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China's woes sandbag Detroit automakers

Through the first six months of this year, China's auto market is actually up 8.4 percent from the same period in 2014. Still, automakers aren't optimistic after June's 3.2 percent dip in year-over-year sales. Last month marked the first drop in China since February 2013, and the decline could extend through the coming months, which is a concern according to a number of analysts. In Detroit, General Motors might take the brunt of the damage, but Ford could feel some heat too. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers is already responding to the June dip by predicting annual sales to grow only three percent this year, rather than seven percent that had been predicted earlier in the year, according to The Detroit News. Ford and GM will both release their second quarter earnings before the end of July, and those figures will give the industry a much better idea about the automakers' performance in China. Due to China's massive growth, both Ford and GM have made significant investments there. In 2014, GM announced $14 billion to make the country a focal point, including a goal of 5 million annual sales. Ford, for its part, opened 88 new Chinese dealers in one day alone last year. It has also been working to grow Lincoln since the brand's launch in 2014.The Detroit News took a much deeper look into Detroit's exposure in China, with the overall gist being that we're all uncertain about how things are going to shake out. Some industry analysts feel this is just a temporary blip, while other are much more worried. If you have any interest in the auto market there or its affect on the Big Three, the piece is well worth a read. News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Greg Baker / AP Photo Earnings/Financials Read This Ford GM

Jim Farley to lead Ford of Europe

"We are excited to see Jim and Stephen take on these new roles as they bring unique skills, experience and fresh perspectives to these critical positions." - Mark Fields
Ford marketing chief Jim Farley is taking over the company's troubled European operations as part of an executive shuffle confirmed on Friday morning.

2020 Toyota Highlander vs other 3-row crossovers: There can only be one!

We've done quite a few spec comparison posts involving three-row family crossovers, and when included, the Toyota Highlander has always been the runt of the group. While the rest increasingly seemed to be benchmarking each other toward greater girth, the Highlander was the outlier.  That changes a bit for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, but only a bit. It's now larger and more competitive, specifically in regards to the amount of cargo space aft of the third-row seat. As you can see below, this aligns the Highlander most closely to its long-time competitor the 2020 Honda Pilot. However, let's see how it stacks up to others in the segment, which is heavily populated now, so for the sake of space, we've selected the newest entries: Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Subaru Ascent and Ford Explorer. The order in which they are presented is random.  Performance and fuel economy The 2020 Highlander is more than 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor, but has the same 295-horsepower V6 engine that was already one of the strongest in the segment. We'd say that would give it a leg up, but the Pilot and Explorer have proven to be sprinters, delivering 0-60 times in the low-6 range by some publications' stopwatches (or VBoxes, whatever). We don't expect the Highlander to beat them, but it may dip into the 6's. The heavy, less-powerful Subaru Ascent is most likely to take up the rear. It's fuel economy of 23 mpg combined also matches the Highlander and Explorer for segment-best. Remember, however, that the Explorer's turbocharged inline-four engine is likely more susceptible to differences in driving style (read: a heavy foot).  Of course, if you're really interested in fuel economy, the Highlander and Explorer are the only vehicles in the segment to offer hybrid versions. The Ford Explorer Hybrid puts a greater emphasis on performance, however, resulting in lower estimates of 25 mpg combined (AWD) and 28 mpg combined (FWD). By contrast, the new 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is estimated to return 36 mpg combined.  Passenger and cargo space According to Highlander chief engineer Yoshikazu Saeki, he had a choice of two directions with the new Highlander. He could have indeed made it bigger, matching these very competitors, especially in terms of third-row and cargo space. Or, he could have maintained a smaller-than-average size. He obviously chose the latter. First, it was the size customers had come to expect. Would they be put off by something bigger?