Yeah, that Cobalt is uninspiring, but for the most part, there aren't too many entry-level compacts out there that actually stir the soul. As Lemko once said, trying to style a small car is like trying to tailor a dwarf! :P
(okay, it was actually Bill Mitchell that said it, but I've heard Lemko repeat it! )
One must wonder where the Malibu "Classic" (old style) ended up on that list, and also apparently they lump V6 and 4-cyl. Malibus together for powertrain. I don't know if any of the other cars offered two distinct powerplants. The Altima isn't standing real far out on that list either.
I don't know, it was a 2011 dependability study, so I don't know where they (JD) derived the data.
As far as different powertrain options, I think several of the cars do. The Fusion offers 4 (hybrid, 2.5 4cyl, 3.0v6, and 3.5 v6) and it scored #1 overall. The Altima offeres both 4cyl and 6cyl, as does the VW and Cam/Cord.
Obviously the Malibu classic would be different than the current, but didn't the classic still use basically the same 4cyl as the current BU? Also the the Fusion went through a fairly substantial update in 2010 with the addition of the 3.5 v6 and I believe an updated 4cyl and the intro of the hybrid.
Also, the current gen Malibu hasn't scored particularly well on Truedelta either. For example truedelta shows a reports 56 repairs per 100 cars on a 2009 Malibu vs. 17/100 for a 2009 Fusion and 31/100 for an Accord, 35/100 Altima, 34/100 for Sonata, 27/100 for Camry.
5-speed, AC, satellite radio, ABS, 4-doors...bought brand-spanking new at $9,900. Still enjoying it at 48K miles. Built forty miles down the road from me, with either 75% or 80% NA parts content. Looks less dorky than a Corolla IMHO too (although the coupe looks way better).
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Pretty sure the 'Classic', which was built into the '08 model year, had the old 2.2 of the Cavalier. The current-generation Malibu has a 2.4 liter four and for those who hang on their every word, is still on CR's "Recommended" list.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I remember the Impala rental I had a few months ago had some headroom issues - but if a Corolla can be a taxi, I am sure an Impala wouldn't be any worse. There's also a driving school in my area that uses Impalas.
I rode in a Town Car from the airport a while back...it was an older one that like 300K on it. The drivers area looked the worse for wear, but the car seemed OK otherwise - aside from the seasick pitching and heaving "ride" quality.
My mother had one of those egg Corollas...had hilarious plood trim up front. She didn't mind it as it was economical and she said it was as smooth as the Taurus it replaced - but I wasn't crying when it got hit and was written off. Felt very tinny and unsubstantial. The Camry which replaced it is like a Lexus LS in comparison.
I feel the same about my Cobalt. Nice cars. Love mine.
Seems like the detractors spend extra time trying to criticize them: must be something good there, sort of like the politicians spending time criticizing potentional candidates of the opposing party when they present a real threat to the incumbant!
Heck, your 'Bu must feel like a Mercedes compared to the Cobalt!
I will concede that the few times I drive the Malibu, I like not having to shift my own gears, roll my own window down, and reach across to unlock the doors!
You might be surprised how quiet a Cobalt is, and how smooth its little four is. The car's definitely quieter than my coworker's '05 Civic and '09 Matrix. Easily gets 35 mpg even when I put my foot into it.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I've always felt Honda followed GM's styling on popular models to increase sales of their cars. The Accord rehash took Impala taillights to replace the Buick lights the Accords had.
I agree, they both have 4 wheels, 4 doors, headlights, taillights etc...
Other than that I don't know where you think the Snuze and Civic styling is similar. :confuse: The Civic has been an evolution of itself generation after generation.
last generation:
2004 model:
if anything, I see more Hyundai Elantra than I do Snuze, but maybe I'm not looking through the same rose colored glasses that you do?
:sick: lol, Honda does very little fleet sales so I doubt they used the Impy or Buick as a styling direction "to increase sales of their cars", lol.
