Having a Blast at Pebble
By Tom Kowaleski
GM Vice President, Communications
The Cadillac V series family
I just got back from the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance, and what a weekend it was. It’s hard to beat Pebble for beautiful machinery in a beautiful setting. Best in Show was a 1937 Delage D8-120 S Pourtout Ar√©o Coup√© owned by Sam and Emily Mann & Alfredo Brener from Englewood, New Jersey. This is a truly spectacular car. Check it out.
Watching and participating in the “goings-on” there during the weekend was a really uplifting experience, primarily because it proved to me that GM is making tremendous progress with our product programs.
Our new cars and trucks are getting on the trend line, and being perceived in an entirely new and positive light. I’m convinced that we are breaking through the old conventional wisdom that we’re incapable of doing visually compelling, dynamically satisfying cars and trucks. Corvette, Z06, all the new Cadillacs, Solstice, and yes, HHR, are chiefly accountable for this. And our other newer vehicles, like the LaCrosse and G6, are providing undeniable quality and value to the hundreds of thousands buying them.
At Pebble last weekend, we had the Solstice on the road throughout the area and it was a smash hit everywhere. We had to beg, borrow and steal to get three cars there and should have had a gaggle of Z06 models as well.
For example, a guy driving a new $290,000 Ferrari Super America pulled up to me when I was in a Solstice, looked over and said, “That’s a really cool car!” It was the same all weekend … there was simply no class system surrounding this car in a sea of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, BMWs and all other upscale brands. Not one person said, “It’s just a Pontiac.” Not one person said, “That’s nice … for a little inexpensive car.” Instead, everyone fell all over the car. A few fingerprint smudges were a small price to pay for all the adulation and affirmation.
We are working our way back into the “car guys’ club.” For a time, we ceased to be a real player in the enthusiast game. But all weekend I heard, “You guys are starting to do some neat stuff!” “Do you have the new [insert Z06, STS-V or Solstice] here?” “When can I try one of those new Cadillacs?” There’s no other way to put it: It all got me really excited!
Of course, not everyone is a car guy. But by building vehicles that please the enthusiasts, our reputation as a maker of inspired vehicles will continue to grow. We’re beginning to see the evidence firsthand, and believe me, it’s fun.
And that’s what helped make it such a great weekend. Yes, seeing all the old friends and unbelievably spectacular classic automobiles was a special treat, as always. But coming home feeling good about what we’re doing at GM was very sweet icing on the cake for me.
33 Comments
Leave a Reply
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
What a great article. I’m really glad to see some true objective observations about which products are to truly hot for enthusiasts and which simply bring quality and value. Keep it up guys and people will continue to notice.
That is nice but what about the CAMARO? There are thousands of people waiting to hear something from GM confirming the rumors, So why not tell us either way, If it is not going to happen that is fine. Just confirm it either way.
I see lots of people clamoring for a Camaro here and at gminisdenews.com. And I, too, would be very excited to have the affordable powerful car return. But at the same time I don’t want to see GM promise (or appear to) something, i.e. GTO Zeta, and then change their minds. It’s best for us only to know when it’s pretty much going to happen. Or, I’d rather that one December or January day, we hear that a Camaro is indeed in the works. And that’s all we know. We all assume they’re still thinking about it and that it’s 18 months away. Then, BAM! It’s announced officially just a few months later and the first arrive for summer – with convertibles in the lineup. What I mean is that a little “shock and awe” if/when it returns would be kinda neat
.
Well Hello,
Its great that everyone at GM thinks the mojos coming back, but I don’t think its time to party yet. Like Dennis said, What about the Camaro. The meaning of Camaro: Comrade, Pal, or Chum, has been true and had an impression on millions of people over the last 38 years, and I think I speak for almost all the enthusiast when I say we will only accept one answer. And that is That it will be at NAIAS 06.
On a different note, when Enthusiast are tickled to death, you get the best word of mouth advertsising you could ever imagine. look at what the camaro has done, look at the car clubs, the web sites, the hundreds of thousands of people that care so much about those cars. Even the Silverado SS has a website.
