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The Optima itself isn't changing, only where it's final assembly will be, from Korea to the U.S.
It's no race to be won or lost, and even if it was, the Malibu has been assembled here since 1964, 10 years before Kia started building ANY cars.
Now that I think about it, what does this news release have to do with the title of this topic? (hint: NOTHING!)
models. It looks like a "Mild" hybrid system that won't add much to the price but will result in about 30% better fuel economy. It will be standard on the Lacrosse resulting in better
mileage numbers than the Sonata.
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Isn't the trade off for the improved mileage a reduction in already limited trunk space though? I think I read it will decrease the Lacrosse trunk to around 11 cu ft.
0-60 in 3.2.
Minutes.
0-100?
Kilometers? Yes. Miles? No.
It did teach me a lot about keeping your momentum going when driving!
Sales were indeed affected immediately as all existing factory orders were cancelled and they stopped taking new factory orders.
Lacrosse mil hybrid isn't cheap, either. I just don't see it catching on.
Either price it lower, or sell the full hybrids that consumers flock to.
Plus, with a bigger, heavier vehicle, while it would take more energy to get it moving, wouldn't it also provide more regenerative energy when you put the brakes on?
With the Regal, it looks like the mild hybrid would boost fuel economy from 19/30 to 26/37. Sounds pretty good, at first. However, a Honda Accord is rated at 23/34 with a 4-cyl automatic, the Camry is 22/32, and the Altima is 23/32. On the domestic front, the Malibu is 22/33, and the Fusion does as well as 23/33.
So, the Regal would still come in ahead of all those others, having bragging rights on fuel economy. But, when you're dealing with ratings that high, it's really not going to save much money, unless you do an awful lot of driving and/or if fuel prices go through the roof.
I just checked the Fusion hybrid, and it comes in at 41/36. So, to the Regal's credit, it compares very favorably. But the question remains...is it worth it?
Maybe it will serve as sort of springboard though, to get more and more of this type of technology off the ground, and over time, the cost will be lower.
I thought that this issue had been beaten dead already.
The monthly sales volume published by the automakers and cited by the media is the sales volume from dealers to their customers, not the sales from automakers to the dealers.
Because the dealer inventories were from previous shipments, the sales volume would not be affected until the next shipment. It take 2 months for the shipments from Japan factories to the US dealer lots, so there would be a 2 months delay for the sales to be affected by the Japan made vehicles.
http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_08/summers030411.html
this little snippet from GM's 10-K:
we generally recognize revenue upon the release of the vehicle to the carrier responsible for transporting it to a dealer, which is shortly after the completion of production. Vehicle sales data, which includes retail and fleet sales, does not correlate directly to the revenue we recognize during the period.
So GM counts a car as sold the moment it leaves a production facility on a shipping truck, NOT when it's actually sold to a consumer. So the more cars and trucks GM makes the greater its sales numbers.
Currently GM has exactly double Ford's inventory in the 500 mile radius of Fort Wayne, Indiana. All counted as sold?
http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_08/summers030411.html
The link you had was to an article written by a person. The website looks cheap. You can find this kind of personal opinions for about anything you want on the Internet.
Here's the official GM statement: "DETROIT – General Motors dealers in the United States reported 232,538 total sales in April, a 27-percent increase versus April a year ago."; here's the link to it: GM sales
This is such an obvious accounting method which is so easy to verify, I don't think the No. 1 automaker in the world, a public company would make such a low skilled cheat.
Most of the media is saying stuff like Toyota/Honda output halved after quake resulting in a big hit to domestic and export sales. (Industry Week).
Parts is parts.
Japanese production was cut in half (except Nissan I guess), so their revenues are down. But I don't know if they count production the same way as GM.
lol!
Ford (and Lincoln) would take that sale, if compared.
The car we ordered came in just 5 weeks, from Japan, but we got a little bit lucky.
More to the point, orders that had already been placed weeks before were also cancelled. Those orders stopped the day after the tsunami, so the effect was immediate.
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Now, the Regal might make sense If (and that's a big if) the mild hybrid version doesn't cost too much more than the regular, and, if you do a lot of highway driving. But, for most people, the Fusion would probably make more sense. According to the EPA, the Fusion's also a roomier car. I haven't driven, or sat in, a Regal, but I've driven a Fusion or two, and find them to be just fine...IMO, exactly what a midsized car should be.
