The People Have Spoken…
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
…well, at least about 100,000 of them have spoken, anyway.
We’ve received word – and it’s not quite public knowledge yet – that General Motors did very well in the soon-to-be-announced Edmunds.com Consumers Most Wanted Awards.
GM cars and trucks took first place in 13 out of 32 vehicle categories. Among others, vehicles that won their segments include the Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra, GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook, Saturn Aura, Chevrolet Cobalt, and the Cadillac Escalade, CTS and STS.
People are obviously using web sites like Edmunds.com more and more in the vehicle shopping process… there are lots of places to kick virtual tires online. And from the results of this voting, I deduce that more of these people are considering GM. I’m told we swept these awards in a broad range of categories, from full-size trucks to small cars – no other manufacturer can stake that claim.
These honors are important to us at GM. Just as when the Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Silverado won North American Car and Truck of the Year back in January, we get a reminder that we’re on the right path. I’m not saying that winning awards makes these or any other vehicles great… but I am saying that winning the awards is a whole lot better than not winning them. It provides us a sense that our progress is duly noted by those who monitor such things.
It also provides us a measure of gratification and, in all candor, vindication, to have our cars and trucks recognized this way because we’ve put a tremendous amount of effort into developing them with the firm target of being the best.
And these particular awards are special because they are selected by you — the car- and truck-buying public.
The real test, of course, is success in the marketplace, and we’re making strides. Retail sales are up year-over-year, and our newest launch products — like the GMC Acadia — are selling briskly.
So to those who are considering our cars and trucks, I thank you, and to those who aren’t, I encourage you to give them a look and a test-drive. Tens of thousands of Edmunds voters can’t be wrong.
- Posted in Cars & Trucks
Patrick
Awesome news Devil Dog! Too bad it will be generally ignored by mainstream media.
Headline: GM Loses in 19 Categories in Edmund’s Survey!
Scott
Great news…Congratulations!
Now go out and advertise it in one direct and concerted effort in the next coming weeks. Nothing fancy, just right to the point. Repeat it, repeat it, repeat it. Most consumers, especially those who still prefer the Japanese brands, do not know how well you are really doing. Tell them what you have won and why.
Frank
Great job guys! You can almost guarantee 2 more spots next year with the new Malibu and Camaro.
Frank
P.S. Please don’t kill the Zeta Impala and Monte!!!!!
jim
Yes, we have spoken and you continue to ignore us. Buick has been around for years and continues to be ignored. You say you can’t talk about future products. But we hear about future Chevy, Saturn, Cadillacs…..Lets fact it Bob, you and GM do not care about Buick…..WE want the Chinese Park Avenue, Riviera and Velite…..Buick needs more then 3 vehicles to sell…..Do us all a favor and retire and let someone who truly understands what the people want!!!!
Stacy
Not only did they win those categories, but the GMC Acadia was voted “Most significant Vehicle of the Year”! We recently purchased an Acadia and couldn’t agree more - this thing is amazing!! Possibly the best GM vehicle ever! Tons of news, info, owner reviews and pictures at http://www.acadiaforum.net
jamie
GM is # 1.
Always was; always will be.
The Lutz magic really does make a difference.
The buying public has spoken.
Yeah, right on dude!
John
The people have spoken?
Is that why GM’s profit dropped 90% from a year ago?
Can you hear that? I think the people are speaking with their wallets.
It was pretty brave of you to refer people to the edmunds.com website.
Did you see what Edmunds.com said about the Cobalt?
“Although the Chevrolet Cobalt is the company’s best small car in years, it’s still well behind the class leaders in terms of handling, seat comfort and overall refinement…Cheap interior plastics, cramped backseat, lack of interior storage, dull handling, mediocre fit and finish”
Oh, yeah, and it scored 6th out of 7 in Edmunds economy car comparison test.
They did like the Silverado though, so kudos on that!
Now if you can just start building small cars as well as you build big ones.
noel park
After looking at the Edmunds website, it is interesting to note that the Cobalt took the segment against the Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Scion XA, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Saturn Ion, Aveo, and a couple of subcompact Suzukis. Who knew? I thought the Cobalt was the Civic fighter.
As about umpteen bloggers have suggested, how about a high mileage and/or hybrid variant of the Cobalt to allow it to be competetive on fuel economy with the rest of this segment.
How about putting the Volt power train in a duded up Cobalt and save the ton of money it will cost to develop a whole new car? It’s about mileage, not fashion statements.
It’s not rocket science guys, you can do it. As the man from Toyota said, “Lighter cars with smaller engines.”
gacSTclass
And here we were thinking from this title that you were going to shock us and bring us the Chinese Park Avenue.
Well, congratulations for the popularity of the GM cars and trucks in the Edmunds poll.
Lets hope that translates into sales!
JKujo
Bob,
Now all you have to do is get us the Buick Park Avenue and cars like that and you will have all momentum on your side to the point that you’ll start gaining market instead of losing it.
Here’s a suggestion, why not advertise a “100k people can’t be wrong! Families everywhere are discovering the value of GM all over again.” Or do another one of those “Then and Now” commercials. Those are classic, plus I love the tune it goes to.
Mike Swierczek
I’d like to comment on the Acadia, and its cousin the Outlook. My wife and I are planning on a third child, we looked them both over, and they are practical and stylish. As you well know, even members of the automotive press normally quick to criticize GM have given them tremendous praise.
Compare a Saturn Relay, the Hyundai Entourage, and the Saturn Outlook. The Relay ranks last in interior space, last in crash safety, and worst for convenient access to the third row. The Outlook is dramatically superior, but its high step in height is tedious for small children and no matter how stylish it looks, I just can’t justify a $4,000 premium over an Entourage.
General Motors is back in the business of making some of the most desirable automobiles in the world. I sincerely hope a serious update to your minivans is on the horizon.
sheth
Mike,
GM is getting out of the minivan business soon. There will be no 2008 Relay or Terraza. This is old news.
I think the Edmunds list is very telling. It shows that the people that visit Edmunds site have a much better view of GM than Edmunds’ staff.
As for the inevitable Cobalt bashing by the people who come here to do nothing but criticize I would say that mileage is only one factor in evaluating a small car. The cobalt has more power and a larger engine than Civic or Corolla and its mileage suffers. The Cobalt’s mileage is competitive with other small cars such as Lancer, Elantra and Mazda3. People like to use selective truths to make their points. The Cobalt doesnt have class leading mileage, but it is in the same ballpark with the majority of compacts on the market. I am willing to bet all the pro-Toyota people that come here to complain about the Cobalt’s mileage would never levy the same criticism at the Mazda3 which has been praised by the press. The 3’s lack of efficiency is rarely mentioned, if ever and yet everywhere I go on the internet the Cobalt is hated because it doesnt get 40mpg like the Civic.
edvard
“Is that why GM’s profit dropped 90% from a year ago?
Can you hear that? I think the people are speaking with their wallets.”
Much of the income issues at GM has less to do with automotive sales and more to do with their 49% investment in GMAC which is heavily reliant on Sub-prime mortgage lending. As you can see from the latest news, subprime is not the best business to be in.
But in terms of automotive sales, GM is in fact doing quite well particularly in Latin America, China, and even North America. I read their initial Q1 reports with profits of 64 million. Not terrific, but considering the negative income erosion from GMAC, they actually did very well.
Jim
We have been seriously looking at both the Acadia and Outlook for a couple of months, as well as, a few of the competitors such as the Pilot and CX-9 from Mazda. We prefer the GM models by far from a packaging and styling perspective, but the one thing that is holding us back is the quality of the interior materials, especially the dashboard area. I currently drive a 1999 Audi A6 Avant which has wonderful interior quality. If the Acadia or Outlook even approached this level of quality then I would buy one in a heartbeat. So for now I am going to wait on the sidelines to see if perhaps the 2008 or 2009 models are upgraded in terms of interior material quality. Too bad because I would like to buy one.
Holden
I still don’t see any small trucks (that would work in today’s environment, or that anyone would want to buy) coming down your assembly line. Are you waiting for Toyota and Honda and Ford to beat you to that product as well? I’ve already bought as many of your behemoth gas guzzling monster trucks that I’m ever gonna buy!
Robert Farago
Congratulations! It’s nice to see GM products get a little positive publicity.
