Car Wars: Detroit 3 to hold steady, Honda to gain - USA TODAY
Nissan and the Korean automakers could slip and the rest, including the Detroit Three, should hold their own over the next four years, according to the influential Car Wars report released Wednesday. General Motors' product plans, including advancing the introduction of the next generation of full-size pickups by two years to the 2019 model year, are strong enough to maintain market share and pricing. Ford is well-positioned to sustain the strong prices it is getting for its new vehicles, including three new models for Lincoln, while leveraging its global platforms. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will be hard-pressed to meet the ambitious targets in its five-year plan but the main analyst behind the report thinks the automaker should retain current share with a new minivan on the horizon. A fresh showroom is key and drives market share shifts, said BofA Merrill Lynch Analyst John Murphy, leader on the report released Wednesday at an Automotive Press Association event in Detroit. He expects the industry to peak at 20 million vehicles in 2018 and then begin a down cycle that will hit a trough of 14 million to 15 million U. S. sales about 2025. The down cycle that starts in 2019 could take as long as a decade to return to... Source: www.usatoday.com
