If GM continues to run frivolously, than they will fall yet again. They are not close to being #1, being #1 would mean that they are done paying all of their obligations off....that will take years!! OR not at all. The company is living outside its means.
Now that Hummer is going away, GM is in a much better position than they used to be. Still, there are still some frustrating steps that makes you wonder if GM will ever change. I can name a few:
1- Cadillac: Whatever happened to Cadillac's comback? Instead of streching a CTS like they did with the outgoing STS, Cadillac goes the easy way around and builds the new XTS on the LaCrosse/future Impala platform. It is the 80's all over again.
2- GMC: Still unknown what it stands for. It is not the luxury SUV maker like Land Rover. There is the Escalade for that. It is not the rugged Jeep-like off-roader. It offers a sissy Terrain dressed like G.I Gane. What is it exactly? Why do we still have GMC? One answer: It is profitable. That's the only reason. Sounds familiar?
3- GM lost to Ford big time when it comes to powertrain. Other than the 304-hp in the CTS/Camaro, GM doesn't have anything in sight that can compete with Ford's ecoboost, or the 412hp 5.0L in the Mustang. Sure we have the powerful pushrod V-8's, but can they even fit in the upcoming XTS?
4- What happened to the two-mode hybrid system? GM was the first automaker to offer it, but they did so with the wrong vehicles. And since then, nothing. No more two-mod hybrids ffrom GM in sight. What happened?
5- The Volt: I won't talk about whether the car delivers what it promises or no. But GM has shown the Volt so much and almost in every show it already looks old and needs a redesign. I saw it in person and it looked "blah. Give me something new please!".
GM just can't seem to catch a break. After billions of dollars in losses and rumors that the prized electric Chevy Volt won't make it into production (now proven false), the auto giant's so-called "battery czar" has announced that she is leaving for an unidentified California battery startup.
Denise Gray, the director of global battery systems engineering at GM, is leaving on March 5 for a senior management position at the as yet unnamed battery company. Green Car Reports explains:
What led Gray to leave the only company she'd ever worked for? "The opportunity to create and build and plant seeds and mold and shape an organization," she said--just as she was able to do with the small Volt team. And in a theme common to many professionals who've left solid jobs to join startups, she said simply, "I didn't want to look back and say, 'I could have, I should have ...' "
This is great news for Gray's new venture, but not such good news for GM. Gray spent 30 years at the company and was largely responsible for overseeing the development of batteries for GM's hybrid and all-electric vehicles. When she began at the battery systems group, it had 25 employees. Now it has over 200.
But really, who can blame Gray for leaving? California has a glut of exciting new auto startups--Tesla, Fisker, and Better Place, just to name a few--while Detroit is in the unfortunate position of having 25% of young professionals planning to leave the city within the next two years. It's not the most inspirational environment, even as auto startups like Johnson Controls and A123 Systems set up shop in the area. If major automakers want to retain their Detroit-based talent, they will have to start getting creative.
Said it before and I'll say it again..................IF they make it.........and lets say they do make it........will you be able to buy one or just lease it?
As far as Hummer goes, really, they were just another itineration of GM's truck platforms. Considering their polarizing looks, they should've been more relevant that GMC. 10 years ago, they were the darlings of the industry. Then the PC police started whining about how they threatened their subcompacts. Then the high gas prices. Now they are seen as evil and anti American. It NEVER helped that they were way overpriced to begin with.
AS far as the new XTS, I believe it is a stretched version of the Epsillon 2 platform. 45 years ago, GM was building Buicks Olds' and Pontiacs on the same B and C platforms that the Caddies were based on. Considering the praise the new XTS received at the NY auto show, I would say that this is an entirely different scenario than 20 years ago.
GMC: Trucks for the "other" dealerships to sell. Still GM's second best selling division, no small feat.
Powertrains; I'd agree there. While there is nothing wrong w/ GM's current lineup of powertrains, they do seem to be rehashing the same ecotec's and 3.6's.
The 2 mode??? I'd say it fell victim to the Voltec project.
As far as the Volt is concerned, maybe it becomes the brand name for the powertrain, and the real money comes from a Cadillac version, which may be more palatable as a $50-55K car than a $40K Chevy is.
It is, now. Just a factual piece of their history. I believe had they put the Duramax in the H2 and a 4 cyl turbodiesel in the H3, we may be looking at a different scenario. Nevertheless, I think they were way overpriced to begin with.
Just don't point out that the cars had the option deleted by Enterprise, and were sold back to the dealers by Enterprise, with Enterprise not telling the dealers.
It's not as if GM sold them w/o installing them and forgot to tell anybody.
I'm surprised that the side airbags are only $145. Seems like a heck of a deal to me. Of course, with rental companies buying in bulk, I can see where the savings would add up.
I used to rent a lot of cars a few years back and what surprised me was the level of equipment. For example many of the Impalas I used to get from National had alloys, power seats etc. I would think you could save a lot more money deleting those options than a safety item.
Personally, I've never cared much for Enterprise. My experience has been contracts with too many restrictions and fine print (such as limiting geographic area on unlimited mileage cars), as well as stripped vehicles compared to the competition and often with rather high mileage. I guess you get what you pay for.
