Everybody’s Got an Opinion. . .
By Mark LaNeve
GMNA Vice President, Sales, Service and Marketing
Everybody has an opinion about cars and trucks. That’s part of what makes this business great. And that’s what this blog is all about — the ideas, opinions and even arguments inspired by cars and trucks.
While never one to turn down a good-natured argument, I’m here to tell you that there’s one voice more important than anyone’s. That is the opinion of the buyer. There is simply nothing more significant or enduring than the actual experiences of vehicle owners. The owners are speaking — and they have very good things to say about GM cars and trucks, things that buck the conventional wisdom.
The entire Cadillac division and its CTS sedan, the Chevy Silverado HD and Corvette are winners in AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. This award is based solely on the direct input of vehicle owners in the U.S. Cadillac was named the best overall Premium/Luxury Brand in the industry for owner satisfaction. The CTS was awarded best Entry Luxury Car. Silverado HD won the top spot for Heavy Duty Pickups. Corvette was the winner in Sport Cars category.
I think these wins are of special significance. Premium and luxury segments are where the legendary brands battle for the most discerning consumers. Those savvy buyers — the folks who spent their money, not the pundits — say that they are most satisfied by Cadillac. AutoPacific’s study noted strong performance across the Cadillac brand, with CTS winning the entry luxury segment. CTS is a winner for Cadillac on many levels, its sales have increased in each of the four years it’s been on the market, it showcased our return to RWD and it has shaken up people’s opinions of our flagship luxury brand.
Everyone knows how strong Chevy Silverado is in the U.S. market. The choice of Silverado HD as the most satisfying heavy-duty pickup is important, as these owners demand more of their trucks on a daily basis than anybody. The Duramax diesel is a big reason for this award, and has lead a huge turnaround in the diesel market — a segment in which not too long ago, GM was an afterthought.
No question that the Corvette has a full trophy case already. And this legendary car has been well loved for more than 50 years. But, it wasn’t too long ago that people did not think of Corvette as truly comparable to the world’s best. Those days are over. Corvette is now universally viewed a very serious competitor at the highest level. And the truest experts — as opposed to the armchair quarterbacks — say it’s the most satisfying sports car, as Corvette beat Porsche 911 in AutoPacific’s study.
While there are lots of reviews, ratings and rankings, the ultimate measuring stick is the actual experience of the buyer and owner. We feel our new cars and trucks can win this most important battle —satisfying customers.
- Posted in Business
Nathan Lawless
Mark,
You are exactly right, the buyers are speaking. Note GM’s declining market share, even in the face of heavy incentivization. What are they saying? The majority of your lineup is so far below standard that not even employee pricing will keep them from paying thousands more for a Camry, Accord, or 300.
I will be the first to defend GM and say that in pockets their cars are great. The GMT900 series is world-class and I would love to own a 2008 Tahoe hybrid to haul my 5 kids in. Similarly, I’ve longed for a CTS-V since I first laid eyes on one, and I’ve wanted a Corvette Z06 since I could talk. That being said, the vast majority of your production car lineup in the meat of the market (10-30k 4 door sedans with 4 and 6 cylinder engine varieties) is bottom of the barrel and really quite embarrassing. The styling on the Cobalt, Malibu, and Impala is poor to say the least. The Pontiac G5 is a horrible mistake in badge engineering that should be scrapped immediately. Thankfully most of the Saturn lineup is disappearing and being replaced with good looking machinery. The fact is, buyers vote with their pocketbooks, and they obviously aren’t voting for you.
Upgrade exterior, interior, powertrain, and driveline, and you’ll never have to cut prices again. Make all of your cars best in class and the demand will be there. You will probably never hit 50% in US market share again, but there is no reason to think that 25% is unattainable and unmanageable if the product is there to support it.
Nathan Lawless
Indianapolis, IN
Mike Teague
I have been driving new Corvettes since 1993. These are fantastic, first class engineered, incredible performing and efficient cars that strongly promote the Chevrolet and GM product.
Tom Guarriello
Given your post, Mark, I’m sure you’re all besides yourselves with glee about the great publicity you’re receiving from Don Imus. While he wasn’t all that crazy about his Hummer’s mileage (!), he’s become a great spokesman for his Ranch’s current vehicle, which (you’ll pardon my forgetfulness) I believe is a Silverado.
And, while we’re on the subject, your appearance during the WFAN Radiothon for the Imus Ranch for Kids With Cancer and the CJ Foundation for SIDS was a big hit.
Nice work.
klunick
My comments are based only on my personal experiences and observations. GM is drifting hard. In todays Washington Post, a GM exec stated that consumers just don’t get it and that GM actually makes more cars with a higher fuel efficiency than any other brand. I sure this is probably true. But, the simple fact is that GM needs to not look at the customer satisfaction on a vehicle that is new, lord knows, it should be built right, but look at what the owner thinks of the vehicle at 100k miles. I say this because I have owned many vehicles and find that if it is american made, you better get rid of it before 100k. I currently own a 92 toyota that has almost 300k on the odometer. That is a statement that a car manufacture can hang their collective hat on. I understand that GM is “In the business of making and selling cars” but GM needs to realize, we will buy cars many times in our lifes and a bad experience with a product will taint the brand for that individual for life. My above example means that I will buy Toyotas to drive daily. They are dependable, get decent mileage and will last a long long time. I have no incentive to buy GM. Why would a Cobalt for the same price as a Corolla when my experience tells me the Corolla will last 3X longer. I like the looks of the Cobalt better, but heck, you would have to sell it for well under $10k to make it even appealing. Another point against GM is the lack of styling. The Impala is a case in point. It was a real nice looking, riding, etc. car until this last year. What committee decided to put bulbous headlights on the car and make the rear end look like a Dodge Stratus. I am not saying GM is alone in this a certainly Toyota styling or even Honda has always been somewhat bland, but GM needs to listen to the consumer, produce cars that look appealing, have decent mileage, and are competative with the imports in price. Again, this is only my opinion but I thought GM should know a future buyers thoughts
Rik
Want to win another catogory? Build the Camaro… soon.
Josh
nothing has improved the image for gm more than the zo6. the people who owned corvettes always knew that it was a full on sports car that could beat the best the europeans had to offer but it was the zo6 that brought the corvette into the spotlight. cadillac is a shining star that leads the way for all the other damaged brands at gm. pontiac and buick are starting to make the same changes and saturn has already rounded the corner. profits will follow.
Tony
Satisfying customers is very important. So is making a more unique line of cars.
I’m a huge GM fan but am utterly disappointed and a bit disguted by the blatant attempt to make everyone think the Relay, Terraza, Uplander and the Pontiac version are different vehicles.
My mother-in-law was considering an Uplander until I showed her the other 3. Even she (not a car person) could easily tell it’s the same car with a different grill.
I fully understand and can appreciate sharing parts, but there is nothing to differentiate any of these vans from each other… oh except the grill.
I assume this won’t be posted. I just wanted to tell someone at GM how disappointed I am in thier mini-vans…
getalifeagain
The buyer definitely has something to say, but in the end the engineers and designers have to translate what the buyer wants into a vehicle.
The auto company that does it best, is the winner (in most cases - i.e. the one million serious recalls from Toyota).
Joshua Ferguson
With almost 36,000 miles, we love our Cobalt, and look forward to buying another GM product in the future.
Martin
GM suffers from a horribly myopic ‘insider’s view’ of the itself and the auto business, much as many politicians in Washington D.C. only hear the voices coming from ‘inside the Beltway’.
GM TELLING you that it’s listening to you and GM ACTUALLY listening to you, and then ACTING on what you tell them, are two entirely different things.
Much like economic forecasters, the automotive press is ALWAYS overly enthusiastic about ANY new model.
Mr. Langlitz
I am a very satisfied German driver of an Alero. After 5 years and more than 60.000 miles it’s still as reliable as the much more expensive Mercedes Benz, Volkwagens etc. normally should be. But they aren’t, when I look around at my neighborhood. In addition the Alero provides a quite and smooth ride and the fuel-economy is also satisfying. My next car will be a GM-vehicle again, that’s for sure. My wife got a brandnew Aveo three weeks ago and she loves it, too, even more when it gets the additional LPG-tank within the next few days, what makes it inexpensive to run, I believe, even more inexpensive and less pollutant than a Prius. ;o)
corvetteconti
yes , build the camaro before the challenger hits!
George
The sad part about the “Big 3″, is that they truly don’t realize how much ill will they generated over the years with cars that basically fell apart after 80,000 miles. I can tell you from experience that I have had 3 American Cars and all of them starting having things fail at the 80,000 mile mark. I recently had a foreign car that I recently put 150,000 miles on, and was running like a champ until it got hit.
What do the Big 3 have to do to win back people ? Its simple. They have to start offering 150,000 mile bumper to bumper warranties. That will show the consumer that the Big 3 are indeed committed to quality, and that type of guarantee gives the consumer a much better change of getting a car that will last rather than one that falls apart.
Is 150,000 miles extreme ? You bet, but the Big 3 did this to themselves, and its the only real way to get the consumer back
Will
I have been a recent owner of a ‘02 Alero and it was an absolute awesome vehicle. Ride, quality and and gas mileage were awesome. Any problems were fixed immediately.
It has returned back to the dealership and I now own a ‘06 GMC Sierra truck. The gas mileage is to be lower as expected but not nearly as low as the competitors.
I believe that GM has done a fine job with it’s new products. While I am not a fan of the new Relay, Terraza, Uplander, I would park the cobalt, G6 and many other GM products in my driveway anytime with pride. The quality of these new products are very respectable in comparison with any other auto manufacturer.
