FUTURE_OF_GM

This thread = :rotflmao: How on earth could anyone fit in that thing?

In front of the camera...

Agreed... The consumer is too smart for that. They know what "GM" means and they know it isn't a me too Japanese wannabe.

Chevrolet can be an anomaly in the car market. They are so big and so broad that they can 'justify' selling anything in the eyes of the consumer because they HAVE been all things to all people at some point in time. What other brand could possibly sell $100,000 Corvettes next to $10,000 Aveos? What other brand could spearhead the future of automotive technology, the Volt, while at the same time, selling some of the biggest (saleswise) truck brands in the market? Think about this for a second: In the 90's, by some accounts, Chevrolet was the BEST SELLING luxury automaker in america, simply because they moved so many trucks and SUVs at MSRPs north of $35-45,000 (remember, this was in the 90's) I can't remember where that little nugget came from, but I actually remember reading it just like that. This PROVEN ability to be all things to all people CAN be GM's saving grace so long as it fuels Chevy with the products it needs and doesn't tarnish the brands image (even more, to some) Chevrolet can be the powerhouse, while all of the other brands can either work to grow or occupy niches. Some studies have shown that 1) young people don't have the built in anti-Detroit bias that the boomers and to some extent Gen Xers have and 2) many young people actually trust Chevrolet and Ford over the imports. Now, whether that will remain given the boomer and Gen Xer media tirade against Detroit and the constant talk of bankruptcy, remains to be seen. I agree... But at the same time, do you really expect to see the Camry demographic cross shopping these cars without a MAJOR marketing push and a MAJOR change of heart? The LX cars, IMO, were an exception, because they enjoyed SO MUCH positive exposure that it became "cool" to trade a Camry or other appliance for these cars. But under normal circumstances, I just don't see a CR humping, Toyota loving Camry driver even looking at a "historic muscle car nameplate" from an "old line Detroit manufacturer" Does that mean the eventual end of the road for this type of car? Absolutely not! As long as the product doesn't wither, there will always be people that want this sort of thing. However, I don't think you'll ever see 60s or 70s sales numbers again. RE: THE INTERIORS... I just don't see what the big deal is... Are you people averse to SOMETHING DIFFERENT?!?! Because that's what it seems like. I personally, do not want a 'sedan sedate' interior in my Camaro, or Mustang (which, BTW, the 2010 looks very impressive) It's not a damn Cadillac, it's a Camaro or a Charger (You know, the cars that a lot of you stereotype white trash people in) And if you want to start talking import interface and that being the kill all/be all for sales, then why is the new Z car from Nissan such a hit. It's interior is horrible. In fact, why is Nissan -- the supposed new Pontiac of mainstream brands and self described "performance" brand, doing SO WELL with it's years of horrible interiors?

I saw that the other day and thought; REALLY??!?! Almost makes one wonder if there isn't some subliminal message in the commercial or something Come to think of it; I've never really understood why Detroit became universally lambasted circa 2005... Maybe that was why. Anyway... Yeah, I almost gizzed on the TV too when I saw that little piece of heaven called the RX and the mellow, oh-so-soul enriching music... (Stuff like this makes me want to get physically violent)

http://www.autonews.com/article/20090316/A.../903160330/1142 LOS ANGELES — Not only are Toyota Division's new-vehicle sales plunging, but so are residual values on its used cars and trucks. That is depriving Toyota of one of its best marketing tools: the healthy residuals the brand long has been able to brag about.

:rotflmao:

Definition of FORD the river Definition of FORGE, as in a blacksmiths forge.

Hot Wheels... By Proton.

Sigma was ALWAYS meant to be stretched. It was the first candidate for the Sixteen program (well, the idea of the program, anyway) As far as putting DT7 (what a dumb assed name) on Sigma... You guys are simply making too much sense for GM to ever grasp. Instead of building a bridge over a river, they'd rather first dig the river wider, then do a rain dance and then try to ford said river in the middle of the thunderstorm... That's just how they work.

Too bad they beat it with the ugly stick... (FOG is crossing his fingers that said car simply does not photograph well)

Protectionist policies sure have worked for Japan... (From a manufacturing standpoint -- which is all I care about at this point)

Anyone else catch that the V6 model will get 29MPG highway? And why, again, isn't Zeta a viable platform? Imagine what a Turbo 4 would do in the car (economy-wise) I think cars like the Camaro and Challenger (and even G8) are selling because of the clientele they sell to. The people buying these cars either 1) specifically want them, no matter what the cost or cost of fuel -or- 2) already have $$$ and either can easily afford them or afford to keep them as a weekend car. People don't cross shop G8's and Camry's... It's just not gonna happen, no matter how hard GM tries. That's why we need VERY competent Epsilon cars (such as the Malibu and Aura and what the G6 was originally SUPPOSED TO BE)

Just shows that it only takes a few wolves to cause a stampede of sheep.

Well, you know Hot Wheels had all those legacy issues and multiple brands. Not to mention, the UMW breathing down their neck and not allowing them to close assembly lines.

I agree.

I actually want to see that. Looks good!

The GF just presented me with a "custom" Hot Wheels car from F. A. Schwarz that she built during her trip to Manhattan. (Pretty freakin' sweet!)

As always... GOLDEN!

Fell off the wagon this week, but I try to work out 5 days a week. 20 minutes of cardio, lifting/push up/crunches for the rest. I was doing good, but this week was spring break and I've eaten everything in site and not worked out since Monday.

Which means, if what PCS said is true about Cadillac versus Pontiac, Buick will be the next Pontiac. Exactly... GM wants cadillac to become Saab now. (apparently... like they're actually going to be able to pull that off) Because domestics use them... Except for the new Mini SUV. It does an excellent job of pretending to be a real SUV.

Once again, I ask: Why couldn't this be a Pontiac G6? For that matter, if GM does dispose of Opel, why couldn't Pontiac expand into Europe to cover that ground? (with nicer products, obviously)

Unless you put it in context... Hmm.. CHARGER, a name that has 40, maybe 50 years of recognition on a mass produced platform that got TONS of exposure when it was introduced as Dodge's new BREAD and BUTTER sedan. Compared to... G8... A new, meaningless, alphanumeric name which 80% of the population doesn't even know exists from a "second tier" brand in a market that COULDN'T BE LESS CONDUCIVE to the cars existence. All this amid THE DREADED GM DEATHWATCH media push, and PONTIAC consolidation that has been happening... Nah... The G8 isn't a success at all... And the Charger isn't an apples to oranges comparison at all... Nah... Those days are over... The media tirade has even made GM loyalists jaded to the company now. But, you know what I say about a burning plane... You take that plane and put it on autopilot towards the biggest pile of gasoline and ammo you can find. here's to hoping that GM does go through bankruptcy, and here's to hoping that it takes down as much of america's economy as possible.

And finally, 3 pages in, someone starts to make some sense. IF Pontiac is to truly be a niche division (READ: not sh*t canned) this is exactly what is important for the brand going forward. The G8 is a huge success because it is beginning to foster the kind of buyer that Pontiac, in the future, (and GM as a whole IMO) needs to survive.

Excellent read! As I have said for many years here, the media is at the core of all of this because americans aren't bright enough to seperate fact from fiction. I, however, DO NOT think we will ever recover from this. (In fact, I'm betting on it)