When I purchased my firebird formula, I didnt test drive it. I said I’ll take it, based on my friends recomendation, and my appreciation of being in the passenger side.
Enthusiast will propel any car, if you make it exciting.
The HHR has a buz right now, being at the dealership, we need more then 1.
The Solstice has a buz, but I have yet to see one at the Pontaic Dealer.
I dont know if GM knows it but, if you want to sell some cars we at the dealership need a few. Being the largest Chevrolet dealer in SoCal, we only have 9 cars, and have no Cobalts for several weeks now.
- end rant -
I hope GM can turn itself around, my stocks have been suffering but they are up today so I’m happy
From everything I’ve heard about slack-jawed Solstice viewers, it will do wonders for Pontiac. I bought 2 Mazda’s after my ‘90 Miata, I’m sure the Sol could do the same for Pontiac. But besides word of mouth advertising, you need to have some cars on the road. Tom, you’re the Communications VP – how about some communication with us first 1K owners who are waiting patiently for our Sols that were supposed to start shipping on 8/3. Only a handful of them have actually reached their owners.
If you want to “please the enthusiasts” and the general public too, BUILD A CAMARO!
The Solstice is GREAT, but the rest of Pontiac’s lineup is just Good (at best). The fact that there is a Minivan in Pontiac’s lineup REALLY hurts any credibility you have with the General Public of Pontiac being an “excitement” division. Leave the minivans and crossovers to Chevy. Give Pontiac SPORTS CARS!
The STS-V and Z06 are great, but for those of us who can’t shell out $65,000+ for a car, they aren’t really anything special. I need something that costs about what the Mustang does – about $20k to $25k with a V8 and RWD. Build it and they will come…
C’mon Jay……
It’s funny, you know. Jay Spenchian’s job description has him as the head honcho for Saab in the USA. And I think he actually believes it! Perhaps what he needs to realise a little more (or maybe it’s Rick Wagoner’s duty to get this) is that when he sp…
I had a chance to have a look at the new HHR at the Local GM Plant car show.
Based on pictures I’ve seen, and comments in the media, I fully expected to hate the Car and see another example of how GM has lost its way.
Things did not work out as planned. I loved the car, and would pick it as an alternative to any SUV or Minivan out there. Great design, and well priced.
Great Work GM ! An exciting Product ! You will do well with it !
TSMIC
Quotes about the Solstice…
I’ve seen bigger but I ain’t seen much better.
A car that looks better than a BMW Z3 for the price of a stipped down Solara.
Seems like Wall Street doesn’t share our enthusiam but I would like to remind GM and her enthusiasts that we are generally two years ahead of the curve. What we like the public will like but it takes them one to two years longer to hear about it and to get in the groove.
Even the 2005’s Cobolt and Equinox’s are still catching on and have not yet peaked in interest and sales. And where is the product???
And watch the HHR, Solstice and H3, they will not peak until 2007 or later.
I knew it. GM is wiped out of inventory. Put the Linden N.J. plant back on line. Do some overtime.
Anyway, GM it’s a goooood position to be in. We need more Solstices, HHR’s, Cobalts, Equinox’s, G6’s and coupes,H3’s, Impalas, Monte Carlos, 9-7X’s….
Time to go back to work.
Cool, when are we going to get a Camaro?
Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance, what a perfect place to display the new upcoming STS-V and XLR-V!
So where were they? I felt sure Cadillac wouldn’t blow this opportunity. Sadly, they were absent. The STS-V and XLR-V used in the auto shows should have been at this show!
Hello Tom,
I really think you have some winners for the Pebble Beach crowd. I know I am proud seeing US brands go head to head against the best. Especially when you consider the bang for the buck comparison.
However, I hope you are working hard behind the scenes creating affordable, mid-sized, volume rear drivers for the Dream Cruise crowd.
I love how you talk about the solstice. What’s the sence, they are making the cars but not shipping them. Sounds very stupid to me!!!!!! And you can’t get any answers from GM. It stinks!!!!
Seriously, when do we get a Camaro?
It’s good to hear that the Solstice is impressing people. There’s a lot to be said for sheetmetal that’s distinctive in a GOOD way.