Interestingly, the EPA lists the Fusion hybrid as having 101 cubic feet of passenger volume and 16 cubic feet of trunk, while the non-hybrid is 100 cubic feet, and 16 cubic feet of trunk. I'd imagine one of those two is a typo, as the hybrid gear would have to rob it of SOME interior room, somewhere, shouldn't it?
For comparison, they list the Regal at 98 cubic feet of interior, and 13 cubic feet of trunk space. And if the mild hybrid setup robs it of 3 cubic feet of trunk, that knocks it down to 10.
That's similar to Lincoln's strategy with the MKZ - V6 or hybrid, take your pick, same price.
Now I gotta look...
Yep:
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/01/2012-buick-lacrosse-eassist-quick-spin-review- /
The eAssist powerplant will serve as the base engine for the 2012 LaCrosse, with GM's 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 available as a no-cost option
You would think a mild hybrid wouldn't carry the same sort of price penalty vs. a full hybrid.
Even though the Lucerne is still (barely) around, I look at the LaCrosse as an indication of Buick is heading, and more of a flagship type of car, sort of a spiritual successor to my 2000 Park Ave. For comparison, my Park Ave Ultra is epa-rated at a fairly piggy 16/25 using the 2007+ ratings methodology (the base, non-supercharged version is rated 17/27)
Now, in a Regal-class car, I don't think that 26/37 rating I saw was all that hot, but if they can seriously get that out of the LaCrosse, I'm impressed. I've driven in and ridden in a few LaCrosses, and it seemed like the only sacrifice, compared to my old Park Ave, is in trunk space, and perhaps a bit of shoulder room. But otherwise, it's a very roomy, comfy, well-built car.
Car goes on truck. Manifest is raised. Shipment is booked. Company invoices dealer...SOLD. Dealers book sales when the deposit is made on the car. GM reports booked sales and retail sales. Retail is from the dealers and fleets are part of gross sales (both booked as far as GM is concerned when the truck leaves the plant).
Let's move to the fact that May is the month that Japan bleeds sales due to the Tsunami Disaster.
GM makes a small gain as does Ford and Chrysler but the Koreans make the biggest gains relative to the current inventory positions. Since demand is still mediocre, the story is lower sales while the recovery flat-lines.
Regards,
OW
Aren't you guys arguing over sales figures and whether they should count when shipped from the factory (perhaps leaving lots of unsold inventory on the dealer lots) or whether they should count when they leave the lot?
And I've seen media reports indicating that Japanese sales started falling the day after the disaster. Inventory was on the dealer lots and in the pipeline, but if all orders were cancelled, then which sales are we talking about?
And do we care? :P
In other news, went to a party this afternoon and met a woman up visiting from Chicago. She works for a middle-man leasing company and leases tons of cars and trucks to corporations all over the US (has 4,000 leases to process starting next week for just once company, for example. Job security
Anyway, she said that Toyota isn't even making 2011 vehicles now, and is shifting everything to 2012 models. Some of her clients who had ordered 2011 models are back to square one trying to figure out what to lease. Sounds like Ford may be doing the same thing.
She knew all about the supplier problems too, and said lots of red vehicles were getting hard to order now, not just the Tuxedo black.
I also asked her which make her customers complained the most about - and that was Chrysler.
Yes, it's invoiced as GM's income. But the monthly sales volumes we talk about and quote about all the time are the total retail sales volume from the dealers to the customers. As long as the dealers have inventory to sell, their sales to the customers are not affected by the factory production cut.
What's so hard to understand?
This argument started when we quoted the Mar sales volume where Toyota performed poorly. Someone defended Toyota's poor sales number citing the Japan's earthquake. Other argued that the sales numbers were the total dealers sales to customers, thus it was not affected by the quake yet in Mar.
Some other people dismissed the very good GM sales volumes saying those were the numbers of cars sold to the dealers; GM could have flooded the dealers with excessive cars. Other argued that's not how the published monthly sales numbers were counted. GM clearly stated the volume was the total of all dealer to customer sales.
Hopefully this sums them up clearly.
In Japan, yes. It's because all activities were stopped in the quake hit areas and people in other areas not hit by the quake also pause in their big purchases.
