Chevy Poised...

[HarleyEarl]

Auto news Chevy poised to end Ford's reign as No. 1 GM brand ahead in 2005 sales as U.S. rival slumps December 1, 2005 Email this Print this BY MICHAEL ELLIS FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER Former Ford salesman Jason Hallman of Canton traded in his F-150 pickup and bought this Chevrolet Cobalt coupe, which sits Wednesday outside JR Cycle Works in Plymouth. He is co-owner of JR Cycle Works. (HUGH GRANNUM/Detroit Free Press) Related articles: • 2004-05 Chevrolet and Ford sales Jason Hallman, who sold Ford cars and trucks for nine years, did something this summer he had never done before -- he bought a Chevrolet. After quitting his job as a Ford salesman last year, the 32-year-old father of two felt free to buy whatever vehicle suited his family. After checking out a few different cars and SUVs, Hallman decided to trade in his Ford F-150 pickup and buy a red Chevrolet Cobalt coupe. "It was the first time in my life, as an adult, I could go to a dealership and buy what I liked," said the Canton resident, who quit his job at Jack Demmer Ford in Wayne in 2003. "It was kind of an eye-opening experience. "I was looking to get the most car I could for the money," Hallman, who also owns a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer SUV, said this week. More and more Americans are coming to the same conclusion as Hallman. For the first time since 1986, Chevrolet could top the Ford nameplate this year as the best-selling brand in the United States. The battle for bragging rights is tight. Through the first 10 months this year, Chevrolet led the Ford brand in U.S. sales by 2,272,218 to 2,257,104 -- a margin of 15,114 cars and trucks. That's equivalent to just a few days' worth of sales. Both brands are scheduled to report sales for November today, and year-end clearance incentives could help Chevrolet extend its lead. The Corvette is the only Chevy left out of GM's Red Tag sale. Ford excluded two top-selling cars -- the Fusion and the Mustang -- from its latest incentives. New vehicles like the Chevrolet HHR small car have pushed the General Motors Corp. brand ahead of its longtime rival. But an even bigger factor has been the sharp drop in Ford sales. Ford's U.S. sales fell to 2.78 million last year from 3.47 million vehicles in 2000. That was the same year Firestone's recall of more than 6.5 million tires, most on the Ford Explorer, raised questions about the safety of the top-selling SUV. Chevrolet's stronger sales are a rare bit of good news for GM. The automaker announced plans last month to stop production at a dozen North American plants and cut 30,000 hourly jobs by the end of 2008. The company has lost nearly $5 billion in its North American automotive operations this year. But Chevrolet's victory, if it passes Ford, may be short-lived. The Toyota brand is on pace for its 13th consecutive year of stronger sales, having sold 1.51 million vehicles this year excluding the Scion line of small cars. Although Toyota is still far behind Chevrolet and Ford, the Japanese company is planting the seeds for continued growth. That may be why Chevrolet officials publicly downplay the importance of being the No. 1-selling brand. But at a conference in Las Vegas in October, Chevrolet officials handed out to dealers bracelets similar to the ones cyclist Lance Armstrong's foundation sells to promote cancer awareness. Dealers said the bracelets were Chevy blue and emblazoned with the word "leadership." "It is front and center in our minds," said Richard Genthe, owner of meathead Genthe Chevrolet in Southgate and the senior cochairman of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "It's in our e-mails and in our video presentations. It's a full-court press." Genthe admits that the race with Ford is still tight. "You can tell it's going to be a dogfight right up to the end," he said Wednesday. But he expects dealers to push the brand to No. 1, with help from Chevrolet in the form of more spending on advertising and incentives, if necessary. Victory in the sales race is more than just a chest-beating achievement. It helps convince car buyers that the brand is a winner. "If they win, I'm sure there will be a full-court press on advertising," Scott Brasher, general manager of Brasher Chevrolet-Buick dealership in Weimar, Texas, said this week. Although Chevrolet officials and dealers can be proud that they're close to beating Ford, they know another competitor is gaining fast. About 100 miles from Brasher's dealership, Toyota is building a pickup plant outside San Antonio. And while Ford and GM are making plans to cut production, Toyota broke ground in October on a second new plant, in Woodstock, Ontario. By 2014, Toyota could be fighting it out with Ford and Chevrolet as the top U.S. brand, said Rebecca Lindland, an auto sales analyst for the research firm Global Insight of Lexington, Mass. "The consumers that ... made Chevy and Ford what they were are basically out of the market in 10 years' time," Lindland said this week. "Baby boomers, they were the first group to come through with no loyalty to the domestic Big Three." But for now, Ford can find solace in having the nation's top-selling vehicle -- the F-Series pickup. And Chevrolet is attracting new buyers like Hallman. "I had been a Ford man my whole life," he said, but when the lease on his Mountaineer expires in 13 months, he may consider another Chevrolet. "I'll be looking at a Chevy store as well as a Mercury store."

