Small doesn't bother me; I drive a Mazda3 right now, so a Fusion or Rogue (Possibly even a VUE) may actually be too big a jump in size, whereas a Legacy might be a bit more in my comfort zone.
I've always lived in snow country. Thing is, up until 2 years ago, I had jobs where I could just call in if there was a blizzard or whatever. Now I've got a different job, and whether the Transformers are invading, a giant rock with Bruce Willis on it is flying in, or someone drops a glacier on the state, I have to get my rear into the office. If the roads are closed due to a snow emergency I'm expected to avoid the cops and come in. :P So I need a car that I've got a decent chance of not getting killed in.
Wonder how many 2006 models, as mentioned in the article, are actually out there on the lots? Depending on the dollar value and type of vehicle, wouldn't it take some $4K to $8K off the sticker to move the '06 car, truck or SUV, if it has not sold for a couple of years? We are closing in on five months to the '08 cars hitting the lots. Well of course, the days of a set month are largely gone, but in general let's say the '08 cars are nearing. Sure varies from dealer to dealer as to how long they will hold out to get the higher prices. When you see these two year old cars on the lots, it makes you wonder. Go to the next town, and you see all current year models of the same make. Could be they make better deals - could be. Loren
Hey! I've probably passed through your town a time or two. Whichever one it is...
I'm down by the Jersey shore. Within a few years I am likely to move back where I'm originally from - that part of New Jersey you alway hear about on teh weather report - "a fair bit north and east of the city this rain will be snow".....
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
My wife has cousins just down from Newburgh and I drove to Cornwall in a "blizzard" from Newark a decade ago. In a FWD rental car. Piece of cake. :shades:
Ok, now try driving from LaGrangeville to Highland Falls (West Point) in the same blizzard, using 9-D rather than 9W (to avoid that mountain just south of Cornwall, since 218 is always closed). I had to do that...in that SAME blizzard, come to think of it, I think it was that year.
Mostly I remember the idiots parked in the middle of the Thruway at 10 pm in several inches of the fresh stuff. I had been driving in Anchorage for a bunch of years back then so naturally I was be-bopping along at 55 mph. :shades:
The last couple of times I was through there 218 was shut down for the rock slides. Nice cruising area (hiking on Storm King was fun too).
To put it simply, you are grasping for straws here. You contended that GM is behind on transmissions and now you have been proven wrong. now you are arguing that its possible GM will cancel the production of previously announced 6 speeds because of their "track record". That notion is ridiculous on many levels so its not worth disputing. Rest assured, the 6 speeds are on the way and GM is investing hundred of millions in plants to ramp up 6 speed production. They are currently making improvements to a plant to produce new RWD 6 speeds in a couple years and that same plant will be making new FWD 6 speeds in 2010 as IL reported. Next year more of the GM trucks should get the 6 speed in the Escalade/Denali as well. By October of this year you will be able to choose from 6 GM models with 6 speed automatics for under $30k and that is a fact, not speculation. The cars that do not have 6 speeds now are on old platforms and may not get them before they are retired. I dont think the W platform cars (Impala, Lacrosse) will get them before they die in 2008 or 2009. I am not sure if the Lucerne/DTS will get them or not.
As for ads, most people who dont know a lot about cars dont care how many gears they have so GM can talk about 6 speeds all day long and it wont matter to the majority of the public. THose who know a lot about cars know which ones have 6 speeds and which dont. You and I pay attention to these types of things so we are quite aware (or at least I am) of what GM models have 6 speed automatics.
"Which means, as I said, either GM's ads aren't embedding or they aren't running, neither of which is a good thing"
Considering GM spends billions on ads each year its safe to assume you just dont remember any GM ads. Your notion that GM as a whole is failing in adverstising makes no sense because GM doesnt create the ads, nor do they use the same agency for each division. GM's ads are created by a variety of top notch agencies in the country. I thought the Cadillac "breakthrough" ads were quite memorable and I wish they had stuck with them. Saturn also has a nice "Like always, like never before" campaign to introduce the Aura, Outlook and Sky. GMC is running a nice ad introducing the Acadia that I have seen several times recently. The list goes on. If you dont like the ads or dont remember them I suspect that has more to do with the fact that you dont care for the products than anything else. I guess GM needs to come up with a slogan like "zoom, zoom" to get any credit from you.
Frankly the "Zoom, zoom, zoom" phrase has a juvenile sound to myself. Sometimes ads are aimed at different demographic groups.
No matter what ad GM used, there are some who would pretend it's not enough, not good enough, bad product, not equal to brand XXX's certain single option, or it's slightly different and they should have tried to match the tired product from brand XXX. If they do match product then it's that it's not good enough for that one reason or option in the eyes of the beholder.
