Auto industry faces a long, rough road back from crisis

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- You can tell a lot about the state of the automotive world just taking an hour-long test drive.

Heading east to the Sierra Nevada or north/south into the rich California farm regions used to be an experience in dodging heavy traffic and sometimes dropping onto congested surface streets to avoid the inevitable gridlock caused by a highway crash.

That was one month ago.

Today, my test drives are like motoring through the Twilight Zone, the planet suddenly devoid of transportation and motorists.

I worked in daily newspaper newsrooms for 42 years covering everything from bake sales to earthquakes to wildfires, but I can tell in all truth: I've never seen anything like the past several weeks.  The COVID-19 crisis has brought the world to a virtual halt.

Former journalism colleagues, auto industry sources and friends who know my interests have been in contact with me, asking me what I think will happen to the U.S. auto industry amid this crisis.  Here's my best guess:

The industry is going to take a hard tumble.  Frankly, it already has.  J.D. Power reports that new-vehicle sales in the United States plunged around 40 percent in March.  Anyone who knows anything about the auto industry knows that such a sales drop has a monstrous ripple effect.

Sales collapses bring assembly lines to a halt.  Motionless assembly lines mean worker layoffs.  On the financial side, paychecks cease and automaker profits turn into substantial losses.

Ordinarily, dealers might step up efforts to sell existing stock.  But the unique nature of the COVID-19 crisis negates that.  In a few states -- Pennsylvania and Michigan among them -- stay-at-home orders have shut off vehicle sales.

During the Great Recession -- remember "Cash for Clunkers" -- some auto stores compensated by ramping up their service operations.  The revenue they received from service departments helped offset slumping sales, enabling some dealerships to scrape by and survive the financial downturn.

But again, stay-at-home orders issued amid the COVID-19 crisis have cut deeply into that strategy now.

Know this:  Things will get worse.  J.D. Power estimates an 80 percent downturn in U.S. new vehicle sales in April, compared with April 2019.

Automakers are saying and doing the right things, offering extended or delayed payment plans for those who do want to invest in a new motor vehicle.  Those only go so far.

Will the industry survive?  I believe it will, just as it survived the pain of the Great Recession.  But I also believe that we will see some car dealerships go out of business, just as we saw in the recent, sledgehammer recession.

If the virus proves seasonal and time is bought for researchers to develop a medical weapon to battle COVID-19 safely, one can hope for a gradual return to "normal," perhaps later this year.  But returning to normal will not be an overnight thing.  It will take time for automakers to return production/inventory to pre-COVID-19 levels.  Likewise, household budgets will likely need to be nursed back to health over a period of months.

But once those things occur, I believe the U.S. auto industry will rally.  As was the case in the aftermath of the Great Recession, I believe "pent-up demand" will shift into overdrive; those who delayed making a vehicle purchase during the crisis will be looking to spend when the alarm bells stop ringing.

How long will it take for that to happen?  I have no idea.

But I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Sporty Genesis G80 reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the Genesis G80 RWD 3.3T Sport sedan in the latest, May 2020, edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News, published out of Folsom, California, by John Sweeney and Evonne Sotelo.

The “Hot Laps” reviews, along with my "Oil Drips" observations on anything with wheels, appear monthly in the publication.

To subscribe to the Cruisin’ News, visit www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an e-mail request to cruisinnews@mac.com. Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin’ News, P.O. Box 1096, Folsom, CA 95763-1096.

Kia Niro EV is a 'regular' ride with electric bonus

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- I've long maintained that the best result of an electric vehicle test drive is the driver emerging from the cockpit and exclaiming: "It feels just like a regular car."

That's a high compliment in a land where internal combustion engines have ruled the roadways for decades.  And it's a compliment that's more than earned by my most recent test vehicle, the Kia Niro EV EX Premium.

It's not exactly correct to say it drives like a regular car -- the silent start-up kills that stereotype right off the bat -- but it operates so typically and efficiently that your brain is not obsessed with the all-electric aspects of the vehicle.

So, what is it?  Good question.  Depending on your source of information, the Niro electric is a compact crossover sport-ute, a sedan, a wagon or a five-door hatch.  Well, it has four doors, and the rear liftgate opens up to reveal a surprisingly roomy rear area. With rear seats folded up, normal size adults have ample room behind the driver and front seat passenger.

Works for me.

The tester came with an owner's manual of approximately 500 pages, but I found most of that unnecessary. Most of the comfort, convenience and safety features were easily understood.  The key extra was the all-important readout of how much power/mileage remains on a charge.

For those who once cringed at watching the range of their electric vehicle drop to less than 100 miles seemingly at the end of the block, the Niro EV gives you deep satisfaction with a top-end range of about 240 miles when the battery is fully charged.

Just so you know, the "fuel mileage" equivalent comes to 123 miles per gallon in the city and 102 mpg on the highway.  Don't ask me how they figure that.  I was a lousy math student.