Global Giants
Cadillac CTS Wins Owner Accolades, Sales Success
Owners choose Cadillac CTS in AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award. Cadillac CTS has been a trend-setter in auto design, a hit with consumers and industry experts. Now according to a recent survey, luxury sport sedan owners say CTS is the most…
ajgray
I am about to put money on a convertible. The cars I test drove were the SLK 280, Z4 SI, and Saab Aero. The only reason I considered the Aero, was the Born of Jets commercial where the flight of Viggens form up on the Saab (I haven’t seen this commercial in a very long time). The car performance sold itself (that V6 with turbo makes an outstanding first impression). Something had to get me into the dealership to try it. Unfortunately, the commercial was run so long ago it was more to satisfy my experimental side than fresh enthusiasm, which is too bad. Saab could use more positive press or some movie/video game publicity to gain some recognition in the US. That convertible left a very strong first impression. The hybrid convertible Saab has lined up could replace a great many 3 series out there… if it’s done right.
Chris Hayne
Quick comment:
I agree with Nathan that the Pontiac G5 (and the Torrent) are huge mistakes in badge engineering. However, this can be excused if these are used as a ‘quick fix’ to fill out the Pontiac lineup i.e. move metal only until Pontiac can get is own, distinct vehicles.
So hopefully these will do the trick and keep Pontiac sales figures from declining until that happens.
Badge engineering ruins brand identity. Period. This may undo some of the good that has come out of the Soltice. We should note that there is a difference between badge engineering and shared components, the latter being fine. Eg. Pontiac G6 and Chevy Malibu are distinct enough to make it work.
Cheers,
Chris
DW
It’s true that many GM vehicles do get high praise, but there are some that don’t. The Cobalt has got mixed reviews and doesn’t hold up much against the competition. So why is it getting the worst badge job imaginable with the G5? At least fix the Cobalt’s problems before rebadging it as a Pontiac. Ditch the electric steering, make the leather seats softer, put a real center console in with usable cupholders, get a 5 or more speed automatic (I do have to admit though that it gets good gas mileage with the 4 speed but most of the competition has moved to 5 speeds - this makes the Cobalt appear outdated) and I’m sure there more fixes some Cobalt owners could add to that list. Then maybe think about rebadging. In addition to that, the G5 is a horrible rebadging job. The only thing different it seems is the grille, steering wheel, and rear bumper (though only the relocation of the back-up lights). That is pathetic. At least change the headlights, taillights, bumpers, hood, wheels and spoilers for a rebadge (especially if the interior goes basically unchanged). The interior needs at least (to fit the Pontiac “performance” image) better bolstered seats because just having an all black interior doesn’t make it any sportier (just hotter). And why isn’t the supercharged 2.0l available on the G5? Isn’t Pontiac the “performance” division? Seems if the G5 is to become a permanent model for Pontiac that it should be the G5 that receives the supercharged model, not the Cobalt. Though honestly, the G5 seems rather pointless and redundant to me, a waste of money (though it can’t cost that much to basically slap a different badge on a car) that I’m sure could have been better spend elsewhere (maybe on a Camaro or new GTO).
Ming
Mr. LaNeve,
I really hope that you can bring the success of Cadillac to GM’s other brands, even if that means paring them down sharply to where they are nearly back to the days of having only a couple of models per brand.
With the Pontiac-Buick-GMC showrooms, however, I already see a strange decision to have both the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia, with what I’m guessing will be very similar if not identical powertrains, sold in the same dealerships.
GM invested a lot of time, money and engineering into reviving Cadillac. I just don’t think it will be possible to do that to all of GM’s brands - and keep Cadillac fresh - unless you start relying more heavily on Opel, GM Daewoo, and Holden to design, and sometimes yes even produce more cars for more of GM’s umpteen North American brands.
Good luck, and keep the good things coming. GM needs more than Cadillacs, trucks and sports cars, however - it needs a solid, class-leading volume car that earns the respect of not just GM fans (I plan to buy the 2007 Impala E-85 LT2) but the automotive press as well.
The Hyundai Azera and new Camry have raised the bar. Now GM needs to meet that challenge head on. Unlike some others, I don’t think that means RWD. It means the 2008 Malibu should ride on the G6’s longer wheelbase, should get a significanly visibly more attractive interior, and a class leading (not just “value” leading) powertrain.
If you plan to stick with the 60-degree “High Value” engine line, then the 3900 should get 3-valves (as long rumored) to boost the Horsepower. The AFM was a great addition, BTW. And stop calling it a Value engine — sounds like a blue light special at K-Mart.
Anyway, I could ramble on, but in short I agree, GM does have class leading products. Now how about advertising the lesser known products as well. Where’s my E-85 Impala ad?
Edward Hayes
Somebody said before that Toyota is vulnerable and this satisfaction survey proves it. Many analysts were saying that this would be “The Year of Toyota”, like “The Year of the Car”-no it’s not. What is is the decade of the crossover and this is turning out to be GM’s year for many, many reasons.
1. #1 stock performer on Dow Jones 30 Industries so far this year with nearly 40% return.
2. #1 concept at Detroit Auto Show. The Camaro of course.
3. #1 in customer satisfaction for Cadillac brand, beating, or more precisely dethroning Lexus.
4. #1 in the full size SUV category with a market share approacing 70%.
5. #1 in the advancement and production of ethanol capable vehicles. This is a proven fuel alternative that has already made Brazil energy independant.
6. #1 in cost reductions for any automaker, indeed, any industry.
7. #1 and fastest growing automaker in the fastest growing market in the world, China.
8. #1, yes still #1 in the world, but most importantly…
9. #1 in vehicle design and improvement with concepts and vehicles that are leaps ahead of the vehicles they replace.
While other automakers take continuous and consistent steps, GM is taking the leap with cars and concepts like the Solstice, FJ Efigy and Enclave just to name a few.
10. #1, that’s right #1 automaker in the world for customer interaction and openness with this here forum.
Make that the #1 company in the world for this. GM I told you all your plans and dreams are coming true but I make this point again.
Dream bigger with Buick, PLEASE! Build the brand. Buick should be selling 1 million cars in the US each year. It must become a top tier automaker not a second tier afterthought. By compromising Buick’s brand independance with corporate and bureaucratic integration this is what you are doing…
You are putting the sale of 100 million Buicks over the next century at risk. Stronger brands are waiting to move in like Infinity, Acura and Lexus. Even domestic cars like the 300 and Imperial can steal Buick’s proven place in the automotive landscape.
Sales today are proving it’s not just the product, it’s the brand that also must be rebuilt and Buick has to be next to take the leap. Trust me this does matter to the customer, it is exactly what BMW’s adds are all about.
I am telling you this for one reason, I know you can do it.
Bob Zeliff
I partially agree. GM has several success that you mention and as a CTS-V owner, which I chose over BMW 3 and 5 series, over Audi S4 and A6 4.2 and over Lexus you are on the right track in some areas. But a company you size have to hit more than a few home runs to maintane you business let a lone grow. Your mid size pickup redesign of the Colorado and Canyon fall substantial short of the competion in several areas. I will be trading in my S-10 for a Nissan or Toyota. I think you have too many models and must focus on fewer and make them great, feature and value leaders in their nitch. Now that we have good Diesel full coming up lets get some smooth powerfull diesels in your small trucks and in you cars. I think that a much better way to better fuel economy than highly complex hybrid cars which are likely to be dogs on the used car market when they have 70000 miles and are 5 years old. When these hybrid cars get old they will be leaving a sour note on their brands.
ScottZ
The CTS is good and the next gen should be great. I just wish I didn’t have to pay $50k for a RWD V8 performance sedan from GM. Come on, get a real 300C/Charger competitor, preferably in the Pontiac lineup, and do it NOW!!
Rene Curry
Hello Mark,
I think you need to look at your success and build on that. Take Corvette, Cadillac, etc. It involves building premium vehicles using off-the-shelve corporate parts while hiding that fact to the average consumer. That allows you to have the best price and product in any given segment at the best price point. I don’t see anyone complaining about the same proven drivetrains (NorthStar, SBC, etc) being used across the brands. Same for all the unseen items like air conditioning systems, charging systems, etc.
GM is the largest automaker and you cannot get away from that at this time. So while creating a good price points and good products in the premium segment, you are missing the boat on most of the affordable volume segments.
For volume, make standard platforms and drive trains for Chevy, Pontiac, Buick. Yes a little badge engineering, but the difference should be that they cannot look the same in anyway and each brand should be true to it’s character and price point. Chevy should be the lowest price point. Pontiac should be performance & handling, Buick should be luxury. (Mind you Cadillac should not share platforms with these three groups except Corvette)
Remember, styling sells. Also design the platforms for easy body (& roofline) & interior changes.
Have annual model changes involving grilles, lights etc. Design/plan these changes at the beginning. This creates a yearly buzz and encourages purchases to be up to date.
You don’t need to reinvent the platform. Just the body & interior.
I think you are now doing the right thing with Saturn. This should be the “any country, any platform” group that should trace worldwide trends or currency levels.
Segments…
Where is that small & mid-size RWD platform? It’s out there waiting for the taking.
William Lanteigne
So, this means GM won’t need to be offering a truly “world class” 10-year, 100,000-mile, or better, transferable warranty on North American made cars and light trucks?
gtjeff
I have seen alot of positive changes within GM over the last few years, but I feel like any other company, the one’s that are truly customer focused will succeed.
Your blog could be a useful tool, since many people give valuable insight. It would be nice to acknowledge it when people do. There are people here who could help in your turnaround.
Potential Camaro buyers have said in huge numbers that they are ready to sign on the dotted line, yet almost 5 months have passed since the Detroit auto show and no production announcement. The time to strike is when the fire is hot. If I was Ford, I would be very concerned about the new Camaro.
Then, when GM makes a unique product like the SSR or Saturn Sky, people will say “it’s cool, BUT” (it’s too expensive or unavailable.) You need more vehicles that are affordable, available and cool. The fiero was a good example of this strategy. Only GM would cancel its highest volume sports car.
Show your customer focus by building a new mid-engine coupe, a compact size rwd coupe, Grand Natl, El Camino, Nomad, Belair, a high volume Sky coupe, a CTC, another affordable four seat convertible, something rwd for the police market and a few rwd sedans.
