Could the Stinger see a next gen?: CarBuzz reports that the Stinger hasn’t been selling as well as Kia would have liked. Just 16,806 were sold last year, and YTD sales through last month are down 19% from the year prior. Australian car publication CarAdvice spoke with Kia’s VP and senior designer Gregory Guillaume and he had this to say about it: At the moment I’m not sure it’s doing as good as we hoped. We never really expected to do massive volumes. It was a halo car. We did want to be successful at least in America, the market where we thought there is a chance that it works. We had very high expectations for that market and it’s very difficult to start in such segments.” Not all hope is lost however, as he seems to be wanting to wait it out. Referencing his time at Audi he added: “I remember… it took three generations of the A8 to be seen on eye level to a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes S-Class. You have to persevere. If you’re entering these segments (whether) it’s premium or image vehicles, you have to give yourself a bit of time.” So if you want one get one before its gone and you regret it. Its up in the air if it’ll be around in a few years.
C8 fans are working together to fight markups: The Corvette community is working together to create a list of dealer selling at MSRP and others that are having markups. Head on over to Corvette Fourms, where a thread has been started so prospective buyers can know where to shop to get a fair price. Its ranked by C7 sales to date and the allocations the dealers are getting. They are doing a good service so use this as a guide if you’re a prospective C8 buyer.
Ford is having problems delivering Explorers/Aviators and no one knows why: Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ford has had delivery delays with the vehicles because of “manufacturing issues” but no one seems to be able to say what those issues are. It’s even gone as far as having vehicles that have already been delivered to dealers to be recalled. They report that one dealer: has had to “pacify” frustrated customers who have spent significant dollars on preorders. No one from corporate is providing details... I’d be pissed too. Its not a good look for a vehicle to have problems before you even get it. A source involved with the repairs at the plant though spoke with Free Press and ran down the issues:
- Explorer chassis issues. X-rays are being used to try to diagnose problems.
- Explorer transmission-related questions that prevent the vehicle from going into park or properly sensing the vehicle is in park. Some transmissions are not going into park and the computer is automatically activating the parking brake. Also, the computer cannot determine whether the vehicle is going into park properly and then not activating the brake, which means the vehicles are rolling away.
- Explorer and Aviator air-conditioning systems that blow heat only.
- Aviator suspension issues. The new system has auto leveling, which drops the vehicle down slightly when it’s unlocked and approached. But they’re arriving with suspensions in failure mode.
Ford needs to get its shit together.
In a move that should surprise no one, GMC is considering a crossover that sits above the Acadia: GM Authority is reporting that sources with info on future GMC product plans are saying that GM wants a full size crossover that slots between the Acadia and below the standard wheelbase Yukon. It makes sense and it doesn’t. Where it makes sense is that the the Acadia used to be a 3 row fullsize crossover. But when it got redesigned a few years ago it moved to a smaller platform, downsizing the vehicle. So now that 3rd row is a tight fit. Where it doesn’t make sense is that the Yukon exists, and the only reason to choose this new crossover over a bigger and more capable Yukon is whatever measly fuel gains there could be had. We will see if (it likely will) pan out.
Supra’s chief engineer mules between a manual or more power for the Supra, and he wants to do a new MR2 with help from Porsche: This is a 2 parter. Reporting from both Motor1 and CarScoops have Supra Chief engineer Tetsuya Tada talking about more power or a manual and a new sports car. Regarding a new MR2, he was asked if he would pair up with another automaker after working with Subaru on the GT86 and BMW on the Supura, he immediately stated Porsche. Though they couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. This comes on the heels of rumors Toyota sparked after talking about wanting to do more sports cars. Tada-san was also asked about more power in the Supra. Carscoops asked if BMW’s twin turbo S58 could eventually be had in the car. He responded with : “What you’re experiencing today is the first iteration of the new Supra. From this point on – as with all other sports cars – every year we will have a new iteration of it that comes with new upgrades. For the 86, for instance, every year there were a few evolutions and upgrades, all the way to the GRMN model.With regard to upgrades, there is an order we can introduce things in. The only question is in what order should we go with?”
So hopefully a TRD or GRMN tuned Supra is in the works.