Quote:
Originally Posted by steinravnik
I think there's still a market for a midsize BOF SUV. Nissan still sells a lot of Xterras and Pathfinders, Toyota still has a 4runner, Ford has the Explorer. Some people want a smaller, off-road capable vehicle. I think GM should keep at least one model of the GMT-360 around, but maybe it's not cost effective to update a platform for just one model.
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It's a dying market. I owned a Pathfinder until last week, and it just did not offer the space inside of a full size SUV or a large crossover, yet got similar fuel economy (a 2008 Pathfinder V6's fuel economy ratings are identical to a 2008 Suburban's!). I've said this before, but the high cost of fuel has separated the people who actually need SUVs (those who buy full sizers) from the people who don't (who then buy crossovers or minivans).
Also, Explorer sales are in the crapper for the past two years (it's now outsold by the CR-V, and YTD sales are down 23.5%) and the Pathfinder is likely to be replaced by a crossover for its next generation (and sales are down 13.3% YTD). XTerra sales are down 16.0% year to date. 4Runner sales are down 14.8% year to date.
Put it this way, in the Acadia's first year, it is already outselling the Envoy; the Murano in its last year of the current generation is outselling the Pathfinder; the Highlander is outselling the 4Runner.
GM, Ford, Nissan, and Toyota would be foolish to invest much more, if any, money into this dying market segment.