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Weekly Recap: GM scales back as Russian auto market teeters

General Motors' extensive plans to scale back its Russian operations are the latest sign the automotive market in the former superpower is collapsing – and there are few signs of recovery. GM said Wednesday it will stop selling mainstream Chevrolets and shutter the entire Opel brand in Russia. The moves leave GM with a luxury-focused presence consisting of Cadillac and Chevrolet's Corvette, Camaro and Tahoe. The cutbacks will be completed by the end of the year. The automaker will also idle its factory in St. Petersburg and end a contract-assembly agreement with Russian manufacturer GAZ. "We had to take decisive action in Russia to protect our business," Opel Group CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann said in a statement. "We confirm our outlook to return the European business to profitability in 2016 and stick to our long-term goals." GM is the latest automaker to scale back in Russia as the economic conditions, volatile currency and uncertainty over the conflict in the Ukraine all have sandbagged new car sales. Last month, vehicle sales collapsed 38 percent in Russia to 128,298 units, according to the Association of European Business, which records sales. Joerg Schreiber, chairman of the AEB automobile manufacturers committee, didn't even feign optimism in a statement announcing the figures. "The market is entering a very difficult phase now, and February is only the beginning," he said. "Industry sentiment is the next few months will be extremely difficult and the market bottom has yet to be found." The dovetails with industry experts, who predict the Russian auto sector will remain in the doldrums. IHS said earlier this year it expects Russia's sales to slip to just 1.8 million units in 2015, which is a 40-percent drop from 2012. Other News & Notes Chief leads Jeep's Easter Safari stable Jeep is bringing seven attention-getting concepts to Moab for its annual Easter Safari off-roading celebration in Utah, but the Chief is perhaps the standout of the group. It salutes the 1970s Cherokee with a throwback appearance and surfer styling cues. The Chief has a custom modified razor grille made famous by the Wagoneer, and it rolls on 17-inch slotted mag wheels. The surf theme comes in with ocean blue paint, floral cloth and leather seats and a tiki-style shifter handle. Based on the Jeep Wrangler, the Chief has removable sides, a 3.6-liter V6 engine and a six-speed manual gearbox.

Consumer Reports digs Mazda3, disses Jeep Cherokee

Consumer Reports has just rendered its verdict on two of the more important cars to launch this year - the Mazda3 and the Jeep Cherokee. Considering the value a "Recommended" rating carries with the public and the viciously competitive markets these two cars compete in, Consumer Reports' view could have some impact on their initial success.
For Mazda, that's a good thing. CR spoke quite highly of the Zoom-Zoom brand's compact sedan and hatch, testing both models, and citing the excellent fuel economy and snickety-snack manual shifter as high points. Downsides to the 3 included a ride that is agile but "nervous," a bit too much noise and a cramped back seat. Still, the 3 was good enough to earn its place in the ranks of the "Recommended."
The Jeep didn't fare quite so well, with CR calling the polarizing CUV "half-baked." Although both engines were tested, the magazine called the 2.4-liter four-pot underpowered and its nine-speed automatic unrefined and unresponsive. That's particularly damning, considering the 9AT's role in future Chrysler products, including the extremely important 200. Overall, the Cherokee missed out on the coveted "Recommended" rating.

Rumor has it the new Grand Wagoneer has been cancelled, but we're not so sure

This just doesn't seem to add up. Autoline Daily is reporting that plans for a new top Jeep, a reimagined Grand Wagoneer to sit above the Grand Cherokee, have been scrapped. The info comes from Auto Forecast Solutions, an industry analyst company. The Grand Wagoneer was expected to use a stretched version of the next Grand Cherokee's platform, but it reportedly won't accept the larger vehicle. The report implies that the next Grand Cherokee will use a version of the current Grand Cherokee's unibody platform, which is about what we expected. The thing is, the current Grand Cherokee shares its platform with the (longer) Dodge Durango, as well as Mercedes-Benz's GLE and GLS SUVs (remember the DaimlerChrysler days?). It's possible the Wagoneer was supposed to be wider as well as longer, and that the Durango's stretch just wasn't enough, but it seems odd that this is just now coming to light. We have already seen sketches of the new Grand Wagoneer, purported to have leaked out of an FCA dealer meeting. Jeep's CEO has discussed the (high) price the new utility would command. It just seems like a lot of thought went into the vehicle already, thought that wouldn't be put forward if someone hadn't looked into the feasibility of actually building it. The report (the one that says the thing has been cancelled) also says FCA might regroup and build the GW as a body-on-frame SUV on the Ram 1500 platform. That also seems unlikely, since this is supposed to be a luxurious, refined vehicle that's nicer than the Grand Cherokee. It would be tough to accomplish all of that with a ladder frame underneath, and it's just not the way the industry is going, let alone the Jeep brand. We'll keep an eye on this one. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Dealer Leak Spy Shots News Source: Autoline Daily Rumormill Jeep Crossover Luxury