Daily coverage of the world of cars.
In 2018 Honda will turn 70, and it has a present in mind for itself that’s fit for a spry 30-year-old:
A shiny new S2000.
Honda wouldn’t give itself just any S2000 for such a special occasion, though. Certainly not a used model. Instead, Honda plans on building a brand new version of the sporty roadster, and sharing it with the rest of us in celebration.
Yes, after many years of speculation, rumors, and hope, a new version of the Honda S2000 could be just around the corner.
This could be the Lincoln that makes Lincoln cool again.
While it can’t be called a success until we can count actual sales numbers, we can still look at the signs that point to the new 2017 Continental as being the most sought-after and desired Lincoln in a generation.
How has Ford, Lincoln’s parent, managed to pull off what could be the start of a turn-around for a brand that was once on the brink of death?
It all starts with design and the upscale luxury that once embodied Lincoln’s cars.
There was a time when owning a new BMW meant you had achieved ultimate success. The brand was the pinnacle of luxury and, in order to buy one, you had to be able to pay the asking price. Dealers didn’t need to negotiate too much because they knew a willing buyer was always around the corner.
That was the nature of BMW. It took cash, and a lot of it, to have the pleasure and the privilege of owning the exclusive ultimate driving machine.
Times are changing, though.
Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and even Lexus sell cars that can outshine a Bimmer. That’s a truth being felt at dealerships across the country, and BMW devised a plan to do something about it. It loaded up dealers with vehicles in an attempt to increase volume and become the number-one luxury nameplate in America.
That plan has backfired.
When the price of gas was getting close to $5 per gallon, Americans clamored for small, economical European cars such as the Fiat 500.
Fiat obliged after taking over Chrysler, and not only did it bring the 500 to U.S. shores, but it brought an entire family of 500-based cars including the 500L and 500X. Americans should have been thrilled. We should have flocked to our local Fiat dealerships and begged them to take our money.
That didn’t happen. Instead, dealers have struggled to even get the car in front of people, which has put the 500 among the slowest-selling vehicles in America. What happened? How did Fiat go from a desirable foreign brand to being shunned on dealer lots?
The best way to validate the existence of the Ford Mustang is to offer it for sale in a land where it shouldn’t be popular.
The Mustang, of course, has been a hot seller for as long as it’s been on the market in the United States. In the past, however, foreign markets have seen it as an outdated and mechanically inferior excuse for a sports car. It’s a car that was built for straight-line acceleration and paled in comparison to true sports cars, most of which hailed from Germany.
Now, though, the car has a true independent rear suspension and can hold its own against any other sports car, no matter where it’s from.
Ford felt like it had something special with the latest Mustang and decided to roll it out in the country famous for producing Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi. Surely, if it could sell there, it could sell anywhere in the world.
The Germans, though, would have a superiority complex and shun the Mustang, right?
Not so much.