1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

GM forces SUV 7-passenger buyers to full size only

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by naterprius, Dec 12, 2005.

  1. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2004
    1,843
    11
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    So, another marketing genius, who can't see the writing on the wall, believes that anyone who is interested in hauling 7 people will certainly step up to the bigger, more gas guzzling model at their local GM dealership.

    I suppose not one of them has considered this is just one more buyer who will go over to Toyota and look at the 7 passenger versions of the RAV4, Highlander, and 4Runner.

    http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103755

    Here's the full text:

    GM to stop building stretched versions of midsize TrailBlazer, Envoy utes
    JAMIE LAREAU | Automotive News
    RICK KRANZ | Automotive News
    Posted Date: 12/12/05
    DETROIT -- General Motors will stop building seven-passenger mid-sized SUVs in February.

    The TrailBlazer EXT and the GMC Envoy XL are produced at the Oklahoma City plant that GM will shut down the first week of February.

    "We're not going to be building them when Oklahoma City closes," GM CEO Rick Wagoner said during a Thursday, Dec. 8, interview.

    The standard TrailBlazer and Envoy are five-passenger models that ride on a wheelbase 16.0 inches shorter than the wheelbase of the stretched model.

    Only GM's full-sized Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, will offer seven- and eight-passenger SUV seating.

    Sales of the two long-wheelbase vehicles totaled 85,958 from January through November, down 19.1 percent.

    Said Wagoner: "While we sold a reasonable number of those (SUVs), we think we can keep most of those customers in-house with better product offerings" in the future, such as the redesigned Tahoe to be launched early next year.
     
    #1 naterprius, Dec 12, 2005
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,933
    16,155
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    You do realise that the RAV4's 3rd row is rather useless. It's only good for young children. At least I can fit in the 3rd row of a Mazda5 but in the RAV4, it'll be an even tighter squeeze.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Dec 12, 2005
  3. wstander

    wstander New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2005
    982
    1
    0
    This is more a result of plant closures than a diabolical or evil intent on the part of GMC....or not;-)
     
    #3 wstander, Dec 12, 2005
  4. malorn

    malorn Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2005
    4,281
    59
    0
    Location:
    "Somewhere in Flyover Country"
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    The trailblazer ext that is being canned is actually longer than the Tahoe and is rated 1 mpg better in the city and 2 on the highway. It was in many way overlap with the Tahoe and actually gets 1 mpg worse than the new generation Tahoe coming out.
     
    #4 malorn, Dec 12, 2005
  5. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2005
    2,366
    4
    0
    Location:
    Bloomfield Hills, MI
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    In a somewhat related issue, Ford recently, and quietly, released news that they would be producing an Expedition that is longer. They're attempting to continue to compete with GM for the customers that still want one of the large SUVs. Since Ford had to kill the Excursion, they had to do something. Neither company can afford to get off of their addiction to large vehicle sales. They can't make money otherwise. On a side note, I saw a Lincoln pickup truck yesterday. I didn't even know that they made a Lincoln pickup. It didn't appear to be tricked out but an authentic Ford vechicle. Maybe its one of those statement vehicles for the guy who wants to project the image that he's not only macho in a useless kind of way but rich. :D
     
    #5 JackDodge, Dec 13, 2005
  6. 2Hybrids

    2Hybrids New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2005
    565
    0
    0
    Location:
    Eustis, Florida
    That would be the Lincoln Blackwood...
     
    #6 2Hybrids, Dec 13, 2005
  7. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2004
    1,843
    11
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    All I need is room for the baby seat. It can be right up against the seat in front of it and work fine.

    Nate
     
    #7 naterprius, Dec 13, 2005
  8. priusenvy

    priusenvy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2004
    1,765
    14
    0
    Location:
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Actually, they Blackwood was discontinued years ago. There's a new Lincoln pickup out now called the "Mark LT". As I recall, the Blackwood had a hard bed top standard and double Dutch doors instead of a tailgate, while the Mark LT has a normal looking bed and liftgate.

    http://www.lincoln.com/marklt/home.asp
     
    #8 priusenvy, Dec 14, 2005
  9. 2Hybrids

    2Hybrids New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2005
    565
    0
    0
    Location:
    Eustis, Florida
    aaahhhh I see! Thanks for the clarification. I just thought that it was the Blackwood which continued in its mirrored design of the F150.
     
    #9 2Hybrids, Dec 14, 2005
  10. LaughingMan

    LaughingMan Active Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2005
    1,386
    2
    0
    Location:
    Marlborough, MA
    Looks like GM is trying to clean house a little bit.
     
    #10 LaughingMan, Dec 14, 2005
  11. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2004
    1,843
    11
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    This may be true, but ginormous SUV's have other issues besides the gas... poor handling, difficult to park, more danger to cyclists and pedestrians.

    Plus, GM could have engineered a mid size to get better mileage than the big guy, but they didn't.

    Given the same power, physics dictates that lighter can always get better mileage than heavier. Whether or not it actually does depends on the engineers (and the drivers).

    Nate
     
    #11 naterprius, Dec 14, 2005
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)