I was just reading a post on MSN about the woes of GM-they are in big trouble. Like I mentioned in one of my other posts,this all stems from too much foreign competition. What has to happen is GM has to re-educate people's buying of foreign made cars, and get them to buy their products. GM makes great cars, and I can't see why they are having such a tough time selling their products to the public.
this doesn't make any sense because despite the foreign cars selling well, the big three still sell 75% of vehicles in the US. that's a hell of a lot of sales. I think it stems from frivolous spending, like $2 million to buy who was it.. fiat or something like that.. and then they never bought them.. crap like that. My friend heard a rumor that they were going to get rid of either pontiac or buick though, removing the nameplate because they overlap too much.
Yeah, they'll get rid of a nameplate that's been around since the turn of the century but they'll buy Fiat or FART as I call them. Makes lots of sense. The boring SUV's should spark their sales though.
USED to make great cars The last car I bought from Buick was the last year of the RWD in 1987 Bring back the "A" , "B" or "G" bodied cars so we can "smoke 'em" again! :3gears: :3gears:
Honda is struggling, too AUTO SALES: Game is changing as Honda hits slump Even successful brands can become stale March 30, 2005 BY SARAH A. WEBSTER FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER For decades, a conventional wisdom has loomed over the Motor City: The Japanese Big Three are taking over the United States auto market and Detroit's old Big Three are destined for oblivion. But with Honda sales taking a surprising downturn this year and Chrysler sales on a steady upward trajectory, there's a new motto in town: There are no favorites in this dog-eat-dog auto market. "There are pressures on Honda -- just like everybody else," said Michael Robinet, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills. Honda's sales decline of 8.3 percent in the first two months of the year is practically in lockstep with that of General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Their sales are off 9.9 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively. In this brutal marketplace, it seems the right or wrong products can swiftly swing the fortunes of any automaker, no matter how strong or weak their foothold in the marketplace might seem. So if a stale Accord and Civic can shake the stalwart Honda brand, as is clearly the case, a few key products surely could rescue Detroit's ailing automakers. Etc, Etc.
As a private consumer I really believe brand loyalty plays a major role. Whether it's kitchen appliances, coffee in the morning, getting old car parts restored or buying new cars. I'll try a few places, find a brand/place I really like & stick with it like brass on a monkey. GM/Ford/Chrysler made a lot of real garbage late '70's to mid-90's. People get frustrated & tend to look around. I've been a loyal Honda buyer since '84. Started out skeptical, you won't change my mind today. My wife's '99 Odyssey is due for trade next month. Take it down a bumpy country road against any domestic new van, you'll be convinced. I've driven Ford light trucks since soon after diapers. Have never considered anything else.Don't ask me why...I'll just shrug my shoulders. Latest 2004 F150 Quad cab, 4X4 dropped a ring & pinion last week. Sure, warranty fixed it. 20K miles....what's next.
Bad business decisions combined with abissmal marketing decisions. Buying European makes (probably paying too much for them). Blowing off their niche markets by eliminating established names in favor of "hip" names. Focusing on changing their image instead of improving it. Divorcing their brands from "GM" instead of celebrating them being part of the family. Newer makers struggle to penetrate markets, and get brand familiarity. So why aren't the Japanese dropping the Accord and Camry nameplates in favor of "hip" names...? The brands have not worked together to form a united front with focused markets, they have instead competed among themselves and for that all lose the battle. Ask a 13 year old who makes Pontiac, then ask them who makes Acura.