But don’t start patting yourselves on the back for building vehicles that please the enthusiast just yet. Right now the only car the average joe car enthusiast can afford from GM is the Solstice, which is almost 400lbs heavier than its main competition, the MX-5, and only seats two. Sure, the turbo version will be great, but that’s not available yet. (Not that the regular Solstice is that available yet either, but I digress.)
The Cobalt SS? Don’t kid yourselves. Since the advent of competitive drifting, the era of the FWD econo-rocket is over. Sure, the SRT-4 and the Civic Si may linger on for a while, but they’re dinosaurs.
Enthusiasts prefer RWD and a stick shift with a clutch. End of story. The more practical you can make this package (seating for 4-5, an extra set of doors for those who want them), so that enthusiasts can justify buying them to others involved in the purchase process, the more you’ll sell.
Sure, you can impress the spectators at Pebble Beach with the Cadillacs and Corvettes and minimally available 2 seat roadsters. But if you really want to impress the average joe, how about building him or her a practical performance car he or she can afford? Call it the Camaro, call it the Chevelle, but GM needs something to take on the Mustang and the Charger/Magnum/300, and pronto. The GTO is too expensive, too heavy, and too much like a rental car to compete here.
You’ve got to have great product before you come close to having a “reputation as a maker of inspired vehicles.” Anybody can build good cars that cost a lot of money. Start building some inspired vehicles that cost less than $25k with RWD and a V-8 and a stick-shift and room for 4, and then see what happens to your reputation. Just give it a heritage nameplate, not some silly 3 letter acronym that nobody can recognize. (SSR = SOL).
That’s nice that you were cruising around in a Solstice; too bad I am still waiting for shipment of mine that was produced the week of 7/18. Repeated attempts to find out why a more concerted effort has not been made to fix any problems and get the car to my dealer have been futile. HOW ABOUT SOME CANDID COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR FIRST SOLSTICE CUSTOMERS?
All I know about Pebble is the road leading to it. A truly thrilling road from Morro Bay to Monterrey. I drove it twice in my ‘02 Z/28, after driving to the Santa Monica Pier along Route 66 from New Mexico.
How can GM continue to ignore our pleas for a new CAMARO and other affordable Rear Wheel Drive models. I do not believe this would go this far in any other industry, Normally a company will look to consumers for advise on products, With the Automotive industry it is the opposite. They build whatever they want and then try to find ways to entice their customers to purchase them. Employee discount for everyone. I appreciate the discount but would much rather have GM actually make a car that I just cannot live without. It amazes me how the same company that built the big block and small block chevy engines, LS1, LS2, LS6, 67-9 camaro’s, mid 60’s corvettes and soo many others could turn into this. How long can one continue force feeding before we look to another for what we want.
Have you seen that annoying TV advertisement where the “Ranch Tooth” says “ranch” 20 times in a 30 second spot? Well, your F-body posts are infinitely more annoying.
I’d appreciate if you would keep your posts relevant to the topic at hand and please take your F-body posts elsewhere.
Thanks.
Everyone, to follow up on the Pebble Beach enthusiasm for GM’s new cars, I got the chance to drive some of the new GM offerings a couple of days ago at an internal GM event. I was very impressed with the new cars I drove.
The Solstice everyone is talking about really suprised me. I figured it was just a bunch of hype for an good looking, but okay car. But this car has more character and personality than anything I’ve driven in a long time – not words you usually hear describing GM cars. It’s got a similar feel to an old MGB convertible but feels comfortable like my old 71 Pontiac T-37 does.
In terms of driving dynamics, this is the most impressive car that has come out of GM in a long time. A genuine joy to drive and be in.
The Chevy Trailblazer SS, which I had pretty low expectations about – boring SUV – is fast and fun to drive. Very cool car. Anybody who enjoys fast, powerful cars will enjoy this thing. 400 HP and 400 ft-lbs takes the weight out of 4500 lbs. You’ll be suprised.
