The Aztek didn't sell what it was projected to sell but it did sell decently well. Everyone is complaining about no new Camaro but hey Aztek and the Camaro sold in about the same numbers. Also the 'Tek shared a lot of parts with the GM minivans so it costs less to make, making more money. Give me the business case on why GM should make more Camaro type cars and less HHR and Aztek type trucks, which also lowers CAFE. BTW I want a new Camaro bad but I can't see the justification of spending millions of dollars rushing something that is a very unique chassis with a limited appeal when the same money could be used to make a few different products with more overall appeal and cost less and help cafe in trucks.

Come on guys see the bigger picture!

 

Bottom line is that you dont bring out a competing model when the pt cruiser is in its 6th year. Eventually people will move on to the next fad. If I had to guess, I would bet hhr will be more expensive than the cruiser.

GM should have admitted its error in getting this to market so slowly and cancelled it and instead used the resources to build Nomad.

 

The Nomad despite having friends very high in GM couldn't be justified in its concept form because it did horribly in consumer clinics. As we know it it is dead.

 

LOL Yeah right.. It sold less than half projected sales when it came out, and dropped to only 20k last year in a market where these vehicles are selling vey well... The Buick version sold 60k last year., considering it looked much better.

Not to mention the aggressive marketing of this vehicle, and how it performed sales wise , yes it was a flop.

 

The big problem with the HHR is that it is a blatent knock-off of the PT Cruiser. If Chevy really needed a delta-based station wagon, they should have done something much cooler and more original than the PT Cruiser. They could have started with the Chevy Nomad concept from last year, made it a 4-door, and built it upon the delta chassis. Or they could have just done a Cobalt wagon, only make it look cool.

 

Sounds to me like Lutz is trying to cutoff negative press before it happens. He doesn't want people to dismiss the HHR as just a day-late, dollar-short PT Cruiser before giving it a chance. I'm sure it will find buyers if it's not torn apart in print.

So GM's late in getting to a reply. Is that surprising? The comment regarding a would-be Japanese knock-off is correct. No one would have thought twice about it.

 

I don't think so, I think there's a few significant differences between the two:

1.) the Equinox looks like a small truck/SUV (tall, tougher stance), where the HHR sits much lower, car like.
2.) the Equinox has a (lame) V6 and auto only tranny, the HHR only comes with a option of two I-4s and an optinal (or std) 5-speed.
3.) the HHR is retro, the Equinox isn't
4.) I don't know interior space, but I'm guessing the Eqiunox will have nore cargo room.

I think it basicaly comes down to a decision how you want your small crossover to be, truck like or car like.

 

Smartest post in the thread. Two things are true about the HHR. 1- No matter how great the next Camaro is, it will NOT outsell the HHR. and 2-Do not underestimate the CAFE factor. I think it is the main reason this vehicle exists. You should all remember when the PT Cruiser was being introduced and Chrysler insisted on getting it classified as a truck, even though it is based on the neon platform and is FAR from being a truck. This allows them to build more of the higher profit, gas guzzling SUVs and trucks. The more profit GM makes, the more money there is to invest in "niche" vehicles, such as..well you know. So I say a successful HHR is a good thing because a bankrupt GM will never build a low volume, low profit, affordable RWD V8 sports coupe, and that's a fact. I hope they sell a million of them.

 

I don't think it will have a problem selling. At least to those looking at a cross-over or PT Cruiser. Still, Lutz is beginning to wear on me. I find his actions to be a bit childish, especially for someone in his position. As right as he may be, he makes the right/wrong argument moot by get "blasting" the media. That's a fight you can never win.

Something to consider for you CAFE nut-huggers. An antiquated 2002 Z28 with every available option still gets as good or better gas mileage than GM's entire lineup of mini-vans and their cross-over Equinox. Just a little nugget to chew on.

It surprises me to no end when people start spewing CAFE this and CAFE that and don't really take a look at mileage numbers. Mini-vans are not any more efficient than a small-mid sized SUV, yet they seem to get a better rep? Someone will have to explain that to me sometime.

 

This link should aid you comprehension http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/auto/cafe.html The Camaro got great mileage but has nothing to do with this discussion since it was a passenger car which does not help the lightTruck average. They are two different categories. The PT Cruiser is classified as an SUV (just as the HHR will be), which is in the light truck category and is the main reason DCX can drop a Hemi into just about every truck/SUV they offer, because the PT raises the light truck average. Hope this helps.

 

On a related note, I believe the Magnum Wagon counts as a "truck" too (flat load floor) for Chrysler's CAFE numbers. (I know I read it a while ago, but the article could have been wrong.) Even the Hemi Magnum pulls the numbers up compared to the dismal Ram fuel economy numbers, and the 3.5 and 2.7 numbers are way high for a truck.

Amazing, isn't it, that the sedan version (the 300, or now, the Charger) is a CAR, yet somehow it magically becomes a truck when you throw a wagon rear on it.

I wonder, does the Vibe count as a car or a truck? Anyone know?

 

You're correct about the Magnum. I think the classification is that a flat load floor makes it a truck, "by the rules".

 

I think Lutz is simply just standing by his product and not letting it get ripped at will. And considering how this country is so brain-washed by the media, maybe its not a bad thing to rip them a new one every now and then. God knows if people hear these so-called experts chastizing this vehicle, chances are they wont even look at it. Media-run America at its finest (wheres Green Day's American Idiot when you need it?). Buy what you're told to buy. Do what you're told to do.

Is the HHR late to the party? Yep. Is it retro-styled like the PT? Yep. But that doesnt mean its not gonna sell. Want more space than a sedan but dont want a truck or the looks of a truck? HHR fits the bill perfectly, AS LONG AS ITS PRICED RIGHT. The SSR failed simply because it was too expensive, plain and simple. If SSR's were priced like 4th gen Z28's, they would be everywhere.

I blasted the HHR to h@ll and back when it was first rumored to come out but now that its been unveiled, it really isnt that bad looking of a vehicle and it actually has utility and style. Price it right and it should sell very well. Not to mention we NEED vehicles like this to sell if we ever want to see our car come back. Those hoping it flops should consider how that would affect the future of the Camaro considering that the plug can be pulled in the auto industry at anytime on any future product.

Good post. Never thought about it that way.