Dont forget about Pontiac, the brand is withering on the vine. It seems too much funding is going Saturn’s way, considering how small their dealer network is copmpared to B/P/GMC. Considering the huge increase in the number of retirees in the near term, Buick is also getting the short end of the stick.
There is alot of talk about new product in the pipeline, its would be nice to hear more about some of it.
Paul
Great. Heavy duty pickups that I don’t need. Luxury cars that are out of my price range and are impossible to park, and sports cars that are about as useful to me as a bicycle to a fish.
The only GM car that I can possibly use is a Vibe. Small, roomy, relatively fuel efficient. And I’ve already got one. And it’s basically a Toyota design.
I see no GM cars in my future.
Smell the Leather
Mark,
On the whole, I like GM cars and trucks. That’s what I drive. But if there is one thing that rubs me the wrong way, it’s the leather seating in GM cars. It absolutely drives me nuts that GM seats are not all leather, especially on your luxury vehicles. And it gets even worse in the back seats. There is absolutely no reason that a $60,000 vehicle should have vinyl bolsters or headrests, like the Escalade does. Please, please, please, when you do leather seating, do away with the vinyl. Do 100% leather, even on the rear seats. Look at the Honda Accord for inspiration. They have nice leather, even in the rear seat. And if you feel really ambitious, look at BMW leather, they must have the best in the industry.
GEORGE
I think the 2 biggest problems that GM has right now are hit on this line of posts. GM is diluting it’s market awareness with mulitple versions of the same vehicle. In the last 8 years here are some examples. I know there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind. Late 90’s Malibu & Olds Cutlas, Alero & Grand Am, Sunfire & Cavalier, All of the vans, most recently Equinox and Torrent.
The other problem, is they make the incentive programs too complicated that the dealers can’t even understand them.
Keep it simple, if you don’t have enough unique products to fill your brands thin your brands.
George
Bryan Schoch
I am very glad to hear that GM is listening to the buyer and trying to give them what they want. As a long time GM owner and loyalist, that makes me happy. I absolutely love my 2005 Trailblazer and I have also been driving a 1986 S-10 Blazer for 10 years. These are just my trucks, I also have a 98 Trans Am, a 79 SE Trans Am, and have owned close to 25 other Trans Ams/Firebirds.
One thing I must say is if you listen to the buyers and the enthusiasts, you must bring back the Firebird if you bring back the Camaro. It will help sell both lines and you won’t be sorry. Speaking as a person who is planning on placing a pre-order as soon as they announce they are making a Firebird, I say build it.
I will not be buying a Camaro because I am a Pontiac guy, and I will not be buying a GTO because it is not a Firebird.
http://www.savethefirebird.com is a site I just started for Firebird enthusiasts to post their opinions and show their support for the Firebird.
Joe Mannix
Mark,
A friend of mine took her Buick LeSabre in to a Buick dealership for repair and rented a new Buick to drive. The problem was she didn’t know what she was driving. When I asked her if it was a Lascrosse or a Lucerne and she said ” A What?” Customers don’t know what these models are anymore. What’s the Buick that reminds me of floor tile when I hear it’s name? I think the customers are confused with so many vehicles that a new name alone doesn’t intice them to buy.
Jose' Rodriquez
well you have the opening sentence right. That’s a start well I have a few things to say about gm. MY wife and I have 4 gm products and we love them! I would really stress building the camaro with the selling out of the sky,solstice and vette, why not add another tho the sold out list? I would love to see the camaro unchanged with an ls-7! If this was done it would put the camaro ahead of the mustang pack and put the camaro back on top!
Brian Ripple
I’m sure you’ve seen all the requests for a camaro and firebird. GM has gone from a traditional V8 muscle car every year and now because of your failures to produce a GTO that was worth the money spent on it GM has been reduced to little threat in the performance car market. I can only hope that the long delay and lack of updates on the camaro program is so chevrolet can present the car the right way unlike the rushing of the GTO. I also hope that Bob Lutz is taking the firebird requests seriously unless he feels GM should lose more customers due to lack of good customer relations. I’m confident that GM will produce a camaro I just hope it will be done right and comments such as “the firebirds day is done” will disappear and a firebird will make it to the showroom floors soon. I’ve been buying camaros since I’ve been able to drive and I’m growing more impatient every time I see a truck full of new mustangs rolling off the trailers at the dealerships and knowing that there is no camaro to answer the 300hp 3-vavle 4.6
Edward Hayes
Thank you very, very, very much Bryan Schoch for showing support for one of America’s greatest icons, the Firebird.
Seems that GM is a little scared to invest as aggressively as its competition. To break the sales slide that seems to be becoming Detroit’s generational curse they need to let go of the purse.
Sew like a pauper reap like a pauper, richly sew and richly reap thus. Sometimes I wish I can sneak into GM’s coffers and go hog wild on product development.
I need some auto executives that are not scared to drive. Could you imagine that, GM scared to drive? Like a Prius in the fastlane!
BKW
Mark;
do you want my opinion? I hope you do, because I’m going to give it to you straight up. GM needs to stop listening to magazine critics and listen to the buyers. For example; the 3.8 and 4L60-E combination. I have never heard a person complain about that motor, or that transmission. I owned a ‘91 Park Avenue, and it went 295,000 trouble free miles until I sold it. I’ve got a ‘95 Riviera and a ‘94 Olds 88 now. The former has 140k miles; the latter 185k. No problems. OHV are not a bad thing; in the case of the 3.8 they are a wonderful thing. Don’t let magazine editors sway you; that is a great motor, keep using it. And please, make the Camaro. I can guarantee it would sell like hotcakes, especially with a midsize V8 like the 5.3 in a “cheap speed” model. I know my opinion probably doesn’t mean a whole lot, but stick to what works, GM. The 3.8 being a prime example. After all, the Impala was the best selling american-branded car in 2005. All the vehicles need is some work on the interior. And how about a diesel Suburban, and a V6 Duramax Silverado? Both would be strong sellers. And a 5.3 H3 would be a good thing too. It would probably get better gas mileage than the I5 with an AFM V8. Best of luck to you.
Mr. Langlitz
To Chris Hayne:
I’d like to recommend reading the following news at http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=115566
After that I believe, we can expect the G5 just will be the “quick fix” You mentioned. I think it just should replace the Sunfire in the meanwhile. By the way, badge engineering can also be found at other car-companies. Already in the 70s, even here in Germany, the Volkswagen Polo and the Audi 50 used to be identical twins. Or what about the previous Mazda 121 and Ford Fiesta…? And the Neon: In Europe it’s a Chrysler, in the States it’s a Dodge. I think you know what I mean…
In my opinion people in the USA are sometimes over-critical about their domestic car-manufacturers. Although German brands recently gained just mediocre results at quality-surveys, like the Auto-Bild-Qualityreport 2006 (Opel was best German brand), there is no decline of their market-share or even a strong movement towards Japanese brands. In comparison to the USA, Toyota doesn’t play any part over here!
Geert Pick
Everybody has an opinion yes.
But to me the comments on your blog look rather -no not just rather- look way too professional and very different from any other car blog I read.
So my question; can anyone post on this blog? Or do you actually pay employees to post?
Chris Rueter
As a buyer/owner of a Saturn ION, I do think GM has come a long way in small car development. This car is leagues ahead of any other small car GM has ever sold in the US. The styline is a bit odd, mainly due to the rather odd headlight design on the sedan (those blinkers are huge) and in my opinion, the tail lights really should have been tri color. Otherwise it’s been a decent and very reliable car. It took me a long time to come back to GM. Just what is owed to my return? Believe it or not, it was a vehicle made by one of your domestic competitors that I had bought used. I bought it for not much money, and it had about 110k miles on it. I kept it for five years, and only did basic maintenece on it, and when I was ready to trade it in, it had about 250k miles on it. This finally made me realize that the big 3 had finally “Got it” and started making quality vehicles that last. The ION isn’t the absolute best car in it’s class. There is to much hard plastic in the interior for one thing. However, even though it lacks any one thing that makes it superior in it’s segment, it makes up for it by being suprisingly good at all areas (except the interior).
I do agree with an above sentiment though: a much longer warranty would be a huge declaration by GM in your faith in the products that you sell. It’s worked for Hyundai, KIA and Mitsubishi. With the exception of the Lancer Evolution, none of those companies have much in the way of stellar, groundbreaking products. However, their 10 year/ 100,000 mile warranties have brought them quite a few buyers, who otherwise never would have considered them. GM needs to do this as well. You all go on about your confidence in your products on this blog, so prove it. extend the bumper to bumper warranty to 5 years or 50k miles, and the powertrain to 10 years or 100k miles. With GM displaying more confidence in your products than Toyota and Honda do, you’ll probably win over quite a number buyers who are not solidly embedded in one manufacturers camp.
Roscow
Mr. LaNeve, I realize that GM is in a turnaround situation, and must learn to walk before running.
However, so many proposed solutions here, and new products mentioned in the pipeline, are looking backward at a time that perhaps has passed by.
Customers of GM’s future need vehicles that will be relevant to moving their families and cargo in safety and efficiency in a world of higher fuel prices, at a cost they can afford.
Glitzy styling and technology-laden features may move metal off the showroom floor for a few months, but function, reliability, and competitive long-term cost of ownership will matter more in the long run for your survival.
Focus on faultlessly building functionally-designed, lighter, sturdy cars with a little flair for the mass market. Make the interiors attractive and practical, and avoid overly-complex electronic toys that break.
Satisfy your customer needs, and you can afford to address also their optional wants. But 120,000 Camaro sales a year will do nothing to strengthen GM in comparison with mainstream market success. You need fewer, and better, models to compete at your present size.
Pete Nicholson
Congratulations on the well deserved accolades. Too bad your product plans appear crafted to destroy that good will. Don’t you realize that the reason for Cadillac’s resurgence is the development of proprietary vehicles built on a proprietary architecture? The coming of badge-engineered Cadillacs (BLS, BRX) are exactly what the marque DOES NOT NEED. Cadillac needs to reach upmarket, not down, and needs to build on its success by not continuing to make the same mistakes.
