if GM and Toyota produce vehicles that are the same size, power, options, mpg, price, and such, such that they are clones, people here in the U.S. will choose the brand - Toyota overwhelmingly
I do not agree. GM is still No. 1 in the US and more significantly, China, now the biggest auto market in the world. By your logic, if GM and Toyota makes the same spec'ed cars, people would choose Toyota overwhelmingly. In reality, people in the US and China choose more GM than Toyota, then GM must be making much better cars than Toyota by your logic....
I do not agree. GM is still No. 1 in the US and more significantly, China, now the biggest auto market in the world. By your logic, if GM and Toyota makes the same spec'ed cars, people would choose Toyota overwhelmingly. In reality, people in the US and China choose more GM than Toyota, then GM must be making much better cars than Toyota by your logic....
China may be a different story, but in the US, GM has a seriously damaged reputation. In spite of sudden acceleration, Toyota has an outstanding reputation. If all else is equal in the vehicles and prices, Toyota still gets the win. GM has to outcompete Toyota to win back sales in the US. Parity is not a great strategy to do it.
GM has to outcompete Toyota to win back sales in the US. Parity is not a great strategy to do it.
I think you make a good point here. GM seems to be trying to catch up with Honyota, but also upping their list prices closer to them. It isn't going to work. They need to be studying Hyundai instead.
Yes, Hyundai is in the sweet-spot today because they are doing everything far better than the D3....Ford as well. GM is dead-last in marketing afaic. I HATE going into any GM dealer and the commercials turn my stomach. My kids can promote their cars better than the current advertisers!
Whatever happened to honesty? These guys made things so complicated it killed them. Kindness over profit, please. Profits will fly in the door as a result.
Xlu - I used Toyota as an "example"; as I said insert some other name there too. GM used to have 50% of the market. 50%. Over the years people have become dismayed with GM for many and various reasons, such that they only have <20% of the market.
Of that 20% a higher than normal number of GM vehicles are sold fleet; so there is certainly no high individual demand.
If I go buy a new Buick today and take it to work, people are not going to be envious. The more likely reaction is "you spent what?, and that's what you decided to buy?"
I just looked at various Saturn and Pontiac cars the other day, and I had an offer of a new MSRP $19,600 G5 for $11,999, and I still couldn't buy it as I didn't like the car and it didn't have much value. If I want a car like that, I think I'll wait and pay a few thousand extra for a Ford Fiesta next year. I couldn't find anything in those 2 divisions that I'd want even with their $7,000 off.
The trouble continues to be in North America where GM lost $651 million. GM's International Operations reported a $238 million profit.
The benefit of restructuring through bankruptcy was evident in GM's results in its structural costs, which totaled $9.1 billion from the post-Chapter 11 period of July 10 to Sept. 30. Structural costs for the old GM for the Jan. 1 to July 9 period were $22 billion, putting the total nine-month structural costs for the old GM at $37.8 billion.
Cash Position
GM showed positive cash flow of $3.3 billion for the period. However, the automaker warned the trend is not expected to continue into the fourth quarter.
GM's cash position as of Sept. 30 totaled $42.6 billion, which included $17.4 billion in funds from the U.S. and Canada held in escrow. Minus those funds and some other items, GM's cash actually stood at $5.6 billion.
"Most automakers report boom in December sales Ford and Subaru report 33% gains over last year while Hyundai sales soar 40%. GM and Chrysler, on the other hand, see a decline in sales for the month. Heavy advertising and promotions are cited."
Ford sales up 33% Subaru sales up 33% Hyundai sales up 40% GM sales down 6%
The Obama administration is going to have a tough decision when GM again runs out of cash and they have to decide to let GM go BK again, or throw more good money after bad.
This is shows why the D3 pricing strategy just doesn't work...unless they're factoring in the extra depreciation form low resale value!
True Cost of Incentives for the Top Seven Automakers Automaker Dec-09 Nov-09 Dec-08 Chrysler Group $2,552 $3,146 $3,681 Ford $2,994 $3,070 $3,985 General Motors $4,077 $4,343 $3,554 Honda $1,282 $1,290 $1,209 Hyundai $1,866 $2,013 $2,766 Nissan $2,073 $2,147 $2,167 Toyota $1,676 $1,775 $2,071 Industry Average $2,542 $2,709 $2,862
Does GM have any competitive vehicles in that $20K range that are AWD? and like the Legacy get 30mpg? What's GM's answer? They've discontinued the Vibe AWD (which was really a Toyota).
