With the drapes pulled tight, they spent the next six hours hashing out design features for a slew of new Fords that could be sold globally, including the next-generation Focus and a midsize car, and a small crossover utility vehicle (a combination of a car and truck).
Kempton's theory is beginning to win applause from some car and utility folks, but daunting technical and economic obstacles make it a tough sell.
New car models like the Chevrolet Equinox, that combine car and sport utility vehicle elements for more efficiency, led the sales surge, up by 60% last month.
That car had a bluff utility about it, full of stance, too dignified to be pretty.
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By the late '90s, however, Ford was obsessed with its highly profitable trucks and sports utility vehicles and neglected its traditional car lines.
Then add in all of your regular monthly direct debits - mortgage or rent, council tax, insurances, car costs including petrol, utility bills, food etc.
If we get plug-in hybrid cars, you can plug it in at night and sell back electricity to the utility, and then charge up your car again in the morning before you leave.
RX300, which is really a basic passenger car fitted out to look like a sport-utility vehicle.
Volvo, for instance, which recently added a sport utility vehicle to its lineup, will soon get a small car and another SUV.
Ford thinks it may have a hit on its hands with its forthcoming Edge crossover, a sleek car-based and relatively fuel-efficient sport utility.
At the same time it is weak in hot segments, like crossovers--vehicles that combine the softer ride and better mileage of a passenger car with the four-wheel drive of a sport utility vehicle.
Mr. Morar, the Savannah car-shopper, is still in the market for a BMW sport-utility vehicle.
To understand the importance of the mix, says Max Warburton of Bernstein Research, compare the cost of producing a small car such as the popular Fiat 500 with that of making a hulking sport-utility vehicle such as the Audi Q7.
In contrast, Porsche is in line for a bumper year, after the German luxury-car maker sold its entire annual 25, 000 production run of its new sport-utility vehicle before they were released to dealers.
The Forester continues to be among the most car-like crossover wagon, eschewing false ruggedness for a pleasing driving experience and good overall utility.
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