March U.S. auto sales plummeted by 12.0 percent to 1.36 million vehicles. And the first quarter results weren’t much better. Sales declined 8.0 percent for the quarter to 3.58 million vehicles.

Few automakers were spared from the bloodshed, even Toyota. Credit crunches, mortgage messes and rising fuel prices all combined to bring down sales and lower consumer confidence. The only hints of optimism during the month arose from smaller fuel-efficient vehicles.

In March, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. suffered its fourth straight month of lower sales, something that hasn’t happened in recent memory.

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OUR TAKE: In the extremely competitive compact-crossover/SUV market, it often comes down to the Honda CR-V versus the Toyota RAV4 in buyers’ minds, though the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Saturn Vue have become formidable entries lately.

It was refreshing to get into a base-model RAV4 with nonheated cloth seats and steel wheels with hubcaps, if for no other reason than that we liked finding how nice a small sport/utility it is without all the distractions of the high-zoot options.

The four-cylinder accelerates the vehicle along decently, but you will have to summon all 166 hp with a demanding mash of the throttle to blend in with expressway traffic. The ride is also confident and feels good either cruising at 70 mph or traveling on pothole-riddled city streets. Things get a bit twitchy only at more than 80 mph, but that’s true with much of the breed. Steering response is okay; a little more weight in the steering would be appreciated.

continue reading "2008 Toyota RAV4 4×4:"

Cadillac had a pair of eye-catching concepts at the Detroit auto show in January–the head-turning CTS Coupe and a small SUV named Provoq.

Earlier we showed you that the CTS Coupe is headed for showrooms, possibly named the CTC. Now, here’s signs that the Provoq was a preview of a new small SUV for Cadillac that likely will wear the BRX nameplate. Look for it to bow for the 2010 model year.

The BRX is said to ride on General Motors’ new Theta-Epsilon (TE) platform, which is will share with the Saab 9-4–also seen in concept form at the Detroit show.

The Cadillac BRX has a codename of GMT166 inside GM, while the Saab 9-4 is codenamed GMT168. Both SUVs are expected to be built at GM’s assembly plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

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Editor’s note: Today’s Drive has become Short Stint, but the information is still the same–a brief impression of a vehicle that’s been in our test fleet.

OUR TAKE: Pricey, but arguably the best expression of this version of the GM compact utility we’ve driven. The underlying previous-generation Saturn Vue hardware works well in this application, with plenty of power from the 3.6-liter V6, sent smartly to the ground via the all-wheel-drive system, all with a 19-mpg average thanks to the six-speed transmission.

Everything is here that one might want in a smallish SUV–nice leather seating for five, squarish rear cargo space uncompromised by fastback styling (as in the new Vue and most other comparable small utes), solid and quiet ride, reasonably taut handling, plenty of power, decent braking and awd capability to handle most any on-road situation.

continue reading "2008 Chevrolet Equinox AWD Sport:"

What you’re seeing here is nothing less than a revolution in sport/utility vehicles, and not just for Ford.

Make no mistake: The Ford Explorer America concept to be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit will become the production Ford Explorer when the next generation of America’s best-selling ute arrives in 2010 as a 2011 model.

While the next Explorer retains its SUV silhouette, the America concept indicates that just about everything else changes–along with America’s concept of an SUV.

Start with the chassis, which switches from the tried-and-true body-on-frame formula to a unibody design.

continue reading "2011 Explorer: Ford rewrites SUV playbook:"

At the launch of the first X5 in 1999, it was evident that BMW had turned the sport/utility vehicle segment on its head. Here was a sweetly styled all-wheel-drive machine offering the driving experience, performance, refinement, luxury and technology of its cars.

Eight years later, the X5 has grown and matured, losing some of its predecessor’s intrigue in the process. But BMW’s determination to meld the attributes of a typical SUV with those of its other models continues with the new X6.

Revealed here in production guise for the first time before a planned world debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the X6 represents BMW’s attempt to marry a traditional coupe’s sleekness and on-road dynamics with the visual bullishness and go-anywhere ability of an SUV.

continue reading "2008 BMW X6 xDrive 35i: You can have it all: BMW’s latest crossover blurs the line between sport coupe and sport/utility"

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. took over Ford Motor Co. in U.S. sales in 2007, bumping the Detroit automaker to the No.3 spot.

Toyota last year sold 61,962 more cars and light trucks than Ford, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Toyota sold 2.62 million vehicles during the year while Ford sold 2.56 million.

General Motors remained No. 1 overall with 3.82 million vehicle sales with a market share of 23.7 percent.

Overall, the auto industry sold 16.15 million light vehicles in the U.S. last year, down 2.5 percent from 16.56 million in 2006.

Toyota’s total U.S. market share now stands at 16.8 percent to Ford’s 16.4 percent.

continue reading "Toyota overtakes Ford in U.S. sale: Chevrolet is top brand; Camry wins car title; F-series No. 1 truck"

Editor’s note: Today’s Drive has become Short Stint, but the information is still the same–a brief impression of a vehicle that’s been in our test fleet.

OUR TAKE: Enclave sales are off to a good start, which isn’t surprising considering the vehicle packages the best of an SUV and a sedan into a more practical and easier-to-drive vehicle than either an SUV or a sedan could do alone. This is the vehicle that Buick should have built instead of both the Rendezvous and Rainier. Hopefully those two misfires won’t cost them consideration when it comes to Enclave.

This test vehicle came equipped to the hilt–heated leather seats, navigation system, power liftgate, Bose audio and entertainment system, the works. During its tenure in our stead, we had occasion to use it in virtually every way possible except towing.

continue reading "2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD:"

BMW will begin selling two new performance-oriented diesel models in North America in 2008: the 335d sedan and the X5 3.0sd SUV.

Both vehicles run a specially adapted version of BMW’s existing 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder common-rail diesel engine. The diesel is fitted with an oxidation catalyst, a particulate filter and a system to reduce nitric oxide outpt, which allows the powertrain to be sold in all 50 states.

The new engine is part of a broad based push by BMW to meet a growing demand for diesel models in the United States. It will be marketed under the name AdvancedDiesel Blue Performance. It is likely that other diesel engines, including a new 204-hp twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, being added to the lineup in the near future.

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Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. took over Ford Motor Co. in U.S. sales in 2007, bumping the Detroit automaker to the No.3 spot.

Toyota last year sold 61,962 more cars and light trucks than Ford, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Toyota sold 2.62 million vehicles during the year while Ford sold 2.56 million. Toyota’s total U.S. market share now stands at 16.8 percent to Ford’s 16.4 percent.

But that doesn’t bother Ford marketing chief Jim Farley, who left Toyota last fall to join Ford.

The company’s focus is on restructuring operations to be profitable at lower demand levels, Farley said in a conference call to reporters and analysts.

continue reading "Toyota overtakes Ford in U.S. sales:"