I think GM is going to lose quite a bit of their Camaro sales next year too, when the 5.0 and revised 6-cyl Mustangs go on sale.
GM is still on top, but keep in mind that around the year 2000, GM sold twice as many cars as Toyota, with market share of say 27% comprated to 14%
GM: ---------------- 2,084,492 down 30% Toyota: ----------- 1,770,149 down 20.2% Ford: -------------- 1,682,323 down 15.4 Honda:------------ 1,150,784 down 19.5% Chrysler: --------- 931,402 down 36% Nissan: ----------- 770,103 down 19.1 Hyundai: --------- 435,064 up 8 Kia: ---------------- 300,063 upp 9.8 VW:---------------- 223,128 down 4.3 Subaru:------------ 216,652 up 15% Mazda:------------ 207,767 down 21%
And Chrysler dropped below 1 million sales for the first time since 1962 -- the year of the infamous "plucked chickens." Chrysler really is a dead man walking.
No they arent......what are they trying to sell us? More suv's. We should pay attention to the GM commercials during a playoff game this weekend.........................betcha 80% will be some suv/truck/V8 Caddy...........nothing wrong with that except, um GM you are broke!!
How many Howie "hey Chevy gets better mileage than this" commercials will there be? A few sprinkled in yeah, but GM styling went the way of thier bank account......and we all know where that is.
Even messed up the 'vette OUCH.
And while I do think someone at GM managed to finally do the right thing and compare what they have to the competition, (Howie coms) the GM car is better and ya show its butt, not its face?
Please Uncle Sam, let GM die, or live on what we already gave em.........the old girl had her run.....its over.
Mostly a refreshing and candid writeup from Lutz. However it's a real tough job to pull off. The GM reputation is really damaged.
I do disagree about the Equniox comment at the end. So does Car and Driver, who just reviewed a bunch of small SUVs. The 1/2/3 out of about 10 were RAV4, Tiguan, and CR-V. The Equniox was way down in the pack.
Thanks, Ray. It's easy to say what needs to be done in the future. They've been saying it for years. I'll disagree with Mr. Lutz that most customers are not aware of how good GM products are. They all know they are NOT better than the competition. That's for sure just by looking at the sales numbers and the trends.
Now it will remain to be seen if this is another puff of wind or a line in the sand going forward.
May the best cars win. Don't worry, Bob. At this point, they already are. We'll see how much truth your comments mean in the product for sure. It's the only thing that matters.
He says "Someone might say that, but not me!" and then in the very next breath, he DOES say it!
We realize, and this may be a little inside baseball for you, that "General Motors" itself may be what someone could label a "damaged brand." (Someone might say that, but not me!) Even if that were true, and it may be...
Maximum Bob does know his product, I think, but he may also be an example of how much too insular Detroit became. That criticism applies equally to all three domestics I think, but it certainly applies at GM.
It's more than half a year since the bankruptcy, right? Now is the time for sales to be significantly turning around if Bob is doing his job and GM is getting the word out to the public, along with serious improvements in design, content, and value. Another 12 months will tell the story of whether GM can make a real dent in that bad rep Lutz mentioned in his writeup.
I wonder if overcoming the bad rep GM now has can realistically be done in this oversaturated market - consumers have so many very good choices now, why put GM back on the list if they have dropped it for whatever reason?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
This year we should see the Volt and the Cruze (?) - both of which have been hyped so much, it will be interesting to see what the MSM thinks when they get their hands on the real thing.
What the above means is that the majority of the products available from GM were developed under the "old" mentality (think Cobalt, Impala, HHR, Lucerne, DTS (sorry, lemko!)), with some reasonably minor hits (Lambda CUV's) thrown in.
Hard to turn a company the size of GM around in a short period of time. The only concern is that will there be enough time for GM to get where they need to be?
could one of you pundits tell me when will be the last year I can buy a new corvette, hopefully just before your predictions of GM's re-failure come true? "timing is everything".
Anyone worked with customer service through GMAC? Absolutely horrible!! This is truly a reason alone to not get a GM car. You always end up with someone with limited English.
