Quote:
Originally Posted by 2000v6
Yes, I definitely get your point about the GMC selling more trucks, historically, then any other of their brands selling their respective products. But, look at where the truck market is going nowadays. Unless somebody really needs a pickup to carry stuff over crappy roads, most people prefer vans. The SUV market, I'm not saying that it's dead, but suvs are slowly starting to gravitate into smaller spectrum of suvs. What's gonna happen when price of gas happens to climb back up to 5 bucks per gallon? And yes, it is a very real possibility. I mean I prefer to own a larger suv such as a hummer or escalade, for the winter and to tow stuff, but I'm not going to buy one until the end of this year, and by then, I may have to look at trailblazer/envoy/grand cherokee.
Like I said, SUVs are starting to gravitate to the smaller end of the spectrum, this can be seen by the emergence of a growing popularity with CUVs.
That's why I believe that pontiac, if it had been restructured properly, could have had a good future ahead. Slowly, people will want to buy smaller cars, people will want to buy hybrids. That's why gm is developing the volt and will release it into production. Yet, if the insight and the prius are a testament, people will want to have sportier versions. That's why if you take a look at autoblog, you will see that honda has developed the insight sports modulo concept. Have you seen people gravitate towards the tahoe/escalade/yukon hybrids? I haven't and I only see them in the dealer's lots.
I didn't know that gmc happens to have an outlet in the middle east. I also didn't know that the orlando and granite will be different from each other. They look hell of a lot alike to me, it's just that the orlando will kind of be an mpv/crossover marketed toward families, while the granite will be marketed toward young adults in urban areas.
I also didn't know that the esclade will be moving onto the lambda platform, I thought that all of the suvs were moving onto the platform. In that case, if it does happen, then I am wrong. But, until I see an escalade on the lambda platform at an auto show, I don't see the yukon line becoming the upscale version. And even if the escalade will move over to the lambda platform, what will be the difference really? I mean it's just going to become smaller than the current gen. but not by much.
I don't know where you live, but at least in NYC, lawyers, doctors and affluent people happen to choose escalade(s) over yukon(s).
Also, you need to look at the last two statements, as that happens to lead right back to my argument. Chevrolet happens to be the brand that is going to be marketed as a value based lineup that will not compromise on reliability, quality and style. And obviously, Cadillac is the brand that is more upscale to compete against bmw, benz and audi. But look that leads right back to what I'm saying, chevrolet is the affordable but good car brand that is basically the "average" car brand, cadillac is the upscale brand. So, where is gmc? Stuck right in the middle
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Yes, let's analyze the state of the truck market and how the F-series and GMT-900s are consistent among the top best-selling vehicles every single month.
Vans? If any segment is dying, it's the van segment. There's a reason GM and Ford left that market to focus on CUVs.
You do realize that Trailblazer and Envoy are dead?
The SUV market is shrinking, yes, but it remains a very lucrative market. Just last month, GM sold over 17,000 full size SUVs. And once again, there's the ever present profit aspect. GM SUVs are not going anywhere for some time.
The Insight is a joke. I don't care if Honda throws a body kit and fancy lights on it. It's a sales flop and an epic failure.
I have seen plenty of Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids and the occasional Escalade Hybrid on the road.
Orlando is built on the Delta-II platform and is a seven-passenger MPV. Granite is built on the Gamma-II platform and is a five-passenger urban utility vehicle.
You really need to do some research into the capabilities of platforms. The Lambda platform is capable of towing/hauling far less than the GMT-900 platform. Escalade is transitioning over to Lambda simply because Escalade owners have no need for the utility capabilities of the GMT-900 platform. In addition, the Lambda platform offers an improvement in fuel economy. Therefore, if a prospective customer needs a large luxurious vehicle with tow/haul capability, the Yukon/Yukon XL Denali is available.
I don't care where you live. It doesn't matter. The fact remains that Yukon/Yukon XL Denali owners are more affluent than Escalade/Escalade ESV owners.
Chevrolet is the value proposition here. Cadillac will soon become a full luxury brand. There has to be some middle ground for those who can't afford a Cadillac but would prefer not to drive a Chevrolet (remember, Chevrolet is seen as a budget brand, similar to Toyota and Honda). Buick and GMC offer customers this outlet.