Will GM Follow Ford’s Lead and Exit Cars? Barra’s Answer

[Daryl Z71]

17 hours ago, Likarok said:

So Ford must be going to switch to Mustangs for NASCAR!

 

 

They are, they confirmed it a few weeks ago.

[Nick The Great]

Most everyone I know over the age of 40 who drives a "Japanese" vehicle has a story about their last American car.  "After the third transmission in 5 years . . . " OR "once the instrument panel quit working in my 2 year old truck" OR "that Chevy needed a new engine after 75K miles"

 

So they switched to another brand that treated them better.  It's all anecdotal, but I can't really blame them.

 

And people under 40 (or 30) just want the best reliability and price and overall product.  They don't remember WWII or have any cultural hangups or biases against the Asian vehicles.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Likarok]

Most of those stories are from 20 years ago. I have no Asian Hang-ups. I just chose to support a North American economy. And even the Asian stuff built in North America, The profits still go back to Asia!

 

It is funny to how All the Asian car stores still all have mechanics, If they are as good as some claim how are these guys employed?

 

 

 

[revrnd]

On 4/29/2018 at 4:24 PM, pickmeup said:

If there ever was a opportunity for GM to gain some traction on getting some more of the lost car sales back it just may be now. One has to ask how can the Asian mfg. turn out a model that people buy in good numbers and the American mfg . unveils a competing model with little to at best barely moderate interest? The only answer I can come up with is ''corporate culture'' must be vastly different in Asian vs. American thinking. How is it that Asian mfg comes out with model that youth likes and buys and it holds up well. Usually well enough that as they progress to mid life they are still buying the Asian auto just perhaps a different model to suit their changing midlife situation. Further as they near retirement they still stick with them. American mfg meanwhile captures a few youth and usually can't wait to get rid of it and rarely considers another make or model from American mfg.in mid life or retirement ? There has to be some serious core value and culture values . Remember the old adage ....shit starts at the top and rolls downhill.

I've also seen corporate videos of GM switching nameplates on a Chev & Toyota compact at focus groups. The Chev w/ a Toyota logo got better scores than the non-rebranded Chev.

[revrnd]

44 minutes ago, Likarok said:

Most of those stories are from 20 years ago. I have no Asian Hang-ups. I just chose to support a North American economy. And even the Asian stuff built in North America, The profits still go back to Asia!

 

It is funny to how All the Asian car stores still all have mechanics, If they are as good as some claim how are these guys employed?

 

 

 

And 10 or 15 year old 'imports' look just as beat up as the domestic brands.

[revrnd]

2 hours ago, Nick The Great said:

Most everyone I know over the age of 40 who drives a "Japanese" vehicle has a story about their last American car.  "After the third transmission in 5 years . . . " OR "once the instrument panel quit working in my 2 year old truck" OR "that Chevy needed a new engine after 75K miles"

 

So they switched to another brand that treated them better.  It's all anecdotal, but I can't really blame them.

 

And people under 40 (or 30) just want the best reliability and price and overall product.  They don't remember WWII or have any cultural hangups or biases against the Asian vehicles.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I haven't talked to a local contractor, but I'm interested in his thoughts. He had several F150s over the years. Switched to a Tundra a few years ago. last year he bought a new truck & it was a F150.

 

I hear it all the time about a guy that had a GMT400 that the dealership 'could correct the alignment'. Supposedly his Tundra (1st generation) is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[revrnd]

10 hours ago, Colossus said:

Nope..  no need for that.  They do just fine with the utility (Explorer)  Chevy no longer has the Caprice (Holden) and only has the Silverado and Tahoe police packages.  Many departments around here use the Explorer and the Tahoes, a few still like the Chargers (most are V6)  and Colorado State Patrol has a healthy number of Charger V-8s.  (and Tahoes and a few of the Ford Taurus PIs)

Lots of PDs here in Ontario using Dodges & Fusions, some Explorers in provincial police duty. I even saw them using a GMC Terrain. The Tahoe is quite common. The RCMP & Indian police forces use a lot of crew cab Chevs.

[Nick The Great]

4 hours ago, Likarok said:

Most of those stories are from 20 years ago. I have no Asian Hang-ups. I just chose to support a North American economy. And even the Asian stuff built in North America, The profits still go back to Asia!

 

It is funny to how All the Asian car stores still all have mechanics, If they are as good as some claim how are these guys employed?

 

 

 

Oh I hear ya there.  And that's what I meant by "over 40" that their stories happened years ago.  

 

When I was a pup we had 2 GM and 2 Ford dealers within a 20 minute drive, and that was in the sticks.  You'd have to drive over an hour to get to a Toyota or Honda dealer.

 

Nowadays that isn't the case, so the younger generation really has no reason not to drive the "American" brands.  My American truck, assembled in Mexico, notwithstanding.  

