It sells because it is cheap.

When you can roll out the door, for significantly less money, than the smaller Malibu........... it is going to sell.

Now, lets talk about if GM makes any money at the price it sells for.

 

The delay on the new Impala is yet another nail in GMs coffin.....and the coffin is getting pretty full of nails! Impala is a very important car for GM and the new Impala should not be delayed or short changed. A new Impala should have came out first, instead of the new LaCrosse. LaCrosse will not be a huge seller for GM but a new Impala will be.

The current Impala is getting sooo dated. Every other model in its class is or will be new fresh designs by 2010. Accord last year, the new Taurus, Toyota Camry will be all new in 2010, which will be 2 generations of Camry while Impala retaines the same body style......how can you compete with that?

There is a huge difference in size of the Imapla and Malibu. I am 6'4" and feel somewhat cramped in the Malibu, while the Impala is more comfy and roomier for me. The Malibu would be so much better if it wasn't so narrow.

 

And GM continues the same trend that has consistently seen their market share slide.

 

Compare the size of the Impala to the size of a Dodge Charger.

Get ready for a shock.

Impala sales are down 59% for January.

If you deduce that there is almost no market for Impala (at 7,000 sales in January), then you must also deduce there is no market for Corvette (sales down 58% to 842 cars), the Chevy Cobalt and Aveo (both down 70% in sales), Pontiac G6 (down 82%), & the HHR (down 79%).

In short, the rationale is bogus.

Cobalt and a host of other General Motors vehicles sales are down just as bad and even worse than Impala's. Vehicles that DO still have a strong market, that obviously is being hammered mercilessly by the prospect of GM going under.

Pushing a high volume car like the Impala back to 2013 IS IMHO a death sentence to GM. Why?

1. Impala is GM's bread & butter car. It's in the class that sells no matter what (as long as there's credit and people have jobs).

2. GM's competitors, even Ford & Chrysler, are moving as fast as they are able to replace the models they have in that class. The all new Ford Taurus is essentially days away from showrooms (and will have cosmetic changes every 2-3 years). If Chrysler is around, they will have a replacement for both the 300 and the Charger in 2011. Toyota and Nissan aren't sitting still either.

Unless GM is diverting the money to the Malibu for an early revision, the Impala (which looks old now) is going to be downright ancient bt 2013.

To make matters worse, if the economy does bounce back by year's end, Impala will either be the last thing anyone considers, or GM will have to discount the car so low and so far down that GM simply won't only NOT make any money on the car (and potentially sell it at a loss), a General Motors selling fewer vehicles through fewer divisions and making even less money (or losing more, depending on perspective) will need an old Impala like they need a hole in the head.

Again, I really question the leadership at GM......
......or if they had no choice, GM is about to implode.

 

The Impala WAS GM's top seller (car). It didn't even make the top 20 in January. The Malibu was number 10 on that list.

And Guy I don't think you understood my posts. First I asked if the Impy was considered a large car. Then I looked at large car sales of 5K a month(that I posted) and said there looks to be no large car market.

 

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/02/january-car-sales/


And the sales leaders are? Count the full sized...

Rumors that trucks are "dead" are not quite true. Drawing any firm conclusion from sales figures at this time would be quite difficult as it pertains to a situation if the economy continued to plummet and gasoline prices move upward.

A new Impala that would be profitable in other circumstance was being done. Gas prices and CAFE uncertainty made the wise choice to hold off. The tooling for the present Impala is paid for. If fleet sales existed in any real form the situation would certainly be better.

Seven passenger vehicles are a big deal, and given limited resources and being in a position to cater to political forces for financial assistance making full size cars not a favorite of the Green politcs constituancy...

Which make more immediate sense? A Cruze, Orlando, Malibu, Traverse.... or a full size push.

Fleets aren't buying and the car market in this country is off about 50%. It's a reality thing.

Guy, you have been a fan of Holden for some time. They make great vehicles.

You have yet to buy either we have brought here. Which is fine. You have your reasons. If you have bought any Chrysler or Ford product you like so well, I am not aware of it.

No sarcasm intended. It's likely NO ONE is building a car you have been inspired to pull the trigger on. Maybe it will be a new Camaro. That will be nice. Maybe you don't buy new cars.

 

However, by not investing in their products, they leave themselves in a really poor place............... when the economy does recover.

It will recover................ it always does.

There are some on GMI, that advocate that Ford is stupid................. because they are continuously updating their products. They say that Ford should stick their head in the sand, save their money, and wait until the economy improves. GM, on the other hand is smart.............. by delaying project after project, and shelving many.

When the economy improves, who is going to benefit. Ford, with a fresh lineup of desirable cars.................. or GM, now scrambling and behind............... with many products that were dated before the economy went in the crapper???

Small changes.............. a new nose and interior............... would not cost much in the scheme of things. Yet, even small changes like this can make a big difference in perception, when people start buying in quantity again.

 

Does this all sounds so incredibly familiar?

I seem to remember a time when GM pushed virtually all their resources to trucks and SUV's at the expense of other markets.

They are belittled today for that move.

So, now they do it again, except by moving (what's left of) all their resoursed to econoboxes.

Ya, this will work.

I have a feeling I am either going to be holding on to this SRX for a really long time, or I will basically be forced to look outside GM for the first time ever, for fear of a lack of anything being offered in the market segment I'd be shopping. I hope I am wrong.

 

I don't understand how a company that (still) has 21% of the market and (still) has 8 brands can justify trying to focus ALL of it's resources and brands on one segment of the market. NO WONDER GM is bankrupt... Had they utilized their size and different divisional flavors to cater to the market correctly, they could've adjusted to whatever the market desired in a flash and been an unstoppable force.

The market wants trucks? Fine, we'll push the hell out of GMC.... The market wants small cars? Fine, we got Saturn. The market wants performance? Cool, throw Pontiac a few more dollars to advertise... But alas, they haven't been able to see the forrest for the trees for years now and a vicious cycle ensued.

All this talent and ability squandered

 

bad news for very dated car already. I drove on a little while ago--might have been good for 2000MY but it's hopeless obsolete in this day.

 

If putting a new grill on the Aveo and calling it the G3 is all their resources then it is really over for GM

Cruze is pushed back a year for the North American launch from the European launch, so GM is slacking there too.

For 2010 I think the mix is good from GM. 3 SUVs, but ones with great mileage and styling (Equinox, Terrain, SRX) a large sedan (Lacrosse) a muscle/pony/sports car (Camaro) and then of course everyones favorite the G3

 

Well the whole market is down about 50% so that is not hard to extrapolate out to each model.

As for the Impala...I worked at Avis when they first came out and they got a **** ton of them. What was funny is everyone who drove one loved it...talking about how it ride well, got great gas milage, and had a ton of room.

If you don't care about cars on an emotional level and want something that will get the job done well as cheap as possible, the Impala is your car.

 

Aside from the Volt I think they are putting all their resources into paying the electric bill and developing powerpoints for politicians.

 

.

 

But the Impala is for people who aren't embarrassed about owning one!

If you were of the kind who takes pride in your hygiene, your appearance, your attire, you wouldn't be caught dead in one... unless you happened to be catching a taxi. Cheap, non-stylish motoring just doesn't cut it when you have far more inspiring designs around for not much more money. Ya know, cars that actually make you 'feel good' about owning a brand new car.

That's the difference. As somebody else alluded to... Impala was outdated the day it was released. I still remember my reaction that day - I was so disappointed when I first saw it... and I'm understating my emotions, too.