A couple of points, though…
1. Who told you “Retail sales are up year-over-year?” I’d fire them. According to The Detroit News, GM’s “sales are down 6.5 percent through April compared to a year ago, and it has lost a percentage point of its U.S. market share, which slipped to 22.9 percent.”
2. Not to rain on your parade, but at the other end of the spectrum, GM won six out of 10 of The Truth About Cars’ “Ten Worst Automobiles Today” awards.
So… must try harder.
Patrick
The tides are turning in favor of General Motors, I have been anticipating a large movement in the public’s perception with the new and exciting GM products that are being released and still in the works.
Congrats GM, keep up the good work.
And Bob, you should stop by GMInsideNews.com and grace us with some input on the boards, alot of fans, alot of support.
Chris
@ John:
If you follow automotive news, you’d know that GM sold record vehicles worldwide this quarter, and their auto business is doing better than ever. The profits were down 90% from a year ago because of GMAC, something related to the housing market. Not car related, in other words.
Paul
Tens of thousands of Edmunds voters aren’t representative of my tastes. Which isn’t surprising, considering I’m the type of person who would rather watch a Star Trek marathon than the Superbowl. I’m part of what a marketer would call the “long tail.”
The only car that topped any category in that survey was the Cobalt, which I’m not interested in because it doesn’t get good fuel economy, at least in my book. Put a hybrid system or diesel in it, and we’ll talk. And judging by the write up, the Cobalt is only benefiting from the higher price of the Mazda3 and Honda Civic.
Also, where’s the Astra? At least that’s better looking than the Cobalt. Why aren’t you pushing a new car rather than an old car?
Adam
John, obviously you didn’t really look into the reason that GM’s profit was down 90% this quarter. But that will happen when you just read the headlines. Sales are up because GM is making better vehicles that people want. Profit was down because GMAC ResCap lost $900 million due to subprime mortgage, of which 49% is reflected on GM financial statements.
Keep up the good work. I can’t wait for the new CTS and Camaro, and the Volt could be one of those cars that define a car generation.
Jim
Bob-
Your work is about to be validated. Congratulations!
Bob, if I were to go buy a new car today, that Chinese Buick Park Avenue would be just the ticket. Really.
I’m not 65 years old…I’m a 45 y.o. professional…just the type of person that you would target with that car.
Please try to bring this to the USA. it would be a shot of the “fountain of youth” for Buick.
Jim
Mark
We just bought an Outlook in March. Our first GM ever, and first domestic in 10 years. If this is a sign if things to come, GM is definitely back on track. Crank up the marketing Bob, and let the US know about the Lambdas. Keep up the good work!!
Stephen S
Congratulations Bob.
I was one of the 100k consumers fans who voted, for the quality GM products. Now lets get the word out, especially the Acadia, Outlook and Aura. Gotta get those AURA sales up. Keep the full court press on. Even the media is coming around with,a great review of the Outlook in USA Today as well as the Acadia in almost every publication (Wall Street Journal and CNNMoney.com)
Lets keep the momentum going.
Stacy
I hate to break it to you Mike, but GM is out of the business of making Minivans. So don’t expect an update anytime soon (or even the old ones on the lot). The Lambdas (Acadia, Outlook, Enclave) have obsoleted the entire minivan category. They basically do everything a minivan does, only much more stylishly… sans the sliding door
mrbill
Yeah, but we want to know why the Chinese are getting the Good Buicks….why are the US getting whats left.
Where are the new RWD Full size sedans, RWD Impala with LS3…where is the new Buick GNX based on the Zeta platform
Lets rock on these.
design_Kid
Thats awesome news!
But now it’s time to focus on the categories that GM did not win.
Did any Buicks or Pontiacs make it into the list I wonder?
After all the hype about performance RWDs we are still without a single Zeta car on the roads in the US!!
Buick and Pontiac (and to a lesser extent Chevy) need Zetas!! The passionate car people (your fans) are waiting for these cars!!
Congratulations on the great success - but don’t forget the people who love to drive!!
Phil Racicot
I also thought when I saw the title that the the Buick Park Avenue would be available here soon.
What are you waiting for? Are you secretly ameliorating it to surprise us with an even more distinctive RWD full size Buick for our market in the near future?
THAT would be good news!
Gereon Langlitz (Germany)
It’s not only the impressive performance of GM at Edmund’s and other’s surveys, it’s much more our own experience, which will make me buy another GM-Vehicle. The products simply are inexpensive, provide outstanding value, reliability and advanced technology. Two weeks ago there was a comparison test on German TV (N24). The Corvette Z06 CLEARLY gained the first place against the BMW M6, which has a 50.000 EUR (!) higher sticker price than the Corvette. The Viper, also 25.000 EUR more expensive than the Z06, couldn’t beat the Corvette, neither. BTW, the Z06 showed the lowest gas-consumption during the test-drive, whereas it provided the largest and strongest engine and performance among those 3 testers.
Rick Lupori
Mr. Lutz: Congratulations on GM gaining public recognition for building attractive, desirable vehicles.
The Acadia looks to be a big hit with April sales right with the Lexus RX350, as this well engineered vehicle should. Can’t wait to see how the Acadia and new Enclave do in sales the remainder of the year. If people liked the Acadia they will love the Enclave, it is one of the best looking vehicles on the market car, truck or SUV.
In fact all of the Lambda architecture vehicles are attractive and well priced, although some more advertisement would help the Saturn Outlook.
Keep the hits coming and get some of the new global Buick models to the U.S. to complement the Enclave.
Don’t forget Pontiac and I am still waiting to see a Solstice Sedan.
Thanks again for your time.
SteveG
Bob, I hope you realize that GM fans from the websites trumped up those numbers.
Please dont think this is the way the general public feels because as your sales show they do not.
The Cobalt has potential but as usual GM lets it whither and fall behind as the Honda Civic and mazda 3 blow it away with hitting a home run and not going for a double. Fix up the interior, put in new seats and a telescoping steering wheel and improve the suspension then we can talk.
Rene Curry
VQ VALUE - QUALITY
This needs to be the internal GM buzz word and advertising slogan.
Gary Dikkers
Bob Lutz said:
Hmmmm. Then why did just last week Toyota pass GM in sales pushing you to Number Two?
In my opinion, actual sales means a heck of a lot more than Edmunds.com — at least they mean more to the health of your company.
V/R
Gary Dikkers
Tom Dingman
GM has some fine cars… but has a problem with Internet display and communications. For example, try to locate a vehicle using an Apple computer. Also, “contact us” references are sometimes non-working e-mail addresses!
Thanks for allowing my comments.
Jack
Bob,
You and GM’s steady alternation between The Media being “off base” and “right” is nothing more then a circus sideshow. Magazine/Website awards are nothing more then their lunch order for more sushi at the next GM-sponsored event. Winning is only in the marketplace. Instead of being the GM quote machine, why don’t you use all your “mysterious auto magic” to fix GM’s real, core problems? Is that too much risk to your reputation?
Too many brands.
Too many managers.
GM a ‘loser’ in the public eye.
Cars that feel and sound crude/cheap.
Dull styling (still).
Etc. Etc. ETC!
jsmilesrmhs
This is very good for Gm. I read emunds regularerly, and I was suprised because Gm did not do to well in the Editors most wanted, but whatever
Just keep up the good work, and don’t cut costs, and you will be back to a profitable company again soon
Whurlaway
I am very concerned!
I got the bug to get a new vehicle. So I went looking at some of GM’s latest offerings today (Yukon–Yukon XL Envoy type vehicles)
What a letdown. The front ends of the Yukon’s look like a mono colored blob with $1,000 dollar head lights. All the same body color- not even any simulated chrome. (At least the pick up trucks have a chrome bumper)
The Envoy is way over priced, and you can’t even get a V-8 engine unless you get the Denali series! What a stupid marking ploy. I don’t want or need all of the silly stuff standard on the Denali, I just want a V-8 engine, as I feel it would get just as good of mileage if not better than the whimpy six cylinder engine that is standard. (Plus I have a feeling that engine is close to the end of it’s life cycle)
So, I am at a loss as to what to look at. I have had nothing but GM vehicles since the mid 60’s.
I detest rent-a-car front wheel drive vehicles and won’t buy one!
GM has nothing that catches my eye in the large (but not Cadillac)Rear Wheel Drive segment that interest me!
As much as I have had excellant service and relibility from my past cars, trucks and S.U.V.’s from GM, I really want to support your turn around efforts, but can’t find a vehicle that I desire.
