China and the US take the lead in Q1 sales worldwide, the UK takes the 4th biggest market title.

• Overall, 20.44 million units were sold across all segments in Q1 2016, largely driven by growth in the Chinese and European markets
• The SUV boom continued, with seven of the eight regions analysed posting double digit growth
• Ford, Honda and Mercedes posted the strongest growth, largely driven by their SUVs
• Volkswagen posted a 1% decline on the same period in 2015

In Q1 2016, 558,700 more units (LCVs and passenger cars) were sold compared with the same period in 2015 according to a report released today by JATO Dynamics. Global car sales totalled 20.44 million units, a 2.8% increase on the same period in 2015. 

Significantly, the market’s biggest brands posted declines, with Volkswagen declining by 1%, Hyundai by 3% and Chevrolet by 9%. Ford, Honda and Mercedes posted the biggest increases amongst the top 10 at 7%, 5% and 14% respectively.

In terms of models, the Toyota Corolla reported a 4.8% gain in Q1 2016 which saw it move up the ranking to become the best-selling vehicle for this period, knocking the Wuling Hongguang from the top spot.

The popularity of SUVs in China has been an ongoing source of growth, and the trend continued last quarter, with the country accounting for 36% of total sales in Q1 2016. Sales of SUVs in Europe (including Russia and Turkey) gave the overall market a boost with 20% growth and 1.11 million units sold.

SUVs continued to dominate across much of the rest of the world in Q1 2016, with the category increasing sales by 23% compared with the same period last year and five vehicles from the category entering the top 10 best-selling car ranking

These were the Nissan X-Trail, Honda HR-V, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. All regions included in the report posted positive growth for SUVs, with all except for Japan-Korea posting double digit growth. As a result of the growth, the market share of the SUV segment jumped to 27.4% compared to 23.0% in the same period of 2015. The growth in the SUV segment was offset by slower rises amongst the traditional segment leaders; Renault-Nissan kept the lead in the SUV category but its growth was half the average for the segment. The SUV category has room for improvement in India and South America as the segment only accounted for 15% and 14% of the country’s respective total volumes.

SUV growth also drove premium car volumes, with 2.15 million units sold, 833,300 of which were SUVs. Overall the premium category saw a dramatic 9% gain on the same period last year. The growth saw the category go from a 10.8% market share in Q1 2015 to 11.4% in Q1 2016. Europe was the strongest market for premiums, accounting for 43% of the global total. North America was second, losing ground at a 24% share, and closely followed by China-Taiwan with a 23% share of global sales.

Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO, concluded: “Q1 2016 saw dramatic changes as the SUV category increased its market dominance. The whole world wants a SUV, and this shift is evident in the brand ranking, as those that focused on this segment, were the brands that posted the largest gains.”

Grateful thanks to JATO Dynamics for the info and detailed figures.

USA - New Ford Escape comes with FordPass® + SYNC® Connect, allowing drivers to lock, unlock & locate their car

• New Ford Escape brings to market available FordPass^® with SYNC^® Connect – allowing drivers to lock, unlock and locate their vehicle, and to schedule remote starts and check fuel level via a smartphone app
• 2017 Escape is first Ford vehicle to offer SYNC 3 with support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – allowing drivers to seamlessly integrate their favorite devices
• SYNC Connect is enabled through FordPass platform, which is part of Ford Smart Mobility initiative to take the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics

For 16 years, Ford Escape has been a leader in the popular small SUV segment by bringing the latest in advanced technologies to customers.

The 2017 Escape will continue that leadership when it arrives in showrooms in May, featuring available SYNC^® Connect technology that gives FordPass^® members remote access to their vehicle from their mobile device.

SYNC Connect enables drivers to use the new FordPass platform to lock, unlock and locate their Escape, as well as schedule remote starts and check fuel level. SYNC Connect is included in the Technology Package on Escape SE and is a standard offering on Escape Titanium.

“SYNC Connect provides the convenience customers want,” said Don Butler, executive director, Ford Connected Vehicle and Services. “It was designed with the customer as the focus – everything the technology does is intended to improve the vehicle-owning experience.”

Owners enable SYNC Connect through a two-step verification process to protect personal information, confirming setup on both the app and vehicle touch screen. The service is provided for five years at no cost to customers.