Here are just a few of your not-so-bright spots:
Fake wood in the Escalade, along with no power tilt/telescoping steering column, a foot actuated parking brake, a column shift, and no independent rear suspension. I suspect that many of these are in development and were not ready for the accelerated launch.
A pushrod engine in the Escalade. All Cadillac V-8 engines should be NorthStar derived. Where is the V-12? How about the 4.4 Supercharged?
No manual transmission in the STS-V, the XLR and the XLR-V. Ridiculous.
Foot actuated parking brakes in the CTS, STS and SRX.
The continued existence of the front wheel drive DTS and failure to replace it with a legitimate S-Class or 7-Series competitor.
The pathetic outputs of 320 hp for the 4.6 NorthStar and 255 hp for the 3.6 V-6. No normally aspirated Cadillac engine should produce less than 85 hp/liter.
If you wish to continue being successful with Cadillac, here is the plan:
Add a CTS coupe.
Add a “CRX” crossover based on Sigma.
Enlarge the SRX to better parallel the STS. Continue to base both of these on Sigma.
Develop a large RWD architecture upon which will be based a new “DTS” (S-Class, 7-Series, etc.), the next Escalade, the Sixteen, and a coupe to battle the Bentley Continental GT.
Employ gasoline direct-injection technology on all Cadillac powerplants. Make the DI NorthStar and DOHC V-6 engines proprietary to Cadillac in certain displacements.
Ban all fake wood from all future Cadillacs, even the least expensive ones. While you are at it, ban column shifts and foot parking brakes.
Require a full compliment of analog gages in all Cadillacs. Speed, Tach, Fuel, Temp, Volts and Oil Pressure. Also, equip every Cadillac with a power tilt/telescopic steering column.
Keep the marque pure. Do not share architectures, engines, switchgear, radios, steering wheels, shifters, etc. Design distinctive control surfaces and keep them exclusive to Cadillac.
Design distinctive typefaces and lighting and keep them exclusive to Cadillac.
Do this, and you will not only be the standard, you will become the envy of the world.
noel park
What LPG tank for the Aveo? Europe only? Probably.
(Mr. Langlitz, June 3 03:26 AM)
Denis P
I’ve had several GM products over the years. My dad worked from GM until he retired, so we had quite a few GM products. I’m pleased with my Suburban and new Vibe (even tho its a Toyota). That aside, I’ll echo some comments from above and maybe give you some food for thought.
- GM rules in certain areas (trucks, SUVs, Vette, New Performance Caddy’s) but is sorely lacking in other areas. Where are your Corolla, Camry, Civic, Accord, BMW 3 Series Killers? Bring some of your other marks to this country– Opel, Vauxhall, Holden (ok don’t do another GTO misstep). There are some really cool looking cars in those lineups that should work in the USA
- GM is not going to dominate unless it is consistently great with the product lineup and quality. US automatkers have come a long way, but the Toyotas and Hondas of the world have built a perception with the buying public that has stuck.
- There’s only so many buyers for gas guzzeling PU’s, SUVs and pricey Vette’s and Caddy’s. Some of your designers have really missed the mark on your lower end vehicles.
- Many many many of the GM cars are dull to say the least. Come on– Impalla (Ruined), Cavalier (blech-thank God its gone), Cobalt (nothing to write home about), Malibu (what?). Even the G6 is nothing really special- sure they’re nice but not THAT nice.
- ON that note- you’ve got WAY too many models. Focus! Better to do a few things really well than alot of things half-baked.
- Make that Camaro! Simply awesome even tho its probably a bit late out of the gate (Can you say Retro Mustang?) Come on guys- you’ve got Lutz over there.
I’m still rooting for GM. You’ve got alot to overcome.
Chris Hayne
To: Geert Pick
I am not an employee of GM and I certainly was not paid to post here. As far as I can tell, anyone can post here. I think the fact these blogs seem “way too professional and very different from any other car blog” simply reflects the passion that these bloggers (correct word?) have about GM’s products (current and future) and the great things we know GM is capable of.
To Mr. Langlitz:
Excellent point about badge engineering not being limited to just GM (think Taurus/Sable or Milan/Fusion/Zephyr, etc). However I still believe that this practice can damage a brands identity when the differences are very small. As I also mentioned, this is a very different issue than shared chasis and the like.
Further to our mutual point, it does appear that the G5 and Torrent is a “quick fix” for Pontiac.
Thanks to all,
Chris Hayne
Pat
Good stuff.
I like what Im seeing out there with the new products and all but, and yes, here’s the but. The Equinox for example is a nice looking SUV on the exterior. The thing I was’nt fond of is all that plastic inside, like the dash all plastic no leather I found it cheap inside and noisy when driving. Attention to details is important to both the exterior and the interior as well. Another issue I have is customer service at the dealerships when servicing the vehicles when it comes to warranty work. I had a few friends that purchased new vehicles and had problems. There intake gaskets on a Montana and a Rendezvous had went and sure enough the expiry date of the warranty had just expired. They were not pleased to be told after just a little over 60,000km that the dealership was not responsible and they had to pay for the hole cost of repairing there vehicle. How would you feel after spending over $40,000 dollars on a brand new vehicle and this happens to you. This is where General Motors needs to step up and have a 10 year bumper to bumper 100,000 miles not kilometers warranty on all there vehicles. This will surely prove that GM is comitted to there customers. Common GM show the world…
Pat
Canada
SteveG
>Ban all fake wood from all future Cadillacs, even the least expensive ones. While you are at it, ban column shifts and foot parking brakes.
Jose' Rodriquez
I definately agree I think that the camaro should be made! How about working on lets say a retro 96 style impala that everyone loved and are still selling for some good money! I think that buick is a dead horse and needs to be put out of it’s misery and invest some of that money in pontiac! While we are at it bring the cost of cadillac’s down alittle so the blue collar worker can enjoy luxury too! Cadillac was never a sports car why are we giving up chevy’s and pontiac’s market to the most expencive brand in gm?
echiu
klunick,
I had a 91 Saturn SC that had 350K on it before I gave it to my brother-in-law in 94.
gtjeff
In response to Geert:
Anyone can post here. As long as you are polite, your ideas will be posted. Give GM credit for that.
On more reflection,here are a few more products which should be added to the GM mix: a Malibu coupe. Since Chevy is the volume leading division,they if anyone should be selling a coupe in this segment. The volume Chevy Beretta was never replaced with a new model. The loss of the Alero coupe is another reason to do it. Before someone digs out data that says the size of coupe is shrinking,could it be because GM eliminated so many of them? Secondly,how about a small hybrid car built using the ev1 aluminum chassis design with shorter frame rails. A curb weight in the range of 2100-2500lbs would be possible and the mpg would be quite impressive.
The Corvette you could argue became world class in 1997, when it was first built on a spaceframe chassis. Why doesnt GM come up with a project for the developer of the original GM production spaceframe,Hulki Aldikacti to work on? He is a genius. Pontiac,which was the FIRST GM division to offer a car built using a spaceframe design,could use a new flagship model.
Mr. Langlitz
To Noel Park:
Thanks for paying attention on my comment. Chevrolet Germany (cars built by GM DAT) is offering all models with a LPG-tank as an option, that means as bi-fuel vehicles. You can run such a car both on gasoline or LPG (=Liquified Petroleum Gas) and it’s even possible to switch during the ride. Normally the spare wheel gets out of the vehicle and at its place the LPG-tank will be installed. Instead of a spare wheel you still can use a repair-set for the tires or you’re going to prefer run-on-flat-tires, when you have to replace them later. Most important advantages of LPG-use:
1. About 50 percent cheaper than gasoline (at least in Germany)
2. Pollution also just about 50 percent in comparison to gasoline-use (lower in carbon-dioxide -> greenhouse-effect!)
3. Noise-reduction. Engine is running more smooth, because LPG has 110 Octane, what leads to a “soft” combustion.
4. Engine lives significantly longer, because combustion is very clean.
I think, I heard something about Taxis in NYC, using LPG. But I don’t know whether it’s true and how popular LPG already is in the States. This might be a very interesting link for you, which should give you more detailed information about LPG: http://www.shellgaslpg.com/site/page/11/lang/en
It would be nice, if I could help you.
Steve G
And yet GMs market share continues to shrink. Mark, I am telling you point blank what you know already-people do not trust GM vehicles to last. Your designs may be lacking but lets face it Toyota’s arent exactly good looking. What brings in the customer is the feeling that they are getting a well built vehicle that will last a long time and have good resale value. They don’t believe they will get that with GM. You guys know what you need to do and for some Godforsaken reason you refuse to do it- INCREASE THE WARRANTY That is the only thing that will save GM and get shoppers back in the showrooms. It worked for Hyundai and it would work for you-long warranty that is fully transferable to the next owner-that will fix the resale problem. Just do it, NOW, before your market share slips below 20% and everyone writes you off.
noel park
Many thanks Mr. Langlitz -June 7, 2006, 3:52 AM.
I am well aware of the use of LPG in cars and trucks, but had never heard that the system you have in your Aveo was available through GM.
How about it Mr. La Neve? Make it available in the U.S. and I will buy one tomorrow.
Mr. Langlitz
You’re welcome, Mr. Park.
As I could read a time ago, the demand for LPG exceeded expectations of Chevrolet Deutschland by far. In general there’s to say, almost every modern car, running on gasoline so far, can also be equipped with an additional LPG-system (Bi-Fuel). In the average the savings make up the costs already after 2 years, the more you drive, the earlier. Workshops and dealerships, working on the installation of LPG-systems, currently are very busy over here. Maybe, it would be a good thing for the USA, too.