I sure wish you still had a RWD car that was worth considering and not overpriced or loaded up with unwanted or unneeded silly extras. I had many Oldsmobile 98’s One RWD Cadillac and all of them were wonderful cars! I will keep looking, but unless some miracle happens and something materializes out of thin air that meets my needs, I guess I will be forced to look at other manufacturers products.
Thank you for your attention
Whurlaway
Muthiah Subbiah
Please, Mr. Lutz, start coming out with smaller cars that don’t drink oil like water. Please! i mean, we need oil for the future. Smaller, better designed, hybrid cars. Hybrid is the future. Or make smaller SUVs , if you guys love SUVs.
Good Luck
Rocky Bellenger
Bob, if you bring me a 400-450 horsepower Buick Velite Convertible. I will bow and kiss your feet. Please build me my american dream car. I want a Buick Velite Convertible so bad I can’t stand it Bob. I read somewhere you have a poster of it on your wall and thus I know you like it. I would prefer it be a Tiger Woods Edition with all the latest gadgets like heated/ventilated seats, Bose or Harmon Kardon 5.1 surround sound system, navigation with voice recognition, bluetooth, heated steering wheel, chrome paddle shifters like in the concept, Delphi Magneride, etc, etc. I promise you this car would be a huge hit !!!!!! I blog at edmunds.com and yes voted for GM, auto’s in the Consumer’s Most Wanted.
Thanks,
Rocky Bellenger or edmunds aka “rockylee”
the Law
gm,
why not do some funny ads,the consumers remember products by the consumers.who many people know the big mac song, or the Oscar Myers.
Gary Dikkers
From yesterday’s Detroit News in response to a proposal to raise CAFE standards:
Mr Lutz,
Let me tell you something: This last week I drove from Madison, WI to Hyde Park, NY to pick up my daughter from college. I drove my Volkswagen TDI (turbo-charged diesel injection). On the trip to New York I logged 964 miles, burning 20.6 gallons of diesel fuel.
My fuel economy for the trip was 46.8 mpg driving at speeds of 70-75 mph on I-80.
Why can I buy a VW now that gets almost 47 mpg, while you say GM would have to increase the cost of your vehicles by $5,000 to $6,000 each to attain an average CAFE of only 35 mpg? (My VW certainly didn’t cost that much more with the TDI than it would have with a gasoline engine.)
My VW is no econo-box, and most people in the US would be happy to drive a similar car from GM were you to make one with a TDI engine.
The TDI would even be a solution for your light trucks. I also own a GMC Sonoma truck, and every time I drive it, I wish it had the same TDI engine as my VW.
Why are you so reluctant to jump on the turbo-charged diesel bandwagon, when it stands out as such an obvious solution to the CAFE increases you resist so mightily?
V/R
Gary Dikkers
Ben Hosking
It’s real nice to see you North American guys and girls wanting the Park Avenue so badly. As Australian’s, we’re pretty proud of the new VE and WM Commodore/Statesman and Caprice line-up that Holden have designed, developed and manufactured. Seeing them enter and succeed in the international markets is even better!
I’ll tell you this: if you get the WM line of long wheel-base luxury saloons, you won’t be disappointed. They’re beautifully built and awesome to drive!
Come on Bob, make it happen! Oh, and don’t go building them in Canada or the US. Let us build them properly!
John
Any chance for a Hybrid Camaro?
Gas might hit $4 a gallon in CA this summer (I saw it at $4+ a gallon for full service yesterday), and despite an extra low overdrive, real-world mpg in the teens isn’t going to cut it for most of us.
Please don’t turn the next few years into the ’70s oil crisis redux.
It’s bad enough that some of the most evil people in the world are profiting from oil wealth. Having to pay more than ever to subsidize them just so we can commute and run errands is adding insult to injury.
The Camry Hybrid can get 0-60 in less than 9 seconds at 38-40mpg.
If GM could use similar technology to deliver a Camaro ragtop that could better that time and still deliver 35+ mpg, it would have a real hit on its hands.
I mean, obviously it’s not going to happen, as GM would rather make SUVs and prototypes built from smoke and mirrors, but it sure would be nice to see GM take the lead on something other than who can build the biggest dinosaur.
Paul
For me, mileage is second only to price. I wouldn’t buy a Mazda3 or Lancer because they get comparatively poor gas mileage.
The only reason I bought my Protege was because it was within my $5,000 price range. I would have rather bought a late model VW Golf TDI, but you still can’t find them for much less than $9,000. And since I hardly drive my Protege anymore since I bought my scooter which, at last fill up, got 80 mpg.
So while I’m sure the Cobalt is fine for people who don’t care about gas mileage, it’s not even in my consideration because it only gets 34 mpg on the highway and a measly 25 in the city, where I do most of my driving.
(In researching the Cobalts mileage, the header on the Chevy web site says “30 mpg is pretty common at Chevy.” I thought to myself “Yeah, but 40 mpg is unheard of.”)
I don’t want more power. I don’t want a bigger engine. I want a car that gets, at the very least, 40 mpg on the highway and 30 mpg in the city. No GM car meets this criterion. Granted, no car from Nissan or Mazda or Mitsubishi or Ford or Chrysler meet this criterion either, but I’m not on their blog, am I?
Jerry W.
Great news for GM, and even the folks at Edmunds’ admit it means something, unlike some people here.
Also, a quick note for Whurlaway:
The six cylinder engine in the GMT360 platforms is by no means “whimpy”. The 4200 straight six is a very strong engine, and extremely refined. It’s actually one of GM’s most technologically advanced mills too. So beating on the lack of a V8 in non-Denali trims of the Envoy is shortsightedness on your part, and probably means you haven’t driven one with the six in it. Try it before you deny it.
I will say you’re probably right about it being near its end of life. GM should’ve made this block the new base engine in the whole full-sized lineup, replacing the aging 4.3l with an engine making more power and torque much more smoothly. Heck, it could also replace the 4.8l V8 while it’s at it!
noel park
Sheth, 5/4, 12:05 PM & Paul, 5/7, 9;54 AM:
Well Paul, as usual, you beat me to the punch. I completely agree.
If there are customers out there who like the Cobalt with its existing power train and don’t care about the mileage, by all means give them what they want.
All I am saying is, if there are all sorts of people out there for whom mileage is a top line issue (me for example) then how about the option of a “Lighter car with a smaller engine”, more sophisticated transmission and/or a hybrid system.
The Cobalt seems to get into the segment it led because of its relatively low entry level price. If you option it up to equivalent equipment of a Civic, it very quickly gets into the Civic segment price range, where the competition is a lot tougher.
I am not going to buy a Mazda 3 in this life or the next, for just the reasons Paul cited.
Scott
Bob,please no b pillar on the new Camaro,we need all four windows to roll down on that coupe like the concept car.This detail is an important one that will put the Camaro ahead of the other pony cars,a rare true 2 door coupe.The others will look cheap with the b pillar and fixed side windows. Gas mileage is not my biggest concern,its the details of this car that will sell it.
Tyler
Congrats GM. I can’t wait until the list comes out. Make sure you don’t let it get to your head though. The reason Toyota has defeated you and is still kicking your butt is because they are never complacent with their engineering. Keep making them better and better, and maybe you’ll eventually win the American market back.
bob t
The people have spoken.
Yes and your number 2.
Mr Lutz who called Toyota STUPID for making the Prius at the Chicago Auto show.
And not to long ago said all the pundits were WRONG SUV sales will stay strong.
You get lauded?
Well enjoy number 2 until
you finally wake up and the Japanese will have you SO far behind in drivable tech that you will be number 4. Welcome to Fords position. Hey the board is so rich I am sure you can afford the stock buy back.
What a shameful disaster you have brought upon this nation for your greed and arogance.
Tommy Johnson
GM needs a true spokesman like Bob Lutz (or someone similar) to market their cars on tv commercials. For the most part, GM’s current tv ads do little to promote and generate desire for their products. Lee Iacoca did a great job in making people believe in Chrysler, but Dr. Z was terrible.
Building the Pontiac G-8 was a great idea. Just wait till it arrives and watch how well it sells. It will definitely be a winner in the market place.
Also, quit knee jerking around with rear wheel drive. Stick to your guns and bring rear wheel drive like new GTO etc. The fuel economy will be OK. GM needs to hit a few home runs (or doubles) to generate some good momentum.