The Accord revision was because the rear end styling was risky and different and disappointed alot of the previous generation fans, but sales also faltered because the car blew up in size to compete better with other full sizers like the Avalon and Maxima, thus alienating the traditional fans who liked the traditional nimbleness and fun to drive nature the Accord carried. The rather unoffensive makeover was better than another drasticly wild styling change that would cost another 2 years of declining sales until the model refresh.
That recommended maintainence is included in the price of the car and IIRC is covered 100% for the first 3 years, or maybe it's 5 now. I know Volvo offers 5 years of coverage, so Benz may have stepped up their coverage as well.
Honda does very little fleet sales so I doubt they used the Impy or Buick as a styling direction "to increase sales of their cars", lol.
I think the main reason the '03 Accord gets compared to a Buick is because it had those full-width taillights, something that had been a Buick tradition for ages. And interestingly, something Buick themselves has moved away from.
My biggest issue with those taillights was that to me, the assembly looked like it was on upside-down! I also didn't care for the overly-large headlights on that generation of Accord, but you really can't fault it, since just about everybody was doing it then.
Honda might have also tried to make the '03 Accord a bit more conservative, to remain appealing to the Accord buyers as they aged.
I think the biggest threat to the Accord back then was the re-invigorated Altima. Traditionally, the Camry was a more conservative take on the mainstream sedan, while the Accord was a sportier interpretation of the mainstream sedan. The Altima had been a good seller initially, but the oddly-shaped '98-01 style pretty much took it out of the running. But then along came the 2002, with bold new styling, powerful 2.5 4-cyl, and the V-6 right out of the Maxima.
I'd imagine that the Altima siphoned off more Accord customers than it did Camry customers. I would've thought that it would have also cannibalized a lot of Maxima customers, but I don't think that ever happened.
The current generation of Accord takes a lot of flak, but I like it. The headlights, IMO, are much better proportioned, and I don't think has a bad line on it. Now, I'd hardly call it drop-dead gorgeous, but I think the overall effort is decent enough. I guess the biggest problem is that it just doesn't look uniquely "Honda" to me anymore. The roofline looks like it came off a BMW 5-series, the front-end makes me think of the mid-cycle facelift that Nissan did to the Altima around 2005, and the rear, for some reason, makes me think of a Saturn L-100.
But, I think that's just how cars in general are getting. There isn't much out there that hasn't been done before, and often a styling feature is just a new twist on something that was tried in the past.
I had the coupe version with the 240 HP V6 3.0 Wonder Miracle Engine that gave me many reasons to love Honda, one of which was being able to sell it for tremendous resale value at 50 months old, with 65,000 miles, for 53% of its original out the door costs on the dot.
Honda rocks. :P
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
John V. Karavitis I came across an article on Yahoo News! yesterday ("Private hiring jumps, sparking recovery hopes"), which claimed that "automakers are cranking up production", etc. If that's the case, does this also imply that Detroit has gotten its act together re quality issues and also giving the customer what they want? I know that "Government Motors" has allegedly paid back all the loans it got from Uncle Sam (and kudos to Ford for refusing to accept any!!!), but I don't think that alone inspires any confidence in yours truly.
Sorry, but I have no faith in Dertoit, and, given that I'm looking for my next car, four of my top five choices are NOT American. (I'll give you a hint: Japanese, Japanese, Korean and Korean, and the fifth tied between Ford and Chevrolet.) Should I give Detroit a second chance??? John V. Karavitis
John, there'll be three or four regular posters on this board who will answer your question with "Hell no!" and three or four who will answer your question with 'Yes!'. Personally, I never quit buying American and I'm a cheapskate...if I was putting out a lot of $$ in repairs I'd never buy the same brand again...but I never put out a lot of $$ in repairs. Regardless, last month three of the four top-selling models in the U.S. were Chevrolets, and I think it's been a long time since that happened. Japanese brands and Ford were down, compared to GM. There must be some real reason, not just the 'phantom' reasons pro-import lovers like to throw out. At least, compare when you buy next....compare everything...comfort, warranty, styling, number of dealers, assembly point and percentage of North American parts content (on everybody's window sticker), and think what your purchase means not only to the automaker's employees but all the suppliers in an area. It's time to stop beating up Detroit for the sins of the past and move forward. It looks like America is doing that.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Remember when you learned about the "time value of money" in school? Money saved at the front end is better than money a few years from now, due to investment potential.
