Bye Bye Mitsu and Volvo

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
One other name gone which everyone failed to mention (probably because they hate them for being French and 'quirky') is Citroen.

Some of their compact/hatch offerings are great little cars in Europe, and they certainly know how to build a world beating WRC rally car!

I wonder if you remember
Smith Motor Cars in West Chester, PA?

He bought an old Mercedes dealership building in the late 80s, and was selling and servicing Citroen CX, and BX, Peugeot
505, 405, and 604 models until the mid 90s.

The Citroen models were not officially imported into the US at this time but a independent company was buying them from France and federalizing them for sale here in the US through a small dealer nework.
I believe it was simply called CX motors.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Car brands I can think of that have disappeared in the US:


Saturn (GM influence)


Saturn was always a GM brand. It just had the image of being "different" when conceived and sold that way to the public.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Corporation

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
One other name gone which everyone failed to mention (probably because they hate them for being French and 'quirky') is Citroen.

Some of their compact/hatch offerings are great little cars in Europe, and they certainly know how to build a world beating WRC rally car!

The Citroen DS was one of the all time great cars. Inredibly, it was introduced in 1955, and it was decades ahead of its time. It had this incredible hydraulic suspension. In 1962 assassins shot out all four tires Charles De Gaulle's DS limo at 70 mph. The DS just lifted her skirt, made hydraulic adjustments and boogied out of there, saving De Gaulle's life. Its reenacted here in the "The Day of the Jackal":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUKZmTkKwVU

I think the convertible is particularly fetching:

http://mercurialview.tumblr.com/post/768672571/jane-birkin-citroen-ds-cabrio-1968


Compare that to this POS Francoise Hollande parades around in. I didn't think it was possible to be embarrassed for the French:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/15/article-2144874-131A42A3000005DC-504_634x372.jpg

For years, the French taxed cars based on horsepower instead of displacement. Its a subtle difference, but that little piece of bad tax policy held back their auto industry.

 

[IndyIan]

My step-father had a Citroen DS, he said it was a good car but the hydraulic suspension gave him trouble the odd time. It rusted out eventually but he liked the seats so much he kept one and had it recovered, its still in their living room today. Not much side bolstering but it is a good chair. I imagine it was quite comfortable to float around the french or ontario countryside.

 

[KenO]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Car brands I can think of that have disappeared in the US:


Saturn (GM influence)


Saturn was always a GM brand. It just had the image of being "different" when conceived and sold that way to the public.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Corporation



And GM stupidity killed it. What made a Saturn a Saturn was the fiberglass and/or poly body panels. Rust-free. Dent free. And then corporate in-fighting took away what was a great, and truthfully successful concept.

 

[strat81]

Originally Posted By: cmorr
Originally Posted By: Miller88
The original XJ Cherokee is still made in China ... it now has IFS!


IFS and Nissan engines, now called the Beijing Auto Works Knight S12


An XJ with IFS and a Nissan engine makes my pants tight.

The abortion that FIAT is foisting on us and calling a Cherokee should have never seen the light of day.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
It will be interesting to see how the mirage does. 3cyl,2000lbs, AC standard, 44 mpg highway. It is a modern metro.
I think up here they will sell a few at least, someone who wants the cheapest way to get around with the long factory warranty.
I think they may sell the handful they import - never much mitsu inventory here in new England. I wont be populist. Just a few niche buyers want a microcar. I love microcars - but only if they are spunky and handle supurb. 1 tonne is a pig - need to be 1700lbs max. Like the old Geo Metro with the solid rear twist beam axle, the Subaru Justy, Yugo(FIAT)GV and wayyy back In the 70s - the Ford Fiesta. Yes I've owned 'em all

IIrc the fiesta was best followed closely by the Yugo for fun. .

 

[Smokescreen]

Not sure where the 2000lbs figure you cite...everywhere I have read it is a bloated 2800lbs+ for the Mirage...

Safety features aside, welcome to 1987 Mirage. Our Chevy Sprint could get the same fuel economy and was so very tossable and fun to drive for a manual econobox at 2000lbs with 48HP.

 

[PandaBear]

About China: I think they will absorb Volvo and let them do most of the R&D for the Chinese car instead of dumping the people and just take the brand and use it for knock off. It is a good deal to keep all these engineers and send them trainees and projects so China can get more technology out of it, instead of paying for tech transfer every single generation and stay behind. It would likely end up as another Lenovo / IBM instead of Polaroid (which is still an American brand / ownership but cheapened to below Chinese quality).

The problem will be engine technology, from what I heard most of the engine are 100% R&D by foreigners instead of domestic Chinese, and they are very far from able to build good ones due to the ever changing emission requirement.

 

[strat81]

Why does it have to be a Chinese car brand that enters the US?

Most (all?) of the big automakers have Chinese partnerships, including manufacturing. It'd be easier for GM or VW to bring a chinese-made car to the US than it be for a completely new brand to enter the market.

Although, if any company brought a "discount" car to market, imported from China, I'd fully except to see protectionist trade policies put into place by the .gov.

Heck, the automotive market is crowded enough. Do we really need even more brands?

 

[CourierDriver]

They dont make like they use to comes to mind,,,but I do miss the old 60s olds and Pontiacs........... ok, now here you go

https://www.google.com/search?q=1964+pon...280&bih=709