I think one of GM's biggest problems are it's designs. Everything they have (save Cadillac and a few other models) looks like late 90s designs. Look at those spy shots of what's believed to be the Buick Lausanne. It looks like the current Bonneville, which came out in the fall of '99. This is supposed to be a 2007 or '08 model year vehicle. Most of GMs products since '97 look similar. People are tired of that look.
If they want to gain market share, they need a break-out product and PRICE it PROPERLY.

 

1. The Chevrolet HHR is going up against both the non-retro Dodge Caliber and the next generation PT Cruiser.

2. The Chevrolet HHR isn't quicker than the than the two turbo version of the current Chrysler PT, and it will take the HHR's optional 2.4 liter Ecotec to match the base 2.4 liter "World Engine" in DCX's upcoming Caliber and PT Cruiser. As I said in another thread, the smart money is on DCX bringing out a high performance (probably turbo, maybe V6) version of the Caliber/PT Cruiser to the market before Chevy takes the wraps off the supposed turbocharged version of the HHR.





They've got sales disasters like the GTO and the Cadillac SLR. GM's also got the bloated MC. Did I forget to mention the Solara-looking G6 coupe?


But GM Powertrain has been very late when it comes to building a modern automatic transmission that can handle all 400 horsepower.


After the GTO (they should have called it the "Titanic"), I decided that it was best not to second guess Ford's decision to leave the Falcon in Australia.

Judging by the actual sales totals, the GTO and XLR should also have never made it past those accounting reviews.


The interior quality of a Cobalt isn't all that special - at least by industry standards. Of course, it wasn't that hard to improve on the old Cavalier or even the more recent Ion.


The only problem with that theory is that you can justify just about anything in the car business - if you inflate sales projections.


The problem is that GM has 3 RWD and 3 FWD platforms when all they need is one or two of each.


In all of the talk about "interior quality" everyone has lost sight of the fact that the interior of the Corvette is let down by dowdy designs with tacky detailing. Material quality is fine and dandy (and unremarkable for this price class), but when you see "C-O-R-V-E-T-T-E" stamped in giant letter in the dash plastic, you know you're still in a corny domestic product.





Kappa is supposed to make money eventually, but for the first few years all of the Kappa roadsters will be major per/unit money loosers.


Lutz had the power to delay the introduction of the STS and the Buick LaCrosse for about two model years!


You really have to wonder what Saturn is doing to change its image in the run-up to the sales launch of the Sky? All I've seen so far are TV spots like the "pregnancy lady" ad for the Saturn view and the "wimpy minivan dad" promo for the new Relay. Saturn is still polishing its for-dorks-only image instead of paving the way for a sports car.

 

No. PT & HHR are small minivans, Caliber is a Cobalt sized 5 door hatchback.

Chrysler's upcoming engine doesn't have 2 turbos.
As for the performance comparisons, guess we'll need to wait & see.


GTO's sales problem has long since been identified & fixed. Look up GTO's sales since September & compare that to prior sales. The XLR is a $75,000 2 passenger convertible hardtop Cadillac. At the very least, it's about $20,000 overpriced. The G6 coupe isn't even out, so again, we'll just have to wait & see.

You conviently missed the Cobalt, the redesigned & more powerful Monte Carlo, the upcoming "Velite" (likely Riviera), & the upcoming Chevrolet coupe.


So name ONE single car that GM should have put 400 horsepower & an automatic transmission on? A Z06? A CTS-V? H*LL, GM didn't even have a "volume" 400 horse engine till this year's LS2, so please explain what we are talking about here?


It's already been concluded you know zip about what you are talking about when it comes to Australia & it's vehicles & have no intrest in actually finding out, so it's best to ignore you on this part.

Pontiac dealers screwed GTO over. Again, something that's been drilled repeatedly already. XLR was actually very sucessful early on, but now has tapered off. Both cars are veriable cash cows for GM. The GTO's Monaro package was designed to be successful running 15,000 cars over a 3 year period at the equivalent of about $38K a pop. Instead, the car will run a total of about 75,000 cars over a 5 year period averaging about $34K a piece (Monaro's more expensive than the GTO). Holden is making out on this. Holden is a division of General Motors. This means General Motors is making out on this.

XLR is an already quite profitable Corvette with a $35,000 markup with far less than $35,000 worth of folding hardtop, wood trim, and OHC V8.


First time I've ever heard that from anyone. Auto critics love it & journalist love it. This is one instance where you're alone in the wilderness.... except for that british journalist that has an almost sociopathic bias against American cars.