Some of my auto-reviewing colleagues have criticized the road manners and driving characteristics of the Niro EV.  I don't agree with them.

First and foremost, the tester was remarkably responsive.  It bolted off the line in silent electric fury and easily scooted away from pretty much everything on surface streets.  Accelerations at freeway speed were likewise impressive.  It was a quiet, firm highway cruiser.  With its basic crossover exterior styling, most motorists didn't give me a second glance as my electric chariot blew past them.

Please note, there's a cost for all this electric-and-rechargeable technology -- $47,155 on my generously equipped ride, or maybe $12,000 or so more than you'd expect to pay for an equivalent model with a four-cylinder internal combustion engine.

So, it pretty much boils down to owner tastes and philosophy.  Driving my tester sans tailpipe emissions felt pretty good.  I'm sure others will feel the same.

Loaded Ford Super Duty F-250 is a mega-truck

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- I've previously written about the evolution of the American pickup truck -- how it went from a basic, boxy transporter to the opulently appointed vehicle of a rich cowboy's dreams.

The recently tested 2020 Ford Super Duty F-250 makes the point better than anything I've ever written.

Actually, it's formal label is: Ford Super Duty F-250 SRW 4X4 Crew Cab Platinum.  Nice, but my memory only goes so far.

The F-250 Super Duty I put through its paces is a pickup truck in the way that a Rolls-Royce Phantom is a car.  You get the idea.

The bottom line on the tested pickup was an eye-popping $74,075.  No expense was spared.  Features included a power moonroof twin panel, power/heated/folding/telescoping exterior mirrors, quad beam LED headlamps, rain-sensing windshield wipers, adaptive cruise control, leather-wrapped/heated steering wheel and massive Michelin all-terrain tires.

Frankly, I couldn't imagine taking this vehicle to a work site, where a stray nail might scratch the gleaming "Velocity Blue" paint job.  Maybe that's the point.  This Platinum version of the pickup seemed to be made for the pickup truck lover who simply loves luxury to the max.

Yet the vehicle is rugged enough with a boxed steel frame and top-grade aluminum bed and cab to do a full day's work at the ranch or amid a crowd of contractors working on a major building project.

Out on the road, the tester rumbled along impressively, courtesy of a 7.3-liter V-8 rated at 430 horsepower.  The freeway ride was not entirely smooth, but to be honest, I think that was the sound and feeling produced by the deeply grooved Michelins on the road surface.

Power was more than adequate and delivered smoothly.  I never felt uncomfortable in the cockpit despite the size of the truck.  It handled with outstanding efficiency.  The 10-speed automatic transmission functioned seamlessly.

Overall, the tester ranked as a versatile, state-of-the-art luxo truck.  For those with serious money to invest in this segment, I'm guessing the Super Duty F-250 will provide owners all they need, and more, for many years to come.

Mazda crossover stands out in a crowded segment

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- At the current rate of vehicle introductions, there will be enough compact crossover sport-utility vehicles to circle the globe 10 times over, if all those SUVs are parked nose to tail.

But the recently tested, all-new 2020 Mazda CX-30 does stand out.  Like many compact crossovers, it handles like a midsize sedan and offers enough interior space to double as a semi-robust carrier of people or cargo.  But wait, there's more.

The CX-30 shares DNA with the Mazda3, incorporating the automaker's "Kodo" design. I'm sure there's a book to be read on this, but for my simple tastes, the tested CX-30 looked downright saucy-sporty with sharp, angular cuts in the bodywork and wearing "Soul Red Crystal Metallic" paint.

Set off with black leather on the inside, the tester was striking in appearance, especially for a small SUV.  That's probably one of the reasons Mazda has been marketing this new creation like mad on the TV airwaves.

Another selling bonus is an exceptionally long list of standard features, more than enough to please frugal SUV shoppers hunting down the compact with the most for the money.  On that score, the CX-30 does not disappoint, with LED lighting front to back, leather surfaces and a boatload of safety/security features.

Fuel mileage on the tester was very good at 25 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.

Did I mention the power moonroof, power liftgate and paddle shifters?  Passenger volume is generous at 94.1 cubic feet; cargo volume maxes at 20.2 cubic feet.

The pricing is right too. A basic CX-30 can be had for a starting price of just $21,900.  My tester had the Premium Package of extras and all-wheel drive, but it still came in at a touch less than $30,000.

How did it drive?  Truthfully, like a dream.  The four-cylinder, 186-horsepower engine offers more than enough oomph in this segment.  Only a medium amount of engine noise reaches the interior cabin on the highway, and that bumps up only slightly when you demand the most with your right foot.

The CX-30 competes in a decidedly crowded segment, but in my view, it competes near the top, especially given the price.  Think of it as the little SUV with a lot going for it.