With National's "Emerald Aisle" you usually get some nicer choices and often they are the newest in the fleet. I have on several occasions had cars with under 2K miles.
This has been an ongoing flaw for years. I know a couple of folks who had their steering fail and while the car is mobile, there is a delay in steering response that if not handled correctly could put you in a lot of trouble fast. :sick:
Good thing is most of these cars are probably rental fodder.
Well, from a corporate standpoint, my guess is that since it's just one vehicle that isn't a major seller, they probably thought that Toyota would "fix" the problem and they could do a small recall themselves. Of course the magnitude of the amount of stuff hitting the fan was underestimated by everyone so they probably went from that stance to ducking and hiding until it became more like "Oh yeah - our car has some Toyota parts in it... And ours does..."
Typical corporate way of doing things. Deny, avoid, and then cough up the cash. They all are like this. It's amazing that cars are as reliable as they are when you consider how corrupt and self-serving these multi-billion dollar companies are.
DETROIT – General Motors Co. has sued a supplier, saying it has spent more than $30 million fixing problems in the steering systems of the Chevrolet Cobalt, its best-selling small car, and other vehicles.
GM said customers have complained about unusual rattles, "clunks" and other noises. It pinpointed the flaw to "excessive gear backlash," which causes problems in the steering column under certain driving conditions.
The lawsuit names JTEKT North America Inc., based in Plymouth, Mich., and an affiliated company, JTEKT Automotive Virginia Inc. of Daleville, Va.
I know someone who works for one of the supplier's who provide the wheel bearings that fail. He said when they looked at the company's design of the bearing GM told them how to make it cheaper so they would buy it.
Did you know that the Allison transmission that comes in your GM 2500=3500 truck has no warranty from Allison at all?
GM forced them to underbuild the tranny so GM could buy it at such a discount from them. Allison said "we'll do it, but every one that fails is on you." Got that straight from GM Engineering.
U.S. safety regulators opened an investigation on Jan. 27 into approximately 905,000 Cobalt models in the United States after receiving more than 1,100 complaints of power steering failures. The complaints included 14 crashes and one injury.
Sales to rental car companies and other fleet buyers also were strong as companies began buying again after cutbacks last year. Fleet sales generally mean lower profits to automakers than retail sales to individuals.
Retail sales for GM's four core brands edged up 7 percent.
Ford had expected sales to climb from last February, when U.S. sales plummeted in the midst of the recession. Its car sales climbed 54 percent as consumers continued to shop for more fuel-efficient vehicles. Like GM, Ford saw renewed demand from corporate fleet customers, which are buying again after weak sales in 2009. Ford's fleet sales surged 74 percent over February of last year, while GM's jumped 114 percent
I was pretty happy Saturday when I received $4000 in rebates for buying a new Malibu. I checked today and the Malibu rebates went to zero on March 1st. The saleman said they would change March 6th. I'm glad I didn't believe him and bought in Feb.
Congratulations Dave on the new Malibu! Let us know how you like it.
Now honestly, after having this new car, can you really say the older Cobalt or G6 or Malibu, etc, were really any good? Kudos to GM for improving the newer sedans quite a lot.
Ford Motor Co. outsold General Motors Co. in February, picking off customers from recall-plagued Toyota Motor Corp. It was the first time in 40 years that Ford sales surpassed GM -- except for a blip in 1998, when GM was on strike.
All of the Detroit Three automakers posted sales gains in February over a year ago. Toyota's sales slid 8.7 percent from a year ago and the automaker launched what it calls an "unprecedented" marketing and incentive campaign for March that will be reflected in new ads that start running today.
Toyota will offer zero percent financing for five years or an attractive lease rate on 80 percent of the vehicles it sells, including all the core vehicles in the lineup. And returning Toyota customers will receive two years of free maintenance for their new vehicle. the deals end April 5.
Advertisement Ford Motor Co. sales jumped 43 percent in February compared with a year ago, joining General Motors Co. in posting strong results as GM sales rose 12 percent. Chrysler Group LLC eked out a 0.47 percent gain from February, 2009.
The other big gainer for the month was Nissan Motor Co., with a 29 percent increase. The Nissan Division reported a sales rise of 32 percent with a pair of small vehicles, the Versa subcompact car and Rogue compact crossover, achieving record sales in February. The Infiniti luxury brand was up almost 11 percent.
Honda Motor Co., which has been gaining sales in the wake of Toyota's recall problems, posted a sales increase of 12.7 percent in February compared with the same month in 2009.
Including Volvo, Ford sold 142,285 vehicles for the month compared to GM's 141,951.
Ford's increase was across the board: Car sales were up 54 percent, sport utility vehicles 39 percent and trucks 36 percent. Among brands, Ford sales were up 46 percent, Lincoln sales 19 percent, and Mercury sales 24 percent.
The Dearborn-based automaker estimates its February U.S. total market share was 17 percent -- up 3 percentage points versus a year ago.
Ford said it will increase production in the second quarter of 2010. It plans to produce 595,000 vehicles, up 144,000 vehicles (32 percent) compared with the same period in 2009. The automaker built 570,000 vehicles in the first quarter.
