you know, even for all this lutz hating going on you have to understand two things. GM has almost no profit margin on it's cars. GM has large (relatively) profit margins on most of it's trucks/SUVs. he IS actually trying to save the division by giving it a vehicle that buick can possibly make money on. are trucks/SUVs what buick is about? no. but what IS buick about now that it's been reduced to a styling exercise house (the same probem that the rest of the divisions have, true) ? how do you survive trying to pinpoint the market between chevy/pontiac and caddy? you can say that at least chevy (SSR, Corvette) and pontiac (G6, GTO, Aztec OMG ugly) are trying ... but you also have to admit that for the most part they're failing. and to try and fail is simply to waste money which so desperately needs to be spent on something that will actually make a return ... like a CD or something. :error: making the autos profitable again for GM is such a tangled mess of labor relations/gov'mint regulation/laws that it's a veritable gordian knot. i'm afraid that this is actually a signal that the end is near for buick (<5 or 10yrs), that they're trying so desperately to force SUVs and trucks into the lineup.
And now, on the heels of GM's announcement to cancel the new rear-wheel-drive platform, Ford is slated to debut the new, 450 Hp Shelby GT500 Mustang. Chrysler is also having fun by offerring the SRT option on the 300/Magnum/Charger line which provides a 425 Hp Hemi (& even a manual 6-speed on some models). And the largest automobile company in the world can't figure out how to compete... :af:
Of course, the first steps in solving any problem are (1) admitting you have a problem, and then (2) identifying the problem. Looks like GM has been forced to admit #1, but I don't think they'll accomplish #2 until they remove their heads from their "protective places"...not so much Bob Lutz as every other senior executive. You got that right. But there's no point in getting upset, because GM (and Buick in particular) is already dead. If there's anything to get upset about, it's that they don't know it yet, and are beginning to stink up the place stumbling around like an enormous zombie with rotten breath and bad hair. I'd feel a lot better if they'd just go ahead and take the signs down and be done with it.
Have a read over at www.GMinsidenews.com in their forums. Hidden in there is information that, while Zeta may be dead - its only in the U.S. - and its only for now. HOlden will continue its development, and the Sigma platform will in all likelyhood get more cars built on them for US consumtion. .....still sux BIGTIME though
Reminds me. My Father worked for a division of Studebaker back in the early 60's. (A non Automotive division) He always said, "if Studebaker had a decision to make, they would always make the wrong decision". Sounds like GM is doing the same. It's just sad. Bob, you have let us down! :af:
That's entirely their fault for abandoning their expertise in building good cars for the sake of more trucks/SUVs. Cars were left to flounder with primarily FWD, lackluster styling & aging drivetrains. Hell, 30, 40, 50 years ago, nobody did cars better than GM when it came to variety, styling, appeal as well as offerrings for all income levels. Products were kept fresh by frequent redesign and model changes too. Nowadays, a model will be used for a decade or so. o No: It's almost laughable to see how stupid the decision is to drop the new RWD car platform development in favor of more of the same. How is it even possible that the entire GM management team can't see that as another nail in the coffin? Are they paying for their own gas? Are they driving Chrysler, BMW & Mercedes cars to work? Are they conscious? :sleep: ou:
What they're saying is that right now....today....Fullsize trucks are what is driving profitability. Their current line-up is very stale and the competition is fresh.....and gaining market share. They feel they need to plug this hole quicker than address what some predict would have been a niche market at best, that being >$30,000 2 door RWD cars. Maybe there is some validity to this thinking...... .....but the false start and wasted $$$$ seen here and other difficulties certainly shows Lutz is a Putz
I was at the New York car show at the Javits center today, and when I got to the Buick section I was hoping to see the velite(But since I heard it was not going to be made into production, I knew it wouldn't be there and I was right.) I work as a detailer for Chrysler. So yesterday we did the trucks, and almost all of them had 5 speed auto/Hemi. Today we did the cars, so I knew I was going to see some chargers, and I did. Even though its 4 doors they had a 5 or 6 speed auto(the tranny goes to 160 so I don't know if its 5 or 6 speed). So once I was done with work I walked around to Buick. They had the Luciean(SP) but it was missing the driver side door. I took a picture with my camera phone but it didn't come out good. They had the 05 Lesabre custome and the Lacrosse cxl. To me all those cars look the same.I think the only Buick concept that was there was the Luciean(SP). I didn't have that much time to ask. Chrysler had two concepts one truck that the back looked like a lincoln. And a car called firepower or nitropower it slips my mind. But the car concept looks like a crossfire with a different back.
buick geez, i just dont know whats the matter with buick! hows this for a name- buick TERRANZA. WHAT THE HECK KIND OF NAME IS THAT FOR A CAR?
I frequent the auto new site Autoextremist.com.. They had an interesting take on GM's decision on the Velite. I will post it here. After the announcements to the media about GM's dire financial straits and the subsequent fallout, GM fired off internal memos apprising employees of the seriousness of the situation, including one from product czar Bob Lutz, who informed managers that they would be canceling all vehicles planned off of the Zeta RWD architecture for the U.S. market. The two Zeta-based cars in the pipeline were the Buick Velite in coupe and convertible form, and a much-anticipated new Chevrolet Monte Carlo, both scheduled for the 2008-9 time frame. The next-generation Pontiac GTO was also slated for the Zeta architecture. The thinking behind this idea was that GM could then accelerate the development of their next-generation full-size pickups and their SUV derivatives, rather than spend any more cash on what were going to be, in effect, niche vehicles. Let's see if we understand this clearly. 1. GM is in desperate need of flat-out hits in the marketplace. 2. The Velite had "hit" written all over it. 3. The full-size SUV market is in chaos and in permanent decline. In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is goin' on out there?" We don't care how good the next-generation full-size GM pickup is, because we're quite sure of one thing: No matter how GM slices it with their list of fuel economy improvements (displacement-on-demand engines, mild hybrids, etc.), the full-sized SUV segment component will be nothing more than a niche market by the time GM gets these vehicles ready for market. GM needs hot, "buzz" products (other than Corvette and Cadillac) more than anything else - and the Velite was one of the most arresting and compelling GM concepts to come along of late. At the very least, this move is a PR disaster and sends the wrong message to savvy, sophisticated auto buying consumers craving the "next" thing. GM simply won't be on these shoppers' lists, which, come to think of it, is how GM got into this mess to begin with.
If they had a brain, all they would have to do is look at the Reatta and Allante roadsters that are still selling for $20K and say...hmm maybe there could be a market for something like this... ou:
Yup, and have you seen the going rate for a GN or a late-model Impala SS? If I were ever going to replace the 2NABOT (won't happen!) I'd be looking at an Impala SS. I want a car that can tow. GM? Bah!!!
A '94-96 Buick RoadMaster is only a set of wheels and a few susp. tweaks away......you'll pocket a good piece of change after saving thousnads on the RoadMaster over the SS too.....even after the mods
Good point, (I'd have to cut open those ugly rear wheel openings) which highlights part of GM's problem. It's not really a Buick Roadmaster, not with a Ch*vy engine/trans/rearend. Talk about having a problem with cloning! But you're right, I could save $$$ on a Ch*vy Roadmaster....hmm....
Just read this about health care costs the other day, which may be another reason to explain GM's woes: "Last year, GM paid $5 million for about 1.1 million employees, retirees and dependents. The company spends more than $1,500 per vehicle in health-care costs, a $1,000 disadvantage to foreign competition." So when you buy a new Cobalt or Malibu, $1500 of the price goes to GM health care costs. WOW! I guess when you have been around for as long as GM, and you factor in retiree health care costs and pension, you end up with a tough situation.
