George Orwell

Automotive News - May 14, 2007

let's...assign preliminary grades, based on sales performance, to some
of the new cars and trucks on the market for the 2007 model year...

A+: Jeep's Wrangler http://snipurl.com/1l6ym is easily the best of the
new breed. OK, I know the Wrangler has been around for years, but the
four-door hasn't, and the four-door is doing the job. Wrangler sales
were up 77.7 percent for the first four months of this year. It richly
deserves its grade of A+.

B+: The new Toyota Tundra http://snipurl.com/1l6yp receives a grade of
B+. Its sales have increased since its February introduction, and the
only thing that keeps it from an A is the fact that it has not yet
achieved its nut of 16,667 deliveries a month. That's what it will take
to reach Toyota's stated target of 200,000 a year. April was the new
Tundra's best month, with 14,200 sales. That's something else for the
Detroiters to worry about - as if they didn't have enough already.

Sharing the B+ grade is the Ford Edge crossover
http://snipurl.com/Ford_Edge - After four months, it was right on its
goal of 100,000 a year. But why is the goal so miserly? Face it,
neighbors: A 100,000-a-year seller isn't going to do much to save Ford
Motor Co...