Quote:
Originally Posted by fbodfather
getting rid of a brand is frighteningly expensive......
We have contracts with our dealers - and when you 'eliminate' a Division - you open up quite a can of worms -- we are still working thru the closing of the Oldsmobile Division.
Pontiac has a reason for being - the REAL question is: where is the future of the American Auto Industry?
MY PERSONAL OPINION: I think it's high time Americans started to think about what's in the best interests of the country as a whole - rather than "what's in the best interests of ME!" -
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A lot of you are in agreement without thinking about what has been posted on this board and what fbodfather means.
The American auto industry is not what it used to be. The V8 is not a dominant force, and the SUV-toting soccer mom is going the way of the station wagon. We, as performance car enthusiasts, are not going to like a lot of changes that GM has to make to keep with the new market. Americans want fuel efficiency because performance cars are known for having low efficiency. We look at 23 mpg L99s thinking, "That's great for a muscle car! My old V8 got 12 mpg!" Mary Soccer Mom sees 23 mpg from Chevrolet and buys a Kia. American brands have to do more than sell models that have more fuel efficiency. They also have to change the perception that American brands have low efficiency on the whole. That's why some performance-oriented brands, like Pontiac, have to also sell cars that have little performance, like the G3. If they can promote that vehicle, they can keep up with the Honda Fit and the Toyota Yaris, cars that are becoming popular among buyers who want to have a unique look but don't care so much about power.
Most buyers aren't like us. We love big V8s, show up at the track, and respect a wide variety of cars. Most buyers, in contrast, love getting to work on time with a priority on low gas consumption, show up at the movie theatre with a date, and don't follow car manufacturers at all. We know about the GTR. They know about the Maxima. Basically, I'm saying that GM needs to focus on making American cars standard, respectable average cars rather than just aspiring performance machines. GM has learned to dominate the performance division, but there's a lot of perception-changing to do in the economy department.
Of course, you're going to say, "GM has cars, like the Cobalt XFE, that outdo anything Asia can throw at it. Isn't GM already the best company for these kinds of cars?" You're right that GM is ahead of the curve by implementing fuel efficient models, but the perception that GM represents performance V8s needs to change. GM can still make those cars, but GM needs a green image to make people think that it is 100% focussed on buyers who worry about the price of gas, even if gas is on the decline. Americans now know about the quality of cars like the CTS and Malibu; however, they don't see the Aveo or Cobalt XFE as viable alternatives to the fortwo or Camry Hybrid.
I'm basically saying that the best thing for performance enthusiasts isn't always the best thing for American auto companies. They can't afford to build a bunch of new muscle cars that we've been discussing, like a new Chevelle, because those defy the perception of a green GM, and GM has to build cars, like the G3, even if it is a rebadge because it contributes to the green image. That image is what will save GM.