Important New Premium Cars At Frankfurt 2015
Making premium cars is a good place to be. Plenty of buyers are paying enough to make reasonable margins in an industry that overall doesn't make enough money to cover the steep costs associated with it. Four new premium cars are highlighted below, all of which will soon be in showrooms.
Alfa Romeo Guilia: FCA is putting a lot of money into the four leaf clover marque. This compact executive takes on tough competition in a competitive - and now quite crowded - segment. It needs to sell well and it certainly has the style. It has to get the substance right as well. If so it should be successful.
Infiniti Q30: A compact hatchback is a new segment for Infiniti. The problem I see is that Europe will like this sort of car but more dealers are needed in that region. In the US - where Infiniti is already strong - doesn't like small cars and is not into hatchbacks. If it takes off outside of the US, it will make the marque more international. A bit of a gamble.
Jaguar F-Pace: Jaguar should have had this years ago, as I and about everyone else has been saying. Now Jaguar cannot get SUVs out quick enough. This has 'home run' written all over it. It has style and looks like a fine drive. Where do I sign?
Bentley Bentayga: This is huge for a small über-premium marque. Going into the SUV market for the first time could be risky, but it won't be. The queue for these will form and hold for some time. Making enough will be the challenge. It will take Bentley to another level of volume.
Alfa Romeo Guilia: FCA is putting a lot of money into the four leaf clover marque. This compact executive takes on tough competition in a competitive - and now quite crowded - segment. It needs to sell well and it certainly has the style. It has to get the substance right as well. If so it should be successful.
Infiniti Q30: A compact hatchback is a new segment for Infiniti. The problem I see is that Europe will like this sort of car but more dealers are needed in that region. In the US - where Infiniti is already strong - doesn't like small cars and is not into hatchbacks. If it takes off outside of the US, it will make the marque more international. A bit of a gamble.
Jaguar F-Pace: Jaguar should have had this years ago, as I and about everyone else has been saying. Now Jaguar cannot get SUVs out quick enough. This has 'home run' written all over it. It has style and looks like a fine drive. Where do I sign?
Bentley Bentayga: This is huge for a small über-premium marque. Going into the SUV market for the first time could be risky, but it won't be. The queue for these will form and hold for some time. Making enough will be the challenge. It will take Bentley to another level of volume.