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Japan could consolidate to three automakers by 2020

Sergio Marchionne might see his dream of big mergers in the auto industry become a reality, and an analyst thinks Japan is a likely place for consolidation to happen. Takaki Nakanishi from Jefferies Group LLC tells Bloomberg the country's car market could combine to just three or fewer major players by 2020, from seven today. "To have one or two carmakers in a country is not only natural, but also helpful to their competitiveness," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "Japan has just too many and the resources have been too spread out. It's a natural trend to consolidate and reduce some of the wasted resources." Nakanishi's argument echoes Marchionne's reasons to push for a merger between FCA and General Motors. Automakers spend billions on research and development, but their competitors also invest money to create the same solutions. Consolidating could conceivably put that R&D money into new avenues. "In today's global marketplace, it is increasingly difficult for automakers to compete in lower volume segments like sports cars, hydrogen fuel cells, or electrified vehicles on their own," Ed Kim, vice president of Industry Analysis at AutoPacific, told Autoblog. Even without mergers, these are the areas where Japanese automakers already have partners for development. Kim cited examples like Toyota and Subaru's work on the BRZ and FR-S and its collaboration with BMW on a forthcoming sports car. Honda and GM have also reportedly deepened their cooperation on green car tech. After Toyota's recent buyout of previous partner Daihatsu, Nakanishi agrees with rumors that the automotive giant could next pursue Suzuki. He sees them like a courting couple. "For Suzuki, it's like they're just starting to exchange diaries and have yet to hold hands. When Toyota's starts to hold 5 percent of Suzuki's shares, this will be like finally touching fingertips," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "I absolutely do believe that we are not finished seeing consolidation in Japan," Kim told Autoblog. Rising development costs to meet tougher emissions regulations make it hard for minor players in the market to remain competitive. "The smaller automakers like Suzuki, Mazda, and Mitsubishi are challenged to make it on their own in the global marketplace. Consolidation for them may be inevitable." Related Video:

Crossovers help Mazda post its best January sales in 24 years

Mazda's 2017 ended on a bit of a flat note. It wrapped up the year with 2.8 percent fewer U.S. sales than 2016, and 8 of the 12 months lower month-over-month. But 2018 is off to a much brighter start with the company having its best January sales month since 1994, with just under 25,000 cars sold. Besides that headline statistic, the higher sales also mean this January exceeded 2017's sales by 15 percent or about 3,300 cars and put it ahead of January in that healthy 2016 year. Compared with this past December, though, sales are down about 2,000 cars. The gains are entirely due to the success of Mazda's crossover SUVs. The CX-5 was the best of the best with a month-over-month gain of over 66 percent. In actual numbers it sold about 13,500 copies compared with about 8,000 last January. The big three-row CX-9 had a big jump going from 1,600 units sold last January to about 2,300 for a gain of almost 47 percent. Even the little CX-3 saw a small gain between the two Januarys, going from about 1,200 to 1,350 sales. View 14 Photos Mazda's January would've been even better if its conventional cars hadn't dropped so much. Both Mazda Miata and Mazda6 sales dropped by just over half. The Mazda dropped from 3,300 sales to just under 1,600, and the Miata dropped from a little over 900 to a little over 400. Mazda3 held on a little better with just a 12 percent drop from last January going from about 6,600 to 5,800 sales. The lopsidedness of these sales isn't all that surprising. Crossovers have been a boon to loads of manufacturers. For example, Mitsubishi had an 2017 full of sales improvements, with the company finally breaking 100,000 units for the first time in years, and it was all because of improving crossover sales. January's sales also continue an unfortunate downward trend for Mazda's cars, with both the Mazda6 and Mazda3 having month-over-month declines every single month since February. It will be interesting to see if the new turbocharged engine option on the Mazda6 will improve sales of the sedan later this year. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Most reliable cars in America

For many people, the absolute worst thing they could experience with a car is for it to break or have a problem. The good news is there are cars that will ease the anxiety of their owners with infrequent trips to the shop. According to Consumer Reports, using data from its annual survey of subscribers, the following ten vehicles are the most reliable in the country, and are ordered from most to least reliable. Any of these vehicles should be a solid choice if the most important consideration in your car-buying decision is predicted reliability. That said, they aren't all vehicles that Autoblog's editors would recommend as fun to drive. We've provided links to our own driving impressions on these vehicles where possible. Also, if you care more about overall brand reliability than individual nameplates, check out the list of most reliable car brands. 10. Mazda CX-9 This three-row Mazda straddles the line where luxury begins and ends. It’s also pretty fun to drive for a family hauler. The fact that itÂ’s reliable to boot makes this an easy SUV to recommend. 9. Subaru Crosstrek Few vehicles define a segment quite like the Subaru Crosstrek. ItÂ’s a good buy, with class-leading ground clearance, tall seating position and good visibility, a surprisingly spacious cargo area, and multiple driving modes geared toward inclement weather and dirt roads. According to CR, it also sees fewer trips to the shop. 8. Toyota Highlander It wouldnÂ’t be a reliability list without at least one Toyota on it, and indeed the Highlander isnÂ’t the sole Toyota here. We especially like the Hybrid for its excellent fuel economy, but CR didnÂ’t break out its reliability list by powertrain. 7. Honda Insight The Honda Insight is a handsome, comfortable and affordable hybrid sedan. ItÂ’s also quite safe, and, according to CRÂ’s data, reliable. 6. Mazda MX-5 Miata Any Autoblog editor will happily profess their love for this Mazda MX-5 Miata. ItÂ’s an incredibly engaging roadster — at least when equipped with a manual transmission — that behaves a lot like the classic British and Italian roadsters of yesteryear. Thankfully, it doesnÂ’t share its European forebearsÂ’ penchant for breaking. 5. Cadillac XT5 One of the newer nameplates on this list, the Cadillac XT5 is also a hot seller for the American luxury brand. ItÂ’s also CadillacÂ’s most reliable vehicle. 4. Toyota Prius The Prius has been the face of Toyota efficiency for years now.