Perceptions Die... OK Say Again Y Foreign is Better

[Cmicasa the Great XvX]

Dealers, IMO should have appealed to both GM/Chrysler and the Taskforce for their own viability in a way that would have had the company and Gov both re-thinking the need for their shuttering.

The BK essentially alleviates the Companies from having to keep them.. but it should have been made apparent that these dealers could exist without being a DRAW on the companies


If they were great performing dealerships...they should be POed... all of them should. But they could have stopped it in much the same way that the 30 or so dealers that GM has rescinded have pulled someting outta a hat.

And mind U that this train of thought was PRE-TASKFORCE. Jerry York constanty raved about it during Kerkorian's time of ownership in 10% of GM.

My solution would be that all remaining dealerships can stay in business but must handle all of their own advertising, all dealership revisions and maintenance... and any other costs associated with being a dealer. I would even go so far as to say that I would implement a TIER level program where:

1)TIER 3:

A New Dealer with no proven sales would have to take the hard route. Apply for SBA loans etc to get started, or even corporate financing to have a store built but with adequate collateral to cover any possible failure. This tier would handle all of it's own advertising.

2) Tier 2:

A dealer that has reached a certain preset sales number. That dealer would get rewarded with some Corporate participation including advertising and renovation costs help, but with a NON-COMPETE and CORPORATE ownership of at least 10-15% of the dealership, with 50% of the corresponding (of the 15% ownership)profits coming back to the corporation and the other half going into an account to cover corporate share of advertising and renovation costs.


All dealerships would be subject to inspection in an effort to have dealers that have stores that look the part and function in a way that expressly favors an excellent customer experience. The INSPECTOR would be employed by the Corporation, but INSPECTIONS would be paid for by the dealer.

[Cmicasa the Great XvX]

What's crazy as a 6 Dollar bill is that Hyundai is as much of a threat to GM (Specifically CHEVY) as it is to Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mazda, Nissan, VW etc... as any sale they gain is a sale lost by any other maker. But then again.. that can also be "and VICE-VERSA."

Personally I see Hyundai stealing more sales from Toyota. It's sales have really been falling in comparison to last year and adjusted for overall market conditions. WHERE HYUNDAI has STOLE SALES FROM GM... but perhaps more so, Ford, CHRYSLER, is in FLEET SALES as those makers have literally cut-back sending as many cars as they used in the past to fleet. IN FACT... one could easily say that the BIG 3 also lost out on some fleet sales simply by default after killing certain names or brands such as the Grand Prix and Magnum... or moving them upmarket, such as the Taurus and Lacrosse.

But I digress. The true loser would automatically be TOYOTA.. as their sales are retracting not expanding with no internal forces, such as closing 4 brands, to speak of. Toyota would also be the loser as IT IS THE SCALE by which all sales should be measured.. as it is now #1. A title that was more of a liability to GM than asset after 80 years on top.

Let's review:

1) Sales gained by one manufacturer are Sales lost to all manufacturers not them.
2) Toyota is the gauge by which sales should now be measured at least until it's quick reign is done.
3) Hyundai's sales gain has come predominantly via FLEET SALES, and potentially Money losing circa "1999-2001 Mitsubishi" type GIMMICKS
4) It would stand to LOGIC that if GM has reduced FLEET sales... as we requested.. and Hyundai picked up those Fleet sales, more than 30+% of their sales in the 1st quarter in fact, that their sales would not be as string as last year.. BUT YET the impossible has happened despite a Bankruptcy emergence just 30 days ago.,, GM is seeing sales IMPROVE.