That's all cars.


For what???

Lutz can block anything that doesn't make financial or market sense, or send things back for more work & he's done it often. When he feels something is ready, he kicks it up to the next level. If the Cadillac division was happy with the STS and Buick was happy with the LaCrosse (and for what they are, they ARE nice cars) and it made great marketing and financial sense, and it met Bob Lutz's standards for what he'd release, sitting on it makes no sense whatsoever.

No disagreement there.

 

The distinctions are minimal. You could say the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are just Corrolla sized 5-door hatchbacks.




The normally aspirated 2.4 liter "World Engine" is going to be close to the performance of the old 180hp turbo, hence the lack of a low pressure turbo in the upcoming lineup. It will also be the equal of GM's much hyped 2.4 liter Ecotec.





I'd argue that GTO's sales problem is fundimental to the current design, the XLR is very much overpriced (so I agree) and we already know that the G6 coupe/convertible's rear end is dead ringer for the Solara's - and I don't mean that as a compliment.


I forgot the Cobalt (as many buyers probably will), I didn't miss the Lumina-looking new Monte Carlo, I laugh at the mention of yet another Riviera and the "Chevy coupe" won't hit the streets until 2009.





I'm refering to the late arrival of the 6L80E. Personally, I don't think it's right that they crammed the elderly 4L65E in the C6 Corvette just because GM Powertrain was running a year or too late with the 6-speed replacement.




Going by a track record that includes Mercury Capri (dead), the Mitsubishi Diamante (dead) and the Pontiac GTO (barely alive), I have every reason to question Australia's clout as an automotive exporter to United States.




I'm sure that Holden's balance sheet has benefited tremendously from the GTO, but I doubt that the cars has done as much for GM of North America. The fact of the matter is that the GTO's 18,000 unit/year sales projects didn't hold up and the Cadillac XLR's original 6,000 unit/year projection is a joke. Both failures were predictable but fortunately, we're talking about GM - a place where failure is rewarded.


I'll agree.

Which British journalist is that?




Technically, you're right. However, in the case of the Kappa-duo (Solstice and Sky) you're talking about a total of 40,000 units/year being produced in a facility that's sized for 200,000 units/year. Wilmington is going to be operating at 1/5 (ONE FIFTH!) of capacity.

I get the horrible feeling that the Kappa roadsters are going to be huge money losers for the foreseeable future - assuming that so-called Beta platform (Torana concept) is as far away from production as we've all been assuming.


The LaCrosse was going to premier at the same time as the 2004 Grand Prix and the STS was going to go on sale along-side the SRX crossover - until Lutz objected to both designs. I can assure you that the redesigns were hardly cheap and the delays had very real costs associatied with them.

In the case of the LaCrosse, I really believe that delay made it easier for GM management to further defer the switch to rear wheel drive. It became all too easy to believe that the production Zeta platform could be set back a year or too. In the end, we may find that Lutz's delay is far more destructive than anyone anticipated.

In the case of the STS, Lutz interupted the tempo of Cadillac's successful Zarella-era turnaround plan. Considering that production cut and temporary production halts are the current order of the day at Cadillac, I wouldn't be too quick to praise Lutz's delaying tactics.


I'm glad we can agree, but I still don't have a clue as to what's going on at Saturn. If they don't change the wierd but un-cool advertising message, they're going to kill the Sky before it goes on sale.

 

PT/HHR customers are not the same as Mustang GT and Camaro customers. HP isn't what sells these types of cars. Utility and retro styling and sub $22K price is what is moving them.


6 speed RWD automatics should have been in production for the launch of the C6, but they are 1 year late. Like Guy said, they didn't really need a 400HP+ auto until the LS2 came out.

GTO out sold the Mustang Cobra and the cheaper Mach 1 buy like 70% each.

XLR = They wanted to sell 3,000 a year and they sold 3,665 in 2004, that is 22% more than the original goal. I guess we all see disasters differently

Cobalt’s interior is better than Honda Civic, Toyota corolla, and Ford Focus... and I have actually driven all 4 cars. Cobalt also has the best base HP

Why? so people like you can b!tch that a $40,000 Buick or Caddy is on the same platform as a $20,000 Chevy or Saturn and call the upper class car badge engineered?

I'm sure the platform need more than 40,000 units to be profitable, more Kappas are said to be a year or two away. They probably won't make a profit until a 3rd US Kappa is added.