THINGS NOT WORTH WORRYING ABOUT.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. In the midst of this Sturm und Drang that our nation is going through, it’s hard to focus on the mundane or the day-to-day. It’s also hard to focus on this business as it fights to get rolling again, lurching forward in fits and starts. In spite of this, I’m already hearing – albeit faintly – the obligatory industry refrain of “It Won’t Be Long Now!” as promises are being made and boasts are being laid on the table by various manufacturers. 

Take Nissan, for instance. The new Nissan Rogue is laden with technology and is promised to be Nissan’s mainstream salvation in the market, and to say that it is critical to the brand’s survival in this market is an understatement. But the Rogue is so decidedly uninspired that expecting hordes of new buyers to return to Nissan’s showrooms is an NZT-fueled pipe dream. In other words, the Rogue will return to its payment-driven lot in life in short order.

That’s not the only news coming from Nissan, unfortunately. Bloomberg is reporting that Carlos Ghosn may have been set up, something he claimed from the start of his ordeal. According to previously unreported internal emails, the campaign by top Nissan executives to topple Ghosn started almost a year before Ghosn’s arrest in late 2018 for alleged financial misconduct. The effort was motivated in part, according to Bloomberg, by opposition to the former chairman’s push for greater integration between the Japanese automaker and longtime alliance partner Renault, the new information reveals. The most damning evidence reveals that “… the documents and recollections of people familiar with what transpired show that a powerful group of insiders viewed his detention and prosecution as an opportunity to revamp the global automaker’s relationship with top shareholder Renault on terms more favorable to Nissan.”

Oops. Talk about a giant miso soup bowl of Not Good. I have said it frequently in the past and I will say it again: Nissan’s very survival is in question. The company is in dire straits financially, and every move it makes of late is either the wrong move, or insufficient to make a difference. I can easily see the company succumbing to its serial incompetence and being absorbed by another automaker. And given its current state, I wouldn’t miss Nissan in the least. It’s just not worth worrying about.

Then there’s Ford. The big news is, of course, the arrival of the Bronco. Easily three years late, the Bronco has been in discussion within the halls of Dearborn for six excruciatingly long years. Jim Farley, the Ford COO/Frat Boy in Chief, insists that the Bronco will be a “much superior product” to Jeep. Well, after taking as long as Ford did to get its act together, I certainly hope so. Jeep has enjoyed a free run for years in this market, especially after GM abandoned the Hummer brand during its bankruptcy. The True Believers out in Auburn Hills have done a tremendous job in keeping the Jeep franchise thriving, but there’s no question that some stiff competition from the True Believers at Ford will be welcomed by all. 

But being Ford, not everything will come together smoothly for the launch of the Bronco, apparently. The giant media reveal is slated to take place on July 9, when I’m sure grandiose promises will be made and certain bootlickers in the media will heap praise on the Bronco calling it the greatest thing since sliced bread. As I said earlier, it better damn well be. There’s so much riding on the Bronco that any misstep will be magnified one hundred times over. But one minor detail? July 9 is one O.J. Simpson’s birthday – you know, the guy who was driven around in a white Bronco back in 1994 for an hour on national television. And you know the rest of the story. Oops. Ford PR minions insist that Simpson’s birthday is purely coincidental, and that they are going ahead with the Bronco reveal on July 9 (Ford PR has since announced that the Bronco reveal will be moved to June 13. -WG) Ultimately, it’s another thing not worth worrying about.

Next up? The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that Elon Musk is negotiating with the city of Austin, Texas, for an incentive package in order to put a Tesla plant in the area to build its electric pickup truck and Model Y. Travis County Commissioners were slated to discuss the matter on Tuesday (June 16) but unless St. Elon pulls one of his usual Muskian Nightmare moves and opens his mouth – which usually never goes well – I wouldn’t be surprised if Texas is the new home of a second U.S. Tesla plant. I wonder if there has been any accrued knowledge about car building by Musk and his minions, or will the new plant also be a model of abject labor inefficiency? It’s a giant “we’ll see” at this point and one more thing not worth worrying about. 

And then there’s Toyota. The company that has built its brand strength by being all things to all people is preparing, once again, to redirect its path down the performance road. Automotive News has reported that the new GR Yaris series features a 268HP version aimed directly at the enthusiast market. There are no plans to bring the little monster here, but it allegedly signals that Toyota is giving high-performance another run. We’ve heard all of this before, of course. It goes something like this: Toyota launches a concept or even a production vehicle with great fanfare, suggesting that the “new” Toyota will be a performance-oriented brand. It never lasts, of course, because the fuel of the Toyota machine is mainstream cars and trucks, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

Toyota also introduced a refreshed Lexus IS this week, with a host of changes and detailed improvements, particularly in the suspension for improved handling. That’s all well and good, but the new Lexus IS is on old architecture and in 2019 – pre-pandemic – its sales were down a sobering 35 percent. Toyota and Lexus are able to field some fine performance-oriented machines, but buyers aren’t flocking to them. That can be directly attributed to the realities of the Toyota/Lexus Brand Image. And it’s another thing in the giant scheme of things – especially amidst our current chaotic national situation – not worth worrying about.

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.