Impala SS V-8: Sleeper family sedan. Looks docile and innocent enough. Drives easy enough. But when you give it full throttle, it sounds like a V-8 and moves fast. No torque steer – it hardly feels like a front wheel drive car. Your whole family will be happy.
The Cadillac STS-V: Very fast and very luxurious. Very impressive and desirable for those with too much money on hand.
Saturn Ion Red Line: Very nice car. Good interior for the price. With the 250 HP Stage 2 kit (underdrive blower pulley and larger injectors) – really moves. Feels like a lot more than a $20,000 car. No torque steer and instaneous throttle response, in a nice package. Feels like there is more room inside than it looks like. Inexpensive way to have a lot of fun. Probably the most everday enjoyable car I drove. If I was to buy one of these cars (on my current income) this would probably be it.
Cobalt SS Supercharged: Inexpensive youth car that has the walk to back up the talk. Great looking car inside and out. Solid platform. Great car for GM to tease the youth crowd.
The Corvette Z-06: Absolutely awesome. Explosive power, refined interior and smooth ride.
Anyways, these are just subjective experiences. If you don’t believe me, go test drive these things yourself. You’ll be suprised.
I was.
I am a longtime buyer of GM cars. However, the most recent car I bought was a 2005 MINI Cooper S. I decided I got tired of waiting for the Solstice to come out. But I want to share with you my ownership experience (I still have a late model Buick Century – Limited) for comparison purposes.
I recently had a windshield replaced due to getting it cracked following dumptrucks down a highway.
BMW/MINI Canada called me yesterday and did a phone survey asking me to rank 1-5 what I felt about various things. In my opinion, anything 3 and up should be quite satisfactory. A 4 meant I was happy and a 5 means I felt the item in discussion was done in an extremely exceptional manner -beyond my expectation.
So I gave a 3 for the workmanship of the glass installation because there was small splotches of glue left on my dash, which I had to rub off because I was taking the car to a show n shine the next day. About 10 minutes of my time afterwards. No big deal. I gave mostly 4’s and a few 5’s otherwise in a rather long survey which took over 10 minutes to get through.
Today, the head of the dealer’s service department called me to address my concerns because, apparently, anything less than a 5 meant he has an unhappy customer on his hands. I explained I wasn’t unhappy. I just felt the glue could have been cleaned up a bit better. A I didn’t feel the service was way beyond expectation, but was stil very good. I was still very pleased with them. But that’s not how BMW ranks them. So the dealer apologized for the glue, even though the glass install was farmed out to an autoglass company.
Wow….I did not know BMW/MINI Canada took customer satisfaction that seriously.
I’m going to have to stick to buying their cars when it’s time to replace my other cars.
In comparison, the last time my Buick was in for service, the work was completed as scheduled, the car was left in a mess and I was given a coupon for a carwash to be done “some other time at my convenience”, and though I was also surveyed, nothing ever became of it. Why do I have to get so angry at you guys in order to get something done right?
I’m glad GM cars are getting better. Let’s hear about the follow-up to GM’s tranformation.
GM has a big problem,if it builds a RWD performance V-8 powered car their CAFE will suffer because they will sell too many. GM does not have enought high milage 4 cylinder cars that sell to offset the drop in CAFE from the V-8 powered cars. Corvette can not meet the demand for the 3.15 performance axle because it hurts their CAFE too much
So if you liked the 1937 Delage so much – it looks like the 30’s caddy coupes – put out a 2008 eldorado that looks just like the 1937 Delage !!! -
Yesterday, I visited Lone Star Chevrolet and inquired about a brochure on the long awaited ‘06 Impala. Although, no literature was available, the salesman had one LTZ model on the showroom floor.
The car is leaps and bounds above the previous ‘00 to ‘05 Impala in regards to interior, exterior design etc. The silly looking rear tailights and plastic tailight facia is gone, the front end restyling is great. On the inside, the seats are so much more comfortable, the dash quality and layout is great, a Bose speaker system …WOW. Great work GM. I have often wondered why more quality wasn’t previously put into seat foam and leather materials on previous models. We spend most of our time in seats and glad you finally realized that seat comfort is important. The Impala seats are of the same comfort now as in my 98 Avalon. GM, you are headed in the right direction. If you produce autos with good styling, quality and comfort (as you are starting to do), many of your problems will solve themselves(because buyers will return to your products).
