Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views Automotive News & Views-Archives GM Is on The Offensive. Will it work? 
7057 messages, Last post on Sep 04, 2007 at 8:13 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views-Archives Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
|
Replying to: 1487 (Sep 03, 2007 3:15 pm) Fusion is about 22% of its sales that go to fleets and as Loren mentioned before The Sonata is at 27.6% of its total sales that go to fleets. "I'm sure same applies to Sebring and Avenger." Uh the Sebring and Avenger account for 64% and 80% of its total sales respectively. "ALso, camry fleet sales are probably higher than ever before and the car is only 1.5 years old." No, so far this year dating to the May 2007 sales month I think fleets only accounted for 7.7% of its total sales and last gen Camry 12% to 15% of its total sales were to fleets I think. |
|
|
Replying to: m1miata (Sep 03, 2007 10:56 am) what does this have to do with what I said? I stated that GM had stability standard on a number of non luxur models as far back as 2000. I dont get your response. The intrigue had stability, DOHC motor, IRS, and good handling back in 2000. How is that equal to offering crank start or whatever you said? "For Japan and other countries to be leading the way in engineering and products is so sad." anyone who knows a lot about the industry and who came up with what first would not make such a statement. Anyone who doesnt, well you know. Care to come up with some examples of Japanese car innovation outside of VTEC and hybrids? I would love to hear some examples. |
|
|
Replying to: 1487 (Sep 03, 2007 3:21 pm) No, 1487 I wasn;t saying you have to pay MSRP for Toyota I;m talking about Factory rebates that Toyota gives out. BTW, paying MSRP for any car is ridiculous in my opinion. I'll take a look more at the car ads this weekend though. I usually get the Star Ledger(newspaper.)
|
|
|
Replying to: m1miata (Sep 03, 2007 11:06 am) Considering GM's recent design trends, upgaded powertrains, better warranty and commitment to hybrids I would say they are leading or at least preparing to. You continut to talk about GM of the 80s and if this were 1987 you're knowledge would be very handy but alas we are in 2007 and the "old" GM is slowly dying. Tell you again, the facts dont line up with the "GM had never changed" rhetoric you promote so enthusiastically. Read Karl Brauer's blog here on the new CTS and then tell me how GM is "following" as you attest. Keep in mind Karl is hardly a GM fan who has been rooting for the home team. When I first encountered him on Edmunds several years back I would say he hated GM about as much as you and gsemike. Before responding to this I suggest you read his commentary on the car.
|
|
|
Replying to: carguy58 (Sep 03, 2007 3:28 pm) factory rebates are usually only hald the discounts offered. Sure the average Toyota may only have $1500 in factory rebates but the dealers may tack on another $2k+ depending on model. All the ads I see say "$4000 of 2007 4Runners!" and what not.
|
|
|
Replying to: carguy58 (Sep 03, 2007 2:21 pm) average incentive numbers mean nothing without knowing average MSRPs of vehicles sold. Toyota sells far fewer trucks/SUVs than GM and thus their average MSRP of vehicles sold is likely thousands less. Big trucks with $40k+ price tags often come with big incentives and that drives up the average for GM and the other Big 2. Toyota gets the lion's share of its sales from Camrys (mostly 4s), corollas. Highlanders and Prius'. |
|
|
Replying to: 1487 (Sep 03, 2007 3:20 pm) So what's the benchmark in the mid-size class 1487? The Altima, The Aura or some other car in your opinion. I agree even as a Honda fan the 08 accord and the 03-07 model as well has some weak styling thats probably why I never buy one. It just doesn't appeal to me its like a girl that you have everything in common with and she has a real nice personality but your just not physically attracted to her. As far as gas mileadge goes the Accord gets good gas mileadge. I agree it is one of the highest priced vehicles in its class.