[mrfunji]

After checking out a few different cars and SUVs, Hallman decided to trade in his Ford F-150 pickup and buy a red Chevrolet Cobalt coupe.

"It was the first time in my life, as an adult, I could go to a dealership and buy what I liked," said the Canton resident, who quit his job at Jack Demmer Ford in Wayne in 2003. "It was kind of an eye-opening experience.

It's one thing to sell a car, but it's another thing to sell a car that someone actually wants. Hallman is a good man! :metal:

The new Chevy's are IMO very competitive. I believe the HHR, Impala (esp. in SS trim), Cobalt and new Tahoe to be class leaders. Very nice, classy and clean looking products. Edited December 1, 2005 by mrfunji

[aaaantoine]

I think Chevy can do it. They've got my vote. B)

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Ford's U.S. sales fell to 2.78 million last year from 3.47 million vehicles in 2000. That was the same year Firestone's recall of more than 6.5 million tires, most on the Ford Explorer, raised questions about the safety of the top-selling SUV.

Ahh, the power of the media... Eventhough Ford had NOTHING to do with the defect. The collective media saw a chance to kill the momentum of Ford AND america's best selling SUV and took it. Now, look at the effect it had.

Although Toyota is still far behind Chevrolet and Ford, the Japanese company is planting the seeds for continued growth.

That may be why Chevrolet officials publicly downplay the importance of being the No. 1-selling brand.

LOL, because we all know that it is inevitable that we'll ALL be driving Toyotas sooner rather than later. It'll be a sad day in America when Toyota is the top selling company. Well, let me rephrase that, it'll be a sad day for us and anyone with any common sense. For the media and general public it'll be a victorious day!

"Baby boomers, they were the first group to come through with no loyalty to the domestic Big Three."

AND the first group to put our country in a perpetual state of decline among MANY other negative things.. Coincidence? Absolutley not. I'm with George Carlin on my stance against Baby Boomers.

But for now, Ford can find solace in having the nation's top-selling vehicle -- the F-Series pickup. And Chevrolet is attracting new buyers like Hallman.

Meh, we all know that won't last (Sarcasm/Realism)

[pow]

"It was the first time in my life, as an adult, I could go to a dealership and buy what I liked," said the Canton resident, who quit his job at Jack Demmer Ford in Wayne in 2003. "It was kind of an eye-opening experience.

Not if it's a Toyota...

*C&G torch smiley*

[BIGPhil]

I wonder how close it is as of this month (December). Last year was very close too and Ford still managed to pull it out. And I my opinion last year was a lot better as far as sales go. BUT don't get me wrong I sell Chevy and am a GM fan until the end!

