Small cars are king
With the twin drivers of the financial crisis and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, the driving public are moving into smaller and more economical cars.
Winners here are small-car specialists such as Fiat, Mercedes-Benz Smart, Toyota, the PSA Group of Citroën and Peugeot and Ford, with its brand-new Ka and Fiesta models.
China will still lead the world auto industry
With 2009 predicted to see a fall in Chinese economic growth to a still healthy seven per cent, the country will still be the only game in town as far as auto makers are concerned.
The death of diesel?
After terrific growth in Europe in the last few years to more than 50 per cent of all new cars sold, the diesel engine looks set for a downturn in 2009. Refining shortages continue to dog supplies so that diesel fuel costs significantly more than petrol. There’s also a reemergence of petrol with the introduction of high-tech, turbocharged, smallcapacity engines that rival diesels’ economy but are quieter and more refined.
More doom and gloom for the auto industry
The little local difficulty in the US home loans financing has now spread like wildfire a c r o s s the globe, wi t h slowdowns and job losses. Car makers can’t cut their costs fast enough to match their falling revenue. With production channels jammed with unwanted cars, there’ll be a fire sale in the less popular and middling luxury brands and companies will be holding on to their cash like Scrooge.
The death of the electric car (again)?
Manufacturers are busy bringing down emissions from petrol- and diesel-powered cars as well as working on electric hybrids or fuel cells, and proposals to make electric cars congestion-charge and parking-fee exempt in London have been scrapped, so the public is rapidly backing off from buying electric cars.
Bright colours
Sorry, white’s out, especially in the winter if you’re responsible for cleaning.
What’s back in, at least as far as some of the cars we will see launched in 2009, is bright Seventies acid colours.
Year of the hybrid
Next year the gloves come off in the market, with Toyota launching its new Prius at Detroit and Honda its new hybrid Insight.
Honda is banking on massed sales for its smaller, cheaper hybrid technology, Toyota is sticking with its bespoke hybrid chassis under the Prius.
Car we are looking forward to in 2009
Aston Martin Rapide, Abarth Roadster, Lotus Evora coupé, Alfa Romeo 8C Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz E-class, BMW 5-series, Audi TT Speedster, Ford Focus RS, Lexus GT500, Porsche Panamera, Vauxhall Insignia VXR, Skoda Fabia vRS, Rolls-Royce RR4, Land Rover Discovery facelift, Honda Insight, Citroën C3 Picasso.
Cars we aren’t looking forward to in 2009
Maybach Landaulet, Toyota Avensis, Audi Q7 V12 hybrid, BMW X6 hybrid, Range Rover Sport facelift, Chrysler Cruze.
Expect the unexpected
Honda out of Formula One, America’s big three car makers on the rack, Volvo for sale, Saab possibly so. Will Boris really get rid of the bendy buses?