August 2014: General Motors Co.

[William Maley]

GM’s Truck Sales Climbed 18 percent in August

• Chevrolet and GMC large SUV sales up 38 percent
• Chevrolet Silverado up 13 percent; GMC Sierra up 10 percent
• 10th consecutive month of commercial sales growth
• Total sales up 2 percent adjusted for selling days

DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) dealers delivered 272,423 vehicles in the United States in August, led by an 18 percent increase in truck sales compared to a year ago, a 10 percent increase in GMC deliveries and a 30 percent increase in commercial sales.

 

Total deliveries were down 1 percent compared with last August, which was GM’s best sales month of 2013. Retail deliveries, which are sales to individual consumers, declined 4 percent. Fleet deliveries were up 9 percent compared with a year ago.

 

On a selling day adjusted basis, GM’s total sales were up 2 percent, with retail sales essentially equal to a year ago and fleet up 13 percent.

 

Incentive spending as a percentage of average transaction prices (ATPs) was 10.4 percent, the lowest of all domestic automakers by a significant margin, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates. GM spending was down a full percentage point compared with both August 2013 and July 2014.

 

“Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac had an outstanding month with trucks. Cars and crossovers like the Buick Encore and GMC Acadia, and the Chevrolet Sonic, Cruze and Traverse, were also strong,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “We see a strong fall selling season ahead for GM and the industry, which sets the stage for the launches of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. Car-buying fundamentals like employment and energy prices are in good shape, consumer confidence has reached a post-recession high and business investment is increasing.”

 

Nearly 28,000 dealer orders have been placed for the Chevrolet Colorado, along with 14,000 orders for the GMC Canyon, which both began production this week and arrive in showrooms this fall. Chevrolet and GMC will soon be the only brands offering mid-size pickups, as well as light- and heavy-duty full-size pickups.

 

Light vehicle sales for the year are now expected to be near the high-end of GM’s full-year outlook set in January, which was for 16.0 million – 16.5 million units.

 

August Sales Highlights (vs. 2013 except as noted)

• Sales of Chevrolet and GMC large SUVs were up 38 percent.
• Cadillac Escalade deliveries increased 64 percent, for the vehicle line’s best August since 2007.
• Chevrolet Silverado deliveries were up 13 percent and GMC Sierra sales were up 10 percent, and ATPs improved from July, according to PIN. This was the best August for GM pickups since 2008.
• The Chevrolet Express van had its best August sales since 2007, with deliveries up 23 percent. The GMC Savana saw a 70 percent increase.
• Chevrolet Sonic deliveries were up 13 percent for the vehicle’s best August ever.
• Sales of the Buick Encore small crossover were up 13 percent and Regal deliveries were up 29 percent.
• In the medium crossover segment, sales of the Chevrolet Traverse were up 11 percent and GMC Acadia deliveries were up 5 percent.
• Retail deliveries of the Chevrolet Cruze increased 23 percent and Camaro retail deliveries were up 2 percent.
• GM’s ATPs in August were the highest in company history at about $33,750, according to PIN. ATPs were up $500 per unit compared with July, and they were up about $2,900 from a year ago.

GM’s gains in the commercial segment were driven by pickup and van sales, which were up 23 percent and 19 percent, respectively. Sales to rental customers were up about 3 percent. Sales to government customers were up about 14 percent. GM’s fleet mix in August was 22 percent. Calendar year to date, GM’s fleet mix is 25 percent.

 

[Cmicasa the Great]

I think all the stop sales and such have finally caught up to GM. They need to get this back on track asap... Cadillac is being clobbered and the SRX even took a huge hit. It too was part of a stop sale campaign

[regfootball]

I think we've hit a critical mass point where people want to buy crossovers first, but if they don't have the coin, or just want a smaller vehicle, then they will get a sedan. Most often small or midsize. Many of these cheaper cars are dependent on cheap lease support. Basically, GM needs more crossovers. Cadillac in particular needs 2 or 3 more. Chevy needs the Trax to arrive ASAP. They should drop the price on the impala.