"The strength of our new products and Ford's leadership in quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value are resonating with customers," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing sales and service.
"The good news is we have even more new products and fuel-efficient powertrains coming this year, and we expect our progress to continue."
GM said its rise was fueled by stronger fleet, crossover and passenger car sales.
But expected gains by other automakers are not likely to lift industrywide sales enough to recover from the snowstorms and recall problems confronting Toyota, analysts said.
"Even substantial increases by other top players in the industry, like General Motors and Ford, are unlikely to boost the seasonally adjusted sales rate, a key indicator of the industry's momentum," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for consumer guide Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.
"Some consumers, especially Toyota loyalists, are simply waiting out the market right now."
GM would not provide figures on how much its sales increased because of Toyota's woes.
"We got what we thought would be our fair share," Mike DiGiovanni, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis.
Sales of GM's four core brands -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac -- rose 32 percent, while sales of castoff brands Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac and Saab fell 86.1 percent.
"Although we've been operating as a new company with four brands for just seven months, our February results demonstrate that our long-term plan is already paying dividends," said Susan Docherty, GM's vice president of marketing.
It is the fifth straight month of year-over-year sales increases for GM.
Docherty said reopening a shuttered plant is not an option to alleviate a shortage of some vehicles and that GM plans on "leveraging our existing manufacturing footprint at this stage."
While GM non-fleet retail sales for the four core brands rose 7 percent, retail sales overall were down 9 percent when factoring in the castoff brands.
Sales of GM's crossovers -- Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX -- rose 198 percent compared to prior models.
In a change, GM announced sales at 9:45 a.m. instead of the traditional 1:45 p.m. -- a move aimed at gaining positive media exposure ahead of rival automakers.
"We have some good stories to tell and want to get ahead of things a little quicker in the day," GM spokesman Tom Henderson said.
Snowstorms that blanketed the northeast region of the country last month and elsewhere crimped sales, Docherty said.
Chevrolet posted double digit increases in other regions, but fell almost 17 percent in the northeast, she said.
Docherty said fleet sales more than doubled in the month to about 45,000 vehicles out of 141,535 total sales. On the same call, Mike DiGiovanni, GM's executive director of market analysis, said fleet sales will continue to rise through the spring. :shades:
According to many forums outside Edmunds I read (a tactic a couple of Individuals here at Edmunds use to make their arguments :P ) the steering problem goes beyond the Cobalts, Ions, G5's and Aveo clones and has had numerous occurances in the Malibu, G6, Saturn Aura and the rest of the clones. A friend oF mine even had it happen on her 2009 Vue so the Theta rebadges might be added eventually as well. :shades:
So subtracting 45,000 from 141,600 gives about 97,000 GM retail sales. This isn't so great when you consider the population of our country. And i bet the Camaro-sales are going to take a hit, as the '11 Mustang will steal a good number of the people looking for a pony-car.
Anyway consider this. Even if GM makes $2,000/retail-sale on average, and they sell 1.2M vehicles this year, that means they're profit would be about $3B; before taxes. Maybe they clear $2B. How long does it take for GM to repay the loans and interest on the loans?
I think GM needs to double or triple those sales before they'll make any decent money.
I think GM needs to double or triple those sales before they'll make any decent money.
And there is no way that is going to happen. GM is like the Afghanastan of the auto industry .... Chrysler will become Fiat or die off, and GM will be endlessly propped up by the Federal government. Any wagers on how many years this will last until the government gets out?
It amazes me that GM has not done more to change their image - rename, re-slogan, re-logo, etc. Something to say that this time it is different. All we are getting is division cuts (necessary) and "the next great....Malibu.....LaCrosse.....Volt...". Not enough change in my book.
one mistake so far I see with GM is with the Volt; the last article I read in Motortrend about the Volt said the anticipated price would be around $40k :confuse:
I hope the thing would be a lot cheaper than that; why the heck would I pay that kind of money for a Chevrolet when I can be in proven, cheaper Hybrids produced by the Japanese automakers?
can anyone give me some more updated pricing numbers for the Volt? also, what do you think of the body style?? I personally think it is ugly looking but that is just me!! I personally like the designs coming out of Buick more than I do Chevrolet right now!
if you check out my posts on the mid-size forum, I test drove almost all the mid-size sedans at some point last year, except for the new 2011 Sonata, which obviously wasn't available back then, but even though I was a little bias because of two prior bad 01 and 04 Malibu experiences, I was willing to give the new one a open mind approach and test drive and of all the cars I test drove I was the least impressed with it
don't get me wrong, the exterior body style and interior design/material qualities were definitely better than the ones in my 01 and 05, it still lacked in the material quality area, refined ride/engine, and comfort compared to the Fusion, Camry, Altima and Accord I test drove! Just to show, I wasn't bias against the domestic automakers, I really like the Fusion and in fact, I felt the Fusion was better than the Camry and Accord overall from the test drive! It most likely would come down for me between the Fusion and Altima!
Anyway, the Malibu has improved, no doubt, but I still think they have to take it much further than they already have!!