SYNC Connect makes its global debut on the 2017 Ford Escape, followed by the new Ford Fusion later this year. The platform will then migrate to the rest of the Ford lineup.

New Escape adds even more driver-assist technologies

The new Escape features available driver-assist technologies that enhance safety and convenience. These include:

• Adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support: Sensors detect when Escape is approaching a slow-moving vehicle and automatically apply the brakes – slowing the vehicle as needed
• Enhanced active park assist: Provides steering assistance to park the vehicle in a parallel or perpendicular parking spot, and to pull out from tight parallel parking spots with the driver controlling brake, accelerator and shifter. The technology includes side park distance control
• Lane-keeping system: The system includes lane-keeping alert to alert drivers when they drift unintentionally from their lane, and lane-keeping aid to provide steering assistance to guide an unintentionally drifting vehicle back into its lane 
• Driver Alert System: Using data from the lane-keeping system, Driver Alert can detect signs of fatigued driving and provide a warning on the instrument cluster, as well as a steering wheel vibration

Three series, new Sport Appearance Package

Customers can continue to select from S, SE and Titanium models, as well as a new Sport Appearance Package available for Escape SE and Escape Titanium.

Across the lineup, the new Escape has been redesigned from the inside out. The new interior dramatically enhances ergonomics and storage, emphasizing comfort and convenience for driver and front passenger, while the redesigned exterior leans toward the nameplate’s capable SUV heritage.

Replacing the bulky, hand-actuated parking brake with a modern, push-button electronic system enabled Ford designers to rework the center console area. The gear shifter has been moved rearward for improved access to climate controls on the center stack, while an added storage bin offers easy access to a lighted USB port and a covered power outlet to charge and store electronic devices.

“Our interior redesign was driven by what our customers were telling us,” said Milton Wong, Ford Escape chief engineer. “We considered every detail, listened to our customers, and made a significantly better Escape.”

The center console introduces improved cupholders designed to accommodate cups of all sizes. Two new bins, in front of and behind the cupholders, add storage, and the center armrest has been extended for added comfort for driver and passenger.

An all-new steering wheel features easy-to-work buttons to control audio, adaptive cruise control and SYNC 3 voice command systems. A new “swing-bin” glove box offers easier access to stored items.

Escape Titanium features a Charcoal Black interior with subtle Deep Space black trim. Leather seats, featuring Salerno leather trim, show a unique horizontal pattern. Titanium customers can also opt for Medium Stone seats to contrast with the black interior.

The redesigned hood and raised trapezoidal upper grille set a wider stance – evoking a more prominent feel for the front of the new Escape. The grille is flanked by updated headlamps with low-beam projector lenses. Signature LED daytime running lamps are available for Escape SE and are included on Escape Titanium. The lamps can double as parking lamps at night. Bi-functional HID projector headlamps and speed-dependent cornering halogen lamps are available for Titanium as well.

The new Sport Appearance Package offers customers such unique features as:

• 19-inch Ebony Black painted wheels
• Ebony Black high-gloss painted upper grille
• Piano Black high-gloss fog lamp bezels
• Ebony Black high-gloss painted side vents
• Absolute Black painted mirror caps
• Darkened headlamp and taillamp trim

Standard Auto Start-Stop with two new EcoBoost engines

The availability of Auto Start-Stop on the 2017 Escape marks the technology’s first high-volume appearance, a standard offering with either of two EcoBoost^® engines new to Escape – a 1.5-liter and a 2.0-liter twin-scroll. It’s already available on F-150 equipped with 2.7-liter EcoBoost, Focus with 1.0-liter EcoBoost, Fusion with 1.5-liter EcoBoost and Edge with 2.0-liter twin-scroll EcoBoost.

The new 1.5-liter EcoBoost with Auto Start-Stop is standard on Escape SE and Escape Titanium. The technology shuts off the engine during common stops, so the vehicle burns no gas and emits zero tailpipe emissions. The engine restarts automatically – in less than half a second – when the driver releases the brake pedal.

A six-speed automatic transmission is standard across the line, with new paddle-shift technology available for Escape SE and Escape Titanium.