have you looked at their products--the answer should be obvious. Too many negatives out there against them: They burned too many people for too long (well so did Ford and Mopar with the same junk cars but GM was/is the biggest so people remember them the most) Their design/aesthetics just plain suck when compared to other domestic brands.....supposed "image" cars---Aztek/Rendezvous, GTO, Cadillac STS---why is it that GM's stuff seems to always look outdated or just plain ugly when it comes out??? It's like they are still living in the 80's or 90's. And like it or not first impressions count (to buyers). Contrast to Mopar (PT Cruiser{well not successful but also not a complete dog like the Aztec}, Magnum wagon, and of course the 300) or Ford with the new Mustang (call it copycat but you cannot argue that it did not work!), etc. The best thing for them(GM)to declare bankruptcy but even that will not help change the seemingly intractable, intangible whatever-you-want-to-call-it thing that seems to keep them from turning it around(some combo of no credibility/inability to design/etc). Face it---when's the last time anything good was said about GM--by them or anyone else---first impressions here again---GM has managed to associate themselves with nothing but negatives in the consumer's mind. Do one of those group studies, asking WHAT'S THE FIRST THING that comes to your mind when you hear the word.....Ford, Chrysler.....GM? Therein lies the answer. Patton
Gee.... I have a 2001 Silverado extended cab I love, and have only put gas, oil/filter, & a new set of wiper blades after 45,000. :TU: o No: Almost forgot, they did recall the tailgate straps & replace them with a better stainless steel one. That took them 15-20 min to change. :bglasses:
Agreed Dan--but GM has admitted that SUVs/Trucks alone will not allow them to survive.....my thoughts apply to cars. Once again, don't get me wrong---from what I hear the product is getting better and better (and a few of their cars have always had rave reviews from Consumer Reports for reliablility and value --LeSabre and Regal I think for example). But they have created a "cloud" over themselves with the constant stream of negative headlines. Probably part of being the biggest, easiest target out there but they don't seem to help themselves alot of the time. On the sympathetic side it is not good that some of their "problems" are the result of being the largest (and one of the oldest) employers in the history of the US---with the number of people that have worked for them the ongoing healthcare/pension costs are bound to catch up and work against them. A huge part of our whole economy is attributable to companies like this and yet these costs eventually "overrun" them. Their competitors overseas just don't have this problem (large legacy cost/car) and it works to their advantage. What is the old adage about the pioneers??? They are the guys with all the arrows in their backs.
I agree with you. It is partly a marketing problem. Maybe GM would have sold more Firebirds & Camaros if they had marketed them, instead of having the dealers unlock the doors in the morning and hope for the best. I seem to remember seeing a tv spot for the Blackbird Firebird, once. The Chevrolet ads they have now are so dang annoying, and repeated ad nauseum, I wouldn't buy a Chevy just to spite thier ad campaign. :af: They must do all their marketing in house. I don't know, It's frustrating........ :rant:
what's funny is Toyota, with all its success here, has an abysmal dealership service reputation. Toyota is apparently trying to make a concerted effort to change the customers "dealership experience" from what I have read ...so it's not just the domestics. Shows what kind of crap people will put up with to stick with a good product.
The problem for GM GM just isn't taking the big gamble of producing cool cars like Ford and Chrysler. Every car is a round bubble with no outragously cool style. I am a GM man, no doubt about it, but they have to wake-up and get with the program. People want cool looking cars like the new Fords and Dodges. Plus they need to spread the performance aspect across their brands and start lowering their prices to a more reasonable level. As for the GM trucks, I have no complaints. Time for a new ultra cool 600 hp Buick. Pete
It isn't the quality (necessarily). I agree with you 1996 Tahoe - oil, brakes, tires, alternator - 176K miles. '94 S-10 160K miles - oil, brakes, clutch, head. 2000 Regal GS 85K - oil, brakes, tires. New products need to actively pursue valid markets-that's the problem. All the product lines have run together. You can get an Impala or Grand Prix with every option a Regal has (I think). I think the GP may have more... What's wrong with this picture? They should have drawn the line in the sand Saturn/Geo - Beginner Chevy - Middle (except Vette & SSR..?) Pontiac - Sporty Youthful Buick - Sport/Luxury Cadillac - Luxury
Diversity, real design cool, like some of the Pontiacs and Caddys, would help. GM doesn't have a single "retro-forward" car? Chrysler, and VW have now been doing it for years. And Ford-the coolest car I have seen in years is based on an old-skool design-the Ford GT. One of my fave cars ever is the GT40. The GT90 was super cool too, for a futuristic concept car. And the Ford 50 or whatever that was called. Why didn't Buick build something like the Blackhawk concept car? They blew it with the GTO-it's just like the Caddillac Catera. It's really nothing like what we all think of a GTO. They should've tried making it a bigger car, that actually looked something like a GTO used to. And, I think the "Charger" that Dodge is coming out with is pretty dang ugly, and nothing like a Charger. What happened to the "wedge" shaped charger that they were showing as a concept a few years ago? That was cool. Much better than the what they are coming out with, and not as ugly. That wagon, too, I'm sure it is fun to drive, but man, uugggleee! Question:why come out with a "new" Charger, that had a plan for something cool and distinctive, but then scrap it and make it look just like your wagon? It actually looks like they may have tried to make it something like the new Mustang-it's about the same size and very similar in shape. As for Buick, they don't seem to know what they are doing, except I see those dang Rendezvous all over the place here in Chicago. I wish they didn't decide to change all the Buick names-Lucerne? Come on, that's a cheap watch they made in the 60's/70's (some were cool, but...) If you were Buick, how could you not want to keep the Park Avenue, Electra, Skylark, LeSabre, and Riviera names? They've been around so long that they should know better. Revamp the cars, but keep the names. And don't just make cars that are like the Jap cars-the new little car they have had the commercials for, is ok looking, but then they show the back end and it looks just like a Honda or Hyundai. Sheesh. They want me to, I can design some Buicks for them!