Not much has changed, still projected to be 40 grand... But don't forget the additional Dealer Markup (ADM), could get as high as 45 grand, even more if there are options... Yup, overpriced. :sick:
The Nissan Leaf has been priced at 27k, a significantly lower amount, but look for ADM's on that one as well.
or you could just buy a Toyota Prius which starts at 22 grand and has 13 years of solid reputation behind it and millions of examples currently on the roads. :shades:
I'd trust that before paying top dollar for brand new technologies with brand new, unproven reputations in the market and the host of lessons learned at the dealer and service levels...
even if that is the price of the leaf without a mark-up, even with a mark-up its still going to be incredibly cheaper than a Volt!!
I'm sorry but I pray GM sees the light and doesn't charge that outrageous price for the Volt because if they do, its going to be a big bomb for them because I would never pay that much or anywhere near that much for something brand new, with new technology, and for a company that is still struggling to rebuild their reputation!
where does GM think people struggling in this continuing recession are going to have that kind of money to get something fuel efficient? the logic of GM escapes me :confuse:
I think there are a majority of the folks out there agreeing with you completely.
The technology itself is too much of a gamble and unless you are a sitting on barrels of money or a Hollywood actor, I fear it will will have limited appeal to common folk, especially the Volt.
45 thousand dollars buy a lot of different vehicles from Acura to BMW to Volvo. Why would you settle for a lowly Chevrolet econobox ? :confuse:
The fleet business is one issue that overshadows Ford's recent hot streak. Unlike GM and Chrysler, Ford managed to get by without financial help from the government last year, and has won favor with American consumers since then. But 40% of all the vehicles Ford sold went to fleet customers.
The technology itself is too much of a gamble and unless you are a sitting on barrels of money or a Hollywood actor, I fear it will will have limited appeal to common folk, especially the Volt.
Agree completely. Heck, GM is still trying to get its *gasoline* powered vehicles reliable. I have no faith that they can produce a $35K Volt that isn't going to be a lemon in the beginning (even if there was a good case for its price and features).
Sit back, watch the Volt show, let other people run the experiment, and if it does end up being a great reliable car at a good price, you can buy one in a few years after it has proven itself. :shades:
Sit back, watch the Volt show, let other people run the experiment, and if it does end up being a great reliable car at a good price, you can buy one in a few years after it has proven itself.
The parts, including the electronic components and related programming, are the point of my contention with GM. As you have pointed out, even the suppliers scoff at the penny-pinching the GM demands (Wal-Mart??) and really want no part of the liability of engineering junk. What gall this company has to risk peoples' lives and still put together second and third-rate lease fodder.
You need to spend over 30K to get a hopefully better made ride at GM??? How many times do these idiots have to repeat the same mistakes that in the end cost THOUSANDS OF TIMES more than saving pennies on the dollar for parts that are dangerously ill-designed and manufactured??
According to Jamie Hresko, GM's vice president of quality, the problem develops over a number of years: "It tends to occur in older models out of warranty." GM has said that even in the event of a power steering failure, the cars would be safe to drive, and that warning lights would still come on. However, controlling the vehicles at speeds below 15 mph would take more effort than normal.
Guess your looking into Mustang losses to (who was it?} Do you think GM and Chrysler after three months being shut down will ever catch up? Toyota is back to 2006 sales and GM sells a million cars in China out selling the US market. Ford is pushing the cars to rental companies. GM is trying to catch the market.
My guess is you know the 6 speed in most Enclaves and Ford trucks is a joint venture with Ford and GM? this is so odd the part is powertrain ? credibility is a big thing ?
According to Jamie Hresko, GM's vice president of quality, the problem develops over a number of years: "It tends to occur in older models out of warranty." GM has said that even in the event of a power steering failure, the cars would be safe to drive, and that warning lights would still come on. However, controlling the vehicles at speeds below 15 mph would take more effort than norma
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I STOPPED GETTING GM after my 04 Malibu; I was with GM for 25 years and had nothing but problem after consistent problem with each of the 8 GM products I had where things started going and breaking right after the factory warranty expired! I spend tens of thousands of dollars total over those 25 years keeping 4-6 year old cars going all before I could even reach 80k miles on the vehicles! my 01 and 04 Malibu were the last straw when things broke and I had the cars towed several times to the dealership BEFORE the factory warranties even expired :mad: :sick: :mad: !!!
it appears to me GM still has either not learned or is still trying to learn from these mistakes, as this recent 1.3 million recall indicates!
there has even been some evidence pointed out that the supposed new and improved 2009 Chevy Malibu, which isn't even apart of the steering recall, has shown some incidences of steering problems! heck, have you heard the horror stories some new 2010 LaCrosse owners on edmunds are having with major starter, electrical, and battery troubles with their cars?? One guy had his new LaCrosse completely die and engine fried at 1400 miles :surprise: :confuse: and GM still doesn't know why, how disheartening is that to hear!