I'd say that it's a no-brainer that the Chevys could have been bought for less than the Honda new.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I might also add that I don't know a soul who trades in three years anymore--even though I generally used to.
To the original poster with the question, I'd say that sometimes you just have to look yourself and compare yourself, and not get hung up on what the so-called 'experts' have to say. They're human thus judgmental, like everybody else, and come to the table with innate biases and other things.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
If you want to support the UAW and want to reward failure like some others would prefer we do, then by all means Government Motors wants your business...
Japanese brands and Ford were down, compared to GM. There must be some real reason, not just the 'phantom' reasons pro-import lovers like to throw out
Your right man, that little flood (I think they call it "sirnarmee" or something) thing was made up and had no effect at all. Really some dude at a nnuclear powerplant just flooded the bathroom or something and all those companies went on an extended holiday just for the hell of it. Yup, just closed up shop, went home.
Come on, Camrys are made in the 'States...what would the tsunami have to do with that? Also, why are Fords and Nissans (supposedly not affected by the tsunami) down on the list, and GM's up? You'd want all to believe it has nothing to do with what GM is doing right. Just step back from it all for a minute and look at it.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
So this has nothing to do with what GM is doing right, and customers voting with their dollars--but has to do with Ford not being able to get black paint for their F-150's? Is that the only color they offer? Man, talk about excuses.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Don't waste your energy. Some just do not understand the auto supply allows GM to keep the top sales spots. OK?
The best new sign for the market may well have been something that used to cause nothing but frowns among brand executives: the onset of a big new incentive program. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. launched its summer-clearance campaign over the Fourth of July weekend, which meant three good things for the U.S. market and Toyota: the company’s supplies of North American-built models were beginning to return to pre-disaster levels; many Toyota fans who had been sitting on the sidelines could re-engage in vehicle shopping; and the perception of a little relief on prices could help lure Americans back into all brands’ showrooms after many consumers showed hesitance in June about paying higher prices for less selection.
Don't waste your energy. Some just do not understand the auto supply allows GM to keep the top sales spots. OK?
...And some just don't (want to) understand, or believe, that GM is actually making vehicles that people want.
Me? I'm not denying that the tsunami had SOME effect on import sales, but I'll also add that Toyota's recall fiasco is still weighing heavily on some buyers, hoax or not. Don't believe it? Ask Audi, they'll tell you all about it...
And as far as incentives go, I never thought there would be a day where Toyota is actually offering better incentives than GM, but it's happening, right now.
Well, Honda had no such recall and their inventory and profits plummeted.
As far as better incentives, GM is still King. Let's see how much higher incentives go on their bloated trucks....
What makes analysts and industry officials most nervous is whether the U.S. economy will depress the usual surge in demand in the second-half. If buyers don't show, heftier incentives could result -- especially from GM -- and drag down profits.
"That is what we would like to know," Richard Bame, Toyota's national marketing manager for trucks, said of fears of higher incentives later in the year.
"We thought Ford was showing some pretty good restraint," he added. "But we haven't seen so much of that from General Motors and Chrysler."
Buyer incentives for full-sized pickup trucks are $5,350 per sale for the Sierra, $4,880 for the Silverado, $4,450 for Chrysler's Dodge Ram, $3,750 for Ford's F-Series and $2,654 for the Toyota Tundra, TrueCar said.
GM raises the most concern with the high number of trucks on its dealer lots.
"If demand doesn't come back in the second half, that means fire sale come December," Toprak said of the risk to GM. On the flip side, if demand does rebound, the company will be sitting pretty with lots of trucks to offer, he added.