Called wanting pay off amount, and they could not handle even that. The very basics. They told me to refer to my dealer. I am not trading my car yet, but like to know often how much is being paid down. 1st person kept speaking over me and hung up on me. (on a call that you dial several numbers to get to someone) 2nd person did not understand why I wanted the number, almost didn't give it to me. But, was nice enough to listen to me, when I stated the issue about the hang up! It was being recorded. This will not be the first time that I have issues with their customer service and it comes down to the location of where they are located and limited english they have.
This is reason enough to not get a GM for me. Honda never treated me this way at all!! If your company cannot handle this being the very basics, then I can understand the struggle of the company. GM's money is not in the right place. If you do not have good customer service, then you have nothing!
Of course there is no excuse for not being able to tell you that, however, doesn't GMAC have an online service? When I go online to pay my Genesis lease payment all vital info like months remaining, payoff etc is right there on my account screen.
Has anyone else had a problem with the chevrolet truck headliner? I have had mine fixed 3-4 times at tonebriar chevrolet in Frisco. They continue to blame it on my kids, which never ride in the back seat. Just wondering if anyone else has a probem with their headliner not staying attached.
Well GM does have an Account Center. However, you must submit a request using the dealer name for this quote. Also, you may call them, which I did. They prompt you asking if you would like a pay off amount.....then it replies back "I'm sorry were unable to give you are pay off amount. Then it connects me to someone. The minute I ask for it, they talk over me and state I must speak with the dealer.... I am like "wait!" I am asking for my pay off. Then, proceed to tell me that I am responsible for any recalls and charges.....uh??? Seriously? I am asking for my pay off amount. Several repeated questions later and explaining I want the amount I owe, then they repeat to tell me its only and estimated amount... I know this!! Finally able to get the number.
I was so frustrated! I got hung up on and the second caller did not understand what I was asking. She "assumed" right away I wanting want to trade out of it. I am not wanting to now, but later on. I like to check this amount according to my KBB. this is really no concern to them at this point! Just like a bank, I just want to know my amount in my account.
Also, she had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to sign up for GMAC insurance? Seriously? Yeah..right!!? I stated "No" and that I will not be choosing another GM product again. I was nice and calm during this, so I did it respectfully. She did ask me who I had before that hung up on me, I did not know, as I could pronounce the name. No offense again. But, the customer service branch has got to be out of the US. and that is not a good fit for a place in America. Just as if it were the other way around.
Honda has the is estimate available each time when paying my account online. It was so nice!! and they never treated me this way. GM does not!
Reason enough for me to not choose a car. The trust starts with customer service and it flows down the chain. Why is GM having problems? A little spread thin? Hmm, skimping on customer service? Anything else their skimping out on?
VW and Honda has never treated me the way GM has. And no little coupon for free oil changes is going to keep me smiling. Though my wallet will. Sucking up? :sick:
I feel your pain. Just respond to the Bob lutz article on Inside Line. He thinks the consumers are unaware about some things...
"It's not arrogant to think you have great vehicles, so long as you do, and to try to spread the word about them. No one at GM has said that every vehicle we have is world-class — we still have room to improve. And no one at GM, including me, has said that the consumer is too dumb to realize how good our new products are. All we've said is that the consumer perhaps is unaware of said fact. That's a far cry from being dumb.
And the typical consumer's unawareness is a result of one of two things. First, the consumer literally may not know about our products and what they offer; or second, the consumer knows of them but chooses not to consider them, for a variety of reasons ranging from a bad previous experience to a relative's bad previous experience to a neighbor down the street who has a relative who knows someone else who had a bad previous experience. In short, it's reputation."
Yea, or about 5 Millon bad past experiences!! :lemon:
Go ahead and leave a comment at the article...I did.
This is a horse of a different color. A while back, it was reported that the Ecotec Turbo 4-banger was to be possibly rated at 220HP/258lb.-ft.
This new report is very enticing and this could be a welcomed change from GM.
Buick announced that the Buick Regal GS show car features a 255 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque, direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission that distributes its power to all four wheels through an adaptive all-wheel-drive system. If that wasn’t enough, the GS also features an electronic limited-slip rear differential, a lowered suspension, 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, performance tires, massive Brembo brakes, sport steering wheel and pedals and Recaro racing-style seats.
That is serious competition. Interesting and now we're getting somewhere...if it makes it to production, that is.
