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Automotive News & Views GM News, New Models and Market Share
8053 messages, Last post on Nov 08, 2009 at 9:59 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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GENERAL MOTORS will announce Monday that it will make lithium-ion battery packs to power the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and other extended-range electric vehicles at a new facility in Michigan. With the announcement, to be made during press preview days for the North American International Auto Show by Rick Wagoner, the company’s chairman and chief executive, G.M. becomes the first major automaker with a commitment to producing the advanced battery packs in the United States. GM is also is expected to announce the opening of a new advanced-battery test facility at its global electric-vehicle engineering center in Warren, Mich.
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General Motors today added three fuel-efficient vehicles to its three previously announced debuts. GM's surprises were: • The Chevrolet Spark minicar, going on sale in the United States by 2011. • The Chevrolet Orlando small crossover, on sale by 2011. • A Cadillac concept, expected to be called the Converj, powered by Chevrolet Volt plug-in technology. The three vehicles came in addition to three expected debuts: the 2010 Buick LaCrosse sedan, on sale this summer; the 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover, on sale in the second quarter; and the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox crossover, on sale in mid-2009. The Spark is based on the Beat concept minicar shown at the 2007 New York auto show. In November, GM had said it would not sell the Beat in the United States. But as Automotive News reported in July, GM changed its mind. The minicar will look similar to the Beat, spokesman Scott Fosgard said. GM revealed the Orlando concept vehicle at the Paris auto show last fall. The small crossover is built on the global compact-vehicle platform used for the Chevrolet Cruze. It seats seven. The Cadillac concept, although based on the platform used for the Chevrolet Volt, is dramatically different-looking. It will be sold at a much higher price than the estimated $40,000 sticker on the Volt plug-in hybrid. Fosgard said the three surprise vehicles show that GM plans to stick around: "These are the proof points to the skeptics that say, 'Let them die.' "
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Replying to: 62vetteefp (Jan 11, 2009 2:10 pm) They've been hurting in the small people-mover category, something that Mazda, Kia, Toyota and Mitsu have already managed to do. This gives them something to be competitive with. The Spark/Beat is a great concept given what we know about it, and may be just the thing to counter the Fiesta. The Caddy Volt may be more successful than the Chevy one. |
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| http://www.autonews.com/article/20090105/VIDEO/301059726/1115 | |
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http://www.autonews.com/article/20090105/VIDEO/301059726/1115 Dave got a little tongue tied here at the age issue. Today's average of Buick is 55 and the range he gave is about 10 years younger than the current buyer. On the foreign-manufacturer front, an interesting auto rivalry also had interesting statistics: The average age of Toyota shoppers was 46.6 years old, while the average age for Honda shoppers was 51.2. And while Buick is typically the butt of jokes about buyers who are somewhere between retired and deceased, the average age of a Buick shopper last year was 55.2 years old, considerably younger than the average 63.6-year-old Mercedes-Benz shopper. |
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http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009901110371 Most prefer U.S. cars Nearly three-quarters of car shoppers prefer to buy American-made products, according to a survey by Kelley Blue Book. More than half say they try to buy American-made products if the price is competitive, and 14% say they will go out of their way to buy American. Six percent say they will only buy American-made products and they will do without if an American-made product is not available. "Seeing the domestic automakers' recent struggle has ignited a heightened sense of patriotism among some American car shoppers, and the latest Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research indicates that people are pulling for the Big Three to survive and thrive," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. |
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 11, 2009 1:54 pm) Car sales will be in the 10M range this year. GM will not be able to last 2009 in this market. They were losing money in 2005 when car sales were in the 17 million range and there market share was above 25%. Now they have to offer over $3500 in discounts and incentives just to move cars. Don't think that will change. The American public has been conditioned to expect rebates or special financing. Also roughly 95 million new cars have been purchsed in the last 6 years. Not many people need new cars now. GM needs a major overhaul that can only be accomplished by a Chap. 11. I know no one wants to discuss this word but in reality, the only way they will survive and see the fruits of these new designs is a Chap. 11 re-structuring backed by the government. Of course when Chrysler goes belly up, there will be less competition... |
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Replying to: m4d_cow (Jan 11, 2009 12:09 pm) Just like we don't need 4 GMC Acadias. At least the Avalon is actually bigger than the Camry. |
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Replying to: 62vetteefp (Jan 11, 2009 12:23 pm) Quality is not good enough: Buick is now world class at the top with Lexus for both short and long term. Dealership is not good: Buick is at the top of dealership satisfaction Interior is not good enough: Looks pretty darn good now with top notch materials Exterior is plain: Looks pretty stylish now Ride and handling sucks: Now it has high tech real time adjustable dampers(will have to wait for ride to see how it works. It does not have high tech: Now it does It is loud: Now quietest of all midsize/entry level marques Does not have high tech modern headlamps:now it does and they even swivel Does not have high tech taillights: Now it has LED taillights AWD is not available: now it is powertrain out of date: aluminum overhead cam V6 with DI MPG sucks: Very competitive now It's not made in the US: now it is The badge is out of date. 62, we realize you are pro-GM, but let's look at this seriously. Buick has a certain image, and brand images take a long time to change. Even if most of what you say is true (I haven't checked but have no reason to disbelieve) -- most of these changes are very recent, no? Is it really that unreasonable that brand image is still stuck with models a few years older? Look at the shoddy reputation (deserved) of Hyundai starting in the 1980's. Well in 20 years they've now produced the car of the year, the Genesis - and they STILL have their old reputation to overcome. It's changing but they are still not looked at like Lexus, Honda, or Toyota. Buick's and GM's changes for the better are far more recent than Hyundai's. It looks like you believe that with a new product announcement people are going to wipe their previous observations clean and immediately embrace the new image of Buick, due to a product just shown but not even on the market yet. Why do you think we were all complaining in these forums 4 or more years ago? GM still has a lot of "crappy" (per previous discussion) models in their lineup. Opinion is changing but is going to take a lot of time, assuming the product continues to move towards excellence. So "my god it never ends" is a bit premature. We've been saying "my god it never ends" about the crappy products from GM for a long time. It may be the case that they(crappy products) are going to end soon, but the jury is out. It is not unreasonable for people to be skeptical given the history.
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Replying to: 62vetteefp (Jan 11, 2009 2:08 pm) If that is going to be UAW labor then I can see another world of hurt. Assuming the Volt actually sells much. If it does then the UAW will probably strike. 
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