|
|
|
Replying to: 1487 (Sep 03, 2007 3:33 pm) So did you see a breakdown of the 4K off that was being offered on the 4 Runner like for example did the ad say or list: Factory Rebate: $2,000, Dealer Discount: $2,000. |
|
|
GM Crossover Trio Lures Drivers Away From Asian-Brand Vehicles Offerings Are Bright Spot Amid U.S. Sales Decline; Dealers Can't Get Enough By NEAL E. BOUDETTE September 4, 2007 General Motors Corp. is struggling to halt declining U.S. sales, but it has a bright spot in the three large crossover vehicles it launched in the past year. The Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook each have three rows of seats and look like big sport-utility vehicles, but they are lighter, have a smoother ride and get better gas mileage than SUVs. Made from many of the same parts, all three are selling briskly and have a GM plant in Lansing, Mich., running at full capacity, a key to profitable auto production. More importantly, the trio is doing something few other Detroit vehicles can achieve these days -- they are pulling drivers from import brands. Luring drivers of foreign brands back to domestic vehicles is a critical task for all three Detroit auto makers as they scramble to turn around their North American operations and stem their decades-long slide in market share. Fresh evidence of their troubles is due today in August vehicle-sales reports, which are expected to show continuing weakness for both foreign and domestic manufacturers. Brian MacDonald is one driver attracted by GM's new crossovers. An investment-fund manager in California, Mr. MacDonald has driven nothing but BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes for the past 20 years. But last month, with the lease on his Mercedes ML-Class winding down, Mr. MacDonald leased a $45,000 Enclave, the most luxurious of GM's three models. "If someone had told me a few months ago I'd be driving a Buick, my reaction would have been 'no way, no how,' " says Mr. MacDonald, 46 years old. The Enclave, he said, offers the roominess to haul around his three young children and the styling and interior comforts he was accustomed to with the Mercedes. Because the Mercedes ML sells for about $30,000 more than the Enclave, his monthly payment on the Buick was almost $300 lower. GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC remain the dominant manufacturers of trucks, but sales of pickups and SUVs have been falling amid high gasoline prices and changing consumer tastes. With more and more consumers moving to passenger cars and crossovers, the Big Three have to step up their competitiveness in these segments or their turnaround efforts could be squeezed for cash. But it is an uphill battle. About two-thirds of the vehicles GM sells through its dealerships go to customers who trade in GM vehicles, according to data from the Power Information Network, a division of J.D. Power & Associates. Only a fraction -- less than 3% -- go to people trading in vehicles made by Toyota Motor Corp. or Honda Motor Co. The three new crossovers do much better. Half of all Acadias and Outlooks go to customers who trade in GM vehicles; about 20% go to people trading Asian-brand vehicles. For the Enclave, the numbers are slightly lower but still better: 44% of all trade-ins are non-GM brands; 14% of the trade-ins are Asian vehicles. GM doesn't disclose profit margins of its vehicles, but other measures indicate the three crossovers are performing well financially. The company just added a third shift at the Michigan plant producing the vehicles, at a time when GM is trimming production of its full-size SUVs and pickup trucks. Dealers say they can't get enough Acadias and Enclaves. "We're selling them as soon as they come off the truck," said Dan Marquardt, owner of Barrington Buick-Pontiac-GMC in Barrington, Ill. At the end of July, GM had enough cars and trucks in inventory to last 70 days. But it had only a 22-day supply of Enclaves, a 32-day supply of Acadias and a 51-day supply of Outlooks. Such tight supplies cut the need for sales incentives. "We're getting full price," Mr. Marquardt said. It will be a challenge for GM to keep the three crossovers in this position. A Chevrolet version is in the works, and could skim buyers from the Buick, GMC and Saturn models. The Chevy model will be built in a different plant in Spring Hill, Tenn. Write to Neal E. Boudette at neal.boudette  wsj.com
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: 1487 (Sep 03, 2007 3:20 pm) Right on. When the Edmunds review of the 2008 sedan mentions the expansion joint kerthuds and the tire noise due to minimal sound-proofing, they point out the flaws in the earlier model. But you'd never have known it had flaws to read about it earlier; they were the holy grail. "Our ears also measured a slight reduction in tire hum and bump-thuds (a term we just coined) over the previous Accord. More sound-deadening material was part of the solution. But so were myriad changes to stiffen key parts of the body, including the floor panel, front wheel housings and upper suspension mounts."
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views Automotive News & Views-Archives GM Is on The Offensive. Will it work?
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