The Buick Regal GS is expected to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under six seconds.
are we not a nation of 'throw good money after bad?' so some goes to an employer keeping a quarter million people working. By the way, it is tough to call it money with a 2 trillion dollar overspend in progress by our government. as a percent of the two trillion just mentioned that none of us ever plan on paying back, tell me what a GM job saved equals.
>tell me what a GM job saved equals. My wild guess?....0.00000001 percent.
I'd guess the government spent a lot more subsidizing purchase of foreign built Priuses with the tax rebates they were giving. And then there's always the money spent subsidizing foreign maker's plants here.
Astro needed a 2nd replacement battery and a wiper control module. total under $100 for both. Got 7.5 years and 71k miles from $27 battery that just died in the garage.
Silverado and Mustang: just tire rotations. Replaced Mustang side Mirror but that was vandalism.
Buick: No repairs or rotations. Needed 4 ounces of brake fluid in Spring. Now has 175500 miles.
Sonoma: wiper blades in summer. Can of stop leak in radiator in Spring.
About a total of $120 for 5 vehicles that were driven about 25k miles total during year.
One day I'll get a new GM or Ford that comes with more warranty than all these 5 put together came with.
Well, it is at lease a real good candidate in the entry luxury performance segment. GM had nothing even close to the top candidates on the market today. It looks good on paper but it will be the tests that count after it comes to market.
Remember, it's got to be BETTER than the competition for it to win, Mr. Lutz. Not equal.
Those who will be able to affford the 40 grand sticker + the guaranteed ADM will most likely be the same wingnut celebs in hollywood and those with enough money to blow on an econobox just for the image
I think that's a bit different because they had less capability. The hybrid version lost quite a bit of towing capacity and that would certainly keep me from buying one. IMO, they would have been better off developing a smaller diesel engine for light duty use. That way it would improve fuel economy while the vehicle is being used for what it's designed for. Being used to haul stuff and tow things.
Well, my point was that even celebs with all the money in the world didn't line up for 900 hybrids.Lot's of those folks go for the extreme excess and flash (Really, what's flashier than a schoolbus with 2 foot tall H-Y-B-R-I-D stickers all over it? )
There was a time when the Escape hybrid was a hot seller in the loony bin, I mean Hollywood :P
Buick Regal GS show car features a 255 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque, direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission that distributes its power to all four wheels through an adaptive all-wheel-drive system. If that wasn’t enough, the GS also features an electronic limited-slip rear differential,
Wow! Sounds a lot like (lower hp, slightly more ft-lb) my Mazdaspeed6, that Mazda designed 6 years ago, and built from 2005-07. After some discounts and rebates I bougth my MS6 for $22.3K. Given inflation, is Buick selling this Regal discounted for $25K? Also, hopefully they have a nice Bose stereo and HID that my car came with? :P
Wow! Sounds a lot like (lower hp, slightly more ft-lb) my Mazdaspeed6, that Mazda designed 6 years ago, and built from 2005-07. After some discounts and rebates I bougth my MS6 for $22.3K. Given inflation, is Buick selling this Regal discounted for $25K? Also, hopefully they have a nice Bose stereo and HID that my car came with? :P
This is GM we are talking about. They didn't match Nissan's 3.5 VQ v6 in a mainstream sedan for nearly 5 years.
Still, better late than never and no one other than VW has offered a direct-injection turbo 4 in a non limited production car. Does Mazda still over the 2.3turbo in one of their cross-overs?
When you make the new purchase, nobody says it has to be with GMAC. I bought my Lacrosse, and financed it through the dealer w/ B of A. My payoff figure is written on every bill.
".....If you think their phone service is poor, I offer Verizon telephone's DSL tech support line as an even more incompetent "service" example. "
Don't remind me. We have an office FULL of Central Office techs. that can do the job, but they keep sending the calls to India or Texas, and scaling down our tech's work. Even my wife, who handles the Fios end, when she has to call a tier 2 support get India.
Mazda still uses the 2.3 DI Turbo in the Mazdaspeed3.
Still, better late than never
I'm just pointing out that what GM wants the public to believe is the latest-and- greatest, sort-of taking credit for this great breakthrough, has been done years before in a non-exotic car/brand! It is catch-up; not leading the pack.
BTW - the Mazdaspeed6 despite the then high-technology and sportiness, was not a large seller, and was pulled from the market after 3 years. So Buick had better have something different/better to offer, in order for this Regal to be a sales hit. If Buick prices this vehicle around $35K, I'd guess it's dead-in-the-water. At that price, I'd spend a little extra and get a much better value with a Taurus SHO. Or an Infiniti G37X.
