a cabrio)
- no more sandwich platform;instead, a new one, MFA, with FWD
- it appears Mercedes-Benz will drop the A-Class moniker and go for a new one, which is to sit on the new 3dr hatch(internally dubbed W 176, prone to make the public debut in 2012)
- the 5dr version will be the new B-Klasse(internally codenamed W 256, to hit streets in 2011)
- the compact SUV, probably to be called BLK(X 156), will also be launched in 2011
- the 4dr coupe will be CLS's little brother and will be most probably badged BLC(C 117)-not BLS, as this belongs to Cadillac;this new niche model will be unveiled in 2012 and should reach an overall length of 4.5 metres;the aesthetiques will mimic that of the future CLS, whereas the dashboard will display an appealing design, with premium materials to be used, in pure Mercedes style;moreover, the interior will be roomier than those of its direct competitors;the technical platform for the BLC will be a new one and will be offered in RWD mode as standard, with 4MATIC on the option list;power will come from a new generation of diesel and petrol engines, that are under development;the diesel units(OM645) will feature a lightweight construction, as the engine block will be built from aluminium, thus ensuring a 30 kilos weight loss;the new petrol engines(M274) will feature direct injection;power transfer will be ensured via a new 7-speed, double clutch automatic gearbox
- in 2013, MB will launch a full hybrid B-Klasse model in 2 combinations-diesel engine+electric motor / petrol burner+electric motor = over 600 km of autonomy;in full electric mode, the autonomy will equal 80 km
- a fuel-cell model is also expected to make appearance;it will be sold in a limited series up to 2017;estimated autonomy=425 km
- the plants where the new Mercedes-Benz small & compact ranges will be built-Rastatt(Germany) and Kecskemet(Hungary)