Ford to Exit the Minivan Market?

All the car blogs lately have been speculating on the direction that the Ford Motor Company is going to take in the wake of declining sales and stiff competition. We know that Ford has too much capacity and we know that the company will be closing some key plants and laying off an as yet to be determined number of employees. What hadn’t been clear is which models would be cut from the line up. Now, it appears that Ford will exit the lucrative minivan market. That’s right, Ford apparently will stick with building cars, trucks, and SUVs, and leave the minivan market to the other players. Ever since the Chrysler Corporation invented the minivan market back in the early 1980s with its line of “K-car” derived minivans – the Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, and the Chrysler Town & Country – Ford has been playing catch up. Indeed, a series of forgettable “star” named minivans were served up by Ford and summarily rejected by consumers: the Aerostar, Windstar, and the Freestar. Later, both Honda and Toyota brought out their own entries and Ford, along with Chevrolet found themselves trailing badly in an overcrowded segment. Indeed, several GM divisions sell minivans, as does Kia and Nissan, making the market especially tight. Should Ford decide to go ahead with plans to ditch the minivan market, it wouldn’t be a complete retreat. For one, many consumers prefer the automaker’s popular Ford Explorer SUV while its all wheel drive Freestyle wagon/crossover competes well too. Finally, another vehicle – the Edge – will soon make its debut and likely pull many minivan customers over. The Edge will be yet another crossover vehicle – somewhat of a SUV/wagon hybrid – and fill the need for consumers. Yes, Ford appears ready to ditch the minivan market. No loss to consumers and probably a smart move for the beleaguered automaker.

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A Peep At The 2007 Nissan Quest

Manufactured by Nissan, the 2007 Nissan Quest is another vehicle to look forward to. Since 1993, this vehicle has been in production. It actually replaced the Nissan Axxess. It has been designed and produced in one body style only which is a minivan. The choices only vary for customers could choose between a minivan with three doors or four doors.

The 2007 Nissan Quest is very much related to the Mercury Villager, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Murano, and Nissan Teana because it has built on the same platform as them. Now, in the automobile market, the 2007 Nissan Quest is a competitor for the Toyota Sienna, the Mazda Mazda5, the Honda Odyssey, and the Hyundai Entourage.

The 2007 Nissan Quest has already been on sale since May 19th this year all around the United States. And this time, this minivan has been redesigned. For this new style, the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) has increased around one per cent compared to its previous MSRP. And this increase is weighted between all the trim levels available. This increase is due to the major transformation that the minivan has gone through which includes a redesigned interior, a refined exterior, and some new features and packages.

Updates for the 2007 Nissan Quest are quite a combination. This minivan that could hold seven passengers inside its cabin offer a new instrument panel layout that has a redesigned center stack, an available front row center console, a new 3rd row fold-flat seat design with integrated auto-folding headrests and spring-assist for easy operations, an available MP3 player audio input, an available RearView Monitor as well as an available Bluetooth Hands Free Phone System.

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Cargo Liner Essentials and Information

The proliferation of available pick up trucks on the market has yielded quite a few useful aftermarket accessories to enhance the ownership experience. Trucks from Ford, Chevrolet/GMC, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda are all being marketed to businesses as well as to individuals who prize the versality of these types of vehicles. If you own a pick up truck, more than likely you extensively use the cargo bed as you transport wood, gravel, home supplies, or other heavy duty items. To protect your cargo bed from damage, quality custom made cargo liners offer ample protection for your vehicle that no off the shelf product can possibly equal. Let's take a look at some key features that make custom made liners a smart buy.

Liners from Husky are among the select brands on the market offering premium protection for your SUV or truck as they made to exacting specifications to produce the following importaint characteristics:

Every liner is designed to the precise specifications of your vehicle’s cargo bed. There is no "one-size-fits-all" style made.

Custom liners are produced from tough polyethylene materials to stay supple in a variety of weather conditions: from summer's intense heat to winter's extreme cold.

High quality liners contain molded-in tread patterns that grips onto cargo. This means that whatever you decide to place in the back of your truck will not shift around.

