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Will Detroit Ever Regain The Middle Market?

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  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Remember that vanilla is America's favorite ice cream....
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    and it must be emphasized again, Americans love to miss the boat on good car styling. Toyota's are hideous personified.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,295
    i live in new england, too. i have kids. neither of those vehicles would work for me.
    it's just a different situation.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    The Malibu, the Chrysler 300 and the 2010 Fusion suggest that Detroit can compete effectively in the middle market. The missing ingredient is renewed buyer confidence.

    The 300 needs a refresh, or the introduction of the second generation of this RWD entry, to regain competitive status.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    If I remember right, they don't have the capacity to build enough Malibu or Fusions to overtake the Accord or Camry. Plus it would take away from the Impala and Taurus.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    If they do, it'll be without Mercury.
  • tomcatt630tomcatt630 Member Posts: 124
    I think topic was 'mid size' not 'mid price makes'.

    Fusion has been breaking sales records, so the older posts are moot.

    There are not too many truly large or full sized cars for sale anymore, and the term 'mid size' doesnt work if there are no larger cars to compare. Should just say "large" for anything bigger than a compact.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Middle market refers to mid-priced. That was the market once covered by most Oldsmobiles, Mercurys and DeSotos, Pontiac and Dodge were at the lower middle end of the market, as were some Mercurys. Most Buicks, Chryslers and some Mercurys were upper middle. More recently this has been referred to as entry luxury.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,676
    Once upon a time, Consumer Reports divided the automotive market into five categories...

    Low price class (Chevy/Ford/Plymouth)
    Lower Medium (Pontiac/Dodge/Edsel, some Mercurys, Buick Special)
    Medium (DeSoto, Oldsmobile, upper-level Mercurys, mid-range Buicks)
    Upper Medium (Chrysler, Buick Super/Roadmaster, the cheaper Lincolns in some years)
    Luxury (Cadillac, Imperial, most Lincolns, Continentals when they tried to make them a separate division)

    I think nowadays though, the market is re-aligning and simplifying to...

    Mainstream (Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc)
    Luxury (Lincoln, Cadillac, Acura, Lexus, Infiniti, Benz, BMW, Audi, etc)

    Brands like Buick and Chrysler are starting to have problems fitting into this new mold. Chrysler really doesn't have what it takes right now to go head-to-head with the others in luxury cars. To do so, they'd have to get rid of minivans, the PT Cruiser, the Sebring, and the cheaper versions of the 300. Yet, those models I just mentioned are what keeps them down in the mainstream market, where they are often redundant because of Dodge.

    Buick, at least, isn't reaching as far downscale as Chrysler. But, they can only go up so high in prestige, otherwise they'd encroach on Cadillac. So, my guess is that, if this mainstream/luxury polarization continues, Buick may cease to exist, while Chrysler ends up taking over for Dodge, relegating them to only trucks.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    The Ford Fusion and Chevy Malibu seem to be competing well, as are the Ford Taurus and Buick LaCrosse. In addition, the Buick Regal looks promising, so I'd say Detroit is gaining some ground in the middle market. Not much, maybe, but at least it seems to be holding its own.
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