"General Motors is experimenting with free auto insurance for new-car buyers in Oregon and Washington in a feel-good test calculated to entice buyers into showrooms by making vehicles more affordable.
The standard auto insurance program applies to new 2010, 2011 or 2012 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles and is only good on purchases through September 6.
In an interesting twist, GM's top marketing guys — Joel Ewanick and Chris Perry — came to the Detroit automaker from Hyundai, which pioneered such innovative tactics as the vehicle return program."
I came across an article on Yahoo News! yesterday ("Private hiring jumps, sparking recovery hopes"), which claimed that "automakers are cranking up production", etc. If that's the case,
No, unfortunately it's not the case. Keynesian theory as we're seeing does not work when - economic problems are due to excessive debt, and most of the stimulus will go overseas 1 way or the other. The cure to excessive debt is not to spend more, and go deeper into debt. The problem gets worse. If you're in debt, the solution is not to spend more.
Even GM these days makes most of its revenue and profit from overseas. It doesn't make or sell the majority of its components, assemblies and vehicles here. The U.S. will be entering a 2nd recession soon as all the stimulus spending was nothing but a temporary high, which made the debt problem worse, and the hangover is going to be worse. The government is broke, the Federal Reserve has devalued our currency and the economy is heading for the crapper.
Caring about GM is not going to be high on everyone's list next year or in a few years. Change is coming very, very fast.
If you want to support the UAW and want to reward failure like some others would prefer we do, then by all means Government Motors wants your business...
The UAW has caused cost issues, but don't you think the bulk of problems the past few years are more attributable to white collar? Not just the leadership, but mediocre engineers and poor purchasing people focused solely on the low cost bidder. I sometimes worry that our engineering and business schools are falling behind and poorly focused.
Keynesian theory as we're seeing does not work when - economic problems are due to excessive debt
I don't disagree totally, but I'm thinking more of a five year malaise rather than the economy going into depression. The BRIC countries can't keep their growth rate indefinitely and over time will loose a lot of their current world economy advantage. True, China is also growing internally, but objectively, the country is a potential big mess down the road.
As for gov spending, agree we need to cut back, but not too fast or it may backfire. Also this constant attack on teachers and the like is not a good move long term. Our schools are already behind, but you can't just blame teachers when parents don't due their part and lawyers sue out of control.
I think a big problem with our nation, perhaps brought on by too much welfare and permisiveness, is that too many Americans have become lazy and expect someone else to handle it whatever the issue or problem. Americans need to step up to the plate like they used to do several decades ago. Too few are willing anymore unfortunately and the resulting decline shoudn't really be a surprise.
Excellent post. You are now focusing in on the fundamentals of business failure 101. The result of the unknowing looking to cut costs all ALL COSTS.
At the end of the day, the answer is what I believe Lutz was eluding to in his book....focus on the products. Needs to have EVERYONE focus on the product. That would be BEST PRODUCT not the ones that meet the competition.....Like the Malibu, CTS and Equinox, not to mention the Lamdas and the Buick cars. They are greatly improved, afaic, but a step behind the competition, both domestic and foreign.
Just imagine the Cruze at only 15% better in all of the categories we rate new cars. Unfortunately, that is NOT the case today but it was in reach of GM. The usual is what comes up as a result. Finally a good car.
Better but not the BEST. Keep trying GM. Profit after delivery, PLEASE! Let the buyers know that GM BLOWS AWAY the competition.
Many miles before they sleep, I'm afraid. :surprise:
Comments
Want uninspiring?
The backwash from all those years of compact car development at Chevy, no doubt!
Regards,
OW
(okay, it was actually Bill Mitchell that said it, but I've heard Lemko repeat it!
I don't know, it was a 2011 dependability study, so I don't know where they (JD) derived the data.