Looks like Toyota is not the only one having major troubles explaining mechanical/electrical problems (i.e. UA) in their vehicles
".....The Nissan Leaf has been priced at 27k, a significantly lower amount,"
There are still differences. The Leaf requires a 240 volt socket to charge for 8 hrs, at about 15 amps. The Volt only needs a 120 volt outlet for the 8 hr charge. The Volt will go 40 miles, which is good. The Leaf will go 100 miles, which is great.
But the main difference is that when you go 100 miles in the Leaf, you need to find a charging station. With the Volt the gas genset kicks in. Now, is that worth the extra $13 grand??? That IS a tough sell.
One question though. I know that the Volt' system never charges the battery more than 80%, and never lets the charge go below 30% to optimize battery life. I assume that the Leaf does the same. But with the need for a 240 volt outlet for the Leaf ( a 3 phase, 30 min charging station is available for the Leaf, but it costs $45,000, so I don't know how many gas stations would opt for that), anybody who drives more than 50 miles roulndtrip per day would need to charge it daily. By not allowing the Leaf to discharge fully, you would eventually degrade the battery to the point that a "full" charge would only be what you drive daily. At that point, you are looking at a $10,000 battery replacement.
".....Did you know that the Allison transmission that comes in your GM 2500=3500 truck has no warranty from Allison at all?"
No warranty from ALLISON, which,up to 2 yrs ago was a division of GM.
According to my 2004 owners manual, it IS covered under the 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty. According to the website, it does have the 5/100 powertrain warranty.
The Allison tranny used is the AT 1000. The 1000 means that it is capable of handling 1000 lb/ft of torque!!!! I have heard that GM had them downgrade the clutch packs in the tranny, and that now it can handle only 650 lb/ft, which is far more than my '04 needs. But I can tell you that the tranny has a default mode. If you add aftermarket equiptment to your vehicle (which will void ANY manufacturers warranty) and overtorque the tranny, it goes into a default mode, limiting engine power and keeping you in 3 rd gear. All you need to do to reset the tranny is to pull over and shut down for a few seconds, and you're all set.
This is so true ,Cobalt was what the people wanted and what GM gave them .Toyota did it too! The rental thing is what GM gave them and when you buy used ,Car fax can cover only so much, you get what you pay for.
Comments
1- Cadillac: Whatever happened to Cadillac's comback? Instead of streching a CTS like they did with the outgoing STS, Cadillac goes the easy way around and builds the new XTS on the LaCrosse/future Impala platform. It is the 80's all over again.
2- GMC: Still unknown what it stands for. It is not the luxury SUV maker like Land Rover. There is the Escalade for that. It is not the rugged Jeep-like off-roader. It offers a sissy Terrain dressed like G.I Gane. What is it exactly? Why do we still have GMC? One answer: It is profitable. That's the only reason. Sounds familiar?
3- GM lost to Ford big time when it comes to powertrain. Other than the 304-hp in the CTS/Camaro, GM doesn't have anything in sight that can compete with Ford's ecoboost, or the 412hp 5.0L in the Mustang. Sure we have the powerful pushrod V-8's, but can they even fit in the upcoming XTS?
4- What happened to the two-mode hybrid system? GM was the first automaker to offer it, but they did so with the wrong vehicles. And since then, nothing. No more two-mod hybrids ffrom GM in sight. What happened?
5- The Volt: I won't talk about whether the car delivers what it promises or no. But GM has shown the Volt so much and almost in every show it already looks old and needs a redesign. I saw it in person and it looked "blah. Give me something new please!".
GM just can't seem to catch a break. After billions of dollars in losses and rumors that the prized electric Chevy Volt won't make it into production (now proven false), the auto giant's so-called "battery czar" has announced that she is leaving for an unidentified California battery startup.
Denise Gray, the director of global battery systems engineering at GM, is leaving on March 5 for a senior management position at the as yet unnamed battery company. Green Car Reports explains:
What led Gray to leave the only company she'd ever worked for? "The opportunity to create and build and plant seeds and mold and shape an organization," she said--just as she was able to do with the small Volt team. And in a theme common to many professionals who've left solid jobs to join startups, she said simply, "I didn't want to look back and say, 'I could have, I should have ...' "
This is great news for Gray's new venture, but not such good news for GM. Gray spent 30 years at the company and was largely responsible for overseeing the development of batteries for GM's hybrid and all-electric vehicles. When she began at the battery systems group, it had 25 employees. Now it has over 200.
But really, who can blame Gray for leaving? California has a glut of exciting new auto startups--Tesla, Fisker, and Better Place, just to name a few--while Detroit is in the unfortunate position of having 25% of young professionals planning to leave the city within the next two years. It's not the most inspirational environment, even as auto startups like Johnson Controls and A123 Systems set up shop in the area. If major automakers want to retain their Detroit-based talent, they will have to start getting creative.
Not #1 yet....
Regards,
OW
Remember the Impct/EV1?
AS far as the new XTS, I believe it is a stretched version of the Epsillon 2 platform. 45 years ago, GM was building Buicks Olds' and Pontiacs on the same B and C platforms that the Caddies were based on. Considering the praise the new XTS received at the NY auto show, I would say that this is an entirely different scenario than 20 years ago.
GMC: Trucks for the "other" dealerships to sell. Still GM's second best selling division, no small feat.