Ok, in less than 6 words, tell me what the brand identity of any of GM's divisions are then? Most other mainstream manufacturers can do that. Cadillac used to do that, as pointed out, as did Saab ("Born From jets" strikes me as pretty bad, but at least it's memorable. But these are the lux brands not the mainstream ones).
GM right this moment is behind. They aren't the only ones, but they are (as admitted, Ford is ahead of them, and also has their 'Bold Moves' identity). I spent 9 hours yesterday intentionally LOOKING for a brand identity advertisement, or even individual model ad from GM on TV yesterday and didn't see one. The menu for viewing was FOX News, CNN, TNT, ESPN, SNY (The Mets channel) and NBC. Which means they have a marketing problem.
I have said they MAY jump ahead if they successfully implement the 6 speed transmissions. It's nice to see it admitted that it may be a while for several platforms; the worry should be that "a while" may turn into "never" at some point.
"If they do match product then it's that it's not good enough for that one reason or option in the eyes of the beholder."
That's exactly how people decide which car to buy. Let's take the Malibu as a specific example. As is right now, it's a decent car...in fact my grandmother recently bought one, and she likes it quite a bit. The MAXX option is very nice, broadening it's appeal and giving it an advantage over other midsizers which only offer trunks. If I asked for a reason why I should buy a Malibu over an Accord or Altima, you could show the MAXX trim and boom! Problem is, I haven't seen an ad for the thing since it came out 2+ years ago. After that they basically dropped the ball...GM seems to do this a lot. Remember Saturn? New kind of company, released the S line....and that's all they had for YEARS before their next model, because GM dropped the ball.
This is a problem with GM, and it could end up killing the idea of "6 speeds in every model" before it becomes reality . Or they could drop the advertising ball, which they also have a habit of doing. That's my concern.
I'm not a GM hater...the Equinox is nice, but a little big for comfort for me, though I think I'll test drive one anyway (it compares fairly well with the Sportage, Legacy, Outlander, and Rogue that I'm considering, though each of the others have advantages in one area or another). I'm seriously considering the new VUE XE, though it's a bit pricy. But even though I like a brand and/or model, I can admit flaws with said brand/model. (The Sportage gets rotten mileage and only has a 4 speed, the Legacy is stuck with a trunk, and again a 4-speed, the Outlander doesn't have a very good dealer network and is fairly big, the Rogue too with the size, plus so far it'll only have a black interior) some people are simply unable to do that. GM has the flaws I've described, and they're not only significant, but directly relevant to this discussion.
Since GM has started production of six speed automatics, the start up costs have been spent, so I can't see GM dropping the six speed automatic. The six speed transmissions will replace the 4 speed because it will be cheaper to build one basic transmission line instead of two. At the end of the 50's GM decided that the old Hydramatic should be replaced and that the Buick Turbine Drive needed to be terminated. So both transmission lines were merged into the Turbohydramatic, a simpler transmission.
Oldsmobile's problems are said to have been a result of GM "dropping the ball" too, in that they did not advertise Oldsmoble as they should have.
Well let's see, " Zoom-Zoom " meaning is pretty simple = there is a sports car in every thing we build. OK, most of what we build. The image is fun and sporty. Now, we move on the " An American Revolution. " Anyone care to explain that one? The cars are now besting England? Seems more like an Evolution of the industry.
As for the Cadillac ads, I thought they had lost their collective minds, having Led Zeppelin music blaring out that its been too long since I rock and rolled. But ya know, the CTS was fresh, and us baby boomers perk up our ears when real rock music is heard anywhere - even in an ad. And the quirkyness of it coming from Cadillac has a certain shock and awe to it. As for Breakthrough, that was The Doors, you know; the break on through to the otherside. :shades: Perhaps it is the next song up to play. As for meanings, the BMW, as the " Ultimate Driving Machine," is easy to remeber and states it all so simply. Next up is Cadillac. A slogan for life for Cadillac is? Years ago, I believe it was Cadillac Style. Where is Harly Earl when ya need him. Like an Escalade, best dressed!
Perhaps it is in the name, Olds? The old in Oldsmobile, was a hindrance to the conceptual feeling of a car division in moving forward. As for ads, the " This is not your father's Oldsmobile," was very true, but perhaps not the way it was intended. My fathers Oldsmobiles had power and style, while being considered the most reliable car on the American road. A Cutlass Supreme was the working class car which the repairman deemed strong and reliable. It was a classy, even sometimes shall we say sporty car, like the 4-4-2. Then came the FWD era. A few hits along the way, but mostly a sad slide down and slippery slope. They had stated the new car was not your fathers Olds, which was suppose to mean not slow handling or frumpy - dull. So now those old guys that bought before were no longer suppose to buy an Olds, and should move on to the Buick line? Or that's right they.... Loren
Sure wasn't when I saw mediocrities like my girlfriend's 1999 Olds Cutlass sedan. My father's Oldsmobile was a beautiful 1955 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Starfire convertible. Heck I'd have settled for the car that was MY Oldsmobile - a 1979 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency with the awesome 403 V-8.