Keith Fuerst
Mark
I have always been a HUGE GM fan,but I haven’t been a happy fan for a long time. Just about all my displeasure can be found in the previous posts, so let me focus on the one topic that means the most to me. Bring back the Firebird!!!! There is room for the Firebird. Not everyone wants a Camaro or a GTO. That’s why back in the 60’s all three models existed at the same time and GM sold hundreds of thousands of them. All the car makers had many different models and engines so there was a car for everyone.With the success of the Mustang history is repeating itself. The Charger is back, the Challenger is coming,can the Cuda be far behind? I’m sure the Camaro will be a big hit. If the GTO doesn’t look like an overgrown Cavalier with a Grand Prix nose on it,there will be buyers for it.BUT, not everyone will want a GTO or a Camaro. That’s why there is room for the Firebird. I WILL NOT buy a Camaro or a GTO if there is no Firebird. I am not alone in my thinking. GM is the largest car maker in the world,it can make the Firebird happen!! There are many loyal Firebird and Trans Am fans out here dying for our favorite car to be reborn.
OC1Dave
Guys(Mark L, Bob L), ignore some of these Jr High study hall comments. I am a real lifelong GM customer who owns a 99 Corvette, 03 Big Block Suburban, and a 04 Impala SS and who could not be mjore satisfied. I sold our 99 GTP to a relative with 130,000 troublefree miles on it, and my previous Suburban(1995) went 180,000 and was as good as new when I sold it. You would have to hold a gun to my head to get me in any Toyota, Honda, or Nissan in spite of the fact that our local dealers in those brands are personal friends of mine. My point is that there are many more like me out here, and if you stay the course and quit listening to bloggers, left wing newspaper hacks, and magazine writers who wear their hats backwards, all will be well. Don’t worry about Cadillac and Buick being “old peoples” cars - as we all know “old people” have money and buy a huge number of new cars. Corvettes rule, I like the interior and the styling and the interior of our Impala, and Toyota has NOTHING that will touch a Suburban.
Chris Rueter
To be really honest, I’m suprised that GM has forgotten that it’s “divisions” are really seperate, captive companies. Other than GMC trucks, Saturn is the only active company originally created by GM. Everything else was once independant: Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac (originally Oakland) Chevrolet, and the oldest US nameplate (I still can’t believe you people killed it) Oldsmobile. For the longest time these were treated as seperate companies within GM, though all were using a common “parts bin” in order to build their cars. To be sure there were certain segments of the market that each division was to cover. Eventually it was decided that Chevy was to be the main, high volume producer offering decent cars at reasonable prices. Pontiac was to be the “Excitement” division, delivering still reasonably priced cars that were sportier than Chevrolet. Oldsmobile actually had the most freedom, as they could deliver the performance of a Pontiac, and add in some of the luxuries that Buick offered. Buick, was the entry-luxury division. Nice cars, soft ride, definitly not sporting most of the time. though occasionally shocking everyone with Wildcats, Stage 1’s and GNX’s. Cadillac was the big supreme luxury division. Nothing gets better than Cadillac.
Today, GM is a mess because all of it’s divisions have essentially been merged. Cadillac has done well to retain some measure of independance. The Corvette is also largely independant of the rest of GM. otherwise we see a mishmash of the same cars being offered in the remaining divisions. Oh and for some reason Saturn isn’t going to be Saturn anymore. they’re apparently going to be the American arm of Opel/Vauxhaul. yay.
The point of this little tirade is that GM really, REALLY needs to sort itself out internally. Re establish each division as a seperate company again, and give them rigidly defined areas where they can exist. So that Chevrolet does not invade Pontiacs space, and Pontiac does not move to far upmarket and crowd Buick. As for Saturn, maybe the Opel thing will work out, if the entire Opel line is available at our local saturn dealers.
Edwin
Mark,
A persistent campaign is needed to convey the solid trust that GM owners have to the import buying public in order for GM to gain market share and counter false perceptions created by the ugly media bias out there.
We mentioned that Hollywood and promoting technological advantage is one way to overcome the bias and media falsehoods.
Many young professional import buyers choose out of fear, they have been misled by pro-import news sources tactics. These potential GM buyers need a communicaton of confidence about why GM is the best, they need to hear it. Many are just victims of their parents Toyota/Lexus.
A commerical promoting reasons for young professionals to choose a GM products might include, style, dependability, fuel economy, passing power.
Have young professional driving an Impala, Lucernce, or CTS, in city traffic. Show the passing power, fuel economy, quite ride, enjoyable experience, exhilerating feel, etc.
Testimonials about trusted GM certified used vehicles would bolster GM’s perception with the public.
Honda has been running ads promoting their certified used vehicles, they must read these blogs.
Honda promotes their style and uses “its a Honda” appeal.
GM needs to be more persistent in conveying the trust that GM owners have to the buyers of foreign cars.
If you could hear the conversations GM owners have with owners of the foreign competition you’d be amazed at the phony perceptions import owners have. The sales pitch of the foreign competition has type cast GM vehicles with jingoisms. The foreign competition brain washes its sales staff with cleverly worded propaganda and visuals to cause them to extrapolite fallacies.
Listen sometime to the sales pitches by the foreign competition’s sales staff, many make quesitonable claims, and cause the comsumer to believe myths.
You should have heard the foreign competition’s staff at the Auto Show trying to dance around the Lucerne’s superiority.
The media have adopted some of the sales pitches of the foreign competition as the assumptions behind their editorials and reviews.
Terms the foreign competition employs include terms such as i- for intelligence, loaded with technology, ’so far advanced’, high tech, hold its ‘value’, precision tuned, way ahead of . . .
Would you like a Cappucino, this is Acura . . .
About that time, a customer may walk in to chastise someone for selling him a car with a bad transmission.
The foreign competition has swindled the market with an almost cirus like routine using clever adjectives to mask the mediocrity of their product.
A large segment of the public has been frightened into buying run of the mill=average=mediocre cookie cutter sedans from the foreign competition sticking adjectives like ‘quality’ on them.
Rick Lupori
Mark: GM has holes to fill in some of their lineups.
Chevy needs to have a 40 MPG car to compete with the new Fit and Yaris along with the existing Civic. The good news is GM offers cars to fill this need in Europe and if not the cars, at least the engine.
GM offers the Corsa in a 3 Door and 5 Door model with a 1.4L engine that delivers good performance and over 40 MPG and will be introducing a replacement model for them this fall. Since the existing Corsa is made in Brazil/Mexico and sold in Brazil as the Celta: GM should offer this car along with the new Aveo as 3 and 5 Door variants.
The new Corsa would be offered as a Saturn, with 1.4L engine on the base with the EasyTronic transmission, a 1.8L with 5-speed auto on topline models and the 1.6L Turbo for the Redline.
GM should at least put the 1.6L Twin-port Eco-Tec in the Aveo to improve the MPG rating, or better yet put the new 140 HP 1.8L in it with a 5-speed automatic for much better performance and 40 MPG capability.
The Malibu needs the 2.4L mated to the new 6-speed automatic for what should deliver over 35 MPG.
On the truck side a 3.9L AFM V6 mated to the 5L40E automatic would help the Colorado recent sales slump (crash is more like it). The Canyon should be redesigned to mimic the new Holden Rodeo (which looks like a GMC truck without the GMC lettering on the grille); the turn signal integrated chrome outside mirrors would also help. And please do something with the interior - how about the 10 way power seats from the Sierra.
A high MPG model with 2.4L mated to the same 5-Speed automatic should get close to 30 MPG, the extra gear may even push the 2.8L I-4 model to a near 30 MPG rating.
On the performance side a 5.3L V-8 (or even the 4.8L) with 6-speed manual or automatic in SS and Denali trims would also help.
Saturn really needs to make the most of the Opel lineup and offer the full line (except for the Agila to small for the U.S. and the Signum would make a better SAAB).
Let’s see the 50 MPG Corsa 1.2L with the Easytronic manual that can shift automatically in both 3 and 5 door models.
With low sulfur Diesel available it is time for the 60 MPG 1.7L Turbo-Diesel Corsa and 50 MPG 1.9L Turbo-Diesel Astra.
New segments could be opened with the Astra Twin-Top along with a fixed roof coupe version.
Show some guts an offer the Corsa, Tigra, Meriva, Combo, Zafira, Astra Estate along with both the 5-door and Estate versions of the Vectra (as Aura models). All of these models would be different than any other GM product and could open entire new segments. The Zafira 2.0L Turbo OPC model is a fun to drive MPV with a lot of versatility.
I just have a feeling that the Combo and Meriva could be very big surprises in the U.S. market. The Combo styling is different enough to make people notice and the Meriva 1.6L Turbo would be a blast to drive and deliver over 35 MPG.
The Combo Tour model would create some buzz and change the perception of GM enough for some buyers to at least test drive one.
The Montana pickup (based on the Combo) could open up a new segment also.
Buick needs the Efijy coupe to boost its image and showroom traffic, so buyers will see the new Enclave and hopefully Velite Convertible.
Last but not least, the car GM absolutely must build is a 4-Door Sedan version of the Solstice, the buyers that love the Solstice but must have a Sedan need a car to buy at the Pontiac dealer. A new Firebird coupe could also be offered. Saturn could offer an Alero Coupe and Sedan.
Gerard B
In response to Pete Nicholson:
You wrote:
…no power tilt/telescoping steering column, a foot actuated parking brake, a column shift…
On power tilt and telescoping: I used to valet park cars and I hated these, the motors sounded cheap, it would seem to me you could never set the tilt at the same position twice, and it’s something else to go wrong. A mechanical tilt/telescope mechanism is bulletproof.
On foot actuated parking brakes: Hand levers are tacky and useless. If your service brakes stop working (say a line bursts), your left foot will have alot more leverage to bring the car to a safe stop than your right hand, which you may need to use for evasive steering in such a situation.
On column shifters: I would NOT buy an automatic transmission car with a console shifter. I had ONE, a 1989 Lincoln Mark VII, and I couldn’t wait to get rid of that car for that reason alone. (Replaced it with an 81 Olds 88) The console located shifter made parallel parking a pain, it’s difficult to operate with the left hand, and rather than the ‘pull’ interlock of a column shifter, you have to push the button on the side which is counter intuitive. Also the presence of the console itself made me feel like I was sitting in a box. First and last car with a console. Thankfully you can still get Crown Vics, Impalas, and Buicks with column shifters!