Powertrains; I'd agree there. While there is nothing wrong w/ GM's current lineup of powertrains, they do seem to be rehashing the same ecotec's and 3.6's.
The 2 mode??? I'd say it fell victim to the Voltec project.
As far as the Volt is concerned, maybe it becomes the brand name for the powertrain, and the real money comes from a Cadillac version, which may be more palatable as a $50-55K car than a $40K Chevy is.
Not a moment too soon sez I.
It is, now. Just a factual piece of their history. I believe had they put the Duramax in the H2 and a 4 cyl turbodiesel in the H3, we may be looking at a different scenario. Nevertheless, I think they were way overpriced to begin with.
More than 100,000 Impalas are now working their way to the used-car market without these airbags.
It's not as if GM sold them w/o installing them and forgot to tell anybody.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
This has been an ongoing flaw for years. I know a couple of folks who had their steering fail and while the car is mobile, there is a delay in steering response that if not handled correctly could put you in a lot of trouble fast. :sick:
Good thing is most of these cars are probably rental fodder.
First hand account
Typical corporate way of doing things. Deny, avoid, and then cough up the cash. They all are like this. It's amazing that cars are as reliable as they are when you consider how corrupt and self-serving these multi-billion dollar companies are.
Yahoo link is outdated
DETROIT – General Motors Co. has sued a supplier, saying it has spent more than $30 million fixing problems in the steering systems of the Chevrolet Cobalt, its best-selling small car, and other vehicles.
GM said customers have complained about unusual rattles, "clunks" and other noises. It pinpointed the flaw to "excessive gear backlash," which causes problems in the steering column under certain driving conditions.
The lawsuit names JTEKT North America Inc., based in Plymouth, Mich., and an affiliated company, JTEKT Automotive Virginia Inc. of Daleville, Va.
Did you know that the Allison transmission that comes in your GM 2500=3500 truck has no warranty from Allison at all?
GM forced them to underbuild the tranny so GM could buy it at such a discount from them. Allison said "we'll do it, but every one that fails is on you."
Got that straight from GM Engineering.
U.S. safety regulators opened an investigation on Jan. 27 into approximately 905,000 Cobalt models in the United States after receiving more than 1,100 complaints of power steering failures. The complaints included 14 crashes and one injury.
Sales to rental car companies and other fleet buyers also were strong as companies began buying again after cutbacks last year. Fleet sales generally mean lower profits to automakers than retail sales to individuals.
Retail sales for GM's four core brands edged up 7 percent.
Ford had expected sales to climb from last February, when U.S. sales plummeted in the midst of the recession. Its car sales climbed 54 percent as consumers continued to shop for more fuel-efficient vehicles. Like GM, Ford saw renewed demand from corporate fleet customers, which are buying again after weak sales in 2009. Ford's fleet sales surged 74 percent over February of last year, while GM's jumped 114 percent
Now honestly, after having this new car, can you really say the older Cobalt or G6 or Malibu, etc, were really any good? Kudos to GM for improving the newer sedans quite a lot.
Ford Tops GM in February.
Ford Motor Co. outsold General Motors Co. in February, picking off customers from recall-plagued Toyota Motor Corp. It was the first time in 40 years that Ford sales surpassed GM -- except for a blip in 1998, when GM was on strike.
All of the Detroit Three automakers posted sales gains in February over a year ago. Toyota's sales slid 8.7 percent from a year ago and the automaker launched what it calls an "unprecedented" marketing and incentive campaign for March that will be reflected in new ads that start running today.
Toyota will offer zero percent financing for five years or an attractive lease rate on 80 percent of the vehicles it sells, including all the core vehicles in the lineup. And returning Toyota customers will receive two years of free maintenance for their new vehicle. the deals end April 5.
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Ford Motor Co. sales jumped 43 percent in February compared with a year ago, joining General Motors Co. in posting strong results as GM sales rose 12 percent. Chrysler Group LLC eked out a 0.47 percent gain from February, 2009.
The other big gainer for the month was Nissan Motor Co., with a 29 percent increase. The Nissan Division reported a sales rise of 32 percent with a pair of small vehicles, the Versa subcompact car and Rogue compact crossover, achieving record sales in February. The Infiniti luxury brand was up almost 11 percent.
Honda Motor Co., which has been gaining sales in the wake of Toyota's recall problems, posted a sales increase of 12.7 percent in February compared with the same month in 2009.
Including Volvo, Ford sold 142,285 vehicles for the month compared to GM's 141,951.
Ford's increase was across the board: Car sales were up 54 percent, sport utility vehicles 39 percent and trucks 36 percent. Among brands, Ford sales were up 46 percent, Lincoln sales 19 percent, and Mercury sales 24 percent.
The Dearborn-based automaker estimates its February U.S. total market share was 17 percent -- up 3 percentage points versus a year ago.
Ford said it will increase production in the second quarter of 2010. It plans to produce 595,000 vehicles, up 144,000 vehicles (32 percent) compared with the same period in 2009. The automaker built 570,000 vehicles in the first quarter.
"The strength of our new products and Ford's leadership in quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value are resonating with customers," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing sales and service.
