Changing the Perception of GM, One Customer at a Time
By Mark LaNeve
GM Vice President, North American Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing
Here I am, working “virtually” at home, recovering from hip replacement surgery, paying the price for an old football injury. On TV, I’m watching the action in Washington, listening to speeches based on outdated perceptions that persist among some of our most experienced leaders and media pundits. Apparently, many of them haven’t been into a GM showroom lately, talked to our customers, or driven our vehicles. In some ways, GM and I are both paying the price for some old injuries.
But change is upon us, and the news from J.D. Power today tells us that every GM brand scored above industry average in their latest Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study. We continue to improve, and our dealers are providing the best service to customers in the industry — better than the imports, I might add.
Sure, between 2002 – 2006 General Motors reduced its warranty repairs by 40 percent … then reduced repairs again in 2006 and 2007 by about 14 percent, consecutively. We’re on track to do the same thing in 2008. That’s a testament to our quality. But if you asked a lot of folks today, they’d tell you about the problems they had, and won’t forgive, from plus-20 years past on their 1982 Oldsmobile.
Let’s look at today’s reality. In its launch year, the Chevrolet Malibu led the ultra-competitive midsize segment in the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, which is unprecedented in the industry. The Malibu’s performance far exceeded that of both Honda and Toyota in the same segment. Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac and Buick, which represent 82 percent of the cars and trucks we sell ranked above industry average in the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study. You might be surprised to find that all of our eight brands in today’s SSI study – Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab and Cadillac – ranked above industry average. That’s right, not just our luxury brands, but every brand. I’m not surprised because I know that we have the best dealers in the industry. Most importantly, our customers know it too. Think about this for a moment, for all the worry and purchase anxiety that some customers walk into any dealership with, if it was a GM franchise, they walked out more satisfied than most who went into competing dealerships. To me, that proves we offer vehicles of a better value, delivered by salespeople who demonstrate a commitment to a quality sales and service experience.
To all of our GM dealers who contributed to these great results, good job and keep it up. To everyone in the market looking for a great new car or truck, stop in to your nearest GM dealer and test one of our 20 cars that get 30 mpg or more. Try out the segment-leading Chevrolet Malibu, or take your pick from six new hybrids or many other superb products.
To paraphrase a popular lyric today “what don’t kill me will make me stronger,” so heads-up pundits!
I feel a second-half comeback coming on…