As far as different powertrain options, I think several of the cars do. The Fusion offers 4 (hybrid, 2.5 4cyl, 3.0v6, and 3.5 v6) and it scored #1 overall. The Altima offeres both 4cyl and 6cyl, as does the VW and Cam/Cord.
Obviously the Malibu classic would be different than the current, but didn't the classic still use basically the same 4cyl as the current BU? Also the the Fusion went through a fairly substantial update in 2010 with the addition of the 3.5 v6 and I believe an updated 4cyl and the intro of the hybrid.
Also, the current gen Malibu hasn't scored particularly well on Truedelta either. For example truedelta shows a reports 56 repairs per 100 cars on a 2009 Malibu vs. 17/100 for a 2009 Fusion and 31/100 for an Accord, 35/100 Altima, 34/100 for Sonata, 27/100 for Camry.
5-speed, AC, satellite radio, ABS, 4-doors...bought brand-spanking new at $9,900. Still enjoying it at 48K miles. Built forty miles down the road from me, with either 75% or 80% NA parts content. Looks less dorky than a Corolla IMHO too (although the coupe looks way better).
I rode in a Town Car from the airport a while back...it was an older one that like 300K on it. The drivers area looked the worse for wear, but the car seemed OK otherwise - aside from the seasick pitching and heaving "ride"
quality.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Regards,
OW
I feel the same about my Cobalt. Nice cars. Love mine.
Seems like the detractors spend extra time trying to criticize them: must be something good there, sort of like the politicians spending time criticizing potentional candidates of the opposing party when they present a real threat to the incumbant!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Regards,
OW
I will concede that the few times I drive the Malibu, I like not having to shift my own gears, roll my own window down, and reach across to unlock the doors!
You might be surprised how quiet a Cobalt is, and how smooth its little four is. The car's definitely quieter than my coworker's '05 Civic and '09 Matrix. Easily gets 35 mpg even when I put my foot into it.
Of course, those that don't like the Cruze will think this thing's beautiful.
I've always felt Honda followed GM's styling on popular models to increase sales of their cars. The Accord rehash took Impala taillights to replace the Buick lights the Accords had.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Other than that I don't know where you think the Snuze and Civic styling is similar. :confuse: The Civic has been an evolution of itself generation after generation.
last generation:
2004 model:
if anything, I see more Hyundai Elantra than I do Snuze, but maybe I'm not looking through the same rose colored glasses that you do?
You think the new model looks like those iterations?
I suggest your glasses aren't rose-colored; they're borrowed from Ray Charles.
Except that the dealer's recommended maintenance schedule doesn't require a home equity loan.
Evolution.
My CR-V is also doing very nicely. 49K and not a single issue. Hasn't seen the dealer since new.
I do miss those roll-up windows, however.
Regards,
OW
The Accord revision was because the rear end styling was risky and different and disappointed alot of the previous generation fans, but sales also faltered because the car blew up in size to compete better with other full sizers like the Avalon and Maxima, thus alienating the traditional fans who liked the traditional nimbleness and fun to drive nature the Accord carried. The rather unoffensive makeover was better than another drasticly wild styling change that would cost another 2 years of declining sales until the model refresh.
I think the main reason the '03 Accord gets compared to a Buick is because it had those full-width taillights, something that had been a Buick tradition for ages. And interestingly, something Buick themselves has moved away from.
My biggest issue with those taillights was that to me, the assembly looked like it was on upside-down! I also didn't care for the overly-large headlights on that generation of Accord, but you really can't fault it, since just about everybody was doing it then.
Honda might have also tried to make the '03 Accord a bit more conservative, to remain appealing to the Accord buyers as they aged.
I think the biggest threat to the Accord back then was the re-invigorated Altima. Traditionally, the Camry was a more conservative take on the mainstream sedan, while the Accord was a sportier interpretation of the mainstream sedan. The Altima had been a good seller initially, but the oddly-shaped '98-01 style pretty much took it out of the running. But then along came the 2002, with bold new styling, powerful 2.5 4-cyl, and the V-6 right out of the Maxima.