They were starting to come around with cars like the Aurora and the Intrique, but it was too late.
NEW YORK – If you want to test drive a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, starting next month you'll be able to do it in a Saturn dealership. General Motors is asking Saturn dealers to have one or more of the competing models in the showroom so customers can look at it, sit in it and drive it.
Of course, Saturn dealers can't sell you an Accord or Camry. But they hope that, when you see a Toyota or Honda sedan next to the Saturn Aura, you'll decide to buy the Aura.
"In that side-by-side comparison, we come out really well," said Mark LaNeve, head of North American sales and marketing for General Motors.
Later this year, Chevrolet dealers will be doing the same thing as they introduce customers to the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu, which shares its engineering platform with the Aura.
In focus group research, GM has shown potential customers new GM models next to competing vehicles with all brand identifications removed and, said LaNeve, customers have reacted well to the GM products.
Another advantage for GM dealers in having competing products on site is that customers may not need to set foot in a competing dealership before making a purchase decision.
"I think we can stand up to the comparison," said Wade Hoyt, a Toyota spokesman.
Auto salespeople always research the competition, he said, and prepare advantageous comparisons to offer customers considering another product.
"They talk down the competition all the time," said Hoyt, "so this is just taking it one step further"
According to industry newspaper Automotive News, sales for the Saturn Aura, which was voted Car of the Year by automotive journalists in January, 2007, have been disappointing for GM.
Part of the reason GM is willing to take this step, said LaNeve, is because the company has little to lose. Midsized sedan shoppers often don't even consider GM products, he said, instead going straight to Honda and Toyota dealers.
The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are now the two best-selling cars in America.
"Over the course of a few years that became the default choice," said LaNeve.
The company wouldn't even consider doing something like this with its trucks, said LaNeve. GM currently holds 70 percent of the market share in large trucks and SUVs so there would be little to gain from bringing Toyota Tundras and Sequoias into Chevrolet dealerships.
Hresko also notes GM’s warranty claims are plummeting. “We’ve reduced the claims by 40% over the last five years,” he says, adding the auto maker plans to continue that trajectory.
Hresko points to GM’s car assembly plant in Oshawa, ON, Canada plant – home to the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo – a premier achiever in recent J.D. Power quality surveys. Seven of the top 15 plants in the most recent survey were GM facilities, he adds.
Hresko notes the recently launched T900 fullsize pickups and SUVs have carryover warranty levels that the predecessor models enjoyed after five years of production. At launch, the T900s were twice as good as the T800s at their launch, he says.
The new Vue is the fourth Saturn model to showcase the brand’s bold rejuvenation, joining the Sky roadster, Aura sedan and the larger, 3-row Outlook CUV. An all-new Astra hatchback joins the lineup in the fourth quarter.
By the end of the year, the company will have brought five new models to market in just 20 months, after years of languishing without new products.
Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak says conquest sales have been off the charts, and she expects that trend to continue with the new Vue.
Car buyers with an annual household income of $60,000 or better are the average demographic for the brand, she adds, noting more than 65% of Outlook buyers are in the $75,000-income range, while the Sky roadster is attracting customers with household earnings of more than $100,000.
Income range seems like middle of the road. Would have expected it to be higher. Of course the Sky is a 3rd/4rth vehicle in the garage for most.
They could always stick a Chrysler Sebring in there for a comparison to the GM cars. Oh doh, caught stacking the deck again. :P
Hyundai tried this with the Sonata vs. Camry, I think it was. So are their sales up? This should be a fascinating experiment in marketing, if they could have both an Accord and a Camry to test at the dealerships. Does Honda and Toyota get to test the cars to be sure they are not altered in any way? Standard tire pressures too? This presents some interesting circumstances likely to occur, as wells as, some less likely. Most likely is some misinformation about the other brands product, once some questions are asked about the brand-x car. GM may have success with this endeavour. I know if side-by-side is done in a test drive of a Sonata and the Japan car, what happens is that you see that the Sonata is a good 80 to 85% the car. Take a few bumps along the way and the suspension is less assuring. Looking at the product it is always close. Now next up is the GM product. Hopefully, done side-by-side tested it is better.