Edwin
Mark, Bob, et. al,
Yes, GM cars do win the outside customers who drive them as noted below. However, GM owners, your loyal base, demand more, we expect beautiful cars to meet our GM tastes. GM’s base customers are more demanding than your biased media critics could ever be. GM has a history of fantastically engineered products that went unpromoted and some which introduced in the wrong division as new products. (eg. Trofeo, Reatta should have been opening price point Cadillacs with a value priced versions as an Olds, Buick, Pontiac to follow. The Trofeo would have been a better way to go than the Catera for Cadillac. The Trofeo was the BMW 3 customer, not the Toronodo customer. BMW customer wasn’t quite sure with the Olds name, but they would have bought hundreds of thousands of Cadillac Trofeos. Likewise if GM reintroduced the Aurora and called it Cadillac Aurora, the sales would surpise you. Start the tease from the top down, then blow them away with a mid entry at Pontiac, Buick, Chevy soon after the Cadillac version hits the street.
It seems GM is about to make the same error with customers segments again by not yet offering a Cadillac Roadster version of the Solstice, unless by some miracle someone sees this post and the lights come on. These blogs have suggested more model ideas for Cadillac both up and down. The DTS is a pretty car but Cadillac needs full size sedan that carries the sport sedan look like the STS and less like the traditional limo look. Customers are looking for hot sedans, thats why the Lucerne is doing so well, GM just needs more hot styles like the Lucerne. The Solstice is working wonders for Pontic, but it could also appeals to import luxury buyer, that customer likes expensive with the name like Cadillac. Why not add a Cadillac Roadster version of the the Solstice, it could sell for 35K easy, they’d be banging down the doors. Its amazing that as sharp as GM’s team of execs are that it hasn’t given Cadillac a version of the Solstice.
If GM is planning a new beautifully styled Pontiac G8. Make a Cadillac special edition sedan first for $10,000 more. Really exite the crowd. Then shortly after the Cadillac hits the streets, make a surprise Pontiac version and blow them away. This approach would lure the import buyers to GM more effectively.
Cadillac needs special edition fashion model flashes so to speak to wake the public up, then let the flash filter down to the other divisions with high levels of production to leverage capacity.
Give your base a reason to trade up with more hot styles. Consider a GM extended household with several actively looking for a new GM car. Of the six vehicles they collectively own, five are GM, they all have higher tastes now, they currently have a Deville, a Camaro, a Firebird, an Aurora, an Intrigue, and a Jeep which they are keeping. How much selection does GM offer them right now to trade? They have to like it as much or more than there current GM car, they all want new cars, none want an SUV. Here’s the tastes, the V-8 Aurora owner was new to GM, he owned a Honda Accord before marrying into the family and was persuaded to buy GM, he has since been impressed with the Aurora 4.0 @ 25 mpg and is now willing to trade for the CTS and STS, (its the only style the wife thinks is as nice as the Aurora) ( they really would prefer another luxury V-8 with good gas mileage like the 4.0). The Deville owner felt compelled to test drive a V-8 Lucerne with stick on the floor, likes the Lucerne’s style better than the DTS, so a trade for the Buick is possible, but still thinking, the Deville owner likes their current Deville better than the 05 Deville (too plain) or 06 DTS (not as good looking as an Aurora). The Deville would have traded for the 4.0 Aurora (liked the Aurora style) but the driver seat wasn’t quite enough back/neck support compared to the Deville and has been waiting, but likes the Lucerne driver seat with the stick on the floor, the Lucerne is the last hope for the spoiled disallusioned Deville owner, right now for their Luxury sedan. Neither the Deville owner nor the Camaro owner are fond of the 06 CTS/STS driver seat, everyone prefers the GTO seat to the CTS seat. The Intrigue owner likes a sporty sedan, maybe the CTS, but is still waiting for GM to offer another model like the Pontiac G8, the Firebird and Camaro see nothing better style wise to trade for except maybe a Solstice and a CTS. So there is GM’s car sales right now, just one of the group, the Aurora owner has made a decision for the CTS, ie they like it just as well, maybe STS, the rest want a new GM car but they are waiting for the special compelling something which will lure them style wise for a new favored GM car, and while they are waiting, they are seeing GM’s competition teasing them, my sister likes her Aurora so much that she actually asked me if Infiniti was GM. She likes the CTS though. So let’s get some new luxury sedan models rolling guys.
GM needs to offer a seat like the GTO for Cadillac as an option.
GM did this with the XLR and the Corvette but look how long it took. GM enthusiasts were saying that Cadillac needed a version of the Corvette for decades. GM finally figured it out, GM could have used this approach with Cadillac and other models like the Solstice, Aurora, Trofeo, and the hopeful G8 Pontiac flag ship.
GM still must respond persistently to the ugly bias out there. GM’s silent corporate routine has been partly to blame for the public’s misperceptions. The public might never know about some of the positive surveys if GM itself didn’t mention them. GM should understand the media wants news, they want red meat, so give it to them. Change the spin out there by making the news instead of taking it on the cheek.
Now that GM’s plan is showing results, make news of it. Say we told you so. Get there attention, make them listen.
The foreign competition makes the media listen, they toot their own horn, they show aerial photos of their tin roof assembly plants, make wild claims, just like a traveling circus. Yet GM has the perception of just sitting back and hoping people notice.
GM is doing a great job on products, and GM customers are enthusiatic.
Gerard B.
Maybe someone can enlighten me on this barrage against column shifters. The last generation Oldsmobiles were exteremely nice cars… except I would not own one for the simple reason that they did not exist with a column shifter. Maybe thats why Buick is still around and Olds isn’t? The Buick Century was very popular and came only with a column shifter. Same for the last gen. Lesabre and Park Ave. I think a column shifter should be an option on every car, not just a few. Some people don’t like a big ugly Japanese-looking “handle” sticking up between their front seats!
Pete Nicholson
In response to Gerald B.:
I appreciate your comments. Perhaps I did not make myself sufficiently clear…my criticisms were directed specifically to Cadillac, not all vehicles in general. Whether we like it or not, manual tilt columns, foot parking brakes and column shifters are not acceptable in a top end luxury car. Whether they are better or not is not the issue, whether they appeal to the intended buying demographic is.
Specifically, the image of Cadillac should be uncompromising performance and luxury, not solely the latter. As such, a floor shifter provides greater control during spirited driving (ever try to downshift a column shifter while rounding a decreasing radius curve with an elevation change?). A hand actualted parking brake is actually a useful tool for rotating the rear of a car during performance maneuvers. And a power tilt/telescoping column is easily able to repeat its desired adjustments if the memory feature is used.
I have an entirely different opinion on the appropriateness of these features on cars from different GM divisions. Buicks should be all about comfort and luxury. As such, I think a very simple elegant dash, with a sophisticated column shift (such as is seen in BMW’s 7-series, for example) should be employed. Standard GM column shifters are crude and feel amazingly cheap. I also think a foot parking brake would be appropriate, as a hand operated one is not required by the target audience and would detract from the elegance and simplicity of the interior. Personally, I would hide the sound system, climate controls and navigation system behind movable panels when not in use in a Buick. If you really want to be radical, hide the gages as well and use a heads-up display for a truely clean dash, and only offer leather as a seating material. However, a power steering column is still demanded for a car featuring this level of luxury.
For Chevrolet, the story is different. A manual column is fine (power optional) as is a column shift (either optional or with a floor shift optional) and the parking brake could be on the floor, with the exception of performance vehicles. All Pontiacs should have floor shifters and hand brakes, owing to their sporting nature.
It is all a matter of appropriateness for the marque.
Chris Rueter
Gerard,
It’s a simple matter of personal preference. You are obviously much more used to column shifters, while I, having driven virtually nothing but cars with manual transmissions would prefer a car with an automatic to have bucket seats, and the shift lever where I expect it to be… Between the seats on the center console. I agree that there aren’t many cars left that have column shifters. There also aren’t many cars left with bench seats. Again, as a personal preference, I can’t tolerate bench seats. They simply don’t offer as much support for my back and thighs. Everytime i drive a car with a bench seat, i’m afraid of cornering to fast for fear of sliding to the other side of the car (even with the seatbelt buckled). See, I’m to used to bucket seats that hold me firmly in place when I have my seatbelt buckled. It all depends on what you’re used to, and a great many people simply are not used to column shifters and bench seats anymore.
Greg
Blog after blog on this site, I keep reading about how amazing the Corvette, the Suburban, and the full-size pickups are. You know what? My wife and I each have college degrees and good jobs and we can’t AFFORD those vehicles. Even if we could, we wouldn’t buy them. We want safe, reliable transportation which holds its value. Especially with ever-escalating gas prices, the average consumer wants a quality compact or mid-size sedan or a car-based SUV they can rely on. That’s why they continue to buy Camrys, Accords, Civics, Corollas, CR-Vs and RAV4s.
NONE of your vehicles compete with these vehicles in terms of fuel efficiency and reliability. Until you get that, you can continue to go on and on about how the consumer doesn’t get it, but the truth is we DO get it, and most of us simply don’t want a monstrous SUV, pickup, luxury car, or sports car. We want cars in which we can safely and cheaply move our families, and the cheaply part doesn’t fit your agenda, which is why you will continue to see declining sales. Besides, since we vote with our ddollars, who are you guys (GM) to tell us we don’t get it???
Chuck
People think that jap cars ALWAYS last longer. Why? I currently own a 1997 Aurora with well over 250,000 miles. Car is in perfect shape. I have a 1989 berreta 2.8l with 215,000 miles. Car looks and runs as it did new. Its all about how you care for your vehicle. If anyone actually changed the oil, greased it, and flushed the trans. when they are supposed to, (like i do) your car would last a very long time, import or not.
