Let's Be Positive (For Once)

Surprise! Things are going right for the auto industry, particularly the Detroit branch. Sure, there are hiccups. But let's look at the bright side, for a change.

Ford: The outlook is excellent. The F-Series pickup is selling well, and an improved SuperDuty is coming. This is where Ford makes money.

The cars rolling out this fall look good. Mustang will be hot. The Ford Five Hundred sedan will sell, and the Freestyle cross/utility vehicle is aimed just where the market is growing. Mercury gets versions of both.

That's four models for Ford's Chicago plant. It should run full-out next year. Mercury has plenty of new stuff coming, so Mercury is back. And the Escape Hybrid puts Ford ahead of most in the SUV/CUV fuel-economy race. Ford should have a great 2005 and even pick up market share.

Sure, I have complaints: Too much reliance on Mazda platforms, not understanding “world-class” at Lincoln, ignoring the Taurus, the rear-drive sedans and the Ranger pickup. But the pluses outweigh the minuses at Ford.

Chrysler's got something going on, too. The 300 sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon show how good Chrysler can be. The Ram pickup keeps breaking records. The Durango SUV is enjoying solid sales.

My beefs: Using Mitsubishi platforms for small cars is a mistake. If they don't sell as Mitsubishis, how can they sell as Chryslers?

General Motors has a tougher road: getting its designers to forget ho-hum and relearn exciting design. Imagine if the Chrysler 300 were a Buick. You would have to fight your way into showrooms.

GM is doing a good job creating exciting “halo” vehicles such as the Cadillac XLR, Chevy SSR and Pontiac Solstice. But we haven't seen them translate that excitement into volume products yet.

The new Chevy Equinox is in the heart of the growing CUV segment, and the Cadillac STS and Pontiac G6 will be out later this year. They're big improvements over present models.

Complaints: Where's GM's 50-mpg (4.7L/100 km) hybrid car? The company that spent $1 billion on an electric car that didn't work won't build a hybrid car that can. And while the G6 sedan debuts this fall, the coupe doesn't arrive until spring, and the convertible until next fall. When I was a boy, they managed to bring them all out on the same day. What's the problem?

Then there's good news from our German friends. Mercedes admits complicated electronic systems may cause more problems than they solve. Hooray! This should improve its quality rankings.

Toyota is doing well as ever, although I predict the new division, Scion, will be no Lexus. Remember the last Toyota youth effort, the Echo? Same problem. Young people can do better with used cars.

Honda has slipped a bit, but Honda is Honda, a winner until proven otherwise.

Nissan isn't doing as well with its new trucks and minivans as its leaders predicted. Actually, the vehicles are doing well enough — the goals were too high.

Now, who says I can't be positive?

Jerry Flint is a columnist for, and a former senior editor of, Forbes magazine.