The Chevy Malibu also looks great. Promote the car right and it should easily sell 100,000 units.
SteveG
Check this out and see how a car company that wants to stay ahead of the pack operates. When I see GM update their cars regularly like Mazda, then Ill be a believer. Right now I see they are not serious at all about being the best:
New for 2007
The 2007 Mazda Mazda3 receives minor updates including a more rigid body, body-color front grille, redesigned front bumper with square fog lights, and the 4-door s sedan now has LEDs for rear combination lights and redesigned 16- and 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels. The interior is fitted with newly added rear armrests with integrated cupholders for rear-seat occupants, 4-door i sedan features interior color packages with newly designed white gauges and zebra-striped wood-finish dash trim, 4-door sedan’s rear cargo space side and end trim have been modified to allow large and a trunk lid recess on top of the bumper has been added, and gray cloth interior is available on select exterior colors. Audio systems have been upgraded with an auxiliary audio input and 12-volt power outlets are now standard.
getalifeagain
This is good news. If any foreign auto firm had done it, it would be “Headline News.”
Barry
Congratulations to team GM. It’s about time we got what we wanted and not what you wanted to build. Listen to the customer…….
Now, I have a comment I hope will be posted. I’ve had a few comments which were relevant and clean that were not posted on here.
The gamesmanship over CAFE standards needs to end. If GM is trying to shape public opinion by some of its “threatening” comments is not winning you fans in the market place. Just as you start to build new cars and have an opportunity to be viewed as a green leader, we are hearing things which are diametrically opposed to good corporate citizenship. Threats to cancel cars and trucks aren’t winning any brownie points. Instead, why don’t you take a positive PR approach. Publicly embrance the standards which you can CLEARLY MEET because they are not even close to European and Japanese standards, yet talk about how they can be best implemented in a constructive fashion. A national energy independence plan, alternative energy, whatever.
Then explain to people including Congress that truck fleets should be held to a different standard because this is not Europe and Japan. We have alot of entrepreneurs , small business owners, farmers, etc who need pickups. So, don’t penalize their production by………
My point is that you appear as being a whiner when the technology exists today to meet much more aggressive CAFE standards. That you would make less money … well …. maybe. Where’s the Yankee Ingenuity. No one likes a whiner. Especially from a company that has been mismanaged for forty years and is only now getting its act together.
James
Bob
OK, good. Now how is GM going to use this information to change the publics perception of GM cars. Too many Americans still believe the myth that Japanese cars are always better. Surveys like this are ammunition in the wars of public perception. GM needs a stategy of communicating to the public that American and GM cars in particular are under rated and that Japanese cars are over rated. There are way too many car buyers who make Toyota and other Japanese cars their default choice simply because they believe the Japanese car will be trouble free and that the American brand will need repairs too soon.
GM and the other Americans are still paying the price for mistakes made 15 to 20 years ago. Their reputations were ruined by dull and unreliable cars of the 80s and 90s. Too many customers were lost and have unfortunately become loyal to Japanese brands, particularly Toyota. GM needs to communicate that the quality gap is becoming an obsolete myth. Furthermore GM needs to communicate that American cars are stylish hip and have character while Japanese cars are transportation appliances. The buyer of Japanese cars needs to feel that the car he chose is dull and uninspiring. He needs to be made to feel guilty. Since Japanese cars sell at a premium he needs to be made to feel foolish for overpaying. Americans who buy Japanese cars, wherever they are made are voting with their dollars to have Japanese masters.
Steve W.
Mr. Lutz,
You’re a hard individual to contact. Congratulations on the Edmunds kudos. However, let me voice my own experience.
My initial disappoint was some recent GM offerings. My initial disappointment was with the newly introduced Chevrolet Silverado pickup. The unofficial reports prior to its release was that the new styling would mirror the attractive styling of the Tahoo and Suburban. Needless to say I was disappointed with the release - I decided not to buy one primarily based on the styling.
My backup plan was to pickup a Chevrolet SSR. The internet is a wonderful tool for the consumer. It turns out the SSR is plagued with an overheating problem during its short production run along with additional, shall I say, “minor” problems with roof sealing, etc., that GM failed to address - scratch the SSR.
Finally, I decided to look at the Hummer H3. It turns out it too has a chronic problem with the I-5 cylinder head that is now going on it’s third year of production. It’s unclear whether GM has addressed this defect. A quick Internet search will verify my findings.
It was announced today that Toyota has overtaken GM in sales. Most unfortunate as I find their vehicles rather bland although they’ve long had a reputation for quality. As a college educated, 30 plus year GM customer, I’ll stick with the GM products I currently own and hope that GM quality and styling can do a turnaround in the near future.
Bwright8
Gary Dikkers,
When you say, “Why can I buy a VW now that gets almost 47 mpg,” you know you are referring to a car that is not and was never 50 state emissions legal right? Or were you just assuming that everyone else knew that significant but inconvenient truth?
In early 2004, so difficult were diesel rules for passenger cars that VW was the only company in the country offering diesel passenger cars. Again, those cars were not 50-state legal. The only reason VW could sell their diesels here is that they already had enough diesel sales of essentially the same car in Europe (whose diesel emissions regs were easier to pass) so they could afford to be shut out of the sizable sales potential of the key states here which would not allow their diesels.
For 2007, tightening US emissions regulations eliminated all of VW’s TDI passenger car offerings. All of them. VW tried to sneak around the regs by building extra 2006 models with plans to sell them well into the 2007 model year but insist that they are leftover 2006′.
After never ever having a 50-state legal product VW today finally HOPES to have a 50-state legal TDI Jetta available for sale in 2008 now that the nation’s tough diesel emissions laws have finally changed. But to chastise GM for not miraculously having a diesel passenger car available nationwide is specious as it fails to note that NOBODY ever had one because of our emissions rules on diesel passenger cars.
A product that cannot sell in sizable markets like CA, ME, Mass, NY and VT is essentially a non-starter until the rules changed. Unless you have a virtually identical product sold in bulk elsewhere you can’t even spend the money developing the product until you know with 100% certainty that those rules are going to change. The only way you can even risk taking a chance is if sales figures are absolutely compelling. Which brings us to the next point.
You think “most people in the US would be happy to drive a similar car from GM were you to make one with a TDI engine?” I think you are unable to separate your personal preferences from the facts established by the reality of the market. Here’s a U.S. sales breakdown of VW’s 2006 TDI sales:
Jetta - 22,506
New Beetle - 4,449
Touareg - 347
Golf - 263
Total: 27,563
Percentage of the 2006 16,559,625 unit U.S. light vehicle market? ~1/16th of 1%. Wow. Somebody hold us back.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled diesel hype and half truths, over to you Gary.
Sid Fowler
Is GM planning on any internal quality improvements at the plant level? Hyundai is now advertising that they have achieved ISO/TS16949 certification - the first auto manufacturer to do so - at their plant in Alabama. Benefits of adopting the ISO/TS 16949 standard include improving quality of processes at the facility along with streamlining supply chains, both leading to a better overall product.
As I understand it, GM has required their supply base to adopt to the TS16949 standard years ago as a prerequisite to doing business with GM. Isn’t it time that you practice what you preach, walk the talk, good for the goose is good for the gander, etc, etc?.
How could GM allow a transplanted Korean manufacturer to beat them in becoming the first to be certified to the most stringent quality standard? Is Jim Queen even aware of this standard, or is he too busy helping Bo to count beans?
Frankly, GM should be embarrassed, and perhaps this is part of the reason that GM continues to lose market share in the US. Prove that you want to be the best by stepping up to the plate. Talk is easy.
Drew
The fact that members of my family would consider a Saturn Aura for a new sedan says a lot about how much GM has accomplished in the past ten years.
Michael
Pul-leez! I will never believe GM can ever produce a decent car again. Is it any wonder Toyota is going to be the largest carmaker in the world? I’ve owned 4 GM cars (not all by choice), and every one of them was a lemon. I even had a catalytic converter (on a Cadillac) blow up!
I can’t see any reason why anyone would desire a GM car. The styling has become stodgy and staid. The quality still resides in the cellar. And I still believe GM doesn’t know how to build a car as good as anything from Japan. My feelings are based on experience, and 100 million baby boomers have all had the same experience.
