GM will tout fuel economy

[Northstar]

By Jamie LaReau
Automotive News / September 05, 2005

http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=54362

DETROIT -- General Motors will make fuel efficiency a key marketing theme, company executives say.

"We need to go on the offensive," says Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis. "The facts support a very good claim on our part."

GM will not increase its advertising budget to spread the fuel-efficiency message, Ballew says. Instead, he says, GM and its brands will incorporate the message in ads that promote the company's value pricing program.

GM offers 20 vehicles that get 30 mpg or better, according to Tom Stephens, GM group vice president for global powertrain.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger says GM and Ford Motor Co. offer consumers fuel-efficient vehicles. "It's just a matter of getting people to look at" the vehicles, he says. "These incentive programs have done that."

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Thank God!! It's about time somebody at GM woke up on this issue... Now if we could just get them to tout quality improvements and economic contributions we'd be in business.

[Posaune]

It is about time!

[Newbiewar]

so they are going to try to agravate Toyota and honda, the ones with a vehicle claiming to get well over 40? sounds good, but the defensive importers will probably win

[capriceman]

so they are going to try to agravate Toyota and honda, the ones with a vehicle claiming to get well over 40?

sounds good, but the defensive importers will probably win

[post="10918"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

i dont know.....

Importers havent ever been on defense!!! Ever, its Domestic time to get the ball!!

[IbuyGM]

Yeah. So glad to read this. They should have even more to gloat about if the GMT 900 SUV's gas mileage is better.

[Newbiewar]

Yeah.  So glad to read this.  They should have even more to gloat about if the GMT 900 SUV's gas mileage is better.

[post="11000"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

yea with the base 4.8 doing better then most small trucks :) tacoma/ranger

although it will be about the same as the colorodo, which means the colorodo needs an improvement, through that 4.2 in there and you'll probably see fuel ecconomy going up...

[johnnyb]

I thought they were already touting fuel economy? Well, whatever the case is, this couldn't have come at a better time...

[pow]

I don't know... it's good to let the consumer know that GM cares about fuel economy, but at the same time, you don't want to make any big claims that can hurt GM's credibility. Admittedly, some GM products are 1-2 MPG better than their competitors, but it doesn't make them a green company at all. A 145-hp compact Cobalt gets the same fuel mileage as a 160-hp midsize Accord.

[Newbiewar]

I don't know... it's good to let the consumer know that GM cares about fuel economy, but at the same time, you don't want to make any big claims that can hurt GM's credibility. Admittedly, some GM products are 1-2 MPG better than their competitors, but it doesn't make them a green company at all. A 145-hp compact Cobalt gets the same fuel mileage as a 160-hp midsize Accord.

[post="11119"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

is that a 2005, or 2006 accord?

[Northstar]

I don't know... it's good to let the consumer know that GM cares about fuel economy, but at the same time, you don't want to make any big claims that can hurt GM's credibility. Admittedly, some GM products are 1-2 MPG better than their competitors, but it doesn't make them a green company at all. A 145-hp compact Cobalt gets the same fuel mileage as a 160-hp midsize Accord.

[post="11119"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

They may be the same EPA ratings, but reports from owners (Dsuuper most recently) is that they get well over the EPA mileage. Dsuuper said he was getting 40MPG.