But it's not the case in the US. The retail sales is going on as usual as long as dealers have inventories.
We should start seeing the quake effects on the US sales volumes (from dealers to consumers) in the May numbers due out in the next a few days.
And if there was plenty of inventory right after the quake, dealers wouldn't have increased prices, but many did. Mostly the fuel efficient cars though.
In any event, while GM was going to hold the sales crown anyway, with the disaster they'll have an easier time doing so. Unless Ford or the Koreans make a big surge. Well, it looks like Hyundai is gong to take 3rd after Ford in any event. May numbers should be out soon.
I read the "snippet" to mean that GM gets money from the lender/dealer/bank/dealer bank, whomever, when the vehicle leaves the factory portal and goes to the holding lot for the shipping company. That _never_, NEVER, says the car is counted as sold in terms of customer delivery at the dealer.
The last sentence very clearly distinguishes between the financial status of the company and the number of cars sold from the lot to the customer.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Any explanation for the extra 82,000 GM vehicles sitting in dealer inventory in the midwest area alone...per Edmunds inventory figures? Nationwide, the numbers are probably at least 120,000 more on the lots than Ford. Incentives will abound by November.
See you live in the Ft Wayne area, spent the first 24 yrs in Indiana, Indianapolis and Monticello..Real estate in both locations along with farm bordering Lake Freeman..3/4 mile of lake frontage, fun times..
Back to GM, dealers are swamped with cars and trucks..Had to get the 4th battery for my 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix GT, so I visited the local Buick/GMC in Venice Fla and they are swamped with cars, heavy pricing on Buicks, and no cheapie Pontiacs left for the masses..
I guess the rebates will be sweetened soon to move the $30,000 Regals w/4 banger engines..2 ton car propelled by 220 horses, only Govt Motors could offer such a deal!!!!!!!
Our Asian car lovers have enabled our foreign friends to dominate our market and it will only get worse..The Koreans and the Japanese with China following have done a great selling job on the public..As the Big3 get into the econoboxes, the pricing goes up and the foreigners charge more, and siphon more greenbacks into their Asian banks..
I am 78 yrs young, did the selling game to the Big3 from 1968 thru 2002, springs, stampings, wireforms, cable assys, hot and cold forgings, and castings. Great time, America dominated the market, and offered great cars and some real bads ones..Never really got a bad one, some better than others..Owned 34 GM autos, 14 Fords, 3 Chrysler, and 2 Porsches..couple million miles of driving, and it was a fun run..Lots of play time and worked occasionally, one isn't going to find this in our present culture...Opportunity is disappearing rapidily..
Next time watch what you spend your car $$$$s on..
See you live in the Ft Wayne area, spent the first 24 yrs in Indiana, Indianapolis and Monticello..Real estate in both locations along with farm bordering Lake Freeman..3/4 mile of lake frontage, fun times..
Back to GM, dealers are swamped with cars and trucks..Had to get the 4th battery for my 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix GT, so I visited the local Buick/GMC in Venice Fla and they are swamped with cars, heavy pricing on Buicks, and no cheapie Pontiacs left for the masses..
I guess the rebates will be sweetened soon to move the $30,000 Regals w/4 banger engines..2 ton car propelled by 220 horses, only Govt Motors could offer such a deal!!!!!!!
We pick it up in a couple days, but I made a deal on a new Malibu 1LT for my wife...black granite (metallic), black interior, aluminum wheels, power seat, Bluetooth, remote start, side moldings and spare tire (optional!). Sticker $24,555--sold to me for invoice, less $3K rebate, less $6,700 for my '05 Uplander with 94K miles, less $1,500 GM Card rebate.
Let the derision begin, but I think I did well. What car with a 112" wheelbase can be bought for that money--and that's built in the 48 states?
No derision from me. You stole it!
Nice work and here's to many fun and safe miles to you and your wife in the 'Bu! :shades:
Regards,
OW
I'd say you did well. Plus, any time you can exchange an Uplander for a Malibu it's a good move. :P
My wife was tired of driving a van, and our kids are getting older (17 and 14). My wife liked the Equinox. Frankly, to me it looks like such a girl's car, and there were no rebates or factory cash whatsoever on them, which meant that equipped like she wanted, it was $4,300 more than the Malibu we wanted. She drove one (I rode), and it was stiffer-riding than the Malibu (logical, I guess), but the rear-seat-middle position was almost completely obliterated by the long center console...we wondered if the Equinox is supposed to be a four-passenger vehicle. She admitted that she liked driving the Malibu better.
