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Automotive News & Views GM News, New Models and Market Share
8495 messages, Last post on Nov 28, 2009 at 2:42 PM
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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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Replying to: tlong (Jan 11, 2009 7:48 pm) I'd frankly put the new Buick as a direct competitor to the Lexus or E class. It's fast, and that magnetic ride technology is the same that's used in the Corvette. It really transforms the car into a serious European feel/ride. Yes, Gm has some of the best cars. The problem is that they also have tons of detritus and bloat that's causing them to keep sinking. And, no GM doesn't need a small car. THey would do best in fact by avoiding the cheap and small cars entirely. They can't win against them, and they make no profit. Jaguar for instance never went the budget route, either, and did fairly well for decades. Porsche as well, in their own way. I'd rather have a GM with 20 unique and hot cars that we all want and lust after, and nothing else.
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Replying to: plekto (Jan 11, 2009 8:55 pm) Great comments, but gotta disagree here. IMHO one of the reasons Toyota and Honda are so successful is that they have not neglected their entry-level cars - they are generally better than the competition's. Honda, particularly, has done a great job with the Fit and the Civic. The first car for a teenager builds brand loyalty and that translates often to many more new car sales in the future. If the entry-level car is junk then the driver is going to look for something else next time. There is also a lucrative small premium car segment that GM has completely ignored. There are a lot of sales of A4s, BMW3s, Lexus IS's, high end Jettas, TSX's, even Mini Coopers -- and GM has nothing in this segment. Most of those vehicles are priced evenly with some of GMs midsized or large cars. GM would certainly be able to generate a profit from a small car that sells for $35K. I'd rather have a GM with 20 unique and hot cars that we all want and lust after, and nothing else. Completely agree. GM has focused on quantity (lots of divisions, lots of models, lots of rebadges, lots of rental fodder). They are beginning to focus as much energy on the vehicles themselves rather than how many models they can make. Fewer excellent vehicles will make them more successful. Look at Honda - not that many models, yet very successful.
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Replying to: tlong (Jan 11, 2009 7:48 pm)
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