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AND the competition in the large SUV segment is heating up. Many more excellent players. GM had to get a new better product out there. At $10k profit each they had to.
Anyone care to guess on gas prices ahead for 2006. My bet is $3.50 for California.
-Loren
Loren
Anyway, good to hear some facts here. Thanks.
I know that GM is still enamoured with the big trucks and they love the idea of building a new Camaro. But look at Honda's latest product announcement- a hybrid version of the Honda Fit- bring hybrid technology to very low priced vehicles (they are aiming for a $1,500 premium to get it to $13,000 for Hybrid model)- so it will be a car that will be absolutely ready if/when gasoline hits $4+ per gallon- and you know that they will use the same technology in their other cars/trucks. So where is GM's head in all of this? And you know who buys most of these small and cheap cars- younger people whose buying habits will be greatly affected by their first few vehicles.
My uncle called me last nite to ask if he could borrow my Intrepid. His Corolla's in the body shop, and yesterday his '97 Silverado started to poop out its transmission!
Now his Silverado does have around 110,000 miles on it, but this is its SECOND tranny! I forget now the mileage that the first one went out, but I want to say around 60-70,000 miles. It's especially annoying to me because my understanding was that GM made some of the best 4-speed automatics in the business. And the engine's just a 4.3, so it's not like some big V-8 is stressing it out.
I think it hits even closer to home when something that you think has a quality reputation lets you down. I mean, if the tranny in my 115,000 mile Intrepid decided to crap out, it wouldn't faze me much. After all, Chrysler's been ragged on for their 4-speed automatics ever since they first came out with one! But c'mon, GM INVENTED the automatic tranny!
But, I guess these things happen. But still, it just seems to me like tranmissions fail more often these days than once upon a time.
I had always thought the 4L60 tranny was kinda like the old THM350 with overdrive added. Is that a good assumption, or is it weaker than the 350?
I had an '82 Cutlass Supreme V-6 with, oddly, the THM350 instead of the 200C, but it failed on me. I bought it 11 years old and with 61,000 miles though, for $800, so God only knows how it had been maintained.
Hopefully this continues......
Rocky
Agree, they cut funding the Envoy/Trailblazer as the al fresco version is going away; and so may these for that matter. I just hope the I6 doesn't die with it.
And in terms of Zeta, that platform has died and risen from the grave more times than I can to count. Sigma's the darling today, bad step child tomorrow, bright spot the day after. Getting sea-sick :sick:
And there's the rub. They are again banking on the truck/SUVs as the cash-cow savior of the company. False sense of security. And are they really going to build on the current success, use it as the temporary (at best) breather and shore up themselves and their lineup instead of staying satisfied with the status quo. Will they finally develop a business other than "What till next year...oh, we got trucks..." and stick with it? :confuse:
Yet, there are those who have to have them - and gas prices won't deter them, I'm sure.
But around here anyway, a lot of Tahoes and Escalades etc are driven by leaser-posers, and an extra 100-200 per month in gas could push them over the edge.
Which vehicles introductions got delayed this year?
I have heard that they are moving up all the permutations of the large trucks (Long wheelbase SUV's/PU's) since they are selling so well and no changes to the new crossovers (Acadias, etc.) or Sky or the Saturn sedan.
In a stunning announcement, General Motors Corp. revised its loss for 2005 to $10.6 billion, up from a previously reported loss of $8.6 billion, after increasing charges to restructure its North American operations and support bankrupt supplier Delphi Corp.
GM, whose accounts have been under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, also said it would report restated earnings for the five previous years within two weeks after uncovering accounting errors.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/AUTO01/603170421/1148-
Is Ford next?
If the trend continues and it will due to the increased hurricane activity and instability in the ME, the gas prices will hit 3.00/gal this summer.
By that time the sale of all mid/large SUV’s will be in the slammer again.
The hot new Tahoes and Yukons will be collecting dust at the dealerships even with a $10,000 rebate.
Invest in TDI golfs and Jettas, as they will be selling like hot cakes.
“Americans still want big trucks and we're not looking for gasoline that's less than $2 a gallon anymore,'' said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. “It's getting easier to
justify them as we get used to high fuel prices.''
General Motors Corp. said U.S. sales of its redesigned large sport-utility vehicles such as the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe will increase about 61 percent this month from February, even as fuel prices rise.
I hope you're right, but History always repeats itself, and usually the second time around it is much worse!
We as a nation did not learn anything from history, as we keep making the same mistakes every time. Fooled me once shame on you, fooled me twice - shame on me.
If you are really concerned about fuel consumption, any large SUV is going to be a gas hog in my opinion.
