We peek into the future with our forecast; what manufacturers will be massive in 2014?
I was asked this question recently by friends on Twitter –
what manufacturers do you think will be massive in 2014?
It is not a simple answer (although I did attempt a simple
tweet to answer their question) but it is a relatively easy one. Budget marques
will continue to gain momentum this year.
Budget Cars will be the Stars…
Budget cars used to mean rubbish cars. This, of course, is
no longer the case.
It was no surprise to me today to read that Hyundai-Kia announced their forecast
vehicle sales figures for 2014 of being in the region of 7.86 million units.
Both Hyundai and Kia offer affordable, quality and well-styled
cars. They also offer excellent warranties for peace of mind and reliability
across their ranges.
Dacia – now there’s another one. Yes, we all know about the
Duster; despite its dubious NCAP safety rating, it offers great value and when
Renault pull their finger out and get some serious aesthetic overhauls going on
the other cars in the range (and, of course, when they further expand the model
range), they will certainly be one to watch.
And let’s not forget that other, more mainstream
manufacturers are not sitting back idly twiddling their thumbs. Peugeot,
Renault, Vauxhall and Citroen have all made improvements across the board in an
effort not to be out-done.
Prestige Marques
The budget car is all very well but where does it leave the
prestige cars – in particular, the three main fighters in the ring: Audi,
Mercedes & BMW?
Sales are still healthy in this sector but again, it is a
changed beast these days. Gone are the poor value specification vehicles and in
their place stand shiny new technology-packed, economical, greener and
sometimes even cheaper executive cars.
More top-end manufacturers like Porsche need not worry – in
my view, their audience will always be there. It’s a different kettle of fish,
after all.
Green Cars
All is not lost for the green car, either. This year saw the
Porsche 918 Spyder take the stage – the fastest car in the world is a hybrid.
You will see more by the end of 2014, I promise you that.
We now have what were always thought of big gas-guzzlers
coming through in hybrid form. The Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport and the
X5 are all now available in eco-variants.
Keep an eye on the Japanese brands; remember that their
technology is well above-par and quite a way ahead when comparing it to some of
their contemporaries. Toyota, Nissan and Honda all have a mark to make – they
definitely want to lead the way with anything that is environmentally friendly.
Summary
So overall, I have made greener, leaner and cheaper top
selling car predictions for the year ahead.
However, keep this in mind: the Ford Fiesta and the Ford
Focus are the UKs top-selling cars. It seems that the nation’s familiarity with
these well-loved cars is tough competition for all of the marques that I have
mentioned; if any of their models outsell the Fiesta, I will, most definitely,
eat my hat.
Written by @MotorMistress
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