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MINI-- a retro success story but really, a small player. BMW is certainly not counting on MINI to revive the company with a "new exciting image". BMW already has all the image it needs.
Well, Honda buyers didn't always buy Hondas. They switched for a reason. So, why not try to appeal to them. My cousin's husband is a Honda (Acura) buyer, and was amazed by my new Lacrosse.
So, how many of these cellphones will call you to see if you're ok when you get in an accident??? Will they tell the authorities where you are if you can't speak??? How about shut your car down if it is stolen, as well as locate it for authorities??? If you have a nav system, can you ask your cellphone where a certain place is, and will your cell phone look up the address and download it to your nav system???
I didn't think so.....70's technology, indeed.
Today, I found the feedback for yourgmdealer which is the user ID for GM's eBay project.
We are several weeks into this now, so I was a bit surprised to see their feedback rating as a 1.
Of the positive feedback, 3 are from the same zero feedback buyer who left praise for the ease of their transaction within 3 minutes of the listing ending.
There are 11,410 vehicles listed, I wonder if a 54% positive feedback with a score of 1 with a seven-hundredth of a percent of a sell through rate is considered success?
Because GM doesn't have their reputation rebuilt yet, and they honestly don't have something new to offer, like Honda did when they came to the US market.
GM might be able to pick off a potential Honda buyer here and there, but they're not going to crack the brand loyalty of most of them. And those who buy Nissan and Hyundai for example know they're not advertising better than the Elantra, Sentra, Sonata, Altima etc because they can't, so they aren't going to get them.
I think it's the wrong strategy.
OnStar can't always shut your car down if it's stolen...not sure that's even legal for safety reasons (could cause some very serious accidents which they would then be liable for damages-wise). The rest, yeah, a lot of cells can do that: most have at least AGPS these days, as well as voice-prompted nav services. All cells can call 911 and can be located by the 911 call center in an emergency, which they usually do when they get a call from a cell user who can't speak. All people with a quarter of a brain set some sort of quick-dial for 911 for that very purpose.
Nothing new. GM stuck a cellphone in the dash with a couple of speed-dial buttons, then trumpeted it as a new innovation. Then they'll move the call center to India, because OnStar was cheap to put in to cars but an expensive recurring expense to actually RUN from day to day.
Be sure it stays in your pocket and you can reach it if you're trapped or have restricted movement after an accident.
Also be sure it will call 911 if you're unable to do so because you're unconscious.
It will help if you set it to tell what kind of impact occurred during the accident so that responders know more about what they'll find.
Also be sure to have your cell auto-dial and turn itself on so you can talk to emergency services if you are able to talk. That will help too.
There's an OnStar discussion for people to complain about OnStar.
Just used the OnStar for our new car that our son's driving. He was at marching band practice and needed the equipment he had put in the trunk during the break for dinner. He didn't have the keys. OnStar unlocked it. The keys were in the backseat of our car after we dropped off food for his dinner and talked a short time. He didn't realize he had left them until almost 40 minutes later. We had driven on to a cruise-in at a town in the next county. Thanks to my wife who reminded me OnStar could do it as we started back to give him his keys.
I tried to use my cellphone to unlock the other car, but it didn't seem to work. :P Maybe an I-phone can do it; is there an application?
There was a region along an interstate in Kentucky that our Tennessee friends said were dead areas for their cellphones. We would typically call from one of those dead strips telling them we were on our way.
OnStar isn't the salvation for GM that will convince the haters, but it has its value.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Be sure it stays in your pocket and you can reach it if you're trapped or have restricted movement after an accident.
Also be sure it will call 911 if you're unable to do so because you're unconscious.
It will help if you set it to tell what kind of impact occurred during the accident so that responders know more about what they'll find.
Also be sure to have your cell auto-dial and turn itself on so you can talk to emergency services if you are able to talk. That will help too.
I think there's an app for that. :shades: If not, there will be: the iPhone has an accelerometer and could do it when you get right down to it. Someone will probably call it iStar. :shades:
Oh and if you don't have strong enough cell signal, OnStar ain't gonna work either, since it operates over cell networks (not sure which ones). Wonder what GM's coverage map looks like anyway?
Honestly, someone being able to remotely unlock my car would make me nervous, you know? Anyone look into how thieves might be able to hack the system to send an unlock command to the vehicle?
Oh, and didn't a bunch of cars recently no longer have OnStar because the analog cell networks were shut down? That couldn't have gone over well with the customers.
If Honda doesn't soon find its way, stylistically, I can certainly see more defections from the Honda camp to GM. The latest Accord, TL and TSX are not all that good looking, IMO.
About every other brand is going bold. Some might sacrifice some things to get a different look. Acura on the other hand took it perhaps a bit too far? Nah, but the weird wing logo grill is a bit much?