I'll pass. ECHHHH. I don't want it anymore than the person who posted it seems to.
SUVs are merely the icing on the cake. They don't cost that much more to make than a pickup truck, yet command much higher prices, so there's a lot of profit in them, even after prices get slashed.
I could actually see SUVs that don't have a direct pickup truck variant, such as the Trailblazer, Durango, and Explorer, having a harder time of it, since they're a more dedicated platform and probably more expensive to build, and don't have the ability to amortize their costs over a wide range of cheaper styles. These SUVs used to be derivatives of the S-10, Dakota, and Ranger, but that is no longer the case.
The only reason why Ford is not offering 0% APR for 60 months, is because it can't as it is broke.
Their "attractive" lease is a joke. maybe the Edge will do better. I'd like to see Buick Enclave. But if the gas keeps going up, I'd have to settle for a smaller vehicle.
What is stock symbol for those?
That's exactly what I did.
I once had a 2000 flex fuel Ford Ranger...but never found any flex fuel around to put in it.
If GM is counting on those vehicles to save it, well, then the game is already over.
Do you mean GM has best pickup truck mpg?
EPA CAFE mpg data for 2005 model year:
Honda 25.1
Toyota 23.5
VW 23.4
Nissan 21.7
GM 20.5
DC 19.8
Ford 19.5
Think that Honda, Toyota, VW in best shape if gas prices shoot up.
Has GM made significant progress in 2006/7 models on corporate CAFE?
If GM is counting on those vehicles to save it, well, then the game is already over.
Camaro and crossovers will save. Assuming they are getting Camaro ready now, they should cover all bets (in case of high gas) and offer with big V8, V6 and Cobalt supercharged 4 with big exhaust can at bumper. With 4, car will still look tough, go fast and make a lot of noise. But car will have to lose some weight.
Fact is that you can't repeal the laws of nature- and moving a 5500 pound vehicle will require more energy than a 2500 pound vehicle. And the Asians and Europeans have been living with high fuel prices for decades. GM and Ford have to adapt or perish. And if they do get their act together, they can start exporting fuel efficient cars and trucks from North America to the rest of the world.
It is indeed possible that we will have $3/gallon this Summer, $4/gallon next year- that is a distinct possibility. And that would make owning big SUV's just too expensive in operating costs.
I did not know that Honda/VW even made a full size truck. What are they called? And I looked at the Toyota site and their truck gets 18/22, how does that equate to 23.5? And Nissan gets 14/19. How did you get 21.7? I am so confused but maybe that was your plan?
No plan was needed to merely convey EPA data.
CAFE = Corporate average fuel economy. Can find this at EPA web site.
If gas spikes up, stays up, Honda/Toyota/VW have much better offerings for fuel economy than does GM, DC, Ford.
So, for the third and last time, the programs I'm speaking of are - and stay with me on this - the future programs. These being the large/mid-size RWD, the freshenings/redesigns of the current models (majority being the car lines), and so on. Got it?
Was that too much for you? Do you get it now? What part about "future programs" from the last message did you NOT get? :confuse:
More GM Bad News
"Who here said GM was stupid to "rush" the larger trucks? Many said cancel them. Now, the competition is rushing in to try and compete. Almost all of them have new large SUV's. "
-Loren
-> insert evil laugh here.
:P
1- Saturn Aura: Arrives as a 2007 model year. That's 7 years after the Saturn L-Series was released, leaving a 2-year gap after the L-series was discontinued. It should have arrived as a 2005 model.
2- Saturn Ion: One case where a redesign was much needed just after the car was released. Yet, the current ION will have a 6-year span life, one full year more than the Japanese.
3- GTO, Camaro will not be here until the 2009 model year, four years after a new Mustang was released.
4- Saab 9-5. Needed a redesign but got a face-lift with a redesign not expected until the 2009 model year.
The ones you mentioned had nothing to do with the "bringahead" of the large trucks.
I wonder which vehicles have been delayed? So far all I know is the Zeta for 2 months. Anyone know if the Sigma 2 arch. has been delayed (CTS)? Camaro/GTO are not even approved yet as far as I know. (work is going on but final approval will not be made until the business case is baked and makes sense).
Not sure what is happening with the Ion. Seems like it would be coming out with the Delta Cobalt out.
Pal what do you think about the new LaCrosse Super ?
What do you think Lemko ?
Both of you are current owners. I hope GM makes it look like a 4 door Velite :shades:
It just needs 3.6 Twin Turbo, but hell the Northstar is a good start
Rocky
P.S. anyone who has a opinion on the Buick LaCrosse Super lemme know what ya'll think.