Another year has come to an end and it's time to say thank you for another great year here at AutoSpies.com thanks to YOU!
So we thought we'd have some fun this New Years Eve (and New Years Day for our large audience from around the world) and throw down some predictions of what will come in 2014.
We will make our predictions and then we'd love it if you would chime in with yours in the comments.
And then next year we can all look back and see WHO owns the bragging rights for the best ones.
So here we go!
Predictions NOT necessarily in order of importance...
1. 00R just texted me saying Tesla will NOT get bought out in 2014.
2. 001 predicts the BIGGEST truck sales war in history because Ford will show the next generation F-150 based off the Atlas concept and it will rock the pickup truck world to the core. It will lose a LOT of weight with lighter materials and the result will be record setting sales numbers when it becomes available in dealers toward year end. Ford dealers are loading up on last orders of the current trucks so they don't get caught with their pants down running out of inventory. The combo of a more advanced truck coming and glut of existing trucks in dealers will force GM and RAM to compete STRICTLY on price because their technology will NOT be able to match the new F-150. If you will be in the market for a pickup look for the biggest discounts EVER in pickups across the board starting in mid-August.
3. Mercedes will put a world of hurt on BMW, Audi and the rest in the sub $35k market.
4. Toyota will school the world again with another breakthrough in gas mileage/hybrids when they show the next gen Prius concepts. EVERY manufacturer will scratch their heads wondering HOW they did it.
5. The premium crossover/CUV market will blow sales expectations away...ESPECIALLY when gas prices spike AGAIN which they will.
6. This one's a laydown...even our competitors will get this one right. The Cadillac ELR will FLOP. NOT because of the car but due to the fact that the customer in that 'Tesla' market wants an Apple store NON car dealership experience and the ELR will NOT have a bigger screen in the dash so customers could brag theirs is bigger. Cadillac's ONLY chance for success with it will be if we wake up one day and there are Cadillac electric stores just like Tesla at the mall.
7. Jeep will continue on its sales tear across the board.
8. Kia will rise and Hyundai will slip a little more.
9. The 'Paper Airplane' design of the Lexus Crossover will be a hit as people want more and more design edge.
10. Customers will pressure manufacturers more and more to bring a solution to market that allows full screen takeover in car with their smartphones.
11. Mary Barra will have an epiphany and realize that 98% of what they sell is really mediocre compared to the all the key competitors as Ford really exposes the GM product weaknesses with 2014 new product announcements. If China sales falter, GM could go right back into the soup they were in before the bailout.
12. Infiniti will still be in a holding pattern for great new products even next year as we speak. BIG shakeup coming there as Mr. Ghosn is NOT a patient man.
The Spies wish you a safe and prosperous New Year and let's make AutoSpies.com even bigger and better in 2014!
Do not drink and drive and don't let friends drive under the influence!