Apparantely, the SSR and GTO fiascos have at least taught GM something:

Click here for article

 

Sure, GM, the only problem with the GTO and SSR was "overproduction." It's not like they look like crap or anything.

 

well...the SSR to me looks a little overdone and purposeless, but the GTO is cool lookin', but not deserving of the name GTO

 

Perfect example of how half*** backwards GM is run. The execs employed at this company are the biggest bunch of spin doctors I have ever read. If I was a shareholder I would be very concerned about a long term loss at this point.

1. SSR and GTO suffer from overproduction? You have to be kidding me! I believe "lack of demand" and "overpriced" are more appropriate terms. How many "Halo" cars is GM going to build and take a loss at by "underproducing" them? Someone needs to teach them that they are in business to sell cars, and will only make money by selling cars people want, not by underproducing useless cars and losing money.

2. "We're going to be very disciplined about increasing production, because while it seems like we make decisions that don't look very smart, we do learn from them."

So what you are saying is GM learns from mistakes that really only "seem" like mistakes? What a conundrum.

3. Wagoner said GM will gauge the market more closely when it comes to niche vehicles in the immediate future.That includes new products from Pontiac and Saturn.

First: an overpriced, slow and heavy truck that is completely useless to 99.8% of the general public. Isn't one of the 10 Niche vehicles enough to fill this role? Hummer?

Second: you can look at a GTO and know the problem. Would be a great success car IMO if you price it cheaper. How does cutting EXPECTED production regain capital again?

Third: and most importantly, most people had higher future expectations for the Solstice than any of the other vehicles I mentioned. Now you are going to kill production on it? A car that is cheap and has some actual demand? Then it will fall into the same trap the GTO had of dealer markups and so on. Hopefully, the Saturn brand does not do this with the Sky.

4. He added: "We should play those for what the market wants."

Camaro? Non-cartoon looking entry vehicles? Attractive designs? Nope!

GM needs to stop dumping money on niche vehicles like the SSR and bring the Camaro back. You know, a market bigger than .01% of the population.

I forgot, that's what the Monte Carlo and Cobalt is for ....

 

speaking of cobalt

woo hoo woo hoo hoo....
woo hoo woo hoo hoo....

I despise that commercial. :notnice: :nono:

 

if GM keeps goin the way they're going, the only desirable car they're gonna have is the 'vette.

my step by step plan that would save them:

Dump the SSR. its an expensive POS.

make the GTO cheaper, and more attractive, less blah styling.

turn the monte carlo n Impala into RWD sedans. (they're already gettin those 5.3L? V8s. might was well get around the dern torque steer)

stop making so many SUVs! there's like what 18? acoording to Howie long :notnice: there might be more. god you dont need that many. i have nothing against SUVs but you need to know when you have enough.

bring the Chevelle! i like chevelles. the chevelle should be the chvey version of the GTO and be a lot cooler.

and i think we all know what needs to be done about the whole 'marobird. or lack thereof.

GM im tired of telling you how to fix your problems. just DO IT!

[/rant]

 

I agree. I wouldn't have posted much on the topic but it's getting sickening watching the "worlds biggest automaker" embarrass themselves and give up that title to Toyota. Toyota, nevertheless, at least knows who they are selling cars to and what their market segment wants. Ford's stock has remained in the toilet, but unlike GM, they are obviously improving more and more all the time.

Heres the other ingenious statement from GM's CEO this week in case anyone missed it.

"GM says it has no hope of making a profit on its new Saturn
Sky roadster but says the car is worth selling if it changes
consumer perception about the struggling brand.
Saturn hopes to sell 10,000 of the little two-seaters
annually. But GM CEO Rick Wagoner tells the Chicago
Tribune the Sky won’t be profitable—even if Saturn sells
every one it can make for five straight years.

Such is the risk of “halo� cars, low-volume, often
performance-oriented models designed to generate buzz
that translates into sales of more practical vehicles carry-
ing the same brand."

Now as I've said I don't invest in the auto industry, for obvious reasons, but this kind of statement is moronic for a CEO to make. Hard to invest in a company that admits they are building a "Halo" car, which will definitely put them in the red, so that they "might" improve the already crappy sales. From a consumer standpoint this qoute would give me no motivation to buy a regular Saturn either because GM put more effort into the Halo vehicle than the car I might buy.

How about fix the reason the sales are crappy and watch the buyers flock in???
:scratch:

 

I think what hurt the GTO was not have a V6 available, I am sure they would of sold a lot more and the overall product line would of done a lot better had they had a more affordable version with better gas mileage. Why do you think the Mustang has been so strong for so long, the V6 model is the secret.

 

They need to bring back the Camaro as well. But on another note, that Saturn roadster is the best Saturn I have ever seen. They may have something with their two roadsters, the Pontiac one as well. How long has the Miata been selling strong? Actually that Howie Long commercial was for trucks and SUVs.

 

That's a really good point. I never thought about that. I wonder what's the comparison between Mustang GT sales and the GTO. Exclude the v6 from that equation.

 

Yeah, gimme a break! These so-called execs are clueless. Unfortunately that same degree of cluelessness prevades the boardrooms as well. Otherwise these incompetents would be terminated not rewarded.
I think you may have hit on something there with the GTO ie V6 model availability boosting sales. That could have helped but the big flub was marketing a rebadged Aussie coupe as one of the most vaunted American automotive icons. Just does not work. Price is a factor but not nearly to the degree that it is with the SSR. The SSR is a nice package but way overpriced. If anything they underproduced the darn thing. Build the heck out of it and drop the price. As was suggested with the GTO offer two engines and bring it in around mid 20's to start.
I don't like what I'm hearing as concerns Solitice/Sky production. If those jack-asses screw this one up with a limited production overpriced strategy I'll scream! Do they think the Mazda folks are resting on their laurels? Unreal man! Unreal!

 

I think the Saturn Sky will sell well

 

"Overproduced"?????

That guy is truly out of touch with reality. The reason the GTO sits on dealer lots is because it's bland looking. Add an exciting exterior that matches the horsepower, lower the price a little and they'd sell like hotcakes. Why is that so hard to understand? Take that popular Camaro concept drawing, throw in the LS2 and a V6 version, and watch the $ come in.

 

Not overproduced, overugly, yes that is my new word now, if the design crew must be blind because if they werent they probably would hurt their eyes when they see their creations...