As Kernick pointed out, if it costs $35K and the dealer tacks on an price premium as they did the G8, it will not sell. GM has horrendous pricing strategies as I pointed out and then discounts the heck out of them when the customers balk. My local dealer is the worst! Simply horrible.
GTO - Died the same way.
If, OTOH, price the standard Regal in the low $20K range and the GS at no more than $28K, there will be a waiting list.
It's their choice. I'm betting closer to $32K - $35K will be their usual tactic. :lemon:
If, OTOH, price the standard Regal in the low $20K range and the GS at no more than $28K, there will be a waiting list.
Considering a well optioned Camry, Altima, Fusion, Accord etc all easily list for $28k I would be shocked to see the Regal for under 30k in GS trim. It looks sharp, has a good powertrain, and if the interior is nice, and it performs well it could be competitive under $33k. A v6 Acura TSX starts at $34k, the 4cyl at $29k. If you could get a well optioned GS for under the base price of a v6 TSX, I'd think they'll be in the game.
The question is will people under 40 want a Buick sedan? Now that might be a tougher sell. Buicks haven't been cool to the under 40 crowd since Regal Types and GNs back in the 80's. I don't think many in Gen X or Y even remember those days anymore. They equate Buick to "old" and "lame". Heck my Boomer parents and In-laws still think Buick's are for people older than them. So IMO, Buick still has a huge image problem to overcome. It will take great product to overcome that.
According to the 2011 Buick Regal website, they are listing the GS as 220HP. It will be down on power compared to all of the competition. Granted a turbo-4 will be stronger than an equivalent 220hp nonturbo engine and VW has been getting by with their 200HP 2L turbo. As long as the performance is good, it should be fine, unless they go wacky on pricing.
Comments
I do not agree. GM is still No. 1 in the US and more significantly, China, now the biggest auto market in the world. By your logic, if GM and Toyota makes the same spec'ed cars, people would choose Toyota overwhelmingly. In reality, people in the US and China choose more GM than Toyota, then GM must be making much better cars than Toyota by your logic....
China may be a different story, but in the US, GM has a seriously damaged reputation. In spite of sudden acceleration, Toyota has an outstanding reputation. If all else is equal in the vehicles and prices, Toyota still gets the win. GM has to outcompete Toyota to win back sales in the US. Parity is not a great strategy to do it.
I think you make a good point here. GM seems to be trying to catch up with Honyota, but also upping their list prices closer to them. It isn't going to work. They need to be studying Hyundai instead.
Whatever happened to honesty? These guys made things so complicated it killed them. Kindness over profit, please. Profits will fly in the door as a result.
Gees Lueez!
Of that 20% a higher than normal number of GM vehicles are sold fleet; so there is certainly no high individual demand.
If I go buy a new Buick today and take it to work, people are not going to be envious. The more likely reaction is "you spent what?, and that's what you decided to buy?"
I just looked at various Saturn and Pontiac cars the other day, and I had an offer of a new MSRP $19,600 G5 for $11,999, and I still couldn't buy it as I didn't like the car and it didn't have much value. If I want a car like that, I think I'll wait and pay a few thousand extra for a Ford Fiesta next year. I couldn't find anything in those 2 divisions that I'd want even with their $7,000 off.
The trouble continues to be in North America where GM lost $651 million. GM's International Operations reported a $238 million profit.
The benefit of restructuring through bankruptcy was evident in GM's results in its structural costs, which totaled $9.1 billion from the post-Chapter 11 period of July 10 to Sept. 30. Structural costs for the old GM for the Jan. 1 to July 9 period were $22 billion, putting the total nine-month structural costs for the old GM at $37.8 billion.
Cash Position
GM showed positive cash flow of $3.3 billion for the period. However, the automaker warned the trend is not expected to continue into the fourth quarter.
GM's cash position as of Sept. 30 totaled $42.6 billion, which included $17.4 billion in funds from the U.S. and Canada held in escrow. Minus those funds and some other items, GM's cash actually stood at $5.6 billion.
Regards,
OW
for a company of GM's size, that means they are beyond broke.
not to mention that GM has negative working capital - aka it's financed by its suppliers.