I'd imagine that the Altima siphoned off more Accord customers than it did Camry customers. I would've thought that it would have also cannibalized a lot of Maxima customers, but I don't think that ever happened.
The current generation of Accord takes a lot of flak, but I like it. The headlights, IMO, are much better proportioned, and I don't think has a bad line on it. Now, I'd hardly call it drop-dead gorgeous, but I think the overall effort is decent enough. I guess the biggest problem is that it just doesn't look uniquely "Honda" to me anymore. The roofline looks like it came off a BMW 5-series, the front-end makes me think of the mid-cycle facelift that Nissan did to the Altima around 2005, and the rear, for some reason, makes me think of a Saturn L-100.
But, I think that's just how cars in general are getting. There isn't much out there that hasn't been done before, and often a styling feature is just a new twist on something that was tried in the past.
The Altima? You mean the one with the '56 Dodge rear? :P
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Honda rocks. :P
Sorry, but I have no faith in Dertoit, and, given that I'm looking for my next car, four of my top five choices are NOT American. (I'll give you a hint: Japanese, Japanese, Korean and Korean, and the fifth tied between Ford and Chevrolet.) Should I give Detroit a second chance??? John V. Karavitis
Not bad at all.
2008 'Bu LTZ V-6 w/exact mileage - $18,679
2008 "Nox LT V-4 -cyl. AWD w/exact mileage $16,860
Nature of the beast.
Regards,
OW
I'd say that it's a no-brainer that the Chevys could have been bought for less than the Honda new.
To the original poster with the question, I'd say that sometimes you just have to look yourself and compare yourself, and not get hung up on what the so-called 'experts' have to say. They're human thus judgmental, like everybody else, and come to the table with innate biases and other things.
Your right man, that little flood (I think they call it "sirnarmee" or something) thing was made up and had no effect at all. Really some dude at a nnuclear powerplant just flooded the bathroom or something and all those companies went on an extended holiday just for the hell of it. Yup, just closed up shop, went home.
"phantom" reasons... wow. :sick:
Did you miss the story about how Ford was unable to get black paint for F-150 trucks? It's only their top selling vehicle...
Did you see the record "dealer stuffing" figures that were posted yesterday? Or are those "phantom" as well?
The best new sign for the market may well have been something that used to cause nothing but frowns among brand executives: the onset of a big new incentive program. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. launched its summer-clearance campaign over the Fourth of July weekend, which meant three good things for the U.S. market and Toyota: the company’s supplies of North American-built models were beginning to return to pre-disaster levels; many Toyota fans who had been sitting on the sidelines could re-engage in vehicle shopping; and the perception of a little relief on prices could help lure Americans back into all brands’ showrooms after many consumers showed hesitance in June about paying higher prices for less selection.
Regards,
OW
...And some just don't (want to) understand, or believe, that GM is actually making vehicles that people want.
Me? I'm not denying that the tsunami had SOME effect on import sales, but I'll also add that Toyota's recall fiasco is still weighing heavily on some buyers, hoax or not. Don't believe it? Ask Audi, they'll tell you all about it...
And as far as incentives go, I never thought there would be a day where Toyota is actually offering better incentives than GM, but it's happening, right now.
As far as better incentives, GM is still King. Let's see how much higher incentives go on their bloated trucks....
What makes analysts and industry officials most nervous is whether the U.S. economy will depress the usual surge in demand in the second-half. If buyers don't show, heftier incentives could result -- especially from GM -- and drag down profits.
"That is what we would like to know," Richard Bame, Toyota's national marketing manager for trucks, said of fears of higher incentives later in the year.
"We thought Ford was showing some pretty good restraint," he added. "But we haven't seen so much of that from General Motors and Chrysler."
Buyer incentives for full-sized pickup trucks are $5,350 per sale for the Sierra, $4,880 for the Silverado, $4,450 for Chrysler's Dodge Ram, $3,750 for Ford's F-Series and $2,654 for the Toyota Tundra, TrueCar said.