"The good news is we have even more new products and fuel-efficient powertrains coming this year, and we expect our progress to continue."
GM said its rise was fueled by stronger fleet, crossover and passenger car sales.
But expected gains by other automakers are not likely to lift industrywide sales enough to recover from the snowstorms and recall problems confronting Toyota, analysts said.
"Even substantial increases by other top players in the industry, like General Motors and Ford, are unlikely to boost the seasonally adjusted sales rate, a key indicator of the industry's momentum," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for consumer guide Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.
"Some consumers, especially Toyota loyalists, are simply waiting out the market right now."
GM would not provide figures on how much its sales increased because of Toyota's woes.
"We got what we thought would be our fair share," Mike DiGiovanni, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis.
Sales of GM's four core brands -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac -- rose 32 percent, while sales of castoff brands Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac and Saab fell 86.1 percent.
"Although we've been operating as a new company with four brands for just seven months, our February results demonstrate that our long-term plan is already paying dividends," said Susan Docherty, GM's vice president of marketing.
It is the fifth straight month of year-over-year sales increases for GM.
Docherty said reopening a shuttered plant is not an option to alleviate a shortage of some vehicles and that GM plans on "leveraging our existing manufacturing footprint at this stage."
While GM non-fleet retail sales for the four core brands rose 7 percent, retail sales overall were down 9 percent when factoring in the castoff brands.
Sales of GM's crossovers -- Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX -- rose 198 percent compared to prior models.
In a change, GM announced sales at 9:45 a.m. instead of the traditional 1:45 p.m. -- a move aimed at gaining positive media exposure ahead of rival automakers.
"We have some good stories to tell and want to get ahead of things a little quicker in the day," GM spokesman Tom Henderson said.
Snowstorms that blanketed the northeast region of the country last month and elsewhere crimped sales, Docherty said.
Chevrolet posted double digit increases in other regions, but fell almost 17 percent in the northeast, she said.
http://detnews.com/article/20100302/AUTO01/3020399/Ford-sales-jump-43--as-Big-3-- gains--Toyota-slips--starts-ad-blitz
Docherty said fleet sales more than doubled in the month to about 45,000 vehicles out of 141,535 total sales. On the same call, Mike DiGiovanni, GM's executive director of market analysis, said fleet sales will continue to rise through the spring. :shades:
Regards,
OW
Anyway consider this. Even if GM makes $2,000/retail-sale on average, and they sell 1.2M vehicles this year, that means they're profit would be about $3B; before taxes. Maybe they clear $2B. How long does it take for GM to repay the loans and interest on the loans?
I think GM needs to double or triple those sales before they'll make any decent money.
I think GM needs to double or triple those sales before they'll make any decent money.
And there is no way that is going to happen.
GM is like the Afghanastan of the auto industry .... Chrysler will become Fiat or die off, and GM will be endlessly propped up by the Federal government. Any wagers on how many years this will last until the government gets out?
It amazes me that GM has not done more to change their image - rename, re-slogan, re-logo, etc. Something to say that this time it is different. All we are getting is division cuts (necessary) and "the next great....Malibu.....LaCrosse.....Volt...". Not enough change in my book.
I hope the thing would be a lot cheaper than that; why the heck would I pay that kind of money for a Chevrolet when I can be in proven, cheaper Hybrids produced by the Japanese automakers?
can anyone give me some more updated pricing numbers for the Volt? also, what do you think of the body style?? I personally think it is ugly looking but that is just me!! I personally like the designs coming out of Buick more than I do Chevrolet right now!
if you check out my posts on the mid-size forum, I test drove almost all the mid-size sedans at some point last year, except for the new 2011 Sonata, which obviously wasn't available back then, but even though I was a little bias because of two prior bad 01 and 04 Malibu experiences, I was willing to give the new one a open mind approach and test drive and of all the cars I test drove I was the least impressed with it
don't get me wrong, the exterior body style and interior design/material qualities were definitely better than the ones in my 01 and 05, it still lacked in the material quality area, refined ride/engine, and comfort compared to the Fusion, Camry, Altima and Accord I test drove! Just to show, I wasn't bias against the domestic automakers, I really like the Fusion and in fact, I felt the Fusion was better than the Camry and Accord overall from the test drive! It most likely would come down for me between the Fusion and Altima!
Anyway, the Malibu has improved, no doubt, but I still think they have to take it much further than they already have!!
The Nissan Leaf has been priced at 27k, a significantly lower amount, but look for ADM's on that one as well.
or you could just buy a Toyota Prius which starts at 22 grand and has 13 years of solid reputation behind it and millions of examples currently on the roads. :shades:
I'd trust that before paying top dollar for brand new technologies with brand new, unproven reputations in the market and the host of lessons learned at the dealer and service levels...
I'm sorry but I pray GM sees the light and doesn't charge that outrageous price for the Volt because if they do, its going to be a big bomb for them because I would never pay that much or anywhere near that much for something brand new, with new technology, and for a company that is still struggling to rebuild their reputation!
where does GM think people struggling in this continuing recession are going to have that kind of money to get something fuel efficient? the logic of GM escapes me :confuse:
The technology itself is too much of a gamble and unless you are a sitting on barrels of money or a Hollywood actor, I fear it will will have limited appeal to common folk, especially the Volt.