Nathan Lawless
Greg,
You hit the nail on the head! My girlfriend and I are both college grads with great jobs and benefits. We have five kids between us though, and therefore spending 45k on a Tahoe or Suburban just isn’t realistic. I cuurently drive a 99 Chrysler LHS that has 167k miles on it. I looking for a new car, and right now GM has NOTHING that I can afford (I want to spend 30k) that would be considered a leader in its class. Too bad, guess I’ll go by the 300C in a couple of months…
Nathan
jonathan
mark, i saw some spy shots of the supposed silverado truck yesterday. if this is the truck, it’s awesome. give me all you can give me. i’ll sell’em by the bushel!!!!!!
Chris Rueter
Like Chuck, I’m confused as to the perception that Japanese cars last longer. They don’t. Granted the Japanese companies, Honda and Toyota in particular, are very good at self promotion to maintain this false perception. The facts are on the street everyday. How many old late 80’s Chevy Luminas are there still roaming around vs how many Camry’s or Accords? The answer is not something that the Japanese companies would like to hear, or rather it’s not something that the Japanese companies would want the American car buying public to know.
Even now it’s showing up in the newer cars. How many Recalls has the current Corolla or Civic had? Two? Four? What were they for?
Now, How many recalls has my Saturn ION had? One. Just a single recall to replace the light bulbs in the front DRL/turn signals. That’s it. Look at required maintenence on the Japanese cars. if you do, you’ll see that for some unexplainable reason, the Japanese companies want their cars brought in for periodic valve adjustments. Why on earth would anyone want to spend a premium over a mere Chevy to buy a car in which the manufacturer can’t even be bothered to seat the valves properly before it leaves the factory? Maintenence on my ION is far less than a similar Corolla or Civic, simply because it only asks for things typical to any car, such as oil and filter changes, periodic replacement of other fluids, tire rotations and the like.
So, let’s review: A Civic or Corolla with Similar options to an ION will have a higher sticker price, and require more (and more expensive) maintenence to keep it “Reliable” than a mere Saturn. Hmmm, now which car is really the most reliable car for those on a budget?
John Kirkbride
Hey GM …Did you guys see the 5th Gen TA Concept that’s been floating around on the net and has been published in several car magazines to include “HOT ROD” ?
The Pontiac members of the GM Fan club cannot understand why GM has capitulated on the 5th Gen TA. We Pontiac folk have been left with nothing (and please don’t tell me the GTO that would not sell). For the life of me I dont understand why you want to jam the GTO moniker on Pontaic Enthusiast when you have spent the last thrity years building a fan base of Firebird and TA owners.
With respect to the 5th Gen TA Concept, every TA owner I have spoken with says they would buy it if it were made. No doubt many are happy to have the Camaro built, but to most of us die hard Firebird and Trans Am owners the new Camaro does not invoke the same “Gotta Have” feeling like it does with the Bowtie faithful. Unless something changes, those who have been long time Firebird/TA owners will likely consider a Mustang or Challenger right along side the Camaro for their next pony car purchase. In my opinion, GM is going to loose a large percentage of it’s Pontiac performance enthusiast to other manufactures……a real shame for a name plate that calls itself the “Performace Division”
Daniel Suchoski
Subsidizing gasoline purchases is irresponsible and un-American. Executives at GM should be ashamed of themselves.
Chris Rueter
Daniel brings up an interesting point, in a rather unique way. With ever excelating fuel prices, I’m wondering why we’re not hearing about new diesel engines. Certainly GM knows how to build them. Most of the people I know who have Opels have diesels and really like them. They also like the fuel milage that they get with them vs a gasoline engine.
One other thing GM should look at is the station wagon. I’m not talking about those big hulking things our parents owned back in the day. I’m talking about a new type of wagon. Dodge seems to have proven with their Magnum that wagons can actually be pretty cool if done properly. Pontiac would be the perfect place to use the new wagons. Seriously, what better place for a new breed of hot rod wagon from GM than their performance division?
James S.
The GMT-900 Silverado is hideous. Not only is it ugly, the HD versions still have the garbage torsion bar IFS.
GM’s #1 problem is the collective inability to move past bad designs.
Nice 300 hp FWD v-8 cars with 4-speed automatics. Suddenly it’s 1994 again.
GM can and SHOULD do better.
This buyer, traded in a GM truck on a Dodge for the SFA 4×4. I bought my wife a Jeep as well. Give us what we are looking for, we’ll come back. Until then, DCX is doing a great job of providing products we WANT to buy.
Grand Cherokee
Magnum/Charger/Challenger
SFA 4×4 HD trucks
diesel mid-sized SUVs.
BTW, I currently own 5 GM vehicles and would rather be all GM. I didn’t leave GM, GM stopped listening.
Jim F.
I want to second Chris’ motion that GM produce diesel powered passenger cars. I have been on the phone and emailed repeatedly to GM with this very idea. With the ever increasing availability of Biodiesel, we could have 50mpg vehicles that run on American grown and produced fuel. VW will happily sell me a wonderful 1.9 liter TDI engine today. I’m not trying to get political here, but OPEC, German and Asian workers do not pay into FICA or contribute to the Federal tax base. If GM would sell me a resonably equipped, $15-20K mid-sized passenger car (I’m 6 foot 230lbs. by the way so don’t make it too small) with a diesel engine that gets 50mpg highway and that I could reasonably expect to drive for 250K miles without the vehicle self destructing and/or living in the repair shop (that is spelled … 10 year / 100,000 warranty!), I would go buy one tomorrow.
I am a self confessed Asian car owner. I bought my first Asian car 30+ years ago and have never come back. Today, I have an ever increasing desire to “Buy American”. I love this country. I want Americans to benefit from the dollars I spend. We Americans need American companies like GM to produce products we desire to purchase.
I want to thank Mark LaNeve for being bold enough to let this Blog exist. I had suggested to GM that they set up a web site that allowed people to tell them what they wanted in vehicles and then produce what people asked for. I believe if GM will take the information presented here to heart, they will not have to keep closing plants, eliminating American jobs, skirting bankuruptcy, etc.
Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion.
CMan
Just wanted to let you know, I’ve been a loyal Chevy truck fan for many years. All that stopped when I saw the spy shots of the GMT-900 Silverado. I’m now considering an F150 for my next truck…
Paul Sparcello
Mr. La Neve,
Want to blow the NY Times off the map and get 40 to 50% market share and hold it for ever? Of course you would like that. The means of doing so exist and are not being capitalized on. Intergrate the Vauxhall brand diesel cars and powertrains asap into the US market and watch sales skyrocket. How about a Cobalt SSD/6 (3.0 V6 CDTi & 6 speed), Malibu D/Maxx (1.9 CDTi 170PS, 60 mpg HWY?), VUE AWD/6 (3.0 V6 CDTi, 6 speed auto, possible 30 mpg city and 45 mpg HWY), Aveo Rocket (1.7 CDTi 100PS, 6 speed, 70+ mpg Hybrid Killer). Over 25% of new car sales are going to be based on fuel economy and with a line up like I describe new car buyers first stop would most likely be a GM dealership.
Chris
How about a hot rod version of the Pontiac Torrent? Make it along the same lines as the GMC Typhoon and that will grab some attention.
Scott
I have been reading with great interest about Pontiac’s return to RWD. I am currently driving a Grand Prix GTP (primarily for business), and don’t mind the FWD as I live in the snowbelt and have never had any trouble getting around in rough weather. Yes, it plows when cornered hard, but better tires and performance struts helped that immensely with no degredation of ride quality - and the thing outruns Mustangs while getting 30 mpg on the interstate.
My primary concern with Pontiac is the return of cheap, throwaway alpha-numeric designations on storied models with strong legacies (Grand Am, Grand Prix). If GM were so concerned that “Grand Am” badges would have tarnished the car that we all know as the G6, why not revive the “Tempest” nameplate? I think the G6 very much fills the niche of the original Tempest of the early 60’s - especially with the very flexible interior and the retractable hardtop.
Even more alarming is the news that Grand Prix is due to be “replaced”. I have been a GP fanatic from the cradle (ask my grandmother about the time her 2-year-old grandson itentified the local Pontiac dealer!). I’ve watched the Firebird, Grand Am and Bonneville die quietly, but I can’t bear the thought of Grand Prix going away, no matter how good the RWD car may be.
Somebody needs to stop trying to turn PMD into BMW and back into the industry leader it once was. I don’t buy cars with Alpha-Bits on the trunk, I want a real name on a real car - PLEASE reconsider the current naming strategy and avoid all of this “G4,6,8″ nonsense. I have never held the title to anything other than a Pontiac, but I will never own a Pontiac without a proper nameplate - even if that means I never buy onother new one and keep the old ones running indefinitely.
Eric
After a long hiatus from GM product, I have been seduced by recent product. Last year I bought my wife an SRX and placed an order for a Z06. But I am growing very impatient. I ordered the z06 last May (2005) in anticpation of the launch of the car, and the dealer promised me delivery within 6 months. He now says that the Z06 may not arrive until January 07 at the earliest and won’t commit. I am growing very frustrated and thinking of buying a 911 instead. Please help me buy another GM car. How do I get my Z06?
John Martin
Greetings Mark LaNeve,
Please pass my thanks to the Cadillac team. First I am a new Cadillac customer and absolutely adore my new Cadillacs. Yes I have two new Cadillacs and the story goes like this. I spent about six months researching the premium luxury performance sedan category, Mercedes-Benz E500, BMW 545i, Cadillac STS V8, Audi A6, Acura RL, Infiniti M45,and Lexus GS430. After reading reviews, test driving and finally adding in my personal requirements for cars in this segment, I selected three final cars that best fit my requirements, Cadillac’s STS V8, Lexus GS430 and BMW 545i. I decided on the Cadillac STS V8 for its distinctive style/design, performance, best in class high feature/high tech systems integration. I was so impressed with the STS when it came time to purchase a luxury performance roadster, I chose the Cadillac XLR over Mercedes-Benz’s SL500, Jaguar XK, Maserati Spider, Porsche 911 Cabriolet and Lexus SC 430. In my opinion I have the pleasure of driving two of the best production cars on the planet. The experience has been truly wonderful and powerful. Continue to improve your cars and I will be just one of many coming over to the GM family of products. Best to you and your team.
