Halfway to retirement!

 

Fleet sales aren't too bad. My dad rented an 02 Explorer from Enterprise and was so impress that he bought one for himself.

It's got its pros and cons just like any other

 

like i said... fleet might be bettter for gm... more profit less rebates...

also more exposure from company driving..

 

It's not a horrible thing cause a sale is a sale and $$ is $$ either way you look at it but it's not great in terms of preserving the image and value of not only the model(s) in question, but the brand/company as a whole. And perception is one thing that continues to haunt the big3 and huge fleet sales definitly don't help because they cheapen a cars/brands image in the eyes of the consumer which in turn hurts things like resale value, etc... This is one of the things that led to the taurus's death and why models like the civic/accord continue to be successful.

 

I think you have a misconception about what "fleet" means...usually any sale of groups of vehicles to a business is classified as "fleet". That aside, I fail to see how having lots of GM trucks or cars in fleet sevice would be preceived as a bad thing, for "image" or anything else.

What image do you want to preserve...do you want the public to get the idea that businesses and rental agencies won't use GM vehicles because they are too expensive and/or unreliable...that could be an "image" that's given too.

Last time I went to 'Vegas I got a absolutely brand new Chevy Malibu and had it for five days...it performed great...I certainly didn't think "less" of the nameplate/model because it was available for rent.

I think you are creating a problem where there isn't one.

 

I believe they are saying, that fleet sales being a large or increasing percentage of GM's sales, implies less people(individuals) are "choosing" them.
Which again, is an assumption based on insufficient data.
More Companies could be jumping on the GM bandwagon, b/c of the new product...or companies could be just wanting more, b/c of customer demand.

 

This whole topic - the suggestion that "fleet" sales are "bad" surprises me.

I seem to recall a lot of moaning and groaning on boards like this as well as "GM oriented" magazines/press when GM essentially abandoned law enforcement a few years ago (hence why so many law enforcement agencies use Crown Victorias)....if all but dropping out of that market was a bad thing (and those sales were FLEET sales), how can you then turn around and suggest that "fleet" sales are bad?

I would submit that the only manufacturer that would not want/welcome fleet sales would be one that simply can't possibly keep up with demand from the retail sector...there aren't many nameplates out there with that trouble.

 

Misconception....a problem being made out of something that is non-issue....whatever it is, "conceptions" and "perceptions" right or wrong drive this industry.

I'm not saying it is bad or horrible and i don't recall saying that it was, all i said was that it wasn't the best or the most ideal way to generate sales.

Maybe this is all in my head and my head only, but every time big3 sales are brought into question, people always go off on how they're strongly padded by fleet sales and how that somehow supports why they think lesser of them. The resale value part is also something that is brought up.

 

well did GM have similar share in the fleet market as they did in the retail market?

isnt GMC the professional grade? so shouldnt it go to professionals?

 

I have no Idea.

About GMC, they're generally makers of larger vehicles (trucks), and there doesn't seem to be much of an outcry in that segment as far as fleet sales go. It's the regular cars like the Impala and Malibu that get all the scrutiny from the media and public.

 

if companys need them... go for it...

i dont get it, if best buy needs 1000 cars for a certain area... the media is going to complian that they are using VW bugs, and that VW is making crappy cars because of it?

I've seen some fleet scions xb... and some fleet hhrs... so whats the damn point...

a old customer of mine had a 05 malibu company car, that was realistically hers... just the company paid for it, and she loved it...