To ADD to this MASTERPIECE.. so words from the other day:

I have ALWAYS been perplexed by this since the current Sonata debuted looking, in most ways visible, like a 2002 Honda Accord with slightly squared and shaded headlights. This was not the first time this crap happened either. The Azera was actually the first. A car that I kno first hand was a POS, but the media constantly pushed the vehicle as it was the second coming. In truth the PUSH was essentially a middle finger to Detroit. A Conspiracy, in my opinion, blatantly doing so before with the makers of Japan, in particular Toyota... the media has consistently tried this BULLSHIT


Have their vehicles gotten better??? Absolutely. How could they not??? They were SHIT for 20 of the 24 years they have been sold here in the States. Of course I'm still not convinced, no matter how much the media promotes them in to AVIS parking lots. OOOOH.. Yeah.... Hyundai recently moved into the #4 slot for Best selling car manufacturer over Ford. The Media seemed to celebrate this, almost without ever mentioning that Hyundai had pulled this feat off by having almost 40% of there sales come from rental fleet sales, and of course the "Hyundai: We'll Do ANYTHING... and (an eye wink)I MEAN ANYTHING To Get U to Buy" marketing of late.... YES.. THEY WILL SUCK YOUR *** if U buy anything above an Accent. Buy a Genesis and the will even throw a tossed salad in with that meal.

Aaaaahh the Genesis. The most heavily promoted car to ever come outta Korea... and all of Asia this year. How much promotion U say?? So much so that they made two version that have absolutely no resemblance to each other and called them the same thing. Essentially it would have been the same thing if when Chevy created the “Aveo” but called it the Tahoe... it created a full-size SUV that looked nothing like it and also called it… the Tahoe. WTF?

The Genesis Sedan, a knock off of the old S-Class and current 5series, AND COUPE, a virtual twin to the Infiniti G37, have sold a combined 11,953. The Pontiac G8… a sedan only, with absolutely no marketing what so ever since it debuted… sold 18,095. Hell.. even the Camaro has sold 22,510 units thus far. The Lucerne has sold 18, 193, and even the OLD Lacrosse has sold 11, 410 units almost equaling the sales of the brand new Hyundais. SO TELL ME… HOW THE **** is it a Success when the others are supposedly not???

Lastly… the Equus looks like a cross between the NEW Lacrosse and an Elephant.





I won't even show the Coupe version that looks like an almost exact replica of the G37. Personally I just don't trust 'em... and think that they are no better than the Chinese copied handbags on the streets of Brooklyn... The Genesis is so much of a knock off it makes me sick that people even remotely attempt to defend it... I mean the thing COMPLETELY mimics the S-Class and 5series... and then has the nerve to do it again under the same name with the G37.

Hyundai normally does well in INITIAL QUALITY/RELIABILITY tests.. but so do these $75 Replicas..



annnnnd then the stitches start to let go... after 3 months and U wish U had of just waited and bought her the real thing.. as your wife's friends start calling her husband a CHeap LOSER




Nuff said

[Cmicasa the Great XvX]

While I would like to grade GM on it's current line-up of cars... I find myself in a daze at the idea due to uncertain, yet extremely tantalizing prospects of the 2011-2012 "show and tell" that awaits us. My only thought is that the 2010 North American Autoshow will probably see me in Detroit... happy, albeit cold, as a school girl.


Chevy and Voltec:

Chevy's future Line-Up will be the most extensive in change. The featured suspects will range from a super-subcompact to newly re-electrified Mid-size sedan. The Spark, while not even remotely on my radar for future purchase... as I am 6'3" tall and 220lbs and would look like an absolute buffoon of "Artie caliber " riding in one... looks to be exactly the shot in the arm GM needs to tackle these ever-looming CAFE fuel standards. Witness a a line-up of a 50MPG Spark, a 45MPG Aveo, and a 40MPG Cruze, not to mention the '230MPG' Volt. What we have here is a BUILT-IN thread of fuel efficient vehicles to allow for the continuation of vehicle like the Camaro, Corvette, and a plethora of CUVs, SUVS and Trucks... many in which actually get or skirt the cusp of 30MPG themselves.

The VOLT's 230MPG claim. While I think GM should have under-promised with a rating of 100-150MPG all-a-round using today's measurement of fuel economy... I think had Toyota or Honda came out and said 230MPG their would have been little backlash. As sad as I am to say that I once served in the military to defend these Americans... these Americans would rather believe in the Japanese than their own engineering leaders... Which if anyone of them spent a smidgen of time to investigate they would realize that American ingenuity is second to none.