Many custom made liners not only cover the bed bottom but the interior sides as well.

Able to resist moisture including snow, ice, hail, sleet, and rain; can properly contain mud, dirt, gas, oil, even battery acid.

Quality cargo liners are available in three important colors: gray, black, and tan to match or pleasantly contrast just about any vehicle produced.

In addition, not like off the shelf models, custom made cargo liners are thicker, much more able to resist abuse, and even have a better look to them. Since you paid a lot of money for your vehicle, why would you select a product that is costly, won't last, and looks terrible? Instead, choose a custom designed cargo liner that is certain to hold up over time, through a variety of conditions, and still look great years later.

Finally, a cargo liner will add value to your truck. Once time comes for you to trade in your truck for the latest model, your cargo liner will be credited with helping you maximize your trade in value: no scratches, dents, or dings thanks to your properly fitted custom cargo liner!

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2006 Mitsubishi Raider: A Rebadged Delight!

If you were to examine the new Mitsubishi Raider, your eyes would behold the unmistakable triad logo centered in the middle of its beefy looking grille. However, as you let your eyes run the full length of the truck’s body and take a look at its styling cues, you would see something different, yet very familiar. Indeed, apart from some fascia, body, and cabin changes, the Raider is without a doubt a Dodge Dakota. Yes, the tables have been reversed and Mitsubishi’s pick up truck is now a Dodge instead of the other way around. Beyond the obvious similarities there are some differences between the models that gives the Raider a uniqueness all of its own.

Back during the 1970s and 1980s when Chrysler needed small cars and trucks to fill out its limited line up, the company tapped its business relationship with Mitsubishi to supply what it needed. Included in the mix was a small pick up truck, most recently the D50. When Chrysler developed the midsized Dakota during the late 1980s, the need for the small Mitsubishi truck decreased and by the early 1990s the D50 was no more.

Mitsubishi for its part has long been a builder of small trucks, but as the automaker began to sell vehicles in the North American market, its line up has grown appreciably. Demand for a small Mitsubishi pick up truck dropped so the “Mighty Max” was discontinued from its line up. Eventually, the automaker decided to partner with DaimlerChrysler to sell rebadged Dakotas as Raiders.

The relationship is smart as the Raider fills a void for Mitsubishi while allowing DaimlerChrysler to keep its truck building capacity high. As odd as the relationship may seem, Isuzu and General Motors are doing the same thing as both Isuzu vehicles sold in the U.S. are rebadged GMC trucks.

So, what sets the Raider apart from the pact, particularly its Dodge cousin? Price for one. Starting out at around $19,000, the truck is priced as low as some of the smaller trucks on the market including the popular Toyota Tacoma. Apparently, Mitsubishi wanted to have an entry level model to meet expected demand. Yes, bare bones versions of the Tacoma can be had for much less, but that is what you get, bare bones. There is no four cylinder Raider sold, you either get a 210 h-p V6 or a beefy 230 h-p V8 to power your Raider. The V8 is especially appealing to those who tow as its pulling capacity is a respectable 6500 lbs. Tranny choices include either 4 or 5 speed automatics or a 6 speed manny tranny.

The Raider comes available as either a 4x2 or a 4x4 and with two or four door cab configurations. Seating capacity can be as high as six passengers although you wouldn’t be as comfortable riding in a Raider/Dakota with six people as you would be in a full sized Ram.

What many Raider fans will like is the extra care Mitsubishi gave to the interior. Unlike the Dakota, the Raider comes with trim features more akin to a sedan than to a pick up truck. Sirius satellite radio, Alpine speakers, front bucket seats with heated leather surfaces, and power everything are some of the features that make the Raider much more than a truck.

Ten years after the last “Mighty Max” pick up trucks were sold by Mitsubishi, a new truck has entered the fold thanks to an important relationship with DaimlerChrysler. Perhaps the success of this relationship will spawn additional model sharing. Could we see a rebadged Dodge Ram soon sold as a Mitsubishi? In these days of extensive model sharing, anything is possible.

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