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May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.

Chevrolet planning low-cost Corvette under Stingray?

If you're burnt out on musings about the Chevrolet Corvette, you'll want to go ahead and skip this post. Motor Trend reports General Motors is hard at work on a low-cost version of the seventh-generation sports car for 2015. Rumored to be called the Corvette Coupe, the car will forgo the Stingray and skip the 450-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine in favor of a 5.3-liter V8 with under 400 ponies. If you're keeping track, that's a shade of the same engine found behind the headlights of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.
The report also suggests the Coupe will receive a number of aesthetic tweaks to separate it from the Stingray, including different front and rear fascias as well as new front fenders and a rear diffuser. Motor Trend says the point of all this is to cut the car's price tag, which means we may see a Corvette on showroom floors for less than $50,000 if this car comes to fruition.

Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra could get independent rear suspension

The Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra could reportedly receive a variant of the four-link independent rear suspension found under the new Tahoe and Suburban. While that's not a surprise, a recent report suggests electrification, not comfort, convinced General Motors to make the change. Replacing the time-tested solid rear axle with an independent suspension will improve comfort, handling and off-road prowess, while adding weight, and likely making the trucks a little bit more expensive. It's a fair trade-off, but GM Authority learned the real reason for the swap is that at least one of the pickups will spawn an electric model, and it's more difficult to package a bulky battery pack around a solid rear axle. The independent rear suspension takes up far less space, even if it has more moving parts. General Motors will build its first regular-production electric pickup on an evolution of the Silverado's T1 platform named BT1, according to the same source. The b stands for -- you guessed it -- batteries. The firm reportedly doesn't want to make two suspensions for cost reasons, so the independent setup will come standard regardless of whether the truck runs on gasoline, diesel, or electricity. As a bonus, Chevrolet and GMC could choose to offer their T1-based trucks with Magnetic Ride Control or an air suspension, options available on the 2021 Suburban and Tahoe. The independent rear suspension will also find its way to the next-generation GMC Yukon due to be revealed January 14, and to the 2021 Cadillac Escalade scheduled to make its debut February 4. The long-rumored, born-again Hummer will get it, too, because it will arrive as an electric model built on the BT1 platform. It's worth noting none of this is official, and General Motors has remained quiet about what's next for its new suspension design, and what will be under its electric truck's sheet metal. If the GM Authority report is accurate, the Silverado (pictured) and the Sierra could ditch their solid rear axle for the 2021 model year. The change will likely be accompanied by other tweaks inside and out. Featured Gallery 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 View 16 Photos Chevrolet GMC Truck