What is interesting to note, is how all the cars, even those as good as the other, have some characteristic which is better or less so than the other. And sometimes, the cars are just different and both good. A feeling? Perhaps it is a feeling of sort, when one car takes the A grade for cornering, while the other is smoother or more quiet. Adding the scoring in your head, it sometimes comes down to just what interests you have more so than the car actually being the best at everything combined. Then there is the cost in and out, which some may weight. And then there is the dealership, and company, in the way they treat the customer. Of course you can throw in image. Advertising is sometimes key. Look how good the old VW ads were. Today, perhaps it is the Honda ads which are the hit. Too bad the good ads for GM got taken off right away, like the Corvette driving kids ads. Not to say the All American ads are not very good for that Chevy is American pie image. And Cadillac is doing better. The Cadillac as an upper class car is slowing moving on up the ladder, after some problems around the time of downsized cars of '85. Seems like Germany and Japan hammered on American luxo and near luxury for quite a long time. It will take time, but I am seeing younger people as buying new Cadillac product, as well as, the older people now thinking Cadillac, instead of moving up to Mercedes, BMW and Lexus/Acuras. Some progress. And the progress in image building is working. The CTS replacing cars like the Catera and Cimmeron is a major step in the right direction. GM is now getting more serious about Cadillac as a world class car again -- thank goodness. Mr. Earl would have been happy too. Design studios look to have some doors opened again at GM. Loren
Ive been told that Onstar and Verizon Wireless have made a deal to offer phone service. It looks like I can add my new truck (when it comes in) as an additional phone to my Verizon shared minutes account for $9.95 per month. I talked to someone who just got their new 07 silverado. He told me that caller ID shows up on the dash display. Has anyone tried this service from Verizon and if so how does it sound coming through the stereo speakers??
Not to knock them, but do you think people who drive Caddys move "up" to BMW, seeing as how they are more of a performance sedan, as opposed to luxury?
Yes indeed, and like I said, CTS is the major step in the right direction. Finally, a true Cadillac for their smaller car. Next up, hopefully, is a new STS with some better looks to her. Not a whole lot of excitment post intro of the CTS. Loren
Some people now, instead of moving up, as in lower priced car to upper priced, will now consider the Cadillac and/or Escalade vehicle, whereas previously when on the move up, the Cadillac was considered sub par to a BMW. And while everyone seems to concentrate of the driving dynamics of a Bimmer, the reasons to own one are many. It became one of the major status symbols here on the Left Coast, to own. Babyboomers, to young college students still long to own a BMW, regardless of their own driving abilities. Today, with the CTS and Escalade, Cadillac has a bit of renewed interest once again for new buyers, instead of die hard, older Caddy owners. A CTS may not handle like a Bimmer, but it doesn't handle like driving the Queen Mary, so they are gaining some customers interested in more of the Euro car handling. The quality control is better, so the CTS will come closer to Lexus for reliability. The Escalade, captured a really broad market, from Rappers to Urban cowboys, while performing as the new status symbol for wealth. Just another SUV to me, but it was the world to Cadillac and help save their butt, along with the CTS and Caddy car revival which followed. A smaller Caddy RWD, and a coupe, would be nice. Perhaps a convertible. Loren
I am not quite sure I understand: do you mean the 2003 CTS was a step in the right direction, in which case I need to remind you perhaps that the STS was new in 2005, and is basically a bigger, more luxurious CTS. Or, do you mean the 2008 CTS is a step in the right direction?
Lets not forget that the CTS_STS platform also has the SRX crossover whatever it is (wagon? or SUV?). I have a 2007 SRX with V8, AWD, big tires all around. It handles very nicely, I think better than my 2002 SLS, even though it is a mid-size SUV style with a higher center of gravity. Not quite your grandfathers Cadillac
The larger, yet blander CTS as an STS is a not quite there look. The Art & Science look, left rather bold, works for the smaller car. The STS may be relatively new, and now RWD, but looks wise it is not as good an effort as was the previuos model, IMHO. Others, more than free to disagree. The SRX does have a certain good look about her, as SUVs go. A bit more sporty, while more conservative than a Nissan Murano or Mazda crossover. You are right, it is not your grandfathers Cadillac. Ya know, the Porsche Cayanne is not your your father's, farther's, farther's car. Hey, these should be marketed as " first ever" cars, rather than the First Ever G6, *yawn*. SUVs as luxo replacements for cars, who would have ever thunk of such a thing back when I was a kid. A Suburban, Jeep, or an International Scout were pretty much for off road adventures, and for ranchers back when. Now they go downtown and all around, up town and through the suburbs.
As a whole, the Cadillac line is not a full stable of best effort cars, but is a step in the right direction. Loren
The STS's body (exterior) is not much different than the CTS, in fact it is hard to tell from a distance which car one is looking at. Where I think the STS falls short is the interior design. If the 2004 through 2006 SRX interior is an indication of what was in the works for the STS before Lutz came on board, then what we got is much better than what might have been.
Now that I have had my 2007 SRX (with new interior for 2007), I think it is a decent interior for the SRX. The STS should be somewhat better for the price difference. The SRX is not really an off road utility vehicle like the Jeep's are. The SRX is more of a tall wagon with all wheel drive (optional but really designed in). I expect that it will handle a snow covered road much better than my Seville did, even though the tires are 255/50's all around. These tires are basically the same as the Corvette that I owned.
