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Automotive News & Views What Do You Want To Suggest To The Detroit 3?
13 messages, Last post on Jan 23, 2009 at 11:11 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 12, 2009 6:37 am) I rented a Ford Focus in November and was pleasently surprised. On the highway, my fuel economy was 36-37 mpg (onboard computer). The only negative was the backseat leg room was not as generous as in some other compact cars like the Civic and Elantra. |
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I haven't got a whole lot of suggestions for Ford and I still cannot figure out why they get lumped into the same category as GM and Chrysler who clearly could use the advice. Mulally is making good moves, there is no need to suggest that they're in trouble like the other 2.
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Replying to: anythngbutgm (Jan 13, 2009 9:49 am) Here comes another reference to CR....Consumer Reports put out their best and worst American cars. Out of the 9 best, 7 were Fords. The other 2 were GM. No Chrysler which was no surprised (when are they going to start making cars again????) The worst list featured 3 GM and 3 Chryslers, I believe. Ford was a no-show on this lists. It's too late for GM to mortgage their plants like Ford did a couple of years. Everyone had the death watch on Ford but they are looking good for the future. They have the products in place. They simply need time. GM needs a more drastic re-structuring than they are proposing simply because cash is thin and credit for them is non-existent. If they could get a loan or additional investors, we would not be having this discussion. No one wants to invest in them which should be a big bright sign that your business model sucks!!!! Sell Saab and Hummer for whatever you can get for it. Neither brand has a future. Get it off your books. the more cars you have to build to support these brands is more money out of your pocket. Move the Saturn lineup and future plans to Pontiac. The exposure from the the larger dealer network alone will sell more Saturn cars. Stop selling Buick in the US. If the Chinese like Buick so much, let them have it. Buick sold 137,000 units in 2008. It's not worth keeping anymore. Integrate future products to Pontiac or Chevy. The loyalists will get over it. If they don't, tell them they should have bought more Buicks. GM is not a charity case. Chevy: clean up your lineup and continue to focus on quality and reliability. Keep the bean counters out of the design room. 1-subcompact, 1 compact, 1 midsize, 1 large car, 1 small SUV/crossover, 1 midsize crossover, 1 large crossover/SUV or Suburban, 1 Corvette. If you keep some of the other vehicles that overlap in these categories, they should be kept for the fleet and rental sales only. maybe one niche car every 5 years but limited production only. Cadillac - See the CTS and copy. 5-6 models. Did I forget anyone????
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Replying to: dtownfb (Jan 13, 2009 10:50 am) All auto makers need to focus on quality and reliability. If they build safe reliable vehicles the people will come. Over the years I only bought from the Big three but in 2003 I gave up. I was tired of fighting constant trouble with my new cars. I wouldn’t dare keep one after the warrantee ran out. In 03 I bought a Hyundai. I was skeptical about a Korean car company, but with a great warranty I’d give them a try. Boy am glad I did. The car is now 6 years old, 60+k on the clock and I’ve had NO troubles with it. Routine maintenance is a bit higher with these cars to keep the warranty but that’s ok with me. I’ll second the motion to keep the bean counters out of the mix. When a problem with designs is noted, FIX it. GM let the intake gaskets on the 3.1 and 3.8 V6 engines go on for 10 years before they addressed the problem. Chrysler with their known transmissions issues. How many potential customers did they lose? Big 3 bean counters theory on reliability…Design/build to last 3 years or 36000 miles After that it’s on the customers dime. Thanks for listening |
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Replying to: andyz3 (Jan 13, 2009 3:25 pm) I agree. I own a 2000 Intrigue. The alternators (voltage regulator) can cause the headlights to flicker. People on the Chevy Uplander forum are reporting the same problem on a 2007 Uplander. Steering column issues, cooling system issues, DRL issues (those models that use the turn signal), braking issues, etc. Also owned a 2001 Malibu (remember the "car you knew America could build"). I remembered the braking issue, electrical issues, leaks, AC problems, etc. But the reason for GM problems is the credit problems and high gas mileage. Nothing at all to do with past performance.
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Replying to: dtownfb (Jan 13, 2009 6:43 pm) Gee, thanks. |
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Replying to: dtownfb (Jan 13, 2009 6:43 pm) GM needs to trim back on the number of models they produce. 40+ different vehicles, most with different trim levels and body configurations. That’s only the North American market and doesn’t include the large commercial trucks. Platform and parts sharing between models would save some $$$ on design and testing. Building fewer at a higher quality. Ford could also be a little leaner. Number of models could be trimmed back. The Escape is now the size of an Explorer. The Flex, Edge, what are those??
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Replying to: andyz3 (Jan 14, 2009 6:14 am) The reason I don't pick on Ford is they have been working on their lineup for the past 4 years. Even the new Focus with the dated platform is not a bad performer. |
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First, agree with many of the posts here but I would tweak some of them here and there. Most of my comments are GM-based but can be applied to the others. Hope it's not too long: A Model for Every Make I would suggest eliminating the business model of the same vehicle for every line. I would do one or two lines max, depending on the model segment . The Aura /G6 / Malibu, pick one or two and dump the rest. Does the public really need a Silverado and Sierra, Tahoe, Suburban & Escalade, along with their multitude of option packages? Hell, a Denali is a Caddy!! A top-end Silverado is a Sierra (even a mid-grade Sliverado can be considered Professional Grade). Just creating new models to hurry up the ROI, making the spreadsheets look good, while not realizing you're just stealing sales from one brand for the other isn't really too brite. Different Name But Still the Same Make them realize just because you change the name of a model it doesn't mean you can offer the same crap-tastic vehicle. Example Cavalier / Cobalt. S10/Sonoma to Colorado/Canyon. Lumina/Monte Carlo/Impala. Need I say more? Rental / Fleet Sales If you're going to move vehicles into fleets, i.e. rentals, understand these vehicles still represent you. That means the quality has to be up, panel fitment tight, interior design up to snuff. Understand that this is the first impression many people will have of you and your product. And using the excuse of "these are the base models, the upper level models are much better." doesn't cut it as the end-user is immediately going to think ALL your products are like this. Understand and know your market Don't bring a vehicle to market unless it is fully ready. For example, don't wrap the vehicle in a decent exterior only to have a half-a interior. Or get the exterior / interior right, but hinder it with inadequate running gear / powertrain. And I would ask them to please not make matters worse by stating "We needed to get something out there...the new powertrain is coming next year." You might as well tell the potential customer to shop somewhere else. And offer something better than the competition. Don't bring an 8-track player to an iPod/multi-disc fight. If the segment expects navi don't put an outdated map or road atlas in the glove box. Lastly, don't over-price and under-deliver the vehicle for the market. Admit & Fix It If there is an issue with components / problems, find the root cause and fix the darn thing. Or should I say, first admit there is a problem, then find the real root cause and fix it properly the first time. I went through the leaking intake manifold gaskets (4.3L), W-body rear brakes and a host of other issues in my tenor as a GM owner. GM did not stand behind their products. {I went and still am going through hell with them over some issues and their attitude is one of "We got your money, deal with it yourself". But they still want me to be loyal to them as well as take my tax dollars to bail them out.} Learn from your mistakes Pretty self explanatory Sorry for the length but thought I'd break down a few points. There are many more but we're all pretty much on the same page. |
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