C Mattson
I think it’s a bit unfair to bring out VW’s almost-2-year old sales numbers for comparison purposes. Here’s why:
1) Gas prices. Gas prices continue to climb and appear to have no ceiling. If gas prices continue to climb (or even hold steady at $3-$4/us gallon), a 50mpg diesel will look pretty attractive.
2) Taking VW sales and deriving a percentage of US sales is a faulty look at the market. VW is a fringe player in the US market. Their sales % is tiny to start with.
American consumers cast a skeptical eye towards diesels in large part because of previous experiences with them: loud, sooty, and unreliable.
With the new emission laws and with current technology. diesles are NONE of these things.
The fact is, it’s going to take a bold move by a major player to debut a diesel offering and start changing customer perceptions. I’d like it to be GM. I think it’s an opportunity for GM to get-out front of it’s competition on something. GM having an eye-popping 40+ or 50+ mpg car could change some perceptions.
Todd Eisermann
ISO/TS16949 - the new and stringent quality standard that GM imposes on their suppliers. Do they impose the same on themselves? Well no of course not, that would cost more.
Wake up guys - Hyundai has you beat by becoming the first auto maker to be awarded this certification for their Alabama plant. They are obviously serious about quality improvements and this 3rd party certification proves it - no marketing hype here to hide behind.
When is GM going to get serious so they can stop the need for excuses and marketing spin? Do unto yourselves as you do unto your suppliers….
Chris (Toronto)
To Michael on May 10, 2007 12:33 PM:
Times change, get used to it. Drive a new GM full size pickup, or a Cobalt, or an Outlook, or a Z06 and then see if you don’t change your opinion. GM produced some ‘not so great’ cars in the past. In the past. The same is true for Toyota (angels singing here, pls).
Give GM some credit for the effort they are expending and the results that we have seen over the recent past. Sheesh.
And no, I do not work for, nor hold shares of, GM.
Chris (Toronto)
John
“What a shameful disaster you have brought upon this nation for your greed and arrogance.”
Bob T’s telling it like it is.
He’s right, GM’s continued willful failure to exercise sound management, common sense, and foresight, is indeed a national disgrace.
Eric Fonville
Hey Gary Dikkers,
If your are going to quote the Detroit news story than quote it correctly.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (i.e. the government) has estimated it would cost $114 billion to comply with the improved fuel standards that Obama supports. The Big Three would bear 80 percent of that cost, adding $3,000 to $5,000 to the price tag of each vehicle, according to the estimate.
This is NHTSA’s estimate of the cost for a 4% per year improvement.
The gas saved for 4% of the average annual miles driven at $3/gallon comes out to about $65/year.
And you wonder why the auto companies are resisting adding ‘$3,000 to $5,000′ to the price of a car in order to save 65 bucks in gas!!
And Obama is offering ‘up to $7 billion’ to the auto companies toward the ‘$114 billion’ cost to comply.
Such a deal!
Tell you what, you give me $4000 today and I’ll pay you back $65/year.
Eric
noel park
Barry, 5/8, 11:38 AM:
I completely agree.
My dad used to say, “It’s self regulating.” Congress is reportedly looking at a CAFE standard of 35 mpg by 2020. My sense of it is that it’s self regulating.
Based on today’s gas price trends, any car maker who can’t get to a CAFE of 35 mpg by 2020 is going to cease to exist through market forces, forget what the Feds do or don’t do.
getalifeagain
The only reason Toyota is ahead of GM in worldwide sales is because they sell 2.4 million vehicles in their home market which is impenetrable to American autos.
the law
gm,
why not go after Honda they have the best fuel economy.build a modern CRX- sporty door hatch(top hatch)that gets great mileage. why not 40mpg?
what does that opel corsa get?
the beat was a good start but not up to par.
Gary Dikkers
Bwright8 asked:
Bwright,
Of course I know that. In fact, I wrote about that on this blog several months ago.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I went from Madison, WI to the Hudson River Valley on slightly more than 20 gallons of fuel.
Perhaps our emission standards need to be adjusted closer to that of the Europeans. I can’t believe that I was harder on the environment burning a gallon of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel every 47 miles, than someone driving a SUV or land yacht burning two or three gallons of gasoline to go the same distance.
The point of my comment about TDI engines was to address Mr Lutz’s repeated lament that there is no technology available with which GM could reach a CAFE of 35 mpg w/o adding $5,000 to $6,000 dollars to the cost of each car they build. Of course the technology is available, in fact it’s been available for years and it doesn’t cost anywhere near what Lutz claims. When I bought my VW TDI I paid about $1,500 more than the same car would have cost with a gasoline engine.
What GM and Lutz need to do is step back and refocus on what technology is available now. (GM wouldn’t even have to do any research. It’s already a known quantity.)
Instead of Mr Lutz’s constant complaint to the press about the evil and dreaded 35 mpg CAFE, perhaps what GM and Ford and the others should do is offer a deal to the President and Congress: “OK, Mr President, you want us to reach a 35 mpg CAFE, why not ease up on the diesel emission standards.”
That would seem a fair exchange to me.
Bwright8 said:
Yes, I do think that. Have you ever driven a car with a TDI? Try it, and you might agree with me.
In fact, where I live, one sees large numbers of VW TDIs on the road. I walk to work each day and just for kicks I’ve counted during my three mile walk. About one out of 15 cars I see on the road is a VW and half of those are TDIs. Perhaps we have an unusually agressive VW dealer, or an enlightened group of consumers, but it’s a popular car here.
But for specifics here’s the reason I think almost anyone could be happy with it:
Bwright8 said:
Eric
Hey Bob,
Congrats! I have seen alot of posts with the people speaking about bringing the China Park Ave to the US. I think its a great idea. And I think even bringing a small number - 10 to 15 thousand in the first year, creates an exclusivity that isnt so bad. It has the looks to compete against Lexus, and my Aussie friends say the car is smooth. And having a few on the dealership lots may bring people in enough to look at Lucerne and Enclave.
Good job, Bob! Now bring the Solstice to Shanghai!!
Paul
I’d probably do the same thing. I can’t find a TDI for less than $10,000, even if it’s as old as my Protege and has more miles on it
Diesels last pretty much forever, as long as you keep the oil and belts changed regularly, can run biofuels easily (even straight vegetable oil), offer good performance and excellent fuel economy.
Combine a TDI engine that can run up to B100 with a mild hybrid system like the one in the Vue, put it in the body of an Astra, and I’m sure you’d have a great vehicle on your hands that, to everyone’s surprise, would probably beat the Prius in terms of fuel economy.
Frank
Rob
You said “Not to rain on your parade, but at the other end of the spectrum, GM won six out of 10 of The Truth About Cars’ “Ten Worst Automobiles Today” awards.”
Not to rain on your parade, but Thetruthaboutcars is the most bias, anti domestic, automotive website on the net. If GM put out a car that ran on air, they would have something negative to say about it.
They recently reviewed the Caddy SRX and wouldn’t ya know it they ripped it apart. Yet this is the same Truck, that according to Car and driver Magazine, rated better than the BMW X5, the Mercedes ML 350, and the Lexus GS470. Its not just Car and Driver either, Edmunds and Automobilemag.com also sang its praises.
If you ask me Thetruthaboutcars opinions on domestic products are as worthless as a 3 dollar bill.
Phil Racicot
About Diesels…
My father has been driving Volkswagen Diesels from 1980 to 2006, his last one was a 2002 Jetta TDI. I have driven it as well as older turbo diesels he had and I have to say I hate them all.
Poor performance, bad Diesel fuel odors (even at the filling station) and FWD make me hate these Volkswagens. My father likes them because he hates spending money on gas, not because they are greater cars or they pollute less!
That’s probably why I love big RWD Buicks with big V8 engines!
The 2002 TDI was way too slow and it smells so bad that I think it pollutes more than my 1965 Buick Wildcat does! At least, the exhaust fumes from the tailpipe of my Buick do smell good (in moderate quantity of course!) ;).
The size of an engine or the quantity of fuel it burns isn’t necessarily related to the toxicity of the emissions it does.
For example: I heard that my two-stroke lawn mower pollutes more than my old Buicks do. And so does my Honda CR-250 dirt bike.
edvard
“Yes, I do think that. Have you ever driven a car with a TDI? Try it, and you might agree with me.”