Frankly the "Zoom, zoom, zoom" phrase has a juvenile sound to myself. Sometimes ads are aimed at different demographic groups.
Every slogan has a message. In Mazda's case it is "our cars are exciting to drive". Now you might think this is a dumb slogan, but at least it sends a message about the product. Similar to the "Fharfegnugen" (spelling?) from VW ten or fifteen years ago.
For Chevy, all I remember is "An American Revolution". And all that means to me is "We can't compete on quality of product, so please buy us because of your patriotism. We have jobs to protect."
If I put slogans on the stupid meter (1-10, 1=stupid, 10=sensible), then Mazda's is about a 6, Chevy's is around a 2. GM may have other slogans that are good, but they should lose this one and talk about the quality of the product.
I'm back living in Michigan, and rumor has it GM, might be hirring in the near future I heard from a relative. Have you heard anything about this pal ???? I heard it will be after contract as many more retirees are expected to leave. If they do hire I will drop my name in the hat.
DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. is winning over critics and customers with its trio of new large crossover vehicles for its GMC, Saturn and Buick brands.
But when the automaker started developing a crossover strategy several years ago, it left out its top-selling Chevrolet brand, which had the well-established TrailBlazer SUV. But as the market shifted dramatically away from traditional SUVs, TrailBlazer sales cratered and Chevy was left without a crossover, which has become one of the hottest vehicle segments.
GM is always hiring. Depends on what skills you have. A friend just got hired. She is IT with maybe 15 years of experience. I know they are also still getting rid of people in many areas. They also had a job fair recently to bring in new powertrain technology (read HYBRID/alternative fuels/batteries) experts.
Hourly? I doubt it in the near term with the latest Job bank agreement. But in 5 years I see them hiring due to the very old work force they have in the plants. Remember they still have plants scheduled to close and all those workers will need to go somewhere. But who knows? Maybe they will still need some because the ex-hourly workers will not want to move and just take the buy out and go.
"Anderson Analytics took a survey of 1,000 college students from more than 375 universities and discovered that many of them don't. A third of the respondents thought LEXUS WAS AMERICAN.
More than half of them thought Hyundai was Japanese, and at the same time, two-thirds of them think Korean products are no good.
Almost half thought Volvo and Saab were German, and more than half thought Land Rover is American. Which, technically, it is, but probably not in the way they meant it."
Amazing. THIS is our future??? The article went on to talk about other products, and almost all the respondants said Motorola was a Japanese company.
That just proves that NOTHING INTELLIGENT is being taught in our colleges and universities anymore......save maybe indoctrination into why America sucks!! Which is far from the truth because it's the BEST the Free World has to offer despite our shortcomings.
I don't know, seems to me I could have answered those questions correctly while in gammer school, say by the 6th or 7th grade.
During that period in history, I was likely watch the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on TV, and the Range Rovers in action in Africa. Well I think so, that was all too long ago.
Oh well, I suppose everyone knows that a Chevy is American. Between the days of Doris Day and the song, " See the USA in a Chevrolet", and " This is our country", we get the point. Enough already about that, show me the car - what does the car do for me. The real puzzler is what An American Revolution means in respect to a Chevy. As the new stuff trickles in, one could call it a GM evolution, or a Chevy Evolution, but an American Revolution not. Well we do have occupying forces from Toyota and Honda which have taken over the homelands garages and driveways. Is that what the revolution is about?
Oh well, Lexus and Lexan sound the same. Lexan is a plastic of which GE owns the paten on, so that is American :P Was that survey for real? I would think 90% of the general population would know where the Lexus is produced, and that it is a brand of Toyota. Oh well, so much for our scions. Loren
Comments
Did you move into snow country or something like that? Just wondering on teh need for 4WD.
Loren
I'm down by the Jersey shore. Within a few years I am likely to move back where I'm originally from - that part of New Jersey you alway hear about on teh weather report - "a fair bit north and east of the city this rain will be snow".....
The last couple of times I was through there 218 was shut down for the rock slides. Nice cruising area (hiking on Storm King was fun too).
****
$8000 off of a Saab 9-5! Dang. That's a $25,000 car suddenly.
The V8 Genesis gets a six-speed auto, though that may end up being sold as an early '09.
The Veracruz has 6-speed.
Heck of a deal!
As for ads, most people who dont know a lot about cars dont care how many gears they have so GM can talk about 6 speeds all day long and it wont matter to the majority of the public. THose who know a lot about cars know which ones have 6 speeds and which dont. You and I pay attention to these types of things so we are quite aware (or at least I am) of what GM models have 6 speed automatics.
