GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

I think we all saw this coming. GM really does not have anything sporty (think Mazda or Nissan) or mid lux importish (think Acura). Buick really does not fill either niche. No matter what they do..cars like the Regal and LaCrosse are not sporty and lazily styled. And while Buick is intended to be mid lux, I don't think anyone is seriously crosshopping it with Acura or Infiniti. Everyone is gonna rush in an say "But Buick sales are up". Well that is true..but you also have more models being offered, and they are nicer than the life support models the line had 4 years ago. Chevy's on the other hand outside of Camaro and Corvette are just basically boring appliance like Toyota type competitor cars. Because the brand has such sales volume it has to be bland to appeal to the masses. The Malibu looks nice..but I am not sure I would call it sporty.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...NewsCollection

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gm-...ter-2011-05-05

Profits triple, revenue rise at 5 billion...

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Of course and do you know why? Because a condition of the bailouts is that GM must meet a "break-even" point of a SAR of 10 million vehicles. We saw that number just last year, and likely will never see that low of a number again as long as you or I live.

With that said, the automaker also has what I would call cheap labor. The company builds and sells the same cars and trucks it did before for $14 an hour and not $28 an hour. If the company can't make money after slashing its rate of pay in half, with a SAR 3 million more vehicles then the lowest point we've seen in decades then something is seriously wrong with the company.

Then again, they did go bankrupt.

Now, onto the original reason for this topic....I have 46,000 miles on my 2006 Pontiac Solstice. My Pontiac G5 gets 30mpg. I'm keeping the Solstice and the G5, but what about when I want another "toy" to play around with? It's going to be a used Pontiac G8.....if I don't fall even more in love with the new Dodge Charger.

Why? Simple......what does General Motors offer me now in the same package of the Pontiac G8 that I can get today brand new from Chevrolet or Buick?

I'd love to hear which brand I can go to, and you can't include Cadillac because it's out of my price range and their cars are not sport-tuned.


Times up.

There's nothing new like that from GM right now, and won't be in the near-term. However, Dodge has what I am looking for right now...

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Uhhh... They have the Camaro - you can get a 315 HP V6 in the low $20k's. High $20k's and it will be equipped like a G8. Also, that police Impala is rumored at least to have a publicly available version in the near future.

If you want a G8, get a G8, but to put down GM for not having a replacement for a niche car is kind of getting nit-picking. They have all kinds of sporty cars in the Chevy line-up. Spark and Cruze at the bottom end, Camaro in the middle, and Vette on top. I would agree the Cruze needs the 2.0 turbo like the Cobalt, but the sold 25,000 Cruzes last month, so it is not like they are hurting to move them.

-Geoff

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

I think that article is pretty slanted. GM is doing great in sales right now, and a lot of it is the cars that GM has out. This looks like the typical "piling on" that the media is famous for. They don't mention how many conquest customers they are getting with the Equinox and Terrain, and they definitely don't say that the #1 traded in car for the Volt is the Prius. They just love putting "GM Struggles" in any headline.

Then on top of that, they put in BS lines like this:
You know what is wrong with this quote? Besides only giving you 58% of a statistic? The top car for returning buyers is a Chevy - but they downplay that fact with their next line. Then they group three competitors on the list and say they are getting 35%, so they are really only getting 10% each. And what about the rest of the GM brands? Why don't they group them together? The answer is so that they can't make their slanted point when you add in the other three brands to Chevy.

Horrible article. Anyone have the Edmund's data that the writer based it on? Since it is all based on a pie chart that they are not sharing, it sure would be nice to see it. Nice journalism.

-Geoff

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Agreed.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Well..... Can you resurrect a car brand? I know GM is defiantly regretting the decision to drop Pontiac.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

GM has 3 coupes in their lineup period far as I know. One's a sports car, One's a Luxury Coupe, and one's a Muscle Car.

The Camaro is the most affordable out of the 3 but, all the brands are now mising out on segments such as the compact coupe, like the Cobalt, or a midsize coupe like the G6. I've always felt GM should have a Eclipse type vehicle and the closest they have had is the V6 Z24 and the Beretta's.Also it would be nice to have an affordable convertable in the lineup as well.

Buick has made some really big strides as of late cause some of their vehicles have turned my head, and I"m not interested in a mid lux type vehicle so none of their brands interest me.

Sadly the Cruze does not excite me or turn my head one bit and the lack of a 2 door really disappoints me. I'd never thought I'd consider a foreign coupe, but at this point it's not being offered by anyone else. Makers like Kia, Hundai, and Honda are actually getting my attention with the small coupes they offer.

My dream car of course is a Camaro but the need of a more affordable coupe in GM's lineup is definately needed.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Trying to be everything to everybody is one of the things that got gm in trouble last time.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

I still get brochures and letters from GM that mention how I was a loyal Pontiac customer and they give me deals on any new GM vehicle as part of their loyalty program. I really do miss Pontiac. They are all I have ever driven. I don't know what will be next for me with Pontiac gone.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Please tell me how a 2 door, small back seat Chevrolet Camaro compares to a 4 door, plenty of back seat Pontiac G8 GT/GXP. I'd love for you to sell me a sports coupe when I want a sports sedan.

Your post makes my point all the more clear: GM has nothing for the Pontiac buyer to consider who wants a sport sedan at an affordable cost. It has no replacement for my Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky owners. My Pontiac G5 has two doors and gets 30mpg......I don't want another 2 door car, I want a rear-wheel-drive sport sedan.

Please sell me one out of GM's current line-up of cars.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

I think GM should put the LS3 in the CTS and price it in the G8 area. They should also bring back the Solstice/Sky model with a Chevy badge. And of course a SS version of the Cruze with 2 doors or 4 doors.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

:lol:

I'm sorry, but there is nothing sporty about the Spark or the Cruze. Not everyone can afford a Corvette, and most people like the idea of having backseats. As for the Camaro, great car but complete polarizing styling, personally I think it looks atrocious both inside and out where others think it's gorgeous. GM needs a couple of of performance RWD cars back. The G8 was awesome, the Solstice/Sky was a great alternative (albeit with a crappy trunk and top function) to the Miata and Z cars, and the V8 Grand Prix was a good try for FWD performance with dated architecture.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Chevy could use a delta II coupe, but other than that I think they are doing pretty good. The 2013 is sportier looking than just about anything in its class, lets hope there is a LNF + 6 speed manual option (rumor has it there is).

Cruze gets manuals across the board for 2012. Cruze RS is a pretty good looking car. Much sportier than anything that size from Honda, Toyota, or Nissan.

Re: GM Struggling to keep Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer owners from defecting-
 

Cruze is nice, but its a "small car"

One thing I miss about my G6 is a sporty mid sized sedan. I mean the nissa altima, bmw 3 series, and mazdas are slick and sporty. I'd even go with the Fusion is more sporty orientated then the malibu.

I mean even getting out of the big v8 performance sedans, there has to be a market for the sport 4 doors.

I do admit the new malibu looks a little more sporty.




Funny I moved and I was throwing out some old magazines then came across a car and driver or something from '08, it talked about first drive of the new camaro and some super car comparisons, I flipped through it, was sad to see the future of Saturn, talking about a volt version, some of the hybrids looked pretty good.

And freaking 08-09 saturn vues have been holding there value pretty well.