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Honda poised for growth, Detroit to hold steady, Car Wars study says

The automotive industry is expected to keep booming in the US over the next several years, but the train might start running out of steam in the long term, according to 2015's Car Wars report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy. The forecast focuses on changes between the 2016 and 2019 model years, and the latest trends appear similar in some cases to the past predictions. Sales are expected to keep growing and reach a peak of 20 million in 2018, according to the Detroit Free Press. The expansion is projected to come from a quick pace of vehicle launches, with an average of 48 introductions a year – 26 percent more than in 1996. Crossovers are expected to make up a third of these, maintaining their strong popularity. However, Murphy predicts a decline, as well. By 2025, total sales could fall to around 15 million units. As of May 2015, the seasonally adjusted annual rate for this year stands at 17.71 million. Like last year, Honda is predicted to be a big winner in the future thanks to products like the next-gen Civic. "Honda should be the biggest market share gainer," Murphy said when presenting the report, according to Free Press. Meanwhile, in a situation similar to Car Wars from 2012, a lack of many new vehicles is expected to cause a drop for Hyundai, Kia, and Nissan. Based on this forecast, Ford, General Motors, and FCA US will all generally maintain market share for the coming years. The report does make some future product predictions, though. The next Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra might come in 2019, which is earlier than expected. Also, Lincoln could get a Mustang-based coupe for 2017, a compact sedan for 2018 and an Explorer-based model in 2019, according to the Free Press. Related Video: News Source: The Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Ford GM Honda Lincoln Car Buying fca us

Lincoln Aviator could make a comeback

The idea of Lincoln dropping its alphanumeric scheme in favor of real names was welcomed by fans of the marque and even appeared possible after the rousing reception to the Continental concept. Now, rumors suggest that the next of the luxury brand's nameplates to see a possible revival just might be the Aviator. Don't get your hopes up quite yet, though. The Truth About Cars admits that this tip comes from a second-hand source, but the person reports that Lincoln has a project codenamed Aviator as a model based on the Explorer. There's evidence to give the rumor some shaky support, though. Ford already has the trademarks for the name and AV8R. Also, an Explorer-based vehicle in 2019 is included for the brand's predictions in the recent Car Wars forecast. Autoblog reached out to company spokesperson Sam Locricchio, but he would not speculate about future products. The same source claims to The Truth About Cars that the Blue Oval might not replace the Ford Flex or Lincoln MKT when the current generations come to an end. Also, the next-gen Expedition and Navigator could use 10-speed automatics and follow the F-150 to get aluminum bodies, which is also already rumored. Although, all of this should be taken with a big grain of salt until anything more official has arrived. Lincoln spokesperson Stephane Cesareo gave The Truth About Cars no comment on the rumor, but said, "By 2020, we expect to expand the segments that we participate in by adding two new nameplates to the Lincoln brand. We have not provided any indications about the products or their names." Related Video:

Lincoln Corsair reportedly getting a PHEV among three engine options

What's a Lincoln Corsair, again? That would be the forthcoming replacement for the current Lincoln MKC compact crossover, and we know little about it besides its name change and the fact it'll be related to the also-redesigned Ford Escape. However, The Truth About Cars says it saw paperwork Ford filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration detailing Corsair powertrain options. These VIN decoder documents reportedly indicate three available engines, including, most notably, a plug-in hybrid. TTAC, which didn't post the documents, indicates the hybrid's heart will be a 2.5-liter Duratec four-cylinder – such an engine currently power base models of the Ford Escape and Fusion. All-electric driving range is unknown, but the Fusion Energi can go 25 miles, and crossover competitors do anywhere from 22 to 26 miles on EV power. What we do know is that all PHEV Corsairs will come with AWD. This would be the first time we've seen mention of a Lincoln Corsair plug-in hybrid, but the idea isn't far fetched. The new Lincoln Aviator will offer a plug-in hybrid version, and we know there's a traditional hybrid version of the related Ford Escape crossover on the way. Spy shots of that vehicle from earlier this month didn't show the plug-in port where Ford likes to put it, on the left front fender. We expect a different powertrain in that model and we also wouldn't be surprised if there's an Escape PHEV as well. The other two powertrains will reportedly be the MKC's 2.0-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder as the base, with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost continuing to be an optional upgrade. TTAC also says the VIN document indicates that trim configurations have changed to simply offering standard and Signature trims (from the MKC's standard, Select, Reserve, and Black Label levels). This is hard to believe given that every other Lincoln offers a Black Label and is usually the model featured in promotions and official photography. There's still a lot to be learned about the Lincoln Corsair, including whether these VIN documents are accurate. We expect to know more later in the year. Given that the Lincoln Aviator was shown before its Ford Explorer sibling, we wouldn't be surprised if the Corsair made its official introduction first. Related Video: