The American analysis and commentary website 24/7 Wall St. has released its annual list of 10 important brands sold in the United States that could disappear within a year. For the latest edition of the list, the site has named two carmakers which it believes will exit the US market next year.
The first car brand on the list is Volvo, with a US-market share of a very measly 0.3%. The website says that a car company that targets the mid-luxury market without a wide range of vehicle offerings \"would find it hard to make any progress in the US.\" The site also mentions a problem of the Swedish carmaker in China, where its dealerships supposedly inflate sales figures in order to receive cash incentives from the auto company. China has been Volvo\'s home since 2010 after being bought by Zhejiang Geely Holding.
The second carmaker on the list is Mitsubishi. Although the Japanese car brand has had some success in the US with the Lancer and the Eclipse, its sales have reportedly been steadily declining with its market share now at 0.3%, just like Volvo. The site notes that one of Mitsubishi\'s weaknesses in the US is that it has a very small model lineup, and that it ranked third from last out of 33 brands in the recent J.D. Power vehicle dependability survey.
Can this prediction be trusted? Well, let\'s just say that last year\'s version of the list included Suzuki, which is indeed now gone from the US market.
Whatever happens, let\'s count ourselves fortunate that our humble market proudly has Mitsubishi, Volvo and Suzuki.
