Same goes for smaller cars today. It’s been written ad nauseum that American motorists are turning toward smaller cars and away from the beastly sport utility vehicles and trucks of the turn of the century.

Small, But Gets the Job Done

The term crossover is being loosely applied to a variety of vehicles, a new marketing tool for car sellers. Consider it the corduroy shorts of the OP shorts era.

Not only are sellers touting vehicles formerly called wagons or coupes “crossovers”, they are racing to pack them full of standard and optional features that will make the next owner think they’re onto the next big thing.

Let’s take, for example, the Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe, two cars that are somewhat related due to an interesting partnership between Toyota and GM.

The two car-making behemoths together own the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant in Fremont, Calif., where the Toyota Corolla sedan and Tacoma pickup and the Vibe are produced.  (The Matrix is built at a plant in Ontario, Canada, that also builds Corollas).

Off to Disneyland

What auto-sale trends are indicating is that while motorists want to save money on gas, they are not inclined to squish themselves into a Mini Cooper or so-called smart car to do it.

Families need the space to haul kids to the beach from Thousand Oaks, back-and-forth to school in Santa Clarita, or to Disneyland from Long Beach.

To sell a car in Simi Valley, dealerships are attuned to family demands and know the Prius is not for everyone.

The SUV is no longer an option in high-gas-price areas like Anaheim or Santa Ana. Hence the push for the crossover.

Not all consumers are aware of what it means. In loose terms, a crossover is a sport utility vehicle built on the chassis of a car, making it handle more like car, and generally boosting fuel economy.

But they still maintain the interior space and hauling ability of an SUV.

The Vibe was introduced at the end of the 2002 model year, the Matrix during the 2003 model year.

At the time they were really small SUVs, maybe even station wagons, aimed at the younger audience. With the 2009 model year, however, both Toyota and GM have set their sights squarely on the gas-conscious audience, regardless of age.

Popular for All Ages

The Matrix is based on the Corolla platform. The new model starts at a bit more than $16,000, and its 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine gets 25 to 32 miles per gallon.

A new sporty model, the XRS, comes with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine getting 21 to 29 miles per gallon.

Toyota marketers are saying it presents “The body of a five-door hatchback and the soul of a sports car.”

Extras on the XRS give a glimpse of how Toyota is positioning the Matrix as its next round of surf shorts: a leather interior, rear spoiler, sport suspension, electric power steering and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, there are sport front bucket seats, a high-efficiency climate-control system, and a leather-trimmed steering wheel with audio-system controls.

Particularly attractive in California today, with its new can’t-drive-and-talk law, is the option of a hands-free Bluetooth phone connection.

Engine performance has also been praised, especially for a vehicle that on the outside looks like a small SUV. An interesting note: Toyota is just now calling it a crossover; previously it was a small wagon.

The Vibe now comes in a base model with the 1.8-liter engine, an all-wheel-drive version with a 2.4-liter engine, and a sporty GT version.

Beneath the body, the Vibe is a Matrix. However, GM redesigned the outside look to make it more Pontiac-distinct.

It started as a compact hatchback, the only in American Pontiac’s lineup, but has morphed into a crossover. It is similar to the Matrix in every aspect but one: you can get optional all-wheel drive.

A Good Option

The crossover is a good option for those who have a family to haul and want something as efficient as possible, both on the pocketbook and on the environment.

The post Marketing the Crossover to Cure the SUV Blues appeared first on Cash for Cars Selling Tips.

It’s both difficult and easy to understand the interest in this vehicle.

This is an American automaker rolling out a brand new vehicle which is essentially built to move lots of people that looks like a sport utility vehicle.

Does America Have Room For Another CUV?

Our question is this: Wait, isn’t the SUV dying a slow death due to high gas prices?
Sure, it’s a crossover, which results in better fuel economy, but enough to entice prospective new-car buyers to return to big?

The Flex is intended as an alternative for families from minivans and, yes, SUVs.

Why? Its official market is the crossover, or crossover utility vehicle.

Crossovers are cars, not trucks like SUVs, and are therefore easier to drive and less painful at the gas pump.

A crossover uses a car’s unibody construction, unlike the body-bolted-to-frame construction of SUVs and trucks.

It’s easy to see the interest, as people can drive around in what looks like an SUV and still haul all the kids and cargo, without getting killed at the gas station.

Still, there are skeptics. Some say the crossover is merely a marketing term. In January 2008, a Wall Street Journal article called CUVs “wagons that look like sport utility vehicles but ride like cars.”

Being Different, Inside and Out

So why is Ford rolling the dice with the Flex, a car with many parallels to an SUV in an anti-SUV society?

Some say the attraction is in the versatility, size and resulting better gas mileage.

Others like the way they look and feel. The Flex’s exterior is indeed unique, more squarish in the back than typical SUVs, with options for different window placements, including on the roof.

Some say it looks like an old-school station wagon.

That is, without being able to detect the pillars and windows – they are blacked out to blend together.

The roof comes in white, silver, or a cool style called “body-colored.”  Its large wheels, 18- or 19-inch, stick out nicely. There are neat features and gizmos inside and out.

Something that will open the eyes of its owners is a “capless” fueling system, which does not have the usual door and cap, instead using a sealing system that avoids losing emissions from the tank.

Options include

• An integrated navigation, phone, satellite radio, DVD and CD system
• Programmable lighting to create “moods”
• A refrigerated console between second-row chairs

The refrigerated compartment can cool up to seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles or two 20-ounce bottles to 41 degrees. It can also freeze down to 23 degrees! Perfect for tailgate parties.

How They Build the Flex

Ford’s new CUV comes in SE, SEL and Limited trims, and is powered by a 262-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard; all-wheel-drive is optional.

The Flex name comes from its production at what Ford calls a “flexible” assembly line in Oakville, Ontario, the same place that produces the Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers.

Among Ford’s crossover lineup, it serves as its full-size CUV, bigger than the mid-size Edge and full-size CUV /wagon Taurus X.

Price-wise, its starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $28,295, more than the Taurus X, but not as much as the Explorer.

A key to early raves is its seven-passenger capacity.

First the minivan carried that many people, until it was surpassed in coolness by SUVs.

Basically the Flex melded the shoebox shape of the minivan with utility of an SUV. Only time will tell if Ford succeeded in crossing over the market.

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