I have to agree with Gary on this one. I hate VW’s in general because it seems that most of the cars they sell have amazingly horrid reliability problems.But the jetta TDI I drove was really different. I previously had no experience with diesels other than our old tractor, which you had to warm up for 2 minutes before you started the thing. But I drove my wife’s parent’s 2002 Jetta TDI wagon and Gary is right: They offer the same comfort, acceleration, and convenience of a conventional gas powered car. What’s more, we used cruise control and averaged 52 MPG. That’s right- 50 MPG, which is more than their other car gets, a 2003 Prius. I actually liked the car a lot, and I’m a die-hard Toyota truck driver.
There’s no mystery to diesel technology other then that they have not gained popular acceptance in the domestic market and mainly due to the tractor-trailer diesel fuel sold in the US being too dirty to pass emissions.
I’ve heard that ‘clean diesel’ is on it’s way here. While ethanol is being touted as a Saviour, diesel is already around and can be made out of any variety of fossil or bio based materials.
If the vast majority of domestic cars got anything close to 50 MPG, then we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I’ll admit that I am still driving my 200,000+ mile truck because I’ve been hoping for years that Toyota or SOMEBODY will come out with a small diesel truck- not a Dually, 6.0 liter, Caterpillar engine powered behemoth. A small, efficient, handy truck- with a diesel engine.
Diesel should be considered an option.
Gary Dikkers
C Mattson said:
All good points, thanks for pitching in.
It is also interesting to note GM is largely responsible for the bad perception American drivers have of diesel-powered cars. It stems back to their ill-fated and poorly thought out attempt to market diesels in the 1970s. Their basic strategy then was to convert a normal gasoline engine block to burn diesel. Those cars had serious problems — they weren’t reliable, noisy, and started poorly when cold. I wouldn’t blame anyone who bought one for being turned off by diesel-powered passenger cars.
But that was GM’s fault, not a problem with basic diesel technology.
As you pointed out, diesels today are nothing like the poorly designed GM diesel engines of the 1970’s.
Perhaps GM was also soured by their 1970’s experience, but Mr Lutz and the others really need to get over it and take advantage of a technology that can meet new CAFE standards without the expense Lutz is so concerned about.
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
bill
As long as we’re mentioning Buick - chopped, channeled, side skirted version of the chinese park, buick blackhawk concept, velite concept vert, coupe and sedan, lil buick - seen the kia amanti?-buick ripoff- enclave and lucerne (or zeta lucerne). & a 56 buick woody wagon w.real wood.
goat
I agree on the diesels. I don’t fault GM for not having a diesel available today in their passenger cars, but I think the time has come for GM to announce some plan to offer diesel passenger cars in the U.S. in the not-too-distant future.
I’d really like something like a midsize RWD sedan with a V-6 turbodiesel.
Adam
Bob–
I just watched your interview on AutoLine Detroit and was heartbroken to hear that GM actually planned to bring the RWD (Chinese) Park Avenue to the states, but in the end, opted for the Lucerne. How could this happen in the GM of today? There’s not even a contest between the 2 models. If GM would only “shoot from the hip” instead of clinicing everything to death, they might already be on top of their resurgence. BRING THAT CAR HERE. How about a performance Grand National based on the RWD platform?! So many opportunities, but they seem to pass as the days go by.
Gary Dikkers
Eric Fonville said:
I did Eric. I did a direct cut and paste from the Detroit News — exactly as they reported it.
My concern isn’t with what Obama supports, recommends, or offers. My concern is Bob Lutz’s complaint that meeting a CAFE of 35 mpg will cost GM $5,000 to $6,000 per vehicle because the technology isn’t there and he doesn’t know how to build a fleet of cars and trucks that will get a 35 mpg average. (That in itself is disingenuous since the CAFE in Europe is already well over 35 mpg.)
My point in reply to Lutz’s complaint is that the technology is there, and it isn’t nearly as expensive as he claims.
I won’t belabor the point again, but one readily available answer is turbodiesels: The technology is mature, and with GM’s manufacturing expertise and the economies of scale, the added cost to put a TDI engine in GM’s cars and light trucks instead of a conventional gasoline engine would be nominal.
Were I in Lutz’s postion here is what I would say to Congress, the President, and the EPA: “CAFE? You want a higher CAFE? Back off a bit on emissions standards so we can put high-compression, turbocharged diesels in our cars and trucks and we’ll meet your CAFE.”
But that would be a proactive step seeking a solution, instead of continually whining to the press about how unreasonable higher CAFE standards would be as Mr Lutz does now.
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
Beaugrand
Gary Dikkers said:
“Their basic strategy then was to convert a normal gasoline engine block to burn diesel. Those cars had serious problems — they weren’t reliable, noisy, and started poorly when cold. I wouldn’t blame anyone who bought one for being turned off by diesel-powered passenger cars.”
Actually, the diesels shared very few components with the gasoline engines- specifically, the oil pan and (unfortunately) the head bolts (studs).
Engineering specified aircraft-grade fasteners, the bean counters insisted on cheaper ones (the ones used in gas engines), which stretched, causing massive headgasket failures.
Yeah, they saved a few nickels there…
Beaugrand
While I’m at it- a sure way to encourage consumers to buy more efficient vehicles would be to enact a Federal 55 mph speed limit on all vehicles with a GVWR over 4,000 lbs.
The states could issue special red stickers for those overweight vehicles (charging extra for them, of course), and could rake in serious additional speeding ticket revenue.
Yes, the “performance enthusiasts” are gonna hate this…
Edward Hayes
GM is not champing at the bit.
Those excellent vehicles you are introducing like the Enclave and Acadia will get you to your goals. When all of your products go through the new product cycle under your new philosophy of “design first” that is when you will start eating the competition’s sales instead of your own new vehicles eating sales from your older and weaker product.
Your having great success with design, don’t stop. There are two aspects of design that will determine success more and more and that is drive train technology and heritage. Here are some examples and how you can respond…
Toyota Supra Hybrid
GM needs to respond by not slowing the Camaro but creating a
Pontiac Trans Am Hybrid.
You differentiate your product not only by the skin but by drive train technology as well and you spare the Camaro the risk of slowing development, increasing the price or trying to communicate too many things as to what the Camaro is.
Success of the Wrangler Unlimited rings loud as does the Prius. Both have designs that follow the intentions of their function.
motorman
you can not compare USA to europe because most vehicle owners in europe do not own camping trailer,dirt bikes,jet skis,race cars,ATVs and take large families on driving vacations. a 40 mpg car would be great BUT what else could you use it for? you would need at least 2 vehicles,one that could do what i posted about above,haul your stuff. some of us do other things beside just going to work as we have a real life of enjoying spending out money durring our short life span.
noel park
Gary:
I agree with you on 99% of issues, but I have serious concerns about diesel technology.
Haven’t Mercedes and Honda already announced diesels that will meet California emissions standards? And isn’t 15 ppm of sulfer diessel fuel a reality now?
So why does Lutz even need to ask the Feds to relax the emissions standards? Just step up and deploy technology as good as that of the competition.
Relaxing the standards for diesel emissons is probably not a very good option. The stuff is deadly, as Mr. Langlitz has pointed out more than once. Cancer, asthma, emphysema, heart attack, stroke, low birth weight, you name it. They have all been tied to diesel particulate by peer refeviewed medical research.
Scrub the exhaust to get it as clean as a contemporary gas engine and I’m in line to buy one. Otherwise, it’s a non-starter for me.
Chris R
motorman,
diesels generate a considerable amount of torque. a turbo diesel powered vehicle would actually tow better than it’s gas engine counterpart assuming the brakes were also up to it. If GM were to just start by offering turbo diesels in every light duty vehicle that GMC made (including all counterparts at other divisions) then moved into cars at some point, perhaps with Saturn as the Opel versions already have diesels available, it could work. The key is in introducing the newer generation diesels, and distancing them from the diesels of old.
noel park
edvard:
I surely agree with you on the diesel powered small truck, presuming that they could scrub the exhaust enough. My S-10 is coming up on 200,000 miles, and I would buy a 40 mpg diesel replacement in a heartbeat.
noel park
Gary:
To give credit where credit is due, diesels are actually substantially better than gas engines on greenhouse gases, if you could just get rid of the !@#$%^&*() particulates.
noel park
Motorman:
We have a 1 ton Chevy pickup to tow our big car trailer, but we have an S-10 for everyday driving. Most families in our city have more than one car, and most commuter vehicles have only one occupant. So, there is a place for both.