Bottom line on the Volt is that Chevy's claims of 230 MPG were actually footnoted with "in the CITY." Which is completely plausible since U have a 40 Mile Range coupled in with a 1 cylinder engine and regenerative braking to maintain your charge. All combined on a day's outing, 230MPG is understandable. I still would have just said 100-150MPG, which would have still beat the Prius by 55-105MPG.

BUICK and Cadillac:

Many take issue with the idea of a compact Buick, but seem to only address their disdain from an Elitist, performance Enthusiast-ONLY point of view. Truth is that Buick, in order to survive, and be profitable, and contribute to the cause.. must have a full line that embodies the characteristics of both Chevy and Cadillac. Truth be told divisions like Lexus and Acura look to their lower-end offering to provide themselves with the foundation for their efforts in intermingling Mercedes/Cadillac/BMW type luxury and performance offer to their clientele viable and attractive packages. Did I, Cmicasa, just call Lexus 'attractive?' Absolutely. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.. and someone actually did find it in themselves the courage to go down on Amy Whinehouse. (Sick but I bet true). I all seriousness I am in complete agreement with GM giving Buick a "Cruze." I am in complete agreement with GM giving Buick an "Aveo." What I'm obviously not keen to is them being simple rebadges along the lines of what the Sunbird once was to the Cavalier. Many don't remember, possibly due to age, but in the 80s the Cavalier had 5 variants. Back then GM had only 5 divisions, and all 5 got a variant of the Cavalier.. including Cadillac. There was the Cavalier, the Sunbird, the Skyhawk (the coolest of them), the Firenza, and the most hated Cimmaron. The Cimmaron was hated not because it was a bad car.. but because it was a Cadillac that shared EVERYTHING but the Grille and emblems of the Chevy version. THIS MISTAKE CANNOT EVER BE MADE AGAIN. Having a Buick version of the Cruze... with same proportions but utilizing Buick's now unique styling language promises to give us a very strong entry in the premium compact market. Where as Cadillac will have it's ALPHA BASED ATS/BTS... Buick will have it's DELTA BASED "Skyhawk." I have no problem with that.. none at all, as lomg as it has the amenities and styling that is befitting the brand.

The ongoing debate, almost brawlish flavor of the RWD EQUALS LUXURY debate is one that weighs heavy on my mind. My issue stems more with the hypocritical stance of VW Group lovers than it does from anywhere else. Of Course calling attention to both Audi and Lambo. In most circles it is argued that in order for a brand to be considered Luxo.. it most also have V8s... yet I would call on the VW Group again in this debate... and we would turn our attention to Porsche. But that's another story for another day. My issue with Audi is that I.. and seeming no one else has an issue with the fact that all of their cars are FWD/AWD based. From the A3 to the A8. Hell even the R8 utilizes an AWD platform. No RWD to be found. The A8... Audi's flagship has a FWD platform in Europe, but only the AWD version is sold herein the States. But once again... NO RWD.

I bring this up of course in anticipation of the Cadillac XTS, which is rumored to be placed on a revised version of the LWB EPII platform. The platform is said to have been widened, lengthened, made with more exotic and lighter materials.. and quite possibly AWD only. Is it me.. or is that essentially a DIFFERENT platform? I mean technically the Kappa platform is really the Y-Body, and the Alpha is really the Zeta, which is in turn the Sigma, but with different materials and size adjustments. CONFUSED?

Point is many are ticked at the lost of the aforementioned Zeta. Many of which I kno for a fact.. have never even DRIVEN an G8 or Camaro, but yet mourn the platform's passing. WTF is going on here.. and who stole the reality check?

The Zeta platform is nice as it was... was never a necessity for a Flagship Cadillac. If anything SIGMA should have been the choice for such a flagship.. but only if RWD was the intended goal. Funnier even still is that the people who argue against this MODIFIED EpsilonII platform aren't even going to be buying the vehicle anyway. The people who buy S-Class, 7series, A8s, and LS460s.. are the same people who drive their vehicles like they would drive their DTS. Of course that is not what I would tell Cadillac. I mean I drive my Tahoe like it's my CTS-V sooooo.. I'm not the typical buyer. BUT HEY!!! PEEP THIS: THE LACROSSE is said to be a GREAT HANDLING CAR.