[pickmeup]

IMO one thing in particular honda and toyota do very well is stick to the names of their models . Take the Corolla , Camry or civic and accord been around forever it seems . Did they ever build a terrible model year or years of any of them? Didn't say bullet proof but terrible bear in mind . Now lets take Ford for example ...Pinto followed by mustang 2. lol.followed by escort followed by fiesta and then focus. How about maverick followed by fairmont tempest ? followed by......you get the point. Now keep in mind a very high portion of the afore mentioned had dismal safety and reliability issues to say nothing about el/cheapo interiors . They kept changing the model names and replacements so much you never knew what the hell you were getting if you chanced buying one . Meanwhile corolla and camry and civic etc still their gaining more and more buyers because they recognized the model. No one ever thought they were unbreakable r bullet proof but they were head and shoulders above a pinto or fairmont or vega etc. Just my simple mind thinking it may play a small part in ford cars death sentence.

[pickmeup]

I remember when ford had a huge advertising campaign that went like ...have you driven a Ford lately? People would laugh and say...well no I haven't , no time to drive one because it takes all my time repairing it !!! How about chrysler with their infamous K cars that people related to K- mart quality lol. Talk about cheap and barely tolerable driving cars for most peoples opinion...but they might get you there and back for a few years. Paint on hood , trunk and roof top would literally blow off in sheets but at least they had primer underneath. People would not even bother fixing the paint and of coarse chrysler claimed it WAS Not their fault or problem. Many of these cars were trash before you ever got them paid for and in them years car loans were 3 and 4 year loans . believe the max was 5 years because people were taught that is too many years for auto loan 

[Eric D Plante]

I own a Honda, Suburban and an Excursion, all for specific purposes.  I looked the comparable Chevy offering to the Honda Fit I bought, but the price was high for what you got, which seems to be the theme for US automakers.  The Suburban, 2012 LT 2wd, has been great for the family car.  The Excursion is used for towing only as that's its best use.  Seeing the car market dwindle is not surprising for the US automakers as their cars are bland for he most part, with Pre FCA cars having the best attempt at aggressive styling.  I still find small compact cars ideal for commuting IF the MPG and reliability are both high.  The big 3 have done this to themselves with regards to the demise of the car market, IMHO.

[MountainBound118]

Sedans have never been super interesting to me. They've always been sort of generic. Most of the larger ones that aren't super expensive are slow, and the smaller quick ones can't comfortably fit passengers in the back. 

 

The only exception would be luxury cars like BMW or Mercedes, and I feel like they are out of the price to feature range. 

 

Not to mention that the ford 500 exists, don't forget about that. The domestic sedan has been dying for years. 

 

On this same topic, Toyota has redesigned to Camry and it looks downright sporty. I think the domestics haven't focused on sedans and as a result aren't selling them compared to imports. It's sort of self fulfilling. 

[WilliamBos]

It would be smart if GM did - the Honda Civic has been the number 1 selling car in Canada since 1997 and that is not about to change.

 

GM has nothing to compete with Honda, hence why people are not buying them.

 

If I ever needed a car, a 2 door Civic Coupe would be what I would buy.

[KARNUT]

In the last 4 years since I retired I’ve bought 3 vehicles mainly for cross country trips. I had my 14 GMC for work had it a year no problems with it. Was getting my wife’s Genesis serviced and saw a Santa Fe marked down traded in the truck for it. Through its 60K miles and two years it would go into reduce power mode while passing with no light trigger. So I started watching for deals and recently bought a Camry. Never thinking I would own a car for my daily and trip car I was doubtful I would keep it long. After 3 cross country trips and 15K miles I find the more I drive it the better I like it. There’s hardly any affect from wind, the gas mileage is amazing and I’m less fatigue after 7 hours of driving. The power to weight is well matched never feels under power. This is saying something from me when my other ride is twice the HP. Most people would be amazed if they got over the latest fad and drove cars. It took big savings to get me in one, I’m hooked.


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[Grumpy Bear]

As much as I love driving my 15 Silverado for pure unadulterated comfort and much better mileage, on the longer trips I still break out the 09 Buick Lacrosse. That old 3800 Series III will knock back 30 mpg at 65/70 mph all day while sitting in your recliner with the air on. Seats 6 with a trunk large enough to haul bodies in.  I hardly drive more than 500 miles in a day anymore at 65 but it wouldn't be difficult.

 

When the Big 3 finally kill off these types it won't be and SUV or a CCSB I'll be buying. Like Stan it will be a larger Asian sedan. I've had my eye on a full tilt Mazda 6 for some time now. Maybe an Avalon! (if a money tree falls on me). I've had them (Asian Sedans) before and found them reliable and economical to operate. I just need to up size from Civics size cars. 

 

Just a guess here but since about 2010 or so the American full size downsized. Eliminating a passenger. High belt lines and tall consoles. Limiting glass and trunk space. Pretty much making a mid sized looser from some very nice nameplates. This doesn't feel line customer rejection of a platform as much as it does manufacture designed obsolescence  of product lines for margin expansion. Make the car feel like a rolling coffin instead of a family sedan.