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Automotive News & Views What if you were in charge of GM?
874 messages, Last post on Oct 28, 2009 at 10:20 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: TIMGT5 (Dec 10, 2008 1:50 am) |
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Replying to: magnette (Jan 03, 2009 9:57 am) Keep in mind that 30mpg is not that big of a deal anymore. The base model of every mid size (read full size in Europe) car sold here gets that much or better. I agree that the demand for gas guzzlers has dropped significantly and that is a good thing, At the same time to say that every sub 30mpg vehicle will vanish is a sweeping generalization that is inaccurate. Name one 30mpg plus car that can seat 7 and tow 8000 lbs? Didn't think so. A car company that is as large as GM needs vehicles that address every need. Besides if you had read my post carefully you would notice that my line-up overall is more fuel efficeint than the one they currently have. I am convinced that we have reached the point of maxium efficiency with the ICE. That even the best scenario-a common rail DI diesel backed with an electric motor might be able to achieve 65-75mpg in a compact car (I am not counting the Chevy Volt, because in reality the Volt is basically an electric car). The problem is one of weight and cost. You can in theory make full size vehicles a lot lighter while still maintaining safety, but the costs of replacing standard steel and aluminum body work with F1 type carbon fiber construction would be enormous and would make such vehicles well beyond the reach of an average person.
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Replying to: TIMGT5 (Jan 04, 2009 2:26 am) What I meant by my comment was that the Astra is already developed, already paid for and it isn't likely to be dropped over here if GM survives, so it is effectively a free model over there - all they have to do is stick it on a boat. I thought it was actually selling better there than some of it's competitors - given GM doesn't have much else in that segment. And it isn't sub 30 mpg here - the claimed combined (urban/extra-urban) figures for the Astra here are 42.8 (1.6 petrol);36.7 (1.8); 56.5 (1.7CDTi). (that's UK gallons)
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Replying to: magnette (Jan 04, 2009 11:23 am) |
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I've seen only one Astra on the street since its introduction.
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Replying to: magnette (Jan 04, 2009 11:23 am) As for why Americans prefer bigger cars, well there is some pyschology you have have to understand. Conduct the following experiment. Walk up someone you do not know from your side of the pond and observe how close he or she lets you come before moving away from you. Then do the same to an American stranger. You find on average the American will more likely move away from you sooner. The reason for this is that Americans have a very strong sense of personal space and space ownership. This is why a higher percentage of Americans live in detached houses, own their own cars and have more suburban development. There will always be a number of Americans who will not be comfortable in a car that forces you into close proximity with the other occupants. The trick is going to be to make bigger cars more fuel efficient. The forth coming Ford Fusion hybrid, again a "large" car by your standards is supposed to get 40mpg. I understand where you are coming from, but I am not sure the Astra is GM's miracle compact. The Honda Civic gets better MPG and has more power and a bigger interior. If GM fields a car it must be the undisputed winner in almost every comparisson test, R&T, CR, Car and Driver etc. to win buyers back. |
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 04, 2009 1:53 pm) If they can't sell the Astra competitively in the US against VW's Golf, with your huge network of dealers, but they can in Europe, maybe the question is whether GM's management could find its a** with a map - or perhaps they were too busy polishing the corporate jet... |
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"...Astra - but you would have to ask why GM can't sell the thing over there..." In a word, it's price. It's too expensive compared with the competition. The pricing suggests that GM is more concerned with margins than volume with the Astra, in large part because the value of the euro vs. the dollar doesn't permit GM to make a profit on this car at lower prices. Price isn't the only reason the Astra isn't selling well in the U.S., but I believe it's the primary reason. Another important reason is a very small marketing budget. Reason #3 may be that the future of the Saturn Division is up in the air. I don't doubt that the Astra is a good car, but is it better than, say, a VW Golf/Rabbit or Honda Civic, just to mention two competing models?
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 04, 2009 5:11 pm) I like what GM planned to do with Saturn (Opel designs) but GM starved Saturn for so long that they destroyed the brand. To save all the research dollars, GM should move the products scheduled for Saturn to Pontiac. But I just read the current Motor Trend and it appears that Buick may be the recipient of the Opel 's designs which leaves Saturns future in question. Well, not really. I think we all know how this story ends, it's a matter of when and how. I have a feeling that by the end of this month, we should know more about GM's fate. The fat lady is already warming up on Chrysler.
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Replying to: dtownfb (Jan 04, 2009 8:06 pm) I still think that if GM wants Pontiac to survive and improve it is going to have to go its own way in design and engineering. In the plan I laid out in an ealier post, Pontiac would be an all rear wheel drive, performance oriented niche seller much like Toyota's Scion. Again Saturn no longer has a clear mission and is now a waste of research and marketing dollars. |
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