"Which means, as I said, either GM's ads aren't embedding or they aren't running, neither of which is a good thing"
Considering GM spends billions on ads each year its safe to assume you just dont remember any GM ads. Your notion that GM as a whole is failing in adverstising makes no sense because GM doesnt create the ads, nor do they use the same agency for each division. GM's ads are created by a variety of top notch agencies in the country. I thought the Cadillac "breakthrough" ads were quite memorable and I wish they had stuck with them. Saturn also has a nice "Like always, like never before" campaign to introduce the Aura, Outlook and Sky. GMC is running a nice ad introducing the Acadia that I have seen several times recently. The list goes on. If you dont like the ads or dont remember them I suspect that has more to do with the fact that you dont care for the products than anything else. I guess GM needs to come up with a slogan like "zoom, zoom" to get any credit from you.
No matter what ad GM used, there are some who would pretend it's not enough, not good enough, bad product, not equal to brand XXX's certain single option, or it's slightly different and they should have tried to match the tired product from brand XXX. If they do match product then it's that it's not good enough for that one reason or option in the eyes of the beholder.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
GM right this moment is behind. They aren't the only ones, but they are (as admitted, Ford is ahead of them, and also has their 'Bold Moves' identity). I spent 9 hours yesterday intentionally LOOKING for a brand identity advertisement, or even individual model ad from GM on TV yesterday and didn't see one. The menu for viewing was FOX News, CNN, TNT, ESPN, SNY (The Mets channel) and NBC. Which means they have a marketing problem.
I have said they MAY jump ahead if they successfully implement the 6 speed transmissions. It's nice to see it admitted that it may be a while for several platforms; the worry should be that "a while" may turn into "never" at some point.
"If they do match product then it's that it's not good enough for that one reason or option in the eyes of the beholder."
That's exactly how people decide which car to buy. Let's take the Malibu as a specific example. As is right now, it's a decent car...in fact my grandmother recently bought one, and she likes it quite a bit. The MAXX option is very nice, broadening it's appeal and giving it an advantage over other midsizers which only offer trunks. If I asked for a reason why I should buy a Malibu over an Accord or Altima, you could show the MAXX trim and boom! Problem is, I haven't seen an ad for the thing since it came out 2+ years ago. After that they basically dropped the ball...GM seems to do this a lot. Remember Saturn? New kind of company, released the S line....and that's all they had for YEARS before their next model, because GM dropped the ball.
This is a problem with GM, and it could end up killing the idea of "6 speeds in every model" before it becomes reality . Or they could drop the advertising ball, which they also have a habit of doing. That's my concern.
I'm not a GM hater...the Equinox is nice, but a little big for comfort for me, though I think I'll test drive one anyway (it compares fairly well with the Sportage, Legacy, Outlander, and Rogue that I'm considering, though each of the others have advantages in one area or another). I'm seriously considering the new VUE XE, though it's a bit pricy. But even though I like a brand and/or model, I can admit flaws with said brand/model. (The Sportage gets rotten mileage and only has a 4 speed, the Legacy is stuck with a trunk, and again a 4-speed, the Outlander doesn't have a very good dealer network and is fairly big, the Rogue too with the size, plus so far it'll only have a black interior) some people are simply unable to do that. GM has the flaws I've described, and they're not only significant, but directly relevant to this discussion.
Oldsmobile's problems are said to have been a result of GM "dropping the ball" too, in that they did not advertise Oldsmoble as they should have.
As for the Cadillac ads, I thought they had lost their collective minds, having Led Zeppelin music blaring out that its been too long since I rock and rolled. But ya know, the CTS was fresh, and us baby boomers perk up our ears when real rock music is heard anywhere - even in an ad. And the quirkyness of it coming from Cadillac has a certain shock and awe to it. As for Breakthrough, that was The Doors, you know; the break on through to the otherside. :shades: Perhaps it is the next song up to play.
As for meanings, the BMW, as the " Ultimate Driving Machine," is easy to remeber and states it all so simply. Next up is Cadillac. A slogan for life for Cadillac is? Years ago, I believe it was Cadillac Style. Where is Harly Earl when ya need him. Like an Escalade, best dressed!
Loren, like a rock.
Loren
Sure wasn't when I saw mediocrities like my girlfriend's 1999 Olds Cutlass sedan. My father's Oldsmobile was a beautiful 1955 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Starfire convertible. Heck I'd have settled for the car that was MY Oldsmobile - a 1979 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency with the awesome 403 V-8.
They were starting to come around with cars like the Aurora and the Intrique, but it was too late.
starting next month you'll be able to do it in a Saturn dealership. General
Motors is asking Saturn dealers to have one or more of the competing models
in the showroom so customers can look at it, sit in it and drive it.