We're kind of in the same boat. We have an '04 Odyssey and are kind of tired of the big vehicle, and our kids are off at college. But on rare occasions that van really comes in handy when we need to carry a bunch of cr#p. But I prefer mid to smaller nicely outfitted sedans. I have 108K on my Acura TL and it is just a bit bigger and softer than I would like. But I know I can keep driving it like, forever and it probably won't give me any trouble.
I really liked the previous TSX but the new one is too bloated. The A4 has gotten too expensive. The Mazda 3 is not quite premium enough. The Jetta is bigger and cheaper now. I do like the looks of and the interior of the Cruze in higher trims. Still trying to find that ideal smaller premium sedan at not too high a price. I'd also consider a small SUV - perhaps the redesigned CRX at end of year if Honda doesn't blow it like they have on their other recent introductions. Don't really like the looks of the Equinox.
Where did you get that idea? Did you mean to say that "GM owns China (car market)"?
It's going to be a pain to keep clean though :P
I would've liked the newer model, but my impatient nature made me not want to wait, and my cheapskate nature made me think that after 100K miles the resale value of my van would go down significantly, and that there'd be no dealin' on the new Malibu.
I actually still think my Uplander looks better than most vans available then. It has the 17" tires and aluminum wheels and is a maroon color, much like the maroons Chevy charges extra for now. I like the maroon against the big gold bowties. It's beige inside. And the trans shifts great (thanks to the free pressure control solenoid and new fluid Chevy paid for at 79K!).
When it was one year old, a high-school kid pulled in front of my wife and it took over $5K in damage. I'm fussy, and after a couple trips back to the body shop, it looked good as new. An old friend accidentally backed into the front corner of it maybe a year after that...very minor damage, practically none visible at all, but she hit it enough to loosen the huge clear headlight cover, and moisture would get in that side, as well as funk. That headlight never was very bright at night after that!
http://www.chevrolet.com/assets/en/images/model/2011/malibu/gallery/exterior/11_- che_mal_gal_ext_large_06.jpg
41.6 in a Cruze Eco. (Straightline)
Looks good, profile is the best angle, too.
Inventory was below industry average (and is even lower now), but dealers did raise prices. To preserve inventory and of course increase profit margins.
In the "Toyota on the Mend" thread we noticed Prius prices shot up to MSRP.
Any how, perfect opportunity for competitors to steal sales. May sales will be telling.
Even stranger, a Kia dealer in California was selling a Volt that had just 30 miles on it, and Modica was told that "the Volts offered at that dealership were rental cars with higher mileage on them."
600 available
The RWD is the only way to go..FWD hit the scene in the late--70's and become mainstream..my first venture was a new 81 Buick Riv and everything since, except the 2010 Mustang GT..AWD too pricey!!! The solid rear axle on the Stange works great, after all we do drive in the straight line 98% of the time, so who needs the swinging rear axle, another gismo to repair and align..
Your Jeep choice is great, my daughter has a Cherokee and the Columbia edition of the Wrangler..The Wrangler pulls the center console "Scout" boat and the "Laser" sailboat goes on the Cherokee roof..
The Cherokee has always had elec window regulator problems-both have the old "I-6" engine, oil leakers, but otherwise dependable..Both cars are probably approaching 80k miles..Both are Fla cars..
The only reason I still have the 2006 Grand Prix GT is that it was a half of the orginial sticker price at 4.300 miles..4 yrs ago..Close to 58k now, and will keep it to remind me not to buy another FWD... The sunroof is great, the a/c is super, the S/C engine likes a fast cruise, and the black and tan combo color is okay..On the 3rd set of tires, none were wore out, badly cupped from misalignment and crappy balance..
The current set is a Michelin "Harmony", long wearing, easy to balance, inflated to 35# cold..been on for 18k miles..H-rated so the top end speed is restricted to 118, however the 3.8 S/C engine will run in the high 130s, with 4.5 gts of oil it has a short life at those speeds..Cruising at 80 with a/c on auto is a no-strain deal..
Happy Motoring with the Cherokee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Stang will be Black, as the 2010 was..