Quote:
Originally Posted by stovt001
Here are my thoughts:
Making the Impala FWD is brilliant. Odd as it seems, making cars larger might actually help CAFE. There are going to be more large families who need the passenger space, but don't want a CUV or an SUV. Offering a large sedan might encourage them to get out of the CAFE-fighting CUV or SUV into a large car that is at least a little more economical. Especially if they offer a wagon version of the Impala or Malibu. They're right, a RWD wagon may not sell, but a FWD wagon will, I think. GM already has a large RWD sedan, so a FWD Impala would be the perfect compliment.
Concerning the GTO, that is a bit more disappointing, because Pontiac is supposed to be all RWD performance cars. However, Pontiac, Buick, and GMC are rumored to be limited to about 3 models each to allow for dealership consolidation (9 models total of performance, luxury, and utility vehicles makes for a good lineup). So with a Roadster, a small-midsize RWD sedan and/or coupe (supposedly) and a full-size sedan and sport truck, they have a pretty full lineup.
Alpha is where I get really annoyed. If they want to push people towards smaller cars, then why put smaller RWD vehicles on hold? Does it really matter that much if they get 1 mpg less? Since the Alpha cars will be Pontiac and Cadillac (and the Saturn Sky, probably) it will be lower volume. There will always be people who want RWD cars, and by delaying Alpha, they're just pushing them into the larger RWD cars and SUVs, hurting CAFE. This is just absurd. I'm really disappointed that Alpha is delayed as those cars were right up there with the Camaro on my list. Sad day. Thanks a lot GM. I hope we still get the Camaro on time and it isn't neglected after it comes out "because of CAFE". Seriously, that is the worst excuse ever and GM is milking every ounce of it so that they can settle for mediocrity again. Yay.
|
There's really no disagreeing with you. GM cannot continue to complain about new regulations as if they didn't see them coming eventually. Lots of companies have the same situation, so GM needs to overcome the regulation and invest heavily in making all upcoming platforms fit these new requirements. Canceling or delaying production is terrible for a company that prides itself on innovation and developing new ways to make old ideas great. If there is a significant delay on the Camaro, I'll buy a classic. That's $30,000 that will go toward a decent '67-'69 that could have gone to GM. I wear my Chevy pride on my belt buckle, but a company that's bitching about laws that affect everyone isn't really a reason for pride, is it? What GM needs to do is say, "These regulations will pose challenges to our companies, but we will still provide the best cars available to beat all of our competition." That is the mentality of the GM that I love, and I want to see more of it. We all understand that some things will have to change, but the competitive spirit should be a constant.