Ford and Subaru report 33% gains over last year while Hyundai sales soar 40%. GM and Chrysler, on the other hand, see a decline in sales for the month. Heavy advertising and promotions are cited."
Ford sales up 33%
Subaru sales up 33%
Hyundai sales up 40%
GM sales down 6%
The Obama administration is going to have a tough decision when GM again runs out of cash and they have to decide to let GM go BK again, or throw more good money after bad.
Anybody know how long GM can last at this rate?
True Cost of Incentives for the Top Seven Automakers
Automaker Dec-09 Nov-09 Dec-08
Chrysler Group $2,552 $3,146 $3,681
Ford $2,994 $3,070 $3,985
General Motors $4,077 $4,343 $3,554
Honda $1,282 $1,290 $1,209
Hyundai $1,866 $2,013 $2,766
Nissan $2,073 $2,147 $2,167
Toyota $1,676 $1,775 $2,071
Industry Average $2,542 $2,709 $2,862
Regards,
OW
Does GM have any competitive vehicles in that $20K range that are AWD? and like the Legacy get 30mpg? What's GM's answer?
They've discontinued the Vibe AWD (which was really a Toyota).
I think GM is going to lose quite a bit of their Camaro sales next year too, when the 5.0 and revised 6-cyl Mustangs go on sale.
Uncle Sam - get your checkbook out.
GM is still on top, but keep in mind that around the year 2000, GM sold twice as many cars as Toyota, with market share of say 27% comprated to 14%
GM: ---------------- 2,084,492 down 30%
Toyota: ----------- 1,770,149 down 20.2%
Ford: -------------- 1,682,323 down 15.4
Honda:------------ 1,150,784 down 19.5%
Chrysler: --------- 931,402 down 36%
Nissan: ----------- 770,103 down 19.1
Hyundai: --------- 435,064 up 8
Kia: ---------------- 300,063 upp 9.8
VW:---------------- 223,128 down 4.3
Subaru:------------ 216,652 up 15%
Mazda:------------ 207,767 down 21%
How many Howie "hey Chevy gets better mileage than this" commercials will there be? A few sprinkled in yeah, but GM styling went the way of thier bank account......and we all know where that is.
Even messed up the 'vette OUCH.
And while I do think someone at GM managed to finally do the right thing and compare what they have to the competition, (Howie coms) the GM car is better and ya show its butt, not its face?
Please Uncle Sam, let GM die, or live on what we already gave em.........the old girl had her run.....its over.
http://www.insideline.com/features/general-motors-the-year-ahead.html
We shall see....
I do disagree about the Equniox comment at the end. So does Car and Driver, who just reviewed a bunch of small SUVs. The 1/2/3 out of about 10 were RAV4, Tiguan, and CR-V. The Equniox was way down in the pack.
Now it will remain to be seen if this is another puff of wind or a line in the sand going forward.
May the best cars win. Don't worry, Bob. At this point, they already are. We'll see how much truth your comments mean in the product for sure. It's the only thing that matters.
Regards,
OW
We realize, and this may be a little inside baseball for you, that "General Motors" itself may be what someone could label a "damaged brand." (Someone might say that, but not me!) Even if that were true, and it may be...
Maximum Bob does know his product, I think, but he may also be an example of how much too insular Detroit became. That criticism applies equally to all three domestics I think, but it certainly applies at GM.
It's more than half a year since the bankruptcy, right? Now is the time for sales to be significantly turning around if Bob is doing his job and GM is getting the word out to the public, along with serious improvements in design, content, and value. Another 12 months will tell the story of whether GM can make a real dent in that bad rep Lutz mentioned in his writeup.
I wonder if overcoming the bad rep GM now has can realistically be done in this oversaturated market - consumers have so many very good choices now, why put GM back on the list if they have dropped it for whatever reason?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
LaCrosse - positive reviews
SRX - positive reviews
Equinox - fair to positive reviews
CTS Wagon and Coupe - fair to positive reviews
This year we should see the Volt and the Cruze (?) - both of which have been hyped so much, it will be interesting to see what the MSM thinks when they get their hands on the real thing.
What the above means is that the majority of the products available from GM were developed under the "old" mentality (think Cobalt, Impala, HHR, Lucerne, DTS (sorry, lemko!)), with some reasonably minor hits (Lambda CUV's) thrown in.