Both the 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter twin-scroll EcoBoost engines are available with Ford’s intelligent four-wheel-drive system that monitors traction and road conditions every 16 milliseconds. The system can transfer up to 100 percent of torque from front to rear wheels, constantly adjusting to road conditions to relieve driver stress and increase confidence by keeping the vehicle on its intended path.

When equipped with the 2.0-liter twin-scroll EcoBoost and Class II Tow Package, Escape can tow an impressive 3,500 pounds. Trailer sway control works to help keep both the vehicle and the trailer under control if sway is detected.

Horsepower and torque figures for the new EcoBoost engines are impressive. The 1.5-liter produces 179 horsepower and 177 lb.-ft. of torque; the 2.0-liter delivers 245 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft. of torque, which tops all four-cylinder competitors in the compact utility segment.

The 1.5-liter EcoBoost is EPA-rated at 23 mpg city, 30 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined on front-wheel-drive-equipped Escape; and at 22 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined with four-wheel drive. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost is rated at 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined with front-wheel drive; and at 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined with four-wheel drive.

“With the most powerful four-cylinder engine in its segment and available Auto Start-Stop, Escape now delivers the perfect balance of performance, efficiency and capability,” said Wong.

Ford fits windshield wiper de-icer on Ford Escape, why has this not been thought of before ?

• Available windshield wiper de-icer on Ford Escape melts snow and ice from windshield wipers; allows for the wipers to properly clean glass for improved driver visibility
• Escape is first Ford SUV in United States to get Cold Weather Package feature, designed to melt light snow and ice from wiper blades in under 10 minutes at minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit  
• Drivers of the new Escape equipped with SYNC^® Connect can activate the windshield wiper de-icer system from their smartphone as part of the FordPass experience. SYNC Connect allows owners to start, lock, unlock and locate their vehicle from virtually anywhere using a smartphone

Coming soon to a winter near you: clearer vision.

Ford Escape models can be equipped to help drivers eliminate the winter headache of maintaining a clear windshield. No more wiper blades covered in chunks of ice. No more wiper blades freezing to the glass. And the funny-looking parking lot ritual of pulling wipers off the windshield and pointing them to the sky will be a thing of the past.

Escape is the first Ford Motor Company SUV in the United States to offer a windshield wiper de-icer, part of a Cold Weather Package that is standard on Titanium models and an option on SE models. The 2017 Escape is due in showrooms this spring.

“The windshield wiper de-icer is a great solution to one of the more nagging problems of winter,” said Jennifer Gauthier, Ford fixed glass engineer. “Escape drivers in the U.S. are going to wonder how they ever got along without it.”

Much like traditional rear window defrost systems, the base of the windshield where the wiper blades rest is equipped with a local heating element. The system is designed to clear light snow and ice from the wiper blades in under 10 minutes at minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drivers of the new Escape equipped with SYNC^® Connect can activate the windshield wiper de-icer system from their smartphone as part of the FordPass experience. SYNC Connect allows owners to start, lock, unlock and locate their vehicle from virtually anywhere using a smartphone. Drivers can even schedule a specific time to start remotely so the vehicle is ready to hit the road, de-iced and warmed up.

Other features of the Escape Cold Weather Package include:

• All-weather floor mats
• Heated side mirrors
• Heated seats
• Supplemental powertrain conditioning heater

Already a standard feature on Escape models sold in Canada, the windshield wiper de-icer will migrate to other vehicles in the Ford lineup in the United States. 

USA - Mazda issues massive 109,000 unit recall of Tribute Models.

If you live in a cold-weather state here in the U.S. and drive a 2001-2004 Mazda Tribute compact SUV, you may want to take it to your local dealership.

This week Mazda Motor Corp. announced a recall on select Tribute models for frames that may rust prematurely. As cold-weather states salt the road pretty regularly during the winter months, the vehicle's frame may rust, which could result in the loss of steering control. Mazda has stated that there have been no accidents or injuries associated with the recall.

To fix the issue, the automaker will install a reinforcement brace on the bottom of the vehicle. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by Mazda, and the recall is expected to start in May. But Mazda isn't the only automaker with a rusting issue due to salted roads.

Earlier this month, Ford recalled nearly 386,000 Escape models for the same issue. Both vehicles share mechanical underpinnings that are built at Ford's Kansas City assembly plant.

REPORT EHRE