Of course, Saturn dealers can't sell you an Accord or Camry. But they hope
that, when you see a Toyota or Honda sedan next to the Saturn Aura, you'll
decide to buy the Aura.
"In that side-by-side comparison, we come out really well," said Mark
LaNeve, head of North American sales and marketing for General Motors.
Later this year, Chevrolet dealers will be doing the same thing as they
introduce customers to the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu, which shares its
engineering platform with the Aura.
In focus group research, GM has shown potential customers new GM models
next to competing vehicles with all brand identifications removed and, said
LaNeve, customers have reacted well to the GM products.
Another advantage for GM dealers in having competing products on site is
that customers may not need to set foot in a competing dealership before
making a purchase decision.
"I think we can stand up to the comparison," said Wade Hoyt, a Toyota
spokesman.
Auto salespeople always research the competition, he said, and prepare
advantageous comparisons to offer customers considering another product.
"They talk down the competition all the time," said Hoyt, "so this is just
taking it one step further"
According to industry newspaper Automotive News, sales for the Saturn Aura,
which was voted Car of the Year by automotive journalists in January, 2007,
have been disappointing for GM.
Part of the reason GM is willing to take this step, said LaNeve, is because
the company has little to lose. Midsized sedan shoppers often don't even
consider GM products, he said, instead going straight to Honda and Toyota
dealers.
The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are now the two best-selling cars in
America.
"Over the course of a few years that became the default choice," said
LaNeve.
The company wouldn't even consider doing something like this with its
trucks, said LaNeve. GM currently holds 70 percent of the market share in
large trucks and SUVs so there would be little to gain from bringing Toyota
Tundras and Sequoias into Chevrolet dealerships.
claims by 40% over the last five years,” he says, adding the auto maker
plans to continue that trajectory.
Hresko points to GM’s car assembly plant in Oshawa, ON, Canada plant – home
to the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo – a premier
achiever in recent J.D. Power quality surveys. Seven of the top 15 plants
in the most recent survey were GM facilities, he adds.
Hresko notes the recently launched T900 fullsize pickups and SUVs have
carryover warranty levels that the predecessor models enjoyed after five
years of production. At launch, the T900s were twice as good as the T800s
at their launch, he says.
rejuvenation, joining the Sky roadster, Aura sedan and the larger, 3-row
Outlook CUV. An all-new Astra hatchback joins the lineup in the fourth
quarter.
By the end of the year, the company will have brought five new models to
market in just 20 months, after years of languishing without new products.
Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak says conquest sales have been off the
charts, and she expects that trend to continue with the new Vue.
Car buyers with an annual household income of $60,000 or better are the
average demographic for the brand, she adds, noting more than 65% of
Outlook buyers are in the $75,000-income range, while the Sky roadster is
attracting customers with household earnings of more than $100,000.
Income range seems like middle of the road. Would have expected it to be higher. Of course the Sky is a 3rd/4rth vehicle in the garage for most.
Hyundai tried this with the Sonata vs. Camry, I think it was. So are their sales up? This should be a fascinating experiment in marketing, if they could have both an Accord and a Camry to test at the dealerships. Does Honda and Toyota get to test the cars to be sure they are not altered in any way? Standard tire pressures too? This presents some interesting circumstances likely to occur, as wells as, some less likely. Most likely is some misinformation about the other brands product, once some questions are asked about the brand-x car. GM may have success with this endeavour. I know if side-by-side is done in a test drive of a Sonata and the Japan car, what happens is that you see that the Sonata is a good 80 to 85% the car. Take a few bumps along the way and the suspension is less assuring. Looking at the product it is always close. Now next up is the GM product. Hopefully, done side-by-side tested it is better.
What is interesting to note, is how all the cars, even those as good as the other, have some characteristic which is better or less so than the other. And sometimes, the cars are just different and both good. A feeling? Perhaps it is a feeling of sort, when one car takes the A grade for cornering, while the other is smoother or more quiet. Adding the scoring in your head, it sometimes comes down to just what interests you have more so than the car actually being the best at everything combined. Then there is the cost in and out, which some may weight. And then there is the dealership, and company, in the way they treat the customer. Of course you can throw in image. Advertising is sometimes key. Look how good the old VW ads were. Today, perhaps it is the Honda ads which are the hit. Too bad the good ads for GM got taken off right away, like the Corvette driving kids ads. Not to say the All American ads are not very good for that Chevy is American pie image. And Cadillac is doing better. The Cadillac as an upper class car is slowing moving on up the ladder, after some problems around the time of downsized cars of '85. Seems like Germany and Japan hammered on American luxo and near luxury for quite a long time. It will take time, but I am seeing younger people as buying new Cadillac product, as well as, the older people now thinking Cadillac, instead of moving up to Mercedes, BMW and Lexus/Acuras.