Hard to turn a company the size of GM around in a short period of time. The only concern is that will there be enough time for GM to get where they need to be?
Remains to be seen ......
Agreed it is going to be tough. A few years to release a lot of new models is a lot of cash burn at lower sales levels.
IMHO the Equinox is improved but not nearly good enough. The CRV is quite safe.
Malibu is a B
LaCross may be an A
CTS is a B+/A-
SRX I don't know.
Lamdas are Bs
Equinox is a C (up from an F)
Malibu is a B
Most all else is C or lower.
Volt is a huge risk and I would not be surprised if it ends up a C (on its own), but a D or F with price factored in.
If my grades are correct then it is not going to be enough. Ford is coming on with very strong products.
Here's the list:
-----------------2009---------------------2008
1.----------Ford F-Series------------Ford F-Series
2.----------Toyota Camry------- ---Chevrolet Silverado
3.----------Chevrolet Silverado----Toyota Camry
4.----------Toyota Corolla----------Honda Accord
5.----------Honda Accord----------Toyota Corolla
6.----------Honda Civic-------------Honda Civic
7.----------Nissan Altima-----------Nissan Altima
8.----------Honda CR-V-------------Chevrolet Impala
9.----------Ford Fusion-------------Dodge Ram
10.---------Dodge Ram--------------Ford Focus
Regards,
OW
"timing is everything".
This is truly a reason alone to not get a GM car. You always end up with someone with limited English.
Called wanting pay off amount, and they could not handle even that. The very basics. They told me to refer to my dealer. I am not trading my car yet, but like to know often how much is being paid down. 1st person kept speaking over me and hung up on me. (on a call that you dial several numbers to get to someone) 2nd person did not understand why I wanted the number, almost didn't give it to me. But, was nice enough to listen to me, when I stated the issue about the hang up! It was being recorded. This will not be the first time that I have issues with their customer service and it comes down to the location of where they are located and limited english they have.
This is reason enough to not get a GM for me. Honda never treated me this way at all!! If your company cannot handle this being the very basics, then I can understand the struggle of the company. GM's money is not in the right place. If you do not have good customer service, then you have nothing!
Of course there is no excuse for not being able to tell you that, however, doesn't GMAC have an online service? When I go online to pay my Genesis lease payment all vital info like months remaining, payoff etc is right there on my account screen.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
I was so frustrated! I got hung up on and the second caller did not understand what I was asking. She "assumed" right away I wanting want to trade out of it. I am not wanting to now, but later on. I like to check this amount according to my KBB. this is really no concern to them at this point! Just like a bank, I just want to know my amount in my account.
Also, she had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to sign up for GMAC insurance? Seriously? Yeah..right!!? I stated "No" and that I will not be choosing another GM product again. I was nice and calm during this, so I did it respectfully. She did ask me who I had before that hung up on me, I did not know, as I could pronounce the name. No offense again. But, the customer service branch has got to be out of the US. and that is not a good fit for a place in America. Just as if it were the other way around.
Honda has the is estimate available each time when paying my account online. It was so nice!! and they never treated me this way. GM does not!
Reason enough for me to not choose a car. The trust starts with customer service and it flows down the chain. Why is GM having problems? A little spread thin?
Hmm, skimping on customer service? Anything else their skimping out on?
VW and Honda has never treated me the way GM has. And no little coupon for free oil changes is going to keep me smiling. Though my wallet will. Sucking up? :sick:
If you think their phone service is poor, I offer Verizon telephone's DSL tech support line as an even more incompetent "service" example.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
"It's not arrogant to think you have great vehicles, so long as you do, and to try to spread the word about them. No one at GM has said that every vehicle we have is world-class — we still have room to improve. And no one at GM, including me, has said that the consumer is too dumb to realize how good our new products are. All we've said is that the consumer perhaps is unaware of said fact. That's a far cry from being dumb.
And the typical consumer's unawareness is a result of one of two things. First, the consumer literally may not know about our products and what they offer; or second, the consumer knows of them but chooses not to consider them, for a variety of reasons ranging from a bad previous experience to a relative's bad previous experience to a neighbor down the street who has a relative who knows someone else who had a bad previous experience. In short, it's reputation."
Yea, or about 5 Millon bad past experiences!! :lemon:
Go ahead and leave a comment at the article...I did.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
This new report is very enticing and this could be a welcomed change from GM.
