LOOKING FORWARD TO 2014: Company to watch in 2014
Almost 60 brands from which to choose... Some must have impressed the motoring.com.au crew in 2013Australia’s auto landscape is one of the most diverse on earth. Nearly 60 brands from which to choose – more than markets like the USA or Europe. Cars from established car building countries plus models from places like Turkey and Mexico. This fact alone makes our Aussie outlook just a little more cosmopolitan than most...
So, leveraging our cosmopolitan outlook, here’s a rundown on the companies we reckon you should watch in 2014... And Beyond. If there’s one thing constant about the auto world it’s change. Cliched but true.
How did the companies we picked to watch in 2013 fare? Check out last year’s story and draw your own conclusions
Mike Sinclair
Editor in Chief
Thus the Fiat Chyrsler conglomerate gets my nod. Where to for Alfa, Lancia, Dodge and to a large extent Fiat and Chrysler? It seems to me that it is still the case that only Jeep and RAM trucks seem to have a product plan and portfolio on which to build.
In Australia: Toyota. What will it do with local production? And on an international front: Porsche. How far can the Macan take sales and how will the loss of exclusivity be handled?
Increasing the number of models it will offer from 49 to 60, Audi has already confirmed it will produce an all-new Q1 compact SUV by 2016, and is expected to add more volume-selling SUV models like the Q2, Q4, Q6 and even Q8.
The premium German juggernaut has already reached its goal of selling 1.5 million vehicles annually this year (two years ahead of schedule) and will sell 16,000 vehicles this year in Australia, where sales are almost 10 per cent up, marking a decade of continuous growth.
With cars as good and well-priced as the new A3, and six more new models to come in 2014, Audi is on a mission to become the world’s and Australia’s top-selling luxury marque.
Michael Taylor
Our ‘Man in Europe’
@wordsbyMT
Ken Gratton
News Editor
@ken_gratton
Additionally, BMW is moving away from rear-wheel drive at the lower end of its product range, with five variants (so far) based on the UKL front-wheel drive platform. This is a major shift from the company that based its entire brand image on the driving pleasure to be had behind the wheel of exclusively rear-wheel drive cars.Even the move from small-displacement inline sixes to turbo fours says a lot about BMW's changing view of itself within the automotive world. Expect a lot more news of this kind from Munich in 2014.
Matt Brogan
Road test Editor
@mattbroganAu
The rationalising of its product range, the more sensible and competitive pricing structure, improved warranty and servicing programs, and a promise to improve its parts supply availability will hopefully see it taken more seriously here.
Gautam Sharma
Middle Eastern Royalty
At the core of Marchionne’s latest plan for the brand (his fourth since 2004) is for it to develop premium vehicles for the export market, with more specifics to be announced during 2014. Among the new Alfa models in the pipeline is a front-engine, rear-drive roadster co-developed with the next-gen Mazda MX-5, followed by the Giulia midsize sedan, a full-size flagship sedan and a midsize SUV. Sounds appetising enough, just as long as they’re not as insipid to drive as the 159 and Brera were.
Feann Torr
Staff Journalist
@feanntorr
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