I am not about to give up my 3500, but I would buy a Volt tomorrow. Maybe 2.
noel park
No new posts since May 3?
Come on guys, something must be going on over in the design shops.
Give us a hint.
motorman
i also have a 2500 silverado,04 impala and a 05 C-6 corvette and the corvette gets as good MPG as the impala. the silverado is just used for the heavy stuff BUT a lot of people are not as lucky as me to be able to afford all these vehicles so if you have only one you need something that can do all. diesel pumps at your local filling station always look like a hazardous waste dump because diesel fuel spilled on the ground does not evaporate so they keep putting oil dry on the ground. no one in their right mind would fill their car with diesel while dressed to go out because you never can get rid of that smell.
Motorhead
Well there are about 3 or 4 people that post to this site anymore, and it is getting removed from my favorites list today. Looks like the GM bean-counters have applied their content reduction cut backs here as well.
I thought this was supposed to be a blog where GM fans could read about information posted BY GM?
Bob, here’s a cost reducing idea for you - save your money and shut this thing down. You obviously have as little interest here as you do with your business in the US.
noel park
Note the article on page 6 of this week’s (May 14) Autoweek about the introduction of the Smart car.
Note that they have a program where you can put down $99 to make a reservation to order one. This has been suggested several times here regarding the Volt.
Say what you like about Roger Penske, but I haven’t heard anyone call him dumb lately. They must have a pretty well thought out business case for this, or Mercedes must be making him an offer he can’t refuse.
If it really gets “…an estimated 40-plus mpg in the city and more than 60 mpg on the highway.”, I bet they sell quite a few.
noel park
Also note the comment from Penske’s spokesman, “If we get credit for inventing the microcar in America, then we become the Coke and everyone else is Pepsi,” says Schembri. “We can live with that.”
So it will be with the plug-in hybrid.
Jim
Bob have you gotten bored with blogging? It looks like you guys at GM have lost interest in this blog. That’s a shame because the blog was beginning to re-energize many of us who left GM years ago for other products. I hope you come back with more product news. I’m considering buying American for the first time in a decade and this blog was a great source of information about future products.
Paul
Bob said they don’t talk about products currently in development. Well, they don’t talk about products in development in any amount of detail or with any copy that hasn’t been thoroughly vetted by marketing and the lawyers.
They learned their lesson by showing us “The Triplets” only to have us find out they’re not coming to the US, and also repeatedly toss out Bob’s comment that small cars can’t be produced profitably in the US.
I’m starting to believe GM management thinks this blog is backfiring on them, since the frequency of posts is dropping. But I wouldn’t say it’s the mirror’s fault if you look ugly in it.
I’m not planning a large family, I don’t have or want any of those other things, and a compact car would be perfect for 99% of the driving I do. And for the other 1% I can rent or borrow something with different capabilities, like I did when I had to haul my scooter to get its first service.
Then again, like I said in my very first comment on this post, I’m not what you’d call a “normal” person. But if GM wants any of my money, they’re going to have to make a car that appeals to me. And right now they’re failing to do so.
MikeyUK
Being a Brit it’s funny to read this blog. Diesels are big business here now and the Astra (which is coming out as a Saturn in the US but check it out http://www.vauxhall.co.uk ) gets 49 mpg, (59 mpg in US gallons) and the engine is GREAT. 0-60 in under 9 seconds and a great handling car. I’m sure you’ll all love it when it comes out, although you only seem to be getting the 1.8 VVT. Shame.
Oh, and the way to reduce your carbon footprint and increase your mpg - use smaller, more powerful engines! Why on earth do you need a 3.5 V6 211 bhp in an Impala, when GM has a 2.0 Turbo petrol that has nearly the same bhp. It may not burble like a V6, but it would half your fuel costs. And don’t whine about $4 a gallon fuel - we pay over $9 a gallon here!
noel park
Paul:
Well I hate to hurt your feelings, but I believe that you are a lot more “normal” than you imagine.
Look at the big bubble of enthusiasm for the Volt, for example. There is clearly a market for this stuff, but the enthusiasm dribbled away when it became clear that it will materialize way in the future, if at all. Menawhile, Toyota will become Coke again.
Again, Roger Penske does not fool around. They either have some market research that shows they will sell enough Samrts to make money, or Mercedes is giving him some huge subsidies to help save the Smart experiment, or both.
I am pretty tempted myself. Maybe I can figure out how to get two of them in one garage stall and still have room for my old Corvette in the other!
Maybe build a little dolly/gurney like they use for F1 cars and shove them in there sideways.
I still have to convince my wife that she won’t get killed when she gets t-boned by the Suburban though.
edvard
I’m going to cut GM a little slack regarding the blog. have any of you looked at the Toyota site? There isn’t anything close to a blog there at all. If you want news, you have do dig for it. If you want to see future cars or projects, you’ll only see one- a rather boring looking Highlander and a sprinkling of oddball concept cars that have been on their site for years.
I think the fact that GM shows concepts to the public and invites comments is really forward thinking. Think about it- Most companies just do whatever and wallah: a whole slew of increasingly bland looking no-name cars.Anyone seen that icebox looking crossover Ford is rolling out, I think called the Flex? hmmmm… Maybe they should have asked public opinion first because that thing is going to BOMB.
At least GM showed us the triplets, Volt, and Chinese Park Avenue. As a result, they probably saw that people had positive reactions to these. If they hadn’t those concepts might have simply been shoved into a warehouse somewhere and instead yet another “Camry killer” look-a-like would’ve been pushed on us instead.
Keep up the good work guys. I look forward to reading about your new ideas.
Eric
Yes, keep up the great work! Don’t lose your momentum. It’s not difficult to figure out. People want quality, fresh, stylish looking vehicles. It’s really not rocket science.
I’ve always been a GM supporter, and NOW, finally I can actually say that your making vehicles that people actual WANT to own. Including myself.
The Camaro should stomp the Mustang if it’s implemented like the concept.
Last, but certainly not least. PLEASE bring the Chevy Volt Concept to reality, the gas prices are killing me driving back and forth to work. Otherwise, I’m headed to Toyota for the Prius.
Bob
With A123 showing their large format batteries the
the 32113 M1Ultra and 32157 M1HD
Where is the VOLT?
Shouldnt it be on the show room floor? I mean if all you are waiting for is a battery here it is now wheres that Volt? Or is GM more about pretending to have a car then delivering one? No more battery as an excuse to hide behind.
The 32-series cells are designed with abuse-tolerance in mind and will deliver 10+ year and 150,000 mile projected life requirements in engineered automotive battery packs.
motorman
paul the problem for GM is there are very few of you that would buy the car of your dreams. i am 73 years old and drive my C-6 corvette every chance i get because tomorrow may not come.having bought 30 new chevys and 10 new corvettes since 1953 i am the customer that GM wants to keep and i have no interest in risking mine or my wifes life in a mini car just to save a few hundred dollars a year on gasoline.
Frannz
If you keep the waranty work down and put out great product from the low end model to the high end your on the right road.If there is a problem stand behind it.
People like cars and truck that give them little problems and when they get fixed it.They only want one trip to get it done.Without a dealer giving them the run around or a made up answer what is wrong with it.
John
Bob~
Great news! I’m a little late to add my two cents on this one, but better late than never as they say. Edmunds is always a good judge of what the “average” customer is looking for in a car. However, there are some of us that take the path less traveled and demand a little more from our automobiles. I think I pride myself along those lines, but I digress. The point of my writings here are to ask but one question; when are we going to see some of these fantastic cars, i.e., G8, Impalla, GTO, any new Buick for those of us under 75, and the much hinted at El Camino? The G8 is supposedly coming in ‘08, but we’ve gotten nothing from you guys beyond the initial show car. And all the rest are, at this point, simply rumors. How about filling in some of the holes? Give us some glimpses of what is to come, with the specifics as to content, options, etc. For those of us interested in the G8, trying to guess the content from the Holden web site can be frustrating at best. We should be close enough to production that you can part with some of the specifics! Come on! Open up! Bring on the goodies list and let us drool a little!
Chris R
Eric,
You really aren’t going to like the fuel milage under the EPA’s new rating system. From what I read vehicles will be rated at a much more realistic level. a more accurate ballpark milage estimate than is currently given. Hybrids show the biggest falloff in milage. Most estimates i’ve read claim hybrid milage estimates will likely fall by some 30% versus only about 5 to 8% for most conventionally powered vehicles. So the Prius really wn’t be looking all that good as it’ll only be getting a few mpg better than a 1.8 corolla.