[Cmicasa the Great]

I think we've hit a critical mass point where people want to buy crossovers first, but if they don't have the coin, or just want a smaller vehicle, then they will get a sedan. Most often small or midsize. Many of these cheaper cars are dependent on cheap lease support. Basically, GM needs more crossovers. Cadillac in particular needs 2 or 3 more. Chevy needs the Trax to arrive ASAP. They should drop the price on the impala.

Price on Impala is perfect. It actually is cheaper than the Taurus and Avalon

 

2015 Impala LS Base Price: $27,060

2015 Ford Taurus SE: $27,615

2015 Toyota Avalon XLE: $32,560

2015 Kia Cadenza: $35,100

 

The problem with the Impala is that Chevy doesn't market it... some how Honda moved 51K Accords which acts as both the Mid and large car for that company

Edited September 3, 2014 by Cmicasa the Great

[Cmicasa the Great]

Another thing that occurred to me after I made the Accord comment, is the product mix over at Chevy. Chevy has 3 vehicles competing in similar segments based on size differentials that are nominal (Malibu, Impala, SS)

 

I'm sorry.. but as much as people wanted the SS to return it's sales suggest ONCE AGAIN, that companies should tell Enthusiasts to go EFF themselves in terms of building "cars that people want." That being said.. I think that Chevy should do away with the RWD based application of the SS sooner than later. Give the Impala AWD option and move those letters over from the dead SS (a splendid drivers car) on to the back and side of the Impala while applying the TT3.6L with about 370HP

 

to not muster up the divisions:

 

AWD Impala SS 3.6LTT 370HP

 

AWD Park Ave Super 3.6LTT 390HP

AWD XTS-VSport 3.6LTT 410HP

 

If the Buick is a non-issue.. then the Impala gets the 390HP. This would give the Chevy brand a red-hot sedan that handles nicely and has the power to boot, not to mention the more aggressive looks of the Impala

 

That handles one of the problems.. but then it begs the question of why the Malibu needs to continue to exist with the Cruze seemingly growing? My thought would be to slim the Cruze down so it doesn't come so close to the interior dimensions of the Malibu, which should have really been more of a derivative of the Lacrosse than of the Regal/Insignia

[regfootball]

Impala now only has 4 cylinder base engine with about 200hp for the same price as a Taurus with like 270hp v6.  Or, i can do an ecoboost 4 upgrade for mpg on the Taurus and it only hits me 1k.  (Reality is best pricing will have more discount on the 4 cylinder Taurus).

 

Impala should let the 2.0 turbo into the stable, and they need to adjust their product mix to the stores for units less loaded up and with lower prices.  They should run some kick ass lease deals on the Impala.

 

Malibu should be the fleet heavy car now.  Until they fix the small back seat and overall get a new one out, they will have to do whatever it takes to move that one.  I still believe you can't jump straight from Cruze to Impala.  Ford has the Focus, Fusion, and then Taurus.  Its just that lots of shoppers find two huge defects comparing the Fusion and Malibu, one is the back seat, two is the ugliness factor (I don't happen to think the Malibu is ugly but i believe many others don't care for it).

 

A friend has either a 13 or 14 Malibu work vehicle and he likes it a lot actually.

[Cmicasa the Great]

personally I think the Malibu is a far better looking car than the Fusion. As for the sales... the Fusion should sell better than the Malibu. It has a hybrid, a plug-in, and and AWD as an option.

 

Stepping stones? Chevy has 1) the Spark,  then 2) the Sonic, then 3) the Cruze, then 4) the Malibu, then 5) the Impala, then 6) the SS and in a way the Caprice. And of course there is  7) the Volt. Its no way someone could tell me that the Spark isn't stealing sales from the Sonic Hatch.. or the Sonic Sedan isn't stealing sales from the Cruze. Fact is the Sonic is essentially a compact.. and the Cruze is essentially a Mid-Size. Then we can get into the up sizers. Chevy needs to either condense.. or understand the reality of sales numbers per model are irrelevant

[smk4565]

GM has enough crossovers and trucks.  They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1).   The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans.  The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

 

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

 

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales.  The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

[regfootball]

personally I think the Malibu is a far better looking car than the Fusion. As for the sales... the Fusion should sell better than the Malibu. It has a hybrid, a plug-in, and and AWD as an option.