NISSAN is the model 3 years ago Nissan was in the toilet. Their products were stale, they were hugely in debt and their market share was shrinking. Peugot bought a portion of them and the first order of business was new products. New 350Z, Altima, Maxima, Fullsize Trucks. Better prices than Toyota, big ad campaigns. Market share is up. I see a lot of their cars on the street. I have to believe that GM has better automotive minds than Peugot. What product has GM put out that has sparked the kind of interest that the new Mustang has? or even the new Dodge wagon? What GM needs is a new Camaro based on 1969 styling. A 4 door sedan with some Power and style to compete with Camry, Altima, Maxima. Owning a GM needs to be made cool again. Look at Cadillac it can be done.
Good examples. Mazda is in process of doing the same thing now. look at there line now. almost entirely new compared to where it was 3 yrs ago, and selling. I think the GM politics are killing them. (bean counters, too many people making the decision and can't make one and decide to settle.) The new buicks.. I see quite a few of them around here, but I can't tell the diffrence between a Regal, a Lesabre, or Centry every one looks the same, even the size. I love what GM did with the Caddy line, and it's defantly aiming to the younger generation, heck i've even seen a tastefully "riced out" one. (ground effects, huge rims, spoiler, bright colored paint) I'm still confused with why they axed Olds, they were actually changing vehicles to something i'd want to buy. in my opinion GM needs to look at every brand and give them a soul. Pontiac for sportyness, Buick for power and luxury. Caddy for the ultimate in luxury and technology. Chevy for the every man's car, Saturn for the young generation to get them ready to buy a Caddy or other GM vehicle, and includes technology and inexpensive sportyness (import crowd) and tune-ability and showing quality will begin here. and move all the trucks back to GMC (and low optioned trucks to Chevy) and maybe let Caddy keep there Esclade (ballers gotta have them)
I think Nissan and Chrysler both proved that you can make a positive turn around. I had friends in the Nissan industry that were really worried about their futures in the mid 90's. Then Nissan got smart and started building eye catching autos that could perform. Late 90's little Nissan trucks were everywhere in my area once they refined them and made them look sporty. Then a dismal Maxima got life again and started selling like it did in the mid 80's thanks to style and power. Now, with the newer models, they have a stronger line-up than ever. I know many on here don't like the design of some of their cars, but I really think they hit the target. I like the way most models look and having HP's helps too. So, can GM do the same. It starts with new designers we hope. :rant:
cars ALL of them are suffering from CORPERATE GREED. they have their cars priced way too high. A new car buyer really takes a shelacking to purchase a vehicle thet he is upside down with for 5 years. By the time the poor guy gets the thing paid for it is wore out. Not me, thanks, I will buy clean, used. : :Brow:
John, one of the designers for Nissan used to work for GM design. His name: Jerry Hirschberg. To me,Nissan styling is ugly and looks very primative. A kid in kindergarden can design better cars. When I see these cars on the road,the first thing I think is "what an ugly car". There are pleasing designs and there are ugly designs,and personally,Nissan is not one of them.