My recipe for GM in the compact car arena:
* Chevy Cobalt: dependable appliance transportation (SS notwithstanding…) to compete with the Civic, Corolla, Focus, Sentra, et al.
* Saturn Astra: forget badging an Opel Astra as an ION. ION has negative brand equity. Astra on the other hand has the European reputation and fits in with a semi-spacey Saturn name theme. More luxe compact with even more available performance than the Cobalt SS to compete with the Acura RSX and TSX.
* Pontiac G4: if the Kappa can’t be stretched into a sedan form-factor, it will never make business sense, even as a halo model, IMO; accordingly, I take it as a given that it can be stretched to that length. The G4 is a compact, RWD, sedan starting in the mid-to-high teens (with a 2.4L Ecotec), going to the lower twenties for a G4 GTP (3.9L VVT OHV), and reaching the mid-twenties for a G4 GXP with a 300-hp smallblock, all of the above with six-speed manuals or automatics. GM has a 3-series annihilator in it. The CTS is, despite Cadillac’s denial, too big to be a 3-series competitor (as is the Infiniti G35, for that matter…); a 3-series killer may also be taking Cadillac too far downmarket. Accordingly, Pontiac should be the home of a 3-series fighter. If the G4 is done properly, approaching what I envision, it will do even more than the Solstice to establish Pontiac’s credibility as a performance brand.
* Chevy Camaro: do the G4 as a 2+2 with a stripped interior. It’s not badge-engineering, and I doubt that many Camaro-buyers would think of a G4 and vice-versa; the Camaro sells youth and the traditional musclecar virtues (though with IRS… it has to trump the Mustang in order to justify being late to the party, just like the original F-bodies) while the G4 sells performance that you can use everyday (which is damn exciting to a lot of buyers, judging by the extent to which the 3-series is lusted after).
* Saab 9-2X. The third of the 4+ passenger Kappas (I have an idea for a fourth, for Saturn, that doesn’t really fit in this list…), I think an AWD-ified Kappa would be perfect for Saab as the next 9-2X. Standard AWD, available hatchback, more standard safety features, and a more luxe interior provide a differentiation from the G4 and justify the increased price (as opposed to the WRX versus the current 9-2X, where the differences are arguably less pronounced).
Only one marketing promotion ever tempted me to get off my couch and buy a car. It was years ago when the local Saturn dealer bought back a very high mileage car from a customer (at original MSRP) to use for promotional purposes.
Wow! That was cool! The dealer parked the car, with almost 300,000 miles on it, on the sales lot. I remember seeing the car, thinking, man, this company is different. Such faith in its product.
Funny thing–I haven’t seen that type of promotion recently. From any dealership. I wonder why.
So, you want to get back into the “car guys club”? Scrap the Mazda look-a-like 2008 GTO and build a real one, this time without Holden getting their grubby little hands on it.
1937 Delage? If I want a car with too much hood and not enough trunk, I’ll get either a ‘71 Monte Carlo or a Gran Torino.
That said, it’s a shame, what with all the American muscle and styling, the Pebble Beach mod squad relies on Euro-eccentricity to pop their buttons. Like a certain auto blogger, it’s always blame America first, never buy.
Only worse is GM’s propensity to name cars equally ham-handed such as LaCrosse and Lucerne. I’m amazed you haven’t resurrected the Cadillac LaSalle or created an “Aero Frog” special edition Corvette with fibreglas wheel skirts.
GM needs some can-do. So do it.
I think Cadillac Division is moving in the right direction with it’s products. There is one exception / omission: There is no CTS / CTS-V 4 passenger 2 door coupe available. I am sure Cadillac would be able to sell a few of these type cars. Also, in Canada the PONTIAC GTO is not being sold. I would buy a GTO today if GM would sell me one. It’s funny in that the only GM car that I really want is the one I can’t buy. The people I associate with say “GM has nothing” and I am starting to agree. Please give people a reason to say “GM has some great stuff again”. Note that we can’t all drive Corvettes.
