The Fiat 500 is dead in the US

[jimmy57]

A recent article said the Smart line is dead in USA for 2020. The sales dwindled and the electric version was the last bob above water to gasp for air. 24.6K sales in 2008, 2018 sales were about 1250. This year it is a pace of about 80 per month.

[93Regina]

Smart line is dead in USA for 2020.

Now, where have we heard the name "Geely Automotive," it seems familiar:-)

Global sales are still fairly strong at 128,802 units moved last year. Mercedes is going to refocus Smart’s branding to China where microcars are a vastly more popular vehicle than in North America. Mercedes has recently teamed up with Geely Automotive to start selling the vehicle in China from a dedicated manufacturing plant located in the country.

[kallekula]

Its a sad day indeed ...
Why are there no French cars here?? I mean i have never seen a Peugeot, Renault or Citroen here, ever. Wonder why they didnt sell here. Not that i miss them im just curious.

EDIT:
I used to own this 50cc scooter made by Peugeot. The model was called SpeedFight2.
I put a 70cc cylinder on that thing, bigger carb, new transmission gearing etc etc. That thing ran dude! Very fun little scooter. Good quality too!

Because in the early part of the 1980s and probably late 1970s Renault for example put out turkeys like the Renault Alliance. My best friend in high school had a brand new Alliance which had a piss poor build quality and had to be towed twice while we were together. She barely had it a year before her father replaced it with a new Mercury Grand Marquis. The Alliance radio worked when it wanted to, the thick plastic molding running the passenger side at the edge of the headliner to door openings was broken into two pieces while being installed at the factory and was just left like that and delivered to her broken. I noticed it immediately and the dealer did replace it.

After college when she bought her first car she bought Honda. Her children grew up around Japanese cars being the norm as the majority of Millennials. So to get the loyal Asian car buyers to switch the French manufacturs would have to walk on water...

Same era Peugeot cars were also lacking. I remember riding in a Peugeot sedan the size of a 850 and I could not wait to get out of it. It was a good looking car, but interior was falling apart and the a/c was seriously lacking.

Even worse was the LeCar! Truly awful car for the American roads.

The CITRON at least through the later 1970s were absolutely wonderful cars. I drove a really neat 2 door sporty model one time and fell in love with it. The iconic 4 door with the air ride rode so smoothly and good a/c also well built and reliable. Both CITRON cars I mentioned belonged to the same family. The problem with the CITRON was the price and the lack of dealers.

So all but the CITRON were readily available... CITRON just didn't try over here. June


Edit, my point is during the late 70s through the mid 80s when American cars were junk, the available French alternatives were junk too sending a huge number of Americans to the cheap, gas miser, well built Japanese cars. I do think if CITRON had actually tried to market their cars here, a chunk of those who went to the Japanese in the mid to late 1980s just might have gone to CITRON.

To this day I still would love to own one of those 4 door CITRON cars. I can't remember the model name.

Thank you for your response!
Opel was kind of big when I grew up I think. They were called Vauxhall in the UK. They actually had a model that looks really good, the Opel Manta

Opel-GT-Opel-Manta-GTE-Vergleich-Bild-01.jpg (83.6 KiB) Viewed 424 times

One of my best friends mom drove this really cool 80s white special edition version. It was stolen and never heard or seen of again.

manta_b_sis2.jpg (130.59 KiB) Viewed 421 times

[93Regina]

Opel-GT-

Yes, 1968-1973 Opel GTs were nice in their day...

[June]

I remember Opel! They were sold at the Buick dealership at least in the 70s. My friend whose family had the 2 CITRON cars brought them with them when they moved from Los Angeles to Florida. Her mom drove the 4 door and her father the coupe. I don't believe we even had a CITRON dealer in South Florida, but we did have Rolls Royce though...

Growing up in the 70s through mid 80s was a great time for cars. I miss the occasional depression era car, tons of 50s and 60s car everywhere. Now 99.9% of cars look the same and are little more than mass produced appliances IMO. June

[93Regina]

Now 99.9% of cars look the same and are little more than mass produced appliances IMO

Years ago, when the SUV look-a-likes were coming on the stage, a salesman of many years said, "just another station wagon."

For the DIYer, OEMs are making it more difficult for replacing computer controlled parts, including rolling up/down windows. Each of these parts have to be programmed in, so the computer(s) know their "cell number." As such, either a repair shop with specialized equipment or dealerships can reprogram....as long as electronic parts are available.

Planned obsolesce is here...if they choose to play this game. But, there will be other solutions to keep a vehicle running.

[June]

Now 99.9% of cars look the same and are little more than mass produced appliances IMO

Years ago, when the SUV look-a-likes were coming on the stage, a salesman of many years said, "just another station wagon."

For the DIYer, OEMs are making it more difficult for replacing computer controlled parts, including rolling up/down windows. Each of these parts have to be programmed in, so the computer(s) know their "cell number." As such, either a repair shop with specialized equipment or dealerships can reprogram....as long as electronic parts are available.

Planned obsolesce is here...if they choose to play this game. But, there will be other solutions to keep a vehicle running.

What I loved about American station wagons is each was completely different looking and could not be mistaken for one another like the ugly no style SUVs you mentioned above. The best part of these three top wagons of 1970 is all came standard with huge engines that were wisper quiet and not a bump in road could be felt. You couldn't just say "just another wagon" in the glory days of American cars. Of course Volvo wagons were always distinctive, and easily repaired.


1st. 1970 Mercury Colony Park 429 V8 standard. Our Davis Islands home had one of these in yellow I particularly liked, used as a service car. I was sad when it was replaced in 1983.

2nd. 1970 Chrysler Town and Country 440 V8

3rd. 1970 Buick Estate Wagon 455 V8 standard

[abscate]

Those were awesome rides. My wife’s Early’s memory was riding down the highway with the tailgate down gettimg high on the exhaust fumes until the youngest sister got sick, then it would get closed

[kallekula]

They have their charm
I remember this time it was like 25 years ago. I borrowed this car from a friend of mine who was gonna be out of town for a while. It was this Pontiac Safari. Im not sure about the year model bit it would probably be an easy thing to look up. Anyway, one day i drove up to hermosa beach to hang out with a friend of mine that used to live there. Parking was always a struggle so i had to make a huey at this intersection when i saw an empty spot big enough to fit this battleship i was commanding. Just as i did this some really cute surfer girls where crossing the road on their way down towards the beach with boards and all geared up. I I had all windows rolled down so I could overhear one of the surfer girls say "oh my god what an ugly car" and everyone started laughing. I was SO BUTTHURT. I though that car was cool as hell man.