What trends to expect for 2015 and beyond? Here is TFLcar’s take on the industry.
5. Return of European Brands
There once was a time when Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugeot, and other European brand cars were roaming the highways and byways of United States. Most of them went away for around three decades. However, they are coming back and will continue to do so. Fiat is already here in a big way as a brand and as a parent company of Chrysler group. Alfa Romeo is here with the 4C sports car. You can expect more European brand models to come back.
4. Even More Recalls
Recalls are not necessarily a bad thing. The automotive industry is moving at a faster pace and quality issues do come up. These problems can affect reliability and safety of the vehicle. Manufacturers are being a lot more proactive to recall and fix all the issues. This is ultimately better for the consumers and the dealers. Expect to see more recalls in 2015.
3. Slow Down for Electric Cars
According to the AAA and Fuel Gauge Report, the United States national regular gasoline average price is $2.240 per gallon. And the average price for a gallon of diesel is $3.137.  (Compare to gasoline average of $3.323 and diesel $3.873 from a year ago.) The electric car proposition becomes less attractive when you consider these low fossil fuel prices. Yes, you may still be able to get a government tax benefit for a purchase of an EV, but you are still contending with higher electric vehicle prices and limited driving range.
2. More Turbos / Smaller Displacement
Expect to see more turbocharged and smaller displacement engines in 2015 and beyond. Ford is one manufacturer that invested heavily into small engines and turbos. The momentum is swinging into their favor. Just take a look at the Ford Fusion 1.5L EcoBoost or the Hyundai Sonata 1.6L Eco turbo.
1. Crossovers, Crossovers, Crossovers
What is a crossover? It’s basically a vehicle that combine the ease of use of a regular car with the all-wheel-drive capability and a higher ground clearance. You could also call them AWD hatchbacks or wagons. Virtually every main-stream manufacturer has a crossover vehicle or vehicles on sale. More of these will be coming: take a look at the 2016 Honda HR-V and 2016 Mazda CX-3.
Bonus: Pony/Muscle Cars
Look no further than the 2015 Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcat. These cars are rated at 707 horsepower, and may actually make more power in some conditions. GM is bringing the 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 with 650 horsepower. And you know that Ford will not be left behind. Stay tuned for 2015 Detroit Auto Show for more news on this.