The LaCrosse exhibits the sort of well-controlled body motions and minimal roll one would expect of a premium German sedan, but without the harshness.

Autoblog

The Lacrosse being damn near the size of the 7series lets me ponder a great deal on the possibility that a CADILLAC, with a more sport tuned suspension, on a similar platform will blow the Germans away in driving dynamics. Packed properly and styled in the current Cadillac A&S fashion... I have no doubt that when my CTS-V is up for replacement, a new XTS might well be at the top of the list.

GMC and the Resurrection of HUMMER in GREEN

YUP... Just wait and see... I wasn't off the mark by much when I called it... 8)

I left the Impala out because we really dont have any confirmation on what it will be. I had heard that the EpsilonII based Lacrosse was the basis for the upcoming Impala... but with GM's constantly changing mind.. who can call it? It pisses me off that they would allow the Impala languish for 4 more years and not replace it next year. The Malibu is due to be replaced in 2 years despite it just hitting the streets last year. Truth is... the Malibu could linger, with some quick engine changes and an exterior refresh such as making the LTZ package standard thru-out, until 2013. It's completely competitive with the Camry, Accord, Fusion, Altima, and Mazda 6 in conventional form but desperately needs a coupe variation and a BASII or Mild-Voltec Hybrid... and of course the Direct-Injected 2.4L which would instantly beat the Fusion's 1MPG class leading fuel economy.

[Tactical Z]

I like the Genisis for what it is.

[Xanthos]

lmao - just a story... my alternator support bracket sheared in half at 75,xxx miles - during normal driving. And I've found numerous grade 2 bolts used to fasten components such as the entire accesory drive system.
- X

[Cmicasa the Great XvX]

Originally Posted by Tactical Z

I like the Genisis for what it is.

I like it too.. for what it is... a near perfect knock off of a G37 for the coupe and old S-Class and 5series mix.

Point is I see no innovation in Hyundai's vehicles. They are riding on the shoulders of GIANTS... much like Generic Drug companies. Profitable sure... but why wouldn't they be if they only have to augment other's designs... and steal already proven technology. Not to mention the use of extremely cheap labor. Hyundai is a 1/2 step away from being what the Chinese Auto companies are IMO.

[Cmicasa the Great XvX]

Originally Posted by Xanthos

lmao - just a story... my alternator support bracket sheared in half at 75,xxx miles - during normal driving. And I've found numerous grade 2 bolts used to fasten components such as the entire accesory drive system.
- X

Hey I have a question for U... Your Camaro... is it the V6 or V8??? I am thinking of trading my G6 in for a Camaro 3.6L

[diddiyo]

your ignorant stories are getting old.

[Cmicasa the Great XvX]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

your ignorant stories are getting old.

Are U familiar with what a person would say to another person if out of the blue... at a bar... or similar.. that other person just out and out said to the other person... "your brand new baby is as ugly as a pig?"

Me personally??? I would think that person would tell the other person "*** U" and then bang that person right in the face with a beer bottle.

[Xanthos]

Originally Posted by Cmicasa the Great XvX

Hey I have a question for U... Your Camaro... is it the V6 or V8??? I am thinking of trading my G6 in for a Camaro 3.6L

I haven't ordered a camaro yet (waiting till the 2011s) but I'll be getting the V6. I drove one just recently and was very impressed.
- X

[Xanthos]

Good points, all.

Also...

WOAH! A post thats not in all bold! My eyes extend the greatest of gratitudes.
- X

[diddiyo]

Originally Posted by Cmicasa the Great XvX

Are U familiar with what a person would say to another person if out of the blue... at a bar... or similar.. that other person just out and out said to the other person... "your brand new baby is as ugly as a pig?"

Me personally??? I would think that person would tell the other person "*** U" and then bang that person right in the face with a beer bottle.

easily raged, huh? where the hell did that come from. did you have to sleep on the couch last night?

[ajp]

uhhh...globalization...supply/demand...may the best man win???

At the end of the day, doesnt that just mean that all manufacturers will get better or die off?

[All-Or-Nothing]

Nothing wrong with Hyundai or there products. You need to get out more.