45 thousand dollars buy a lot of different vehicles from Acura to BMW to Volvo. Why would you settle for a lowly Chevrolet econobox ? :confuse:
link title
The fleet business is one issue that overshadows Ford's recent hot streak. Unlike GM and Chrysler, Ford managed to get by without financial help from the government last year, and has won favor with American consumers since then. But 40% of all the vehicles Ford sold went to fleet customers.
Agree completely. Heck, GM is still trying to get its *gasoline* powered vehicles reliable. I have no faith that they can produce a $35K Volt that isn't going to be a lemon in the beginning (even if there was a good case for its price and features).
Sit back, watch the Volt show, let other people run the experiment, and if it does end up being a great reliable car at a good price, you can buy one in a few years after it has proven itself. :shades:
Except for those brakes that don't work.
Sit back, watch the Volt show, let other people run the experiment, and if it does end up being a great reliable car at a good price, you can buy one in a few years after it has proven itself.
excellent point man, excellent point!!
You need to spend over 30K to get a hopefully better made ride at GM??? How many times do these idiots have to repeat the same mistakes that in the end cost THOUSANDS OF TIMES more than saving pennies on the dollar for parts that are dangerously ill-designed and manufactured??
According to Jamie Hresko, GM's vice president of quality, the problem develops over a number of years: "It tends to occur in older models out of warranty." GM has said that even in the event of a power steering failure, the cars would be safe to drive, and that warning lights would still come on. However, controlling the vehicles at speeds below 15 mph would take more effort than normal.
Obviously engineered to fail over time.
May the Best Car Win.
Regards,
OW
I'll wait for the big changes to happen.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
According to Jamie Hresko, GM's vice president of quality, the problem develops over a number of years: "It tends to occur in older models out of warranty." GM has said that even in the event of a power steering failure, the cars would be safe to drive, and that warning lights would still come on. However, controlling the vehicles at speeds below 15 mph would take more effort than norma
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I STOPPED GETTING GM after my 04 Malibu; I was with GM for 25 years and had nothing but problem after consistent problem with each of the 8 GM products I had where things started going and breaking right after the factory warranty expired! I spend tens of thousands of dollars total over those 25 years keeping 4-6 year old cars going all before I could even reach 80k miles on the vehicles! my 01 and 04 Malibu were the last straw when things broke and I had the cars towed several times to the dealership BEFORE the factory warranties even expired :mad: :sick: :mad: !!!
it appears to me GM still has either not learned or is still trying to learn from these mistakes, as this recent 1.3 million recall indicates!
there has even been some evidence pointed out that the supposed new and improved 2009 Chevy Malibu, which isn't even apart of the steering recall, has shown some incidences of steering problems! heck, have you heard the horror stories some new 2010 LaCrosse owners on edmunds are having with major starter, electrical, and battery troubles with their cars?? One guy had his new LaCrosse completely die and engine fried at 1400 miles :surprise: :confuse: and GM still doesn't know why, how disheartening is that to hear!
Looks like Toyota is not the only one having major troubles explaining mechanical/electrical problems (i.e. UA) in their vehicles
There are still differences. The Leaf requires a 240 volt socket to charge for 8 hrs, at about 15 amps. The Volt only needs a 120 volt outlet for the 8 hr charge. The Volt will go 40 miles, which is good. The Leaf will go 100 miles, which is great.
But the main difference is that when you go 100 miles in the Leaf, you need to find a charging station. With the Volt the gas genset kicks in. Now, is that worth the extra $13 grand??? That IS a tough sell.
One question though. I know that the Volt' system never charges the battery more than 80%, and never lets the charge go below 30% to optimize battery life. I assume that the Leaf does the same. But with the need for a 240 volt outlet for the Leaf ( a 3 phase, 30 min charging station is available for the Leaf, but it costs $45,000, so I don't know how many gas stations would opt for that), anybody who drives more than 50 miles roulndtrip per day would need to charge it daily. By not allowing the Leaf to discharge fully, you would eventually degrade the battery to the point that a "full" charge would only be what you drive daily. At that point, you are looking at a $10,000 battery replacement.
".....Did you know that the Allison transmission that comes in your GM 2500=3500 truck has no warranty from Allison at all?"
No warranty from ALLISON, which,up to 2 yrs ago was a division of GM.
According to my 2004 owners manual, it IS covered under the 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty. According to the website, it does have the 5/100 powertrain warranty.
The Allison tranny used is the AT 1000. The 1000 means that it is capable of handling 1000 lb/ft of torque!!!! I have heard that GM had them downgrade the clutch packs in the tranny, and that now it can handle only 650 lb/ft, which is far more than my '04 needs. But I can tell you that the tranny has a default mode. If you add aftermarket equiptment to your vehicle (which will void ANY manufacturers warranty) and overtorque the tranny, it goes into a default mode, limiting engine power and keeping you in 3 rd gear. All you need to do to reset the tranny is to pull over and shut down for a few seconds, and you're all set.