[ponchoman49]

Quote:"Baby boomers, they were the first group to come through with no loyalty to the domestic Big Three! These so called baby boomers are showing no loyalty to anything. They turn there noses up to our past. They keep tearing down old buildings and putting up blah new ones. They are getting into the auto industry and designig some of the worst styled product in the history of the automobile. They are making car companies like Toyota king and ignoring that our cars are justs as good. They are making and designing strip malls that a former kindergartner would laugh at with pathetically designed parking lots that are all jumbled and very hard to get in and out of. They have made box stores king like Walmart and have killed off all the nice old mom and pop stores. Where did the older generation go wrong? :rolleyes:

[the_yellow_dart]

Actually, my parents were largely domestic buyers as well. My mother has owned 2 Mitsus, and my father one Toyota but other than that all their cars were all domestic - 1 Chrysler, 2 Fords and 12 GMs. Basically this preference boils down to experience. My mother has had good experience with Mitsu, and owns one now. My father's first new car was a 77 Corolla, in his own words "the biggest piece of garbage I've ever bought in my life". It needed a valve job at 12,000 km and the service manager was in awe that my father had gotten it that far without one!!! The car had rust holes after 2 1/2 years of ownership (bought new)!!! He said it actually came with tools for working on the engine, because Toyota knew what pieces of crap they were. My father refuses to look at a Japanese car since. Edited December 1, 2005 by the_yellow_dart

[Viperfan07]

Hooray for Chevy!!! Its about time someone knocked Ford off their "throne". I wanted my car company (not yet in existence) to do it but look like Im too late. Well I guess my new goal now is to just wipe Ford off the face of the earth ^_^ .

[usa1]

The new Chevy's are IMO very competitive.  I believe the HHR, Impala (esp. in SS trim), Cobalt and new Tahoe to be class leaders.  Very nice, classy and clean looking products.

[post="51103"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Errr, I must have missed the reviews that had any of these vehicles (the Tahoe isn't out yet) in a class leading position. The Impala, HHR, and Cobalt are all mediocre products.

Mark

[BuddyP]

Ahh, the power of the media... Eventhough Ford had NOTHING to do with the defect. The collective media saw a chance to kill the momentum of Ford AND america's best selling SUV and took it.

[post="51116"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Not entirely true, Ford had just as much to do with it. The ride of the Explorers were bad to where Ford lowered the air pressure from the noted 35psi to 26psi (just check out the recommended air pressure on the door sticker). Back when this all took place, the courts found documents from Firestone telling Ford to not submit the SUV's out of the factory with the tires at that lower pressure. Ford ignored it and sent them out anyway, and their negligance bit them in the ass.

[VenSeattle]

Errr, I must have missed the reviews that had any of these vehicles (the Tahoe isn't out yet) in a class leading position.  The Impala, HHR, and Cobalt are all mediocre products.

Mark

[post="51447"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I must have also missed the reviews that called them mediocre. The Cobalt, HHR, & Impala have all recently received very good reviews. Their sales also indicate that the market thinks so as well.

[Rob V]

All they need now is something to steal sales from the Mustang... -cough-

[deftonesfan867]

Errr, I must have missed the reviews that had any of these vehicles (the Tahoe isn't out yet) in a class leading position.  The Impala, HHR, and Cobalt are all mediocre products.

Mark

[post="51447"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

:huh: Dude I don't normally hate, but lay down the pipe. I've never seen any bad reviews for these vehicles and they're selling very well. Don't go posting information w/o something to back it up, and yes I can post reviews proving you wrong, but theres already quite a few on this great board.

[Robert Hall]

All they need now is something to steal sales from the Mustang... -cough-

[post="51718"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Cobalt SS and Monte Carlo... :)

[titan]

Cobalt SS and Monte Carlo...  :)

[post="51926"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Nope. The need a Camaro. Period.

[HarleyEarl]

Not even the GTO cuts it in competition with Mustang.....the new Camaro has to be powerful and affordable.

[PontiacTechNJ]

Not even the GTO cuts it in competition with Mustang.....the new Camaro has to be powerful and affordable.

[post="51967"][/post]

Well , the GTO outperforms the Mustang in every performance category
so it costs more , big deal