John
Chase
I really like the idea of Pontiac going RWD. My Firebird has been very good to me, and I’m really attached to the Pontiac brand. But I also think Pontiac should keep one or two FWD models, for those of us with snowy winters who like small, sexy cars that can still handle well on slippery roads.
BTW, the G5 is not bad, at least for young people who can’t afford “real” sporty cars. It looks similar to, but better than the Cobalt and is a fine replacement of the Sunfire (which was just like a cheap, toy-car version of the Firebird).
Scott Crawford
Dear Mark LaNeve,
I have a couple questions I would like you to answer then we can go from there.
What car company in Australia is producing 20% of their vehicles to run dedicated LPG?
What alternative fuel can be found right now everywhere in the US from coast to coast at many gas stations? Hint itÔøΩs not E85, CNG, LNG or Bio Diesel
What alternative fuel is readily available in the US so available that we exported 15 million barrels (that is 630 million gallons) last year just to Canada and Mexico?
In California WHAT caused HondaÔøΩs Hybrid cars and Natural gas cars to go from sitting on the lot for 2 or 3 days to become available only on backorder?
Hint: It has to do with a single passenger being able to do something with their cars normally only allowed with vehicles caring 2 or more people.
Scott Crawford
John Warner
Why are the interior color options on the Saturn Aura XR limited to black and morocco? Any of the Aura’s competitors are available with grey and/or beige in addition to black or other colors. Why limit the choice on the XR? I want an Aura XR but with a beige or tan interior. Why would Saturn not offer the most mainstream of color choices? These are the perplexing types of decisions that make no real sense in light of the competition and force customers into a compromise or “walk away” position.
biga
What type of engine dose the lucerne have to have, to have the shifter on the floor because i saw a the V6 lucerne.
Scott Crawford
I keep hearing ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas and the future. How about an alternative fuel that is here now? Ford is selling 20% of their cars in Australia to run on this fuel. This week the government of Australia decided to give cash incentives to people for converting their cars to run on this very greenhouse gas friendly fuel that wont go bad like gasoline (great for a plug in electric hybrid whose fuel might not be used very often if you only use battery power for daily commutes). Why has GM and Ford America given up on making vehicles that run on this alternative fuel? This fuel is in most gas stations now (only missing an inexpensive self serve dispensers that can be put on a tank in about a day.) The US exports just to Mexico and Canada alone the same amount of this fuel as Australia exports (about 15 million barrels a year (42 gallons in a barrel). This fuel is not reliant on foreign supply its all pumped from home. In California if you run this Fuel dedicated (not bi-fuel) in your GM Silverado, Suburban or Hummer or any other vehicle you can qualify for a sticker to drive in the HOV lanes with a single passenger. Ford just lost a bunch of money they say because of a slack in truck and SUV sales. Why not start-selling LPG dedicated trucks and SUVs, Dedicated because they will qualify for all the government tax incentives and other local and state benefits that you dont get with Bi-fuel vehicles like E85. LPG is cheaper than gas one-third less, better for your engine oil changes every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, better for the environment (Global Warming) and it is the most efficient of all the alternative fuels (yes better than E85). So I ask GM, Ford and Daimler Chrysler why are you not giving America a choice of an alternative fueled vehicle that is not as subsidized as Ethanol and hydrogen and expensive like E85 and hydrogen. LPG is here now it is produced here, and is ready to be used now.
“Wholly Petroleum!” GM, LPG is the Answer!
Greg Pavlovic
I just got back from Las Vegas. I went to the GM Drive at the Saharah and was kinda surprised, it was an awsome experience! It was very cool. The thing that I wasnt surpised with is that GM, as always, did a terrible job of advertising. 99% of the people I talked to about it on the street or at the hotels never heard of it. I was there for three days and I can tell you the location and venue of every resturant and night club in Vegas, all from advertising, but I saw almost nothing for THE DRIVE. What ads I did see were not very effective in communicating what THE DRIVE is. The print ads I saw did nothing to tell me what it was or build any sort of interest for me and I love cars. There was a ton of advertising on the MONO RAIL system for THE DRIVE, but guess what….99% of the people I talked to didnt even know Vegas has a MONO RAIL system. The only reason I knew about it all was I saw an independent website that listed things to do and see in vegas.
I must say that the DRIVE WAS AWSOME and I wanted to come back a second time and do it again but did not have enough time. That is the way to sell cars! It sure built my enthusiasm for GM vehicals. The set up was great, the driving course was great, the products were geat! It even had good looking people working there. I told everyone I could to go do it! If only I didnt have to tell people. GM is really comming around with its products and the ways in which it markets them. Do a better job of letting people know what you have to offer!
Hook up with a bunch of college marketing classes and set up ad clubs. Students always need the experience and would love to add to their portfolio and resume. Select the best ones and offer the students jobs with the company. Students will jump at the chance and it will put Genral motors in a good light in “the next generation of car buys”. Its cheap:…..ideas, marketing to college student who will be buying new cars real soon, and way to look for talent. Also, good professors love to use real world things in their classes. You could hook up with bussiness professors too. Let them throw some real word senerios out there to their students. Great way to market products and the GM image to future car buyers. Might help take over those Markets like LA and New York too. Students in those majors usually make good money and are very image concious. I went to the University of Michigan and even in GM’s Home state the students that I knew in those majors all drove imports. Sad that business people dont understand how important it is to support U.S. business.
GM not only has to sell its products it has to sell itself as a company. Toyota is miles ahead of GM in that area. Have Rick Wagner be in the public eye more. He is a great down to earth guy and really puts out a great image for General Motors. Bill Ford and Dr. Z are not very believable….just have Rick be himself…Do not over expose him in ads…having him do interview and press is great..all types of people can identify with Rick…Him combiled with Bob Lutz is great for General Motors image!
Whatever you do, just please be more effective at getting your point across with advertising when you do it. Most “non-car” people have no idea what General Motors has been up to. They just remember word of mouth and word of mouth still isnt there yet.
p.s. love the blog idea…low cost and effective. Also, great for the companies image. I loved the Corvette comercial where the kid was driving…sucks you guys pulled it. For other companies, The Ford mustang comercial with the father and son doing burn outs is great too. Hemmi commercials with the two redneck guys are also good. Those types of advertising build excitement and image. Hummer is usually pretty good too. People mostly buy a car for the precieved image. Even though 99% of all people will never drive a car at its limits, every single one of them buy it because of the image of that products limits. Driving that H2 on the course at THE DRIVE was an awsome way to lock in that perception. Most people have and idea about the intened performance of a vehical, but when they see it….that how legends are born.
Example: Market the GTO better…some people love the looks…some people think its too bland…..but from a marketing perspective have a comercial where the car is doing crazy burn outs or even drifting racing…..Sell the new 100 mile waranty at the same time by saying, “Now with a 100 mile warranty…yeah their built that good.” Then list the price.
Brand, company, and product image all in one.
Keep an open mind and a thumb on the pulse of the consumer and GM will stay king!
Brent Neves
I’m a bit sick of all the “hipe” with the import car market…some clown saying that he can’t recomend the pontiac g5 over a honda, mazda, or scion… a scion? what, is this guy blind?, I’m sorry but give me round and sleek over “Boxy” any day (looks like a freeking “bread delivery van”) and what is so great about the new civic?, “same old, same old” exaggerated horse power output v-tec engine.(had some fun at the traffic light the other day toasting the new 185hp civic with my 176hp pontiac….hmm?)fewer standard features yet you pay hundreads more, and NO! I know what your thinking,I know lots of old junky sunfires that have well past the 250,000km mark and the engines still run fine, yes the 2.2/2.4 eco-tec motor + the Getrag transmission does last as long as a “v-tec”. Don’t even get me started with Mazada over complicated, overrefined, and a bank account nightmare to maintain when there is a repair….Take it from a guy that has owned very many compacts of all kinds this one is value for money, after 2 years, & too many km’s of hard driving this “bloddy car” is standing up to my abuse, & givig the imports something to think about
Jeff
Who is going to pay $35,000 for the G8! At that price it will never match the current Grand Prix in sales. Well, it looks as if GM is saddled with another expensive North American Holden flop!
Wasn’t anything learnt from the GTO fiasco several years ago.
1350Eliminator
GM should have bought Chrysler and intergrated the best ideas of both companies into a solid, unstoppable auto company, but i fear if the new Camaro flops big-time in 2009, then GM will have made a statement, and the statement is that GM is out for nothing but profits, building faulty, failure-prone vehicles/parts, and will throw together any old scrap off the floor if they think a demand is there for it, but lately they never get it right, as in the Camaros new Independant rear suspension, thats sound bad even before reading about it, and from my experience, the old camaros with the stock solid rear axle broke extremely easily, and everybody performance/durability minded know independant suspension sucks unless many, many thousands of dollars are put into a design, and then it still isn’t as strong/reliable as a solid-type suspension (IMO, look at how the competition killed GM through the first gen. 87-98 IFS days (those to most are better known as the days of “the New Dodge”!), they were still building solid front axle trucks, while gm boasted “smoother ride with the same capacity…” B.S! for the 1/2 tons, it was ok, but putting it in the 3/4 and ton+ trucks was stupid, people in that market want a real truck -hint hint, with REAL axles not a pansy-fied wannabe). I don’t care about ride quality if it means a big weak link, if i wanted body roll and a cushy sports car, i’d have bought a mustang, because that was one of the key difference between the f-bods and mustangs, besides looks and power imo. the f-bod always outhandled the mustang outta the box, and if the camaro has problems early on, i think most of even the purest gm customers will have doubts about buying performance/reliability from gm ever again.
Jeff Bequette
speaking of Holden, instead of re-engineering and building an American version in Australia, why not build it in the US? The Ute & Crewman are vehicles that fit perfectly in the expanding urban market, tough enough to haul toys but civilized enough to drive to work 5 days a week. Heaven knows GM could use some good press bringing some manufacturing home!