I have been waiting for over a year to hear word on GTO’s in Canada. What options do us Canadians have if you want a GM product with V8 RWD.That you can get your familly in. Shell out $75,000. CDN for a Caddilac. Ya right! I only hope that GM will make those bumper safty adjustments or what ever the h**l it is that keeps the new GTO out of Canada. One more sold to me if they do.
I just got home late this evening, put the cover on the 73 Centurion Convertible and got my mail. Inside was a Lucerne brochure. I noticed someone said they thought the Avalon was better than Buick. I beg to differ. First, believe it or not, Buick has had better quality of late. Second the Buick offers a V-8 and has more torque. The V-6 in the Buick is the Chrysler Slant Six of our generation- not the latest, but bullet proof. Plus, the Buick dealers treat people better than Toyota- Buick has less volume! I’ve noticed ladies love my 73 Buick. I think the elegant lines catch their eyes. Buick should continue to focus on elegant, yet modern cars to capture upscale women who value quality, but want their car to show some class. How about a Lucerne Riviera? miss the 71 Boattail I had when I wes 19! Anyway, I’m 31 and love our 04 Malibu & Envoy, but I’m thinking I would really rather have (more than one) Buick. Goodbye Malibu:(, hello Lucerne:). I need to talk to the beloved Stephanie:)I think she likes that Chevy too much. I look forward to driving the Lucerne. Detroit builds em best-313
Like many others here in Canada, I too wish that GM would do what they need to do and offer the Pontiac GTO up here, and while they’re at it maybe do something with a Camero. It seems that GM is content with its loyal and long term customers being forced to head over to Ford for an affordable RWD Musclecar. I sent a similar comment to this off to GM in an e-mail and was given a response to the effect of too bad so sad. This does not sound to me like a response from a company that wishes to stay in business. I guess this attitude may have something to do with the current woes at GM with regard to their future. Maybe the brass up there needs to come down from their tower and listen to what the customers and potential customers are asking for.
These cars are absolutely beautiful. I know nothing like this is in demand in the UK, but do you think any of them will ever make it over here?
The Solstice is Great. However it is two things that I personally do not like or can not have in a car. It is a 2 seater, and it is convertible. Being married with 1 child and one on the way, you have nothing to offer me in terms of a performance car that can fit a family of four, that is affordable. I would love to drive a CTS-V, but there is no way I could afford one. The Vette? Perfect, but too expensive and impractical. The solstice? Definetely affordable, oh wait that’s right, they are gouging the customers on those. The GTO? Nice, but too expensive.
Also, Mr. Lutz I ask you to stop asking me to drive your vehicles, I have. I am unimpressed. Go test drive a Audi A6 sport in the same day you drive a GTO. I did and the GTO all but erased itself from my memory. I even drove a V6 Mustang and was a little more impressed with it’s handling chassis and roadfeel than I was with the GTO.
Oh yeah, all this talk about the Camaro….. Why did GM just drop the Camaro and not even come out with a single affordable pony-muscle car? Something to go back to the roots, with a back seat big enough for real people, 2 doors, nice styling that can go from mild with the base V6 model, or wild with a LS V8 under hood? Something affordable and tunable. Why not something like a 3800 series V6 base, a 5.3 for a middle model, then a LS2 SS version? I understand that the Zeta was under development. But this was 02. The GTO came out in what, 04? Priced in the 30s from the get go, and offered in automatic or manual, period, nice.
Why did GM give this market to Ford and not offer ANYTHING even if it didn’t say Camaro on it?
Oh if you tell me to look at the Impala SS, or the Pontiacs…… being someone who has eyes, I say no thank you.
Don’t tell me your designers have been unrestricted when your new Buicks look like last lifecycle Kias and Lexus’ mixed together.
Look at the number of SUVs you have and you could not produce a single entry level RWD coupe? BS.
Look at the number of 4 door sedans you have and you could not make one that is exciting to look at and affordable and at least AWD if not RWD?
Yeah you may tell me that FWD is more practical, but I am not going to buy your more practical car, I am going to buy something that I really want to drive.