Some progress. And the progress in image building is working. The CTS replacing cars like the Catera and Cimmeron is a major step in the right direction. GM is now getting more serious about Cadillac as a world class car again -- thank goodness. Mr. Earl would have been happy too. Design studios look to have some doors opened again at GM.
Loren
gregC
The Cimmaron is 20 or more years ago.
The Catera is 10 years ago. It ended on 2001.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Loren
Loren
Lets not forget that the CTS_STS platform also has the SRX crossover whatever it is (wagon? or SUV?). I have a 2007 SRX with V8, AWD, big tires all around. It handles very nicely, I think better than my 2002 SLS, even though it is a mid-size SUV style with a higher center of gravity. Not quite your grandfathers Cadillac
The SRX does have a certain good look about her, as SUVs go. A bit more sporty, while more conservative than a Nissan Murano or Mazda crossover. You are right, it is not your grandfathers Cadillac. Ya know, the Porsche Cayanne is not your your father's, farther's, farther's car. Hey, these should be marketed as " first ever" cars, rather than the First Ever G6, *yawn*. SUVs as luxo replacements for cars, who would have ever thunk of such a thing back when I was a kid. A Suburban, Jeep, or an International Scout were pretty much for off road adventures, and for ranchers back when. Now they go downtown and all around, up town and through the suburbs.
As a whole, the Cadillac line is not a full stable of best effort cars, but is a step in the right direction.
Loren
Now that I have had my 2007 SRX (with new interior for 2007), I think it is a decent interior for the SRX. The STS should be somewhat better for the price difference. The SRX is not really an off road utility vehicle like the Jeep's are. The SRX is more of a tall wagon with all wheel drive (optional but really designed in). I expect that it will handle a snow covered road much better than my Seville did, even though the tires are 255/50's all around. These tires are basically the same as the Corvette that I owned.
Every slogan has a message. In Mazda's case it is "our cars are exciting to drive". Now you might think this is a dumb slogan, but at least it sends a message about the product. Similar to the "Fharfegnugen" (spelling?) from VW ten or fifteen years ago.
For Chevy, all I remember is "An American Revolution". And all that means to me is "We can't compete on quality of product, so please buy us because of your patriotism. We have jobs to protect."
If I put slogans on the stupid meter (1-10, 1=stupid, 10=sensible), then Mazda's is about a 6, Chevy's is around a 2. GM may have other slogans that are good, but they should lose this one and talk about the quality of the product.
I'm back living in Michigan, and rumor has it GM, might be hirring in the near future I heard from a relative. Have you heard anything about this pal ???? I heard it will be after contract as many more retirees are expected to leave. If they do hire I will drop my name in the hat.
-Rocky
DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. is winning over critics and customers with its trio of new large crossover vehicles for its GMC, Saturn and Buick brands.
But when the automaker started developing a crossover strategy several years ago, it left out its top-selling Chevrolet brand, which had the well-established TrailBlazer SUV. But as the market shifted dramatically away from traditional SUVs, TrailBlazer sales cratered and Chevy was left without a crossover, which has become one of the hottest vehicle segments.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070528/AUTO01/705280351/1148
Hourly? I doubt it in the near term with the latest Job bank agreement. But in 5 years I see them hiring due to the very old work force they have in the plants. Remember they still have plants scheduled to close and all those workers will need to go somewhere. But who knows? Maybe they will still need some because the ex-hourly workers will not want to move and just take the buy out and go.
More than half of them thought Hyundai was Japanese, and at the same time, two-thirds of them think Korean products are no good.
Almost half thought Volvo and Saab were German, and more than half thought Land Rover is American. Which, technically, it is, but probably not in the way they meant it."
Amazing. THIS is our future??? The article went on to talk about other products, and almost all the respondants said Motorola was a Japanese company.
Which is far from the truth because it's the BEST the Free World has to offer despite our shortcomings.
Have you heard anything like that ?
-Rocky
-Rocky
It's okay to cry.
During that period in history, I was likely watch the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on TV, and the Range Rovers in action in Africa. Well I think so, that was all too long ago.
Oh well, I suppose everyone knows that a Chevy is American. Between the days of Doris Day and the song, " See the USA in a Chevrolet", and " This is our country", we get the point. Enough already about that, show me the car - what does the car do for me. The real puzzler is what An American Revolution means in respect to a Chevy. As the new stuff trickles in, one could call it a GM evolution, or a Chevy Evolution, but an American Revolution not. Well we do have occupying forces from Toyota and Honda which have taken over the homelands garages and driveways. Is that what the revolution is about?
Oh well, Lexus and Lexan sound the same. Lexan is a plastic of which GE owns the paten on, so that is American :P Was that survey for real? I would think 90% of the general population would know where the Lexus is produced, and that it is a brand of Toyota. Oh well, so much for our scions.
Loren