GM raises the most concern with the high number of trucks on its dealer lots.
"If demand doesn't come back in the second half, that means fire sale come December," Toprak said of the risk to GM. On the flip side, if demand does rebound, the company will be sitting pretty with lots of trucks to offer, he added.
Regards,
OW
Toyota and Chevy sell more than just trucks.
Corolla - 0%/36 months
Cruze - 2.9%/36 months
Highlander - 0%/36 months
Equinox - 2.9%/36 months
Even the almighty Camry isn't immune - 0% for 60 months, matching the Malibu. This would have been UNHEARD OF only a year ago.
Spin it all you want, but incentives aren't the big draw for GM anymore, it may just actually be their (gasp!) vehicles that are selling themselves.
I'll admit the Cruze doesn't need the incentive boost (2.9% financing) but Malibu is right up there at the top...$2,500/0%, $1,000 cash-to-dealer.
Do you really think the Cruze will outsell the 'rolla and the 'vic forever??
Regards,
OW
The standard auto insurance program applies to new 2010, 2011 or 2012 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles and is only good on purchases through September 6.
In an interesting twist, GM's top marketing guys — Joel Ewanick and Chris Perry — came to the Detroit automaker from Hyundai, which pioneered such innovative tactics as the vehicle return program."
GM Offers Free Auto Insurance to New-Car Buyers (Inside Line)
No, unfortunately it's not the case. Keynesian theory as we're seeing does not work when - economic problems are due to excessive debt, and most of the stimulus will go overseas 1 way or the other. The cure to excessive debt is not to spend more, and go deeper into debt. The problem gets worse. If you're in debt, the solution is not to spend more.
Even GM these days makes most of its revenue and profit from overseas. It doesn't make or sell the majority of its components, assemblies and vehicles here. The U.S. will be entering a 2nd recession soon as all the stimulus spending was nothing but a temporary high, which made the debt problem worse, and the hangover is going to be worse. The government is broke, the Federal Reserve has devalued our currency and the economy is heading for the crapper.
Caring about GM is not going to be high on everyone's list next year or in a few years. Change is coming very, very fast.
The UAW has caused cost issues, but don't you think the bulk of problems the past few years are more attributable to white collar? Not just the leadership, but mediocre engineers and poor purchasing people focused solely on the low cost bidder. I sometimes worry that our engineering and business schools are falling behind and poorly focused.
I don't disagree totally, but I'm thinking more of a five year malaise rather than the economy going into depression. The BRIC countries can't keep their growth rate indefinitely and over time will loose a lot of their current world economy advantage. True, China is also growing internally, but objectively, the country is a potential big mess down the road.
As for gov spending, agree we need to cut back, but not too fast or it may backfire. Also this constant attack on teachers and the like is not a good move long term. Our schools are already behind, but you can't just blame teachers when parents don't due their part and lawyers sue out of control.
I think a big problem with our nation, perhaps brought on by too much welfare and permisiveness, is that too many Americans have become lazy and expect someone else to handle it whatever the issue or problem. Americans need to step up to the plate like they used to do several decades ago. Too few are willing anymore unfortunately and the resulting decline shoudn't really be a surprise.
At the end of the day, the answer is what I believe Lutz was eluding to in his book....focus on the products. Needs to have EVERYONE focus on the product. That would be BEST PRODUCT not the ones that meet the competition.....Like the Malibu, CTS and Equinox, not to mention the Lamdas and the Buick cars. They are greatly improved, afaic, but a step behind the competition, both domestic and foreign.
Just imagine the Cruze at only 15% better in all of the categories we rate new cars. Unfortunately, that is NOT the case today but it was in reach of GM. The usual is what comes up as a result. Finally a good car.
Better but not the BEST. Keep trying GM. Profit after delivery, PLEASE! Let the buyers know that GM BLOWS AWAY the competition.
Many miles before they sleep, I'm afraid. :surprise:
Regards,
OW