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Why Mazda did so well and Volvo so poorly in Consumer Reports survey

The poor performances of Tesla and all three domestic automakers got the headlines in Consumer Reports magazine's latest reliability survey, but there were other results that caught our interest. Tiny Mazda notched the biggest gain among the 29 brands included in this year's list, leap-frogging nine spots to No. 3. Buick, which was in the top 10 last year, fell 11 spots to No. 19, the biggest decline of any brand. And then there's Volvo, a brand often vaunted for its quality and reliability, dropping six spots to dead last. What gives? For starters, all three brands benefited or suffered in large part due to their relatively small portfolio of vehicles. So when raves or complaints rolled in for even one particular model, as was often the case, it weighed heavily on the entire brand. That's especially true when it involves a relatively high-volume, hot-selling model such as the Buick Enclave (more on that in a moment). Mazda fared as well as it did despite the CX-3 losing Consumer Reports' influential "recommended" status due to problems with its climate system, including leaks from the condenser and refrigerant unit that triggered a service bulletin from the automaker in late 2016. Deputy auto editor Jon Linkov said that scratch didn't hurt the overall brand, since the CX-9 crossover and MX-5 Miata both jumped up to replace it on CR's list of newly recommended vehicles, thanks to several back fixes Mazda made to both models. For Buick, the redesigned Enclave SUV earned a "Much Worse Than Average" rating after owners reported problems with the new nine-speed automatic transmission it shares with the Chevrolet Traverse as well as some issues with the climate system. There were issues with rough shifting, plus complaints about the torque converter that necessitated fixes to the computer or outright replacement. "Again, similar stuff that we saw with the Traverse: both first-year vehicles, similar powertrains," LInkov said. He said all-new vehicles or redesigns typically fare poorly in CR's reliability survey due to issues that are hard to suss out before vehicles go into everyday use by consumers. The top-selling Encore and Envision fared well, Linkov said, but were outdone by the Enclave's problematic transmission components. The Enclave was Buick's second best-selling model through September at 35,227 units. Then there is Volvo, about which there is one word to sum up its woes: infotainment.

2023 Buick Envision prices up by at least $1,900 over 2022

When Buick uploads the configurator for the 2023 Envision, shoppers will find the mid-sized crossover more expensive than the 2022 model. GM Authority got hold of next year's pricing, revealing that MSRPs will go up by $1,900 on the bottom two trims and $5,810 on the top Avenir trim. The new math, which includes the destination charge increasing $200 to $1,395, erases the discounts that arrived with 2022 Envision pricing earlier this year. Retail cost for the coming Avenir with front-wheel drive after the destination charge will be: Preferred FWD: $34,795 Essence FWD: $38,895 Avenir FWD: $47,055 Adding all-wheel drive means another $1,800 on the Essence and Avenir. Doing the same for the entry-level Preferred means pushing MSRP up by $3,650 because of the $1,850 Convenience Package is mandatory when turning the rear axle.  The $1,900 upcharge for Preferred and Essence entails $1,500 for three years of OnStar and Connected Services, GM making the telematics service standard on the Cadillac, GMC, and Buick lineups as well as the Chevrolet Corvette for next year. That leaves the remaining $400 as a pure model-year price bump. The much larger rise for the Avenir is because it comes with a lot more equipment. For 2023 this trim makes the $1,965 and Technology Package II and $1,450 Panoramic Power Moonroof standard. The Technology Package adds enhanced LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, adaptive dampers, enhanced automatic emergency braking and parking assist, and a rear camera mirror with washer. Those bundles represent $3,415 of the upcharge, adding $1,500 for OnStar takes that to $4,915, leaving $895 as the model-year price bump. The rest should be carryover, save for potential changes to the exterior color menu. If there's any big news for the model next year, it would be the potential arrival of an Envision GX that would add about eight inches of overall length, with two of that between the wheels. Related video:

Even if GM does close all 5 of those plants, it'll still have too many

DETROIT — General Motors' monumental announcement on Monday that it will close three car assembly plants and two powertrain plants in North America and slash its workforce will only partially close the gap between capacity and demand for the automaker's sedans, according to a Reuters analysis of industry production and capacity data. Sales of traditional passenger cars in North America have been declining for the past six years and are still withering. After GM ends production next year at factories in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario, it will still have four U.S. passenger-car plants — all operating at less than 50 percent of rated capacity, according to figures supplied by LMC Automotive. In comparison, Detroit-based rivals Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will have one car plant each in North America after 2019. The Detroit Three are facing rapidly dwindling demand for traditional passenger cars from U.S. consumers, many of whom have shifted to crossovers and trucks. Passenger cars accounted for 48 percent of retail light-vehicle sales in the United States in 2014, according to market researchers at J.D. Power and Associates. This year, sedans will account for less than a third of light vehicle sales. That shift in turn has left most North American car plants operating far below their rated capacities, while many SUV and truck plants are running on overtime. The collapse in passenger-car demand is a challenge for nearly all automakers in the United States, including Japan's Toyota and Honda, which have the top-selling models in the compact and midsize car segments. Toyota executives said last month they are evaluating the company's U.S. model lineup. But Toyota also plans to build compact Corolla sedans at a new $1.6 billion factory it is building in Alabama with partner Mazda. The obstacles facing GM in its plans to close more auto factories became apparent on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block payment of government electric vehicle subsidies to GM. While it is not certain that Trump unilaterally has the power to do that, he made it clear he intends to use his office to pressure the company to keep open a small car plant in Ohio that GM says will stop building vehicles in March.