Though GM might have a newer cool looking face, (maybe) but is its soul any different? With low funds? Wouldn't they opt for the same parts used, but just new sheet metal. I am not convinced yet. It will take years to recover from just pure extravagance. Living beyond their means. Setting us all up for disaster, wait they already have. The cadillac is where the brand GM should be. Why would anyone pay a huge premium on a Caddy, when that should be expected any way on any car offered. Who says that is all that good anyway? I should be able to sit in a base model, and feel good, feel the quality. You often cannot say that with GM. You feel base, stripped! After all, a car should be about the feel and drive, not its sugar coated features to make up for lack there of.
I know that if I did not have all the really cool features on my 08 GM car, it wouldn't be close to worth it. The drive train is nothing to shout about, its blah, and I have driven the base model as a rental It felt so cheap!.... I couldn't wait to get my car back!
Seems to me, GM has re-invented themselves so many times! When are they going to do it for real.
Ever notice the Saturn commercial states" we have been doing right by people since day 1" Uh? So now were going to lie to us now? Are we all that stupid or dumb that they would actually insult us? lol!!! Seriously, you wouldn't be in the trouble your in, if you did the right thing!! At least be honest!! I think then we could swallow it down better. Man up GM!!
Anyway. I'd be willing to get another GM, but not for many more years in my lifetime.
Here's more info from WikiPedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnStar
Unfortunately, they're also the only provider in my area that offers the NFL Network. :shades:
Looks like GM can't make up its mind about Opel in Europe. Hold 'em or Fold 'em?
I agree that GM's marketing of OnStar has been poor. Turn by Turn Nav was introduced when others were introducing sat-nav. However, now with the nav in my LaCrosse, I can call OnStar, give them a landmark (restaurant, hotel, museum etc.), they will look it up, and download the directions to the nav system, all HANDS FREE.
I believe that GM should offer more than just one year free on their cars in lieu of some rebates. Think about it; if they put $2000 on the hood of a car that has nav, they could offer 5 yrs of the Directions and Connections (@ $400/yr) in lieu of the rebate, and if someone bites at that, they save $400, because they already offer it free for a year.
If GM could make good decisions, would they be where they are today? They'll screw up Opel too.
If gas prices had stayed low, GM would still have been losing money.
OnStar could be an attractive package, but safety doesn't sell.
And the way it's going, horsepower isn't selling as much anymore, and it's about dead in some places, like Japan.
I didn't pay a lot of attention to the details, but it was slated to be a short intro program, and now its been extended.
GM, eBay Extend Promotion; Edmunds.com Advises Consumers Make an Offer (AutoObserver)
Sort of drags a discussion down, doesn't it.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Wrong. Maybe you didn't check the sales figures on those Landcruisers, Pilots, and F-150s before you made your comment. The F-150 and Silverado were two of the best-selling vehicles in this country for at least a decade before the high oil prices hit. People didn't stop buying them because they suddenly weren't any good. Sales dropped because the economy fell apart and gas rose to $4 a gallon.
Yeah, he's got an answer to everything--too bad they're not accurate.
Blame the legacy costs, blame the huge UAW contracts, blame poor decisions by management, blame the rebate addiction they created. But you can't blame $4 gas for their down fall. If this was the case, Ford would have filed bankruptcy as well.
As some industry wag stated last year...GM could not PAY their workers at all and still lose money on their debts and on their business model and products.
Please name one American auto maker that has not been losing market share consistently for the past 30 years. Just for fun, let's try this: for each American auto maker you can name that gained market share in ANY segment during that time period, I'll name an American car company that went out of business (including bankrutpcy or sale to a foreign company). For instance, Ford gained market share in pickup trucks, so I'll respond with American Motors. Please don't ask me for a second example because I don't think any exist.
My point is that GM isn't the only domestic company that's been losing market share or has had a bad business model since the Japanese invasion. The only mass production car companies that have consistently gained market share over the last 30 years are Japanese or Korean. Even the Germans have lost ground.
a) GM is copying the marketing skills of other losers?
b) Having the D3 all losing money is really comforting?
a) GM is copying the marketing skills of other losers?
b) Having the D3 all losing money is really comforting?
How about
c) The UAW-contracted manufacturers have all been losing market share. They have all been closing plants. The non-UAW contracted manufacturers have been building plants. Most of those are gaining market share.
Perhaps the high labor costs hurt competitiveness.
They pay high wages and build cars people want to buy, and sell them for a tidy profit!
And Toyota autoworkers are among the highest paid in the world. AND in 2007 Toyota paid an AVERAGE bonus to employees of $22,000 each.
Scapegoating the UAW is a convenient argument and I agree a tempting one, but really doesn't hold up very well to a focused scrutiny IMO.
The UAW didn't design the cars GM built after all.
Besides, it's rather elementary good business sense, isn't it, to ask the Accounting Department to check on whether the firm is spending more than it's making? GM execs didn't have to get a Stanford MBA to know that. You'd think if that was the sole problem GM could have solved it decades ago.
