Trucks, not cars, are winners with car buyers

In this story:

• Dodge Dakota is promising
• Cadillac Catera may yet find a niche

January 16, 1997
Web posted at: 2:45 a.m. EST

From Correspondent Ed Garsten

DETROIT (CNN) -- They were revealed a year ago with flourishes worthy of great art, and sometimes with more than a little marketing silliness.

There were some hits and some misses, just as there are every year when the new automotive models are introduced and car buyers cast their votes with their checkbooks.

"Thumbs up go to trucks this year," said AutoWeek publisher Leon Mandel. "And thumbs down go to cars, with some exceptions."

Make that a big "thumbs up" for the Ford Expedition, a gargantuan road beast that's been gobbling up the competition.

"You can't borrow an Expedition for love or money," Mandel said. "You almost can't buy one for love or money. It's a wonderful success and Ford cherishes it."

Dodge Dakota is promising

The Dodge Dakota also promises to be successful, and is "another home run for the Chrysler Corporation," Mandel said.

There's also the snappy Toyota RAV4, named Automobile magazine's Car of the Year.

Some successful cars found their way off the assembly line, including BMW's Z3, and the Mercedes SLK. Mandel describes the latter as "a remarkable vehicle that is both a dessert topping and a floor cleaner."

Less pricey, but perhaps more practical, the re-introduced Chevrolet Malibu drove into buyers' hearts.

Buyers stayed away from other vehicles in droves, including Acura's new Coupe.2.2 which Mandel says doesn't drive as well as it looks.

Cadillac Catera may yet find a niche

Another less than promising car, according to Mandel, is the Cadillac Catera, which he said went downhill after it "started out wonderfully as an Opel."

"It may succeed with an audience I've never encountered," he said. "They may know something I don't. They may have in mind a breed of aliens about to descend on us from a different culture or a different planet."

Now the auto companies are back at it, springing new offerings on the market and hoping for a "thumbs up" from a fickle public.

Return to CNN Interactive all week for Route '97, a series of reports from the Annual North American Auto Show. Each day we will examine another aspect of the auto industy's plans for 1997 -- including a look at the latest offerings from the Big Three.

Check back daily for these reports:

• Friday, January 17: The latest showroom and concept cars

Related stories:

• Car buyers getting bad case of sticker shock - January 14, 1997
• Route 97: Airbag deaths spur search for improvements - January 13, 1997
• Electric avenue: First rechargable car gets mixed reviews - January 12, 1997

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• Autoweek Online
• BMW Start (lists URLs for BMW sites in different countries)
• Chrysler Corporation
• 1997 Dodge Site
• Ford Motors
• General Motors
• @Toyota

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

Watch these shows on CNN for more sci-tech stories:

CNN Computer Connection | Future Watch | Science & Technology Week

Tell us what you think! You said it...

© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.