News: Cobalt XFE sales 2x more popular than estimated, more XFE models coming

[cfg83]

Fr3AkAzOiD -

Originally Posted by Fr3AkAzOiD

Well my old '94 LHS is on it's death bed so I picked up an '08 XFE.
Had been looking around at different cars for quite a while and I have to say for the money the XFE is great.

Granted there are cars with far better quality interior and a better history of reliability then Chevrolet (only time will tell with the Cobalt XFE) but on the road for $14,170, getting 40+ mpg, knowing I am helping keep Americans employed, and enough room to actualy have adults in the back seat, hell....I'm not complaining.

Welcome to EM! I am *very* much looking forward to everything you have to say about the XFE.

CarloSW2

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by cfg83

Arminius -



As I always like to say, the reason I didn't consider going from a Saturn S-Series to a Saturn Ion was that they *lowered* the MPG on the Ion when compared to the S-Series. It was only a few MPG, but it pissed me off, because I just *knew* that the Ion could be tuned to at least match the MPG of the S-Series.

All the marketeers had to do was campaign for an "XFE" package 10 years ago when gas was cheap. Even if the sales would have been small, there will always be people that pick cars based on MPG. Back then the importance of MPG was much less, but it is also a "bragging rights" issue when it comes to advertising. If you can claim equal or better MPG than ToyoNissaHonda, then you can pry a few customers away.

I wonder if the 1.8 liter Asta will come with an XFE option? There's a wimpy little 90HP/1.4 liter/gasoline engine Astra in Europe right now.

CarloSW2

You and I think alike on this one.

[akcapeco]

Cars in the US are like the food at a US chain restaurant: it has nothing to do with what's good for you, rather it's all about what will guarentee the transaction. Hence the preponderance of salty/fatty or sweet food -- it appeals to our inner child... the child that wants more... and we buy it.

It's all about the deal.

No one wants to be "the police" who say NO to the inner child.

Listen to the Food Network, and you'll hear the same phrase: "we're not the food police."

[i_am_socket]

I'm amazed at the growth rate of the Corolla. It used to be a compact car, now it's a midsize sedan and on its way to a full size. If you want a car with more power/room/whathaveyou then buy the next size vehicle up and stop telling the manufacturer you want a Camry sized Corolla! < /rant >

Good new of XFE! Now if only it was a model option across all manufacturers...

[xbUser]

I hope the American automakers will change their marketing strategies. Before, they only focus how much customers can pay their products, but not what they want from the products. For example, their trim lines differentiate by the option, higher trim lines has more options and cost more. Now, their trim lines should focus on the customers' need. Like, RL for more racing style, XL for more luxury options, FL for more FE oriented. I believe one of the reason why Civic becomes so popular is this. VX/HX for FE oriented, DX for regular, CX for cost oriented, LX/EX for luxury oriented, and Si for racing. So, civic has image of racing, gas saving and not too expensive. I don't see that on Focus or Cobalt.

[Arminius]

The next few years will be pretty exciting for those of us who want to see change in the US auto industry. The cars being proposed and those already in pre-production look great to me. Not enough in the EV department, however,

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by i_am_socket

I'm amazed at the growth rate of the Corolla. It used to be a compact car, now it's a midsize sedan and on its way to a full size. If you want a car with more power/room/whathaveyou then buy the next size vehicle up and stop telling the manufacturer you want a Camry sized Corolla! < /rant >

Good new of XFE! Now if only it was a model option across all manufacturers...

Yeah, they kept expanding it a few inches every 2 years. Each time they did a little more work on the underside aerodynamics so that the mileage wasn't affected. Just take a look under a 2003 and compare it to the 2009. The 2009 has all sorts of aero mods, but the 2003 has nothing. The 2009 model has reduced mileage, compared to previous years, however.

[cfg83]

i_am_socket -

Originally Posted by i_am_socket

I'm amazed at the growth rate of the Corolla. It used to be a compact car, now it's a midsize sedan and on its way to a full size. If you want a car with more power/room/whathaveyou then buy the next size vehicle up and stop telling the manufacturer you want a Camry sized Corolla! < /rant >

Good new of XFE! Now if only it was a model option across all manufacturers...

Yup. If you see a 1990-1993 Honda Accord parked next to a 2008 Honda Civic, they're practically the same size :

1990-1993 Honda Accord Full Review - Consumer Guide Automotive

Specification       2-door coupe   4-door sedan   
Overall Length, in.  184.8          185.2        
Overall Width, in.    67.9           67.1         
urb Weight, lbs.    2738.0         2733.0

2008 Honda Civic Test Drive on Edmunds.com

Length (in):                         176.7
Width (in):                           69.0
Manufacturer Curb Weight (lb):     2,751.0

I think this is a situation where size/weight/displacement categories would be useful, ala the Japanese Kei Cars. The meaning of "compact car" isn't the same anymore.

CarloSW2