"Hey, guys, we're going broke. You'll have to make concessions"
Which is *exactly* what happened recently.....(and all too late it seems).
Did someone at GM expect the UAW to voluntarily give back some of their salaries these past 30 years?
On the other hand, no one made GM climb into bed with the UAW and agree to the work rules in the first place. So the UAW doesn't have the largest share of guilt either.
And I'd love to see a few guys from the UAW give back a certain percentage of their pay...provided that applies to ALL GM employees, including some of the moronic car deisgners who designed the cars that won't sell (Hey, Aztek designers, you listening???). And also the accountants who told everyone that everything will be fine. And the CFOs who believed them. And the CEO who believed the designers and the CFO...and how about the guy who actually agreed to the stupid terms the UAW proposed instead of negotiating harder and actually doing HIS job?
Come to think of it, this may be the only way we get our bailout money back.
I note that's 2007, not 2009. Grin.
Was that an average worldwide?
At the Georgetown plant? Did it include the increasing percentage of temporaries they were using (wisely in terms of economics since their permanent workers or potential workers had no union to represent them)?
At all US plants?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I wasn't trying to say that GM management made stellar decisions. My only point was that GM wouldn't have been in this position TODAY had it not been for the plummeting economy and skyrocketing gas prices. At some point, it all would have come to a head and GM would have failed. The Big Three were all on the cusp of failure, this just pushed them over the edge sooner.
What chance did they have? The unconsionable UAW contracts alone would have destroyed most businesses. If I were the chairman of GM, I would have gone into bankruptcy and shed the labor contracts AND pension liabilities years ago. The airlines started doing it in the 90s and none of them would be operating today if they hadn't.
IF GM had produced the greatest products in the world and had employed the greatest marketing campaign in history, they still would have collapsed under the weight of the UAW contracts with their huge pension liabilities and medical costs...
If the counter-counter argument was, "well, some companies had a more saleable product line, more fuel efficient models, less debt, etc", then that still places the blame squarely on GM management's shoulders.
This "perfect storm" was a LONG time gathering. Is it that Toyota's weather radar was working and GM's was out for repair? :P
Rossputin.com blog
It's true that some of the boats were less sea-worthy than others. GM was overladen with the excess baggage of the UAW contracts. Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Hyundai were riding much higher in the water when the storm hit. They might have had better captains and navigators, but the "Big Three" were handicapped anyway. Given its higher production costs, GM was forced to rely on its high-profit cash cows--SUVs and pickup trucks. GM made nothing on its small cars while the Japanese and Koreans made reasonable profits on their Accords, Civics, Corollas, Camrys, and Sonatas.
The playing field was not level. Why do you think the foreign competition is so happy to move production to the US? BMW, MB, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Nissan and Honda love building new factories here. They get cheaper labor, lower transportation costs, and huge incentive packages from the states and localities. They generally pay almost nothing for the land, pay no real estate taxes, and enjoy income tax abatements for decades AND they're unencumbered by the UAW. Why? Because our states are so desperate for the jobs, they give it all away.
The one that's different is the UAW encumbrance and being stuck with their rotten work rules. That's a big one, but that's also to some degree GM's fault by agreeing to a contract that forced them to marry the UAW and their rotten work rules. They shot themselves in the foot on that one...or perhaps higher up and closer to centerline.
Not that the UAW is innocent either. But no one made GM agree to the terms they proposed.
The "unfair" playing field is a result of the foreign companies setting up far more efficient production lines, and, oddly enough...making their workers a lot happier. Not only has GM managed to be burdened by UAW demands in the past, they've also managed to have a discontented AND expensive workforce.
There's an argument that the Wagner Act pretty much did that. Of course, the UAW had to go and actually strike to get their recognition, but the sympathy of the law was on their side after the mid-1930s. Taft-Hartley and subsequent UAW blundering arrogance set the stage for the nonunion transplants in the 1980s, but the domestics and the UAW were locked into a deathgrip by then.
So tell me books weren't cooked and accounting "imaginative".
My argument has nothing to do with favoring foreign companies over their American counterparts. I'm sure that southern states would love to have new Ford and Chevy plants--provided they came without the UAW baggage. Unfortunately, the Obama administration's takeover made it certain that GM will never be able to break the UAW chains.
I never mentioned a specific region, but the location of the new foreign plants is a direct result of the South's aggressive pursuit of these new job opportunities. I too see the irony in the South's opposition to NAFTA and foreign competition versus their marriage to Kia, Hyundai, BMW, and MB. Perhaps they realized that jobs from foreign employers are better than no jobs at all.
By the way, when I talk about the UAW, I'm not trying to bash American workers. It's the corrupt UAW management and their shameful work rules and inflated contracts I oppose. Our legislators have done NOTHING to help American workers and their employers. NAFTA did nothing but send American jobs to Mexico and Canada. The latest example is "Cash For Clunkers" which did NOTHING to help US manufacturers as foreign companies captured most of the sales.