G.M. and Ford Lose Ground in Sales Again

I don't know how popular hybrids will become in the US, but they do show that Japanese companies are willing to be innovative in the marketplace and take a chance.

There was an article in the paper here a week or two ago about some tiny little car (European I think), that the American companies passed on. Their reasoning: "Americans like big cars." They may have been right about the car in question, I don't know, but it's interesting how they're locked into one way of thinking and they absolutely will not change.

I suspect that US auto execs in their sleep say over and over again, "Americans like big cars. Americans like big cars. Americans like big cars."

 

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Hey Paul:

As a guy who used to own a 2000 GMC Sierra, take my advice:

Get off your a** and at least *try* to design something that isn't a POS. That might go a long way to "improving your competitive position."

And while you're at it, maybe offer a product more appealing in the era of raising energy prices. The Clinton Glory Days of artificially cheap gasoline is OVER. I and a lot of other drivers are no longer interested in something that gets single-digit or low double-digit fuel economy.

And quit whining about how you totally FUBAR'd your "prediction" of hybrid sales and popularity. Toyota didn't "steal" anything off you, they just out-engineered and outclassed you.

Hey Paul this isn't the first time GM got caught with their pants down while holding an issue of Hustler. Maybe put that ... creative ... energy to better use.

"Blocking and tackling" no wonder your sales are down. :roll:

What next? Are they going to blame their workers? Maybe they'll hang the "patriotism" thing on their ads. Like the South Korean made Chevy Aveo or the Mexican made Chevy Suburban.

 

I have bought two brand new GM vehicles in my life. Neither was reliable at all. In the last instance, the tech at the local Chevy dealer said "well, it is a Chevy" when I complained about its inability to start (brand new 1997 Suburban).

General Motors makes pure unadulterated junk, there is nothing there of merit in anything they build. I have NEVER owned something GM has built, either new or used, that wasn't a piece of junk.

This is my third brand new Toyota. They run well, they are well made and they have high quality along with that well made engineering.

Fords for me have been great vehicles when bought new, iffy when bought used.

European cars I have owned have been uniform disasters. (except for the yellow Beetle in the '70s I had)

GM builds junk, and they know it and more and more people are catching onto the fact that it is pure junk.

 

Tony:

For some reason Buick appears to be the exception to the GM "rule" of s*** quality. A friend of mine has purchased a 2002 Lease Return Buick Century and it appears to be a good car. My folks have always had good luck with Buicks, dating back to the early 50's.

What is odd is that Buick cars share many components with other GM-brand cars, yet the other names have horrible reliability. I can't explain it.

 

I'll do the same... GM's missed out on a lot of things, but my old Cavalier went 130K miles without dying, and considering what I did it to it (it was my primary car during college) that's pretty amazing. I'm fairly sure if I had a corolla I would have broken the thing in half with some of my... 'driving'.

GM has missed the boat in a lot of areas... hybrids, airbags (anyone remember the motorized mouse runners?). But in other areas, they've been ahead of the curve (ABS, FI).