Buick announced that the Buick Regal GS show car features a 255 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque, direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission that distributes its power to all four wheels through an adaptive all-wheel-drive system. If that wasn’t enough, the GS also features an electronic limited-slip rear differential, a lowered suspension, 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, performance tires, massive Brembo brakes, sport steering wheel and pedals and Recaro racing-style seats.
That is serious competition. Interesting and now we're getting somewhere...if it makes it to production, that is.
The Buick Regal GS is expected to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under six seconds.
Regards,
OW
so some goes to an employer keeping a quarter million people working.
By the way, it is tough to call it money with a 2 trillion dollar overspend in progress by our government.
as a percent of the two trillion just mentioned that none of us ever plan on paying back, tell me what a GM job saved equals.
My wild guess?....0.00000001 percent.
I'd guess the government spent a lot more subsidizing purchase of foreign built Priuses with the tax rebates they were giving. And then there's always the money spent subsidizing foreign maker's plants here.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Silverado and Mustang: just tire rotations. Replaced Mustang side Mirror but that was vandalism.
Buick: No repairs or rotations. Needed 4 ounces of brake fluid in Spring. Now has 175500 miles.
Sonoma: wiper blades in summer. Can of stop leak in radiator in Spring.
About a total of $120 for 5 vehicles that were driven about 25k miles total during year.
One day I'll get a new GM or Ford that comes with more warranty than all these 5 put together came with.
I'd get the Ford.
Remember, it's got to be BETTER than the competition for it to win, Mr. Lutz. Not equal.
Regards,
OW
Seems like GM hasnt changed............bet the Volt doesnt make production.
did...didn't.I think that's a bit different because they had less capability. The hybrid version lost quite a bit of towing capacity and that would certainly keep me from buying one. IMO, they would have been better off developing a smaller diesel engine for light duty use. That way it would improve fuel economy while the vehicle is being used for what it's designed for. Being used to haul stuff and tow things.
There was a time when the Escape hybrid was a hot seller in the loony bin, I mean Hollywood :P
Wow!
This is GM we are talking about. They didn't match Nissan's 3.5 VQ v6 in a mainstream sedan for nearly 5 years.
Still, better late than never and no one other than VW has offered a direct-injection turbo 4 in a non limited production car. Does Mazda still over the 2.3turbo in one of their cross-overs?
Don't remind me. We have an office FULL of Central Office techs. that can do the job, but they keep sending the calls to India or Texas, and scaling down our tech's work. Even my wife, who handles the Fios end, when she has to call a tier 2 support get India.
Still, better late than never
I'm just pointing out that what GM wants the public to believe is the latest-and- greatest, sort-of taking credit for this great breakthrough, has been done years before in a non-exotic car/brand! It is catch-up; not leading the pack.
BTW - the Mazdaspeed6 despite the then high-technology and sportiness, was not a large seller, and was pulled from the market after 3 years. So Buick had better have something different/better to offer, in order for this Regal to be a sales hit. If Buick prices this vehicle around $35K, I'd guess it's dead-in-the-water. At that price, I'd spend a little extra and get a much better value with a Taurus SHO. Or an Infiniti G37X.
It will. Oshawa, Ontario, along side the Impala and Camaro. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 325 hp 2.8 V6 available as well.
I will SELL MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL for a GSX coupe version.
GTO - Died the same way.
If, OTOH, price the standard Regal in the low $20K range and the GS at no more than $28K, there will be a waiting list.
It's their choice. I'm betting closer to $32K - $35K will be their usual tactic. :lemon:
Regards,
OW
Considering a well optioned Camry, Altima, Fusion, Accord etc all easily list for $28k I would be shocked to see the Regal for under 30k in GS trim. It looks sharp, has a good powertrain, and if the interior is nice, and it performs well it could be competitive under $33k. A v6 Acura TSX starts at $34k, the 4cyl at $29k. If you could get a well optioned GS for under the base price of a v6 TSX, I'd think they'll be in the game.
The question is will people under 40 want a Buick sedan? Now that might be a tougher sell. Buicks haven't been cool to the under 40 crowd since Regal Types and GNs back in the 80's. I don't think many in Gen X or Y even remember those days anymore. They equate Buick to "old" and "lame". Heck my Boomer parents and In-laws still think Buick's are for people older than them. So IMO, Buick still has a huge image problem to overcome. It will take great product to overcome that.