Raskolnikov
To Robert Farago,
Bob said RETAIL sales were up year to year. It is common knowledge that GM is working hard to reduce fleet sales, and the numbers from the Detroit News reflected total sales (retail + fleet). So, this is good news.
Also, I’ve visited your website, TTAC, a few times. Each time I was disappointed to read overly harsh critques of GM products. Maybe I just missed the glowing reviews, but I highly doubt it. As a consumer who has owned many different makes and models, I can tell you that the GM cars I have owned haven’t given me any more (or any less) problems than any other make. Bottom line: I have always been satisfied with my GM vehicles.
Therefore I tend not to believe what you post on your website. To me, it really isn’t the “Truth” about cars.
L. H.
Make it 100,001 that have spoken. I may be considered a little biased due to the fact that I have a soft spot for certain Gm products. As a consumer, and having a few years experience in automotive repairs, my vote will always be with GM. Specifically ? Take your pick. The parts are more readily available, more reasonably priced and usually less labor intense to install.
I can say that I have owned and or driven pretty much all of the major competitors products and when it came time to purchase my “dream” vehicle a couple of years ago, I didn’t even think twice, I went straight to my Gm dealer and bought a Silverado. My husband (who still works in auto repair) had already owned an older GMC Sierra for a couple of years. When it comes time to upgrade his truck, it will be a Duramax. By the way I am not now, nor have I ever been an employee of GM or any of it’s affiliates, to the best of my knowledge.
noel park
Chris R., 5/17, 1:39 AM:
Consumer Report has mileage ratings of the top 15 cars sold in the U.S. on its website. They have their own test cycle, which they say is much more like the real world than the EPA’s. Some combined city/highway ratings:
1) Prius 44
2) Civic Hybrid 37
3) Camry Hybrid 34
4) Yaris Base Manual 34
5) Honda Fit Sport 34
6) Yaris Base 33
7) Scion xB Manual 32
GM cars in top 15 - zero
noel park
Motorman:
I think that I am a customer that GM wants to keep as well. Between our family and our small business, we own 6 Chevrolets, including 2 Corvettes.
Even so, I agree with Paul. I am not going to buy another GM car until they produce a world class high mileage car to equal the Prius. I can and will buy it. I have offered several times right here on this blog to put down a substantial cash deposit on a Volt. Non-refundable? Fine. Try me Mr. Lutz. If I don’t do it, you can humiliate me here on the blog, no problem.
If GM keeps the customers it has right now, and keeps offering the same product line it offers right now, it will soon cease to exist. Can anyone say Chrysler?
There is plenty of room for diversification or change in the product line. Car companies are producing niche cars all the time now looking to sell 20,000/year and make money.
If people want Tahoes, sell them Tahoes. I don’t think anyone is saying get rid of the Tahoe if there is a market for it. If people want Volts, sell them Volts. If the Volt can get ahead of the next generation Prius and be Coke instead of Pepsi, I think that there is a great opportunity to sell them at a markup that will make some serious money.
Finally, the Prius weighs about 2900 pounds, so it is hardly a mini car. My sense of the Volt is that it is not going to be any lighter. The best way to save fuel is to make cars lighter, but my wife shares your concerns. I doubt that I wll get her into a 1650 pound Smart any time soon. It would seem that the only way to get the mileage with a 2900 pound car is with this gee whiz technology.
motorman
noel park the weight you are talking about is not in the structure of the car BUT in the batteries so that adds no safety.
Paul
How many people buy Corvettes? Not many, but GM still produces them.
And GM already produces the car of my dreams. It’s just not available in the US.
I like to think of myself as “ahead of the curve.” I’ve been using CF bulbs since I was in college, and my dad’s been using them since before I can remember. But all of a sudden everyone’s running out and buying them.
Charles Rohde
Mr Lutz, why not bring the big Holden as the next Impala as is? Since direct injection has bumped the 3.6 above 300hp, why not use it accross the board on smaller engines, better economy and emissions would get some of those Toyota buyers back.
Mika
All the talk in the world isn’t going to do GM any good. It’s not the media that gave GM the bad reputation. Some are better but still not better than the competition.
Purchased a 2005, and two 2006 GM cars … my advice is to stay away. I’ll never buy another GM car.
James S.
It is funny how often we are ignored. I just bought my 4th DCX vehicle. I’m not a Mopar guy, yet DCX has what I want and GM doesn’t.
I have 5 older GM vehicles, but nothing GM builds today compares.
I got my wife a 2007 Grand Cherokee to replace her 2001 Grand and I got an ‘07 2500 Ram to replace my ‘01 Ram.
We looked at GM, again, and found that we couldn’t match the content of the Jeep and there are NO manual transmission ‘07 Chevy 2500 trucks in existance.
We went online and found the Jeep we wanted and a ‘07 Dodge with a diesel, 4×4, and manaual trans within 100 miles of our home.
Sure it’s just two vehicles, but we spent over $70k with DCX this year and that’s money I would rather have paid GM.
The new GMT-900s are too low. My ‘88 Suburban and ‘07 Dodge have over 18″ of ground clearance at the front bumper, what about the ‘07 2500hd? Where is the Solid-Front Axle, the manual transmission, the decent sized tires, the HD truck worthy of a “HD” moniker? Good thing GM is safe without my money…
I guess I can’t expect much when Bob Lutz mispronounced the word “Camaro” on Autoline Detroit. Anyone who can’t pronounce the word “Camaro” should NOT be in charge of coffee cups in the janitors lounge, let alone North Amrican products.
John S
Bob and friends,
I attempted to purchase a GM vehicle recently, and I know you don’t own/control the dealers, but it is my opinion that part of the problem is sales.
Granted I am a GM Kid, I considered 2 or 3 brands, and wanted to use the benefit of the friends and family discount. I told the dealer what I was looking for, a general range of what I was willing to spend I had 3 models at Pontiac to pick from. All of my buying signals where strong, I was looking at the either convertibles or a sedan with sunroof/panoramic roof. Told the dealer, “I am buying a car within the week”. There was no offer to drive a car, all he talked about was price point, and the Memorial Day financing deals. He didn’t know me from Adam. I walked out upset.
If the dealer would have at least tried I may have gone home with one your product.
I hate when people are critical of GM, I still have some love with the company, and want to buy your product, but when your faces on the street aren’t representing, it doesn’t matter how good the product is.
It’s a big problem but I recommend that you get someone in charge of dealers to step up their program as well.
motorman
the federal and state tax laws have changed on dealer demo cars and the paper work is more trouble than it is worth. also the dealer can not just use any car on the lot as a demo because most people will not buy a new car if it has miles on it.
David
Bob,
I am an owner of a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 4×4 regular cab. I have also owned a 2002, same model. I was ready to buy a 2007 but could not help notice the backward technology put into them compared to my 2004 model. First you now have only rear drum brakes available on reg. cab 4×4. Transmission is still 4speed auto. You no longer have power folding mirrors and power seat, just to name a few items. Meanwhile Toyota has standard across the board 4 wheel disc brakes and available 6speed auto. Not to mention a great DOHC V8.
My question is why are you cheaping out the trucks which is GM’s bread and butter. You will start to lose another loyal group to Toyota.
And Bob, please put the disc’s back in the rear of the trucks standard and put that 6 speed in ASAP!
Kevin D
Can you tell me the timeframe that you see a six-speed automatic in a GMC Sierra (1/2 ton/4-door) with V-8 and DOD? The full-size truck is absolutely great but like most people, $3.00 gallon gasloine has me paying attention to total cost of ownership..
BILL WIEHN
Congrats, on G.M But…..I’m looking at a a new 2008 silverado crew cab and why does Toyota always have the best in their trucks and chevy is just so,so ? No more disk brakes in the rear on a 4×4,and cheaper looking door panels. These trucks are the bread and butter of G.M..
Toyota on the other hand has G.M. beat by a mile on options, for example, the rear cab window which has a R/W Defroster grid and goes all the way down, ( G.M. states it can’t be done on their trucks…what !!!) And a 6 speed trans, Blue tooth tech.Please BoB, PLEASE BRING THE SILVERADO OPTIONS INTO THE 21ST CENTURY. Don’t loose another buyer to Toyota !!