Stepping stones? Chevy has 1) the Spark, then 2) the Sonic, then 3) the Cruze, then 4) the Malibu, then 5) the Impala, then 6) the SS and in a way the Caprice. And of course there is 7) the Volt. Its no way someone could tell me that the Spark isn't stealing sales from the Sonic Hatch.. or the Sonic Sedan isn't stealing sales from the Cruze. Fact is the Sonic is essentially a compact.. and the Cruze is essentially a Mid-Size. Then we can get into the up sizers. Chevy needs to either condense.. or understand the reality of sales numbers per model are irrelevant

Cruze is ok sized inside for a compact but by no means is big enough inside to be a family sedan. Edited September 4, 2014 by regfootball

[regfootball]

GM has enough crossovers and trucks. They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1). The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans. The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales. The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

Cadillac only has one crossover. The SRX. The Escalade is an SUV .....as are the suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon. If they had 3 or 4, their sales would be a lot more. Look at all the lux marques.....the percent of crossover sales vs sedans..... Edited September 4, 2014 by regfootball

[smk4565]

The Cruze is more for commuter car purposes, or single people, older couple with no kids or kids who are adult age.  Agreed that it isn't a family car, but that is okay, there are a lot of people without families or kids, who a Cruze fits their needs well.

 

The Accord outsold the Cruze, Malibu and Impala combined last month.  Chevy may want to merge the Spark and Sonic to one subcompact, push the Cruze down in size and price about about 5-10% so they can re-focus on the Malibu.  But I have a feeling they will never get the Malibu right.

[smk4565]

 

GM has enough crossovers and trucks. They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1). The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans. The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales. The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

Cadillac only has one crossover. The SRX. The Escalade is an SUV .....as are the suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon. If they had 3 or 4, their sales would be a lot more. Look at all the lux marques.....the percent of crossover sales vs sedans.....

 

I don't think SUV vs Crossover really matters to most of the people buying them.  Another crossover would help Cadillac, but it isn't going to be the savior, it will probably just steal more sales off the CTS or ATS depending on how they sized or priced it, maybe it would take some sales off Acura who relies on crossover sales.  The 3-series outsells BMW's whole crossover lineup by more than 2 to 1 combined.  The C-class and E-class combined usually outsell the GLK, ML, GL trio by more than 2 to 1 each year.    Only 27% of BMW sales this year are crossovers.

 

The problem is GM doesn't build good sedans or market them well to make people want them.  They pour their engineering and marketing dollars into trucks, SUVs, and crossovers.  Which for them probably makes sense, they make more profit on them, but you can make profit on sedans too if they are good.

[G. David Felt]

 

 

GM has enough crossovers and trucks. They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1). The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans. The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales. The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

Cadillac only has one crossover. The SRX. The Escalade is an SUV .....as are the suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon. If they had 3 or 4, their sales would be a lot more. Look at all the lux marques.....the percent of crossover sales vs sedans.....

 

I don't think SUV vs Crossover really matters to most of the people buying them.  Another crossover would help Cadillac, but it isn't going to be the savior, it will probably just steal more sales off the CTS or ATS depending on how they sized or priced it, maybe it would take some sales off Acura who relies on crossover sales.  The 3-series outsells BMW's whole crossover lineup by more than 2 to 1 combined.  The C-class and E-class combined usually outsell the GLK, ML, GL trio by more than 2 to 1 each year.    Only 27% of BMW sales this year are crossovers.

 

The problem is GM doesn't build good sedans or market them well to make people want them.  They pour their engineering and marketing dollars into trucks, SUVs, and crossovers.  Which for them probably makes sense, they make more profit on them, but you can make profit on sedans too if they are good.

 

SMK you continue to LIE about Cadillac Sedans. They are superior to anything currently being built by BMW or MB.

 

GM's problem lies in it's marketing and sales approach of the vehicles and people like you who continue to talk trash about the auto's without taking a real look at just how junky the BMW and MB auto's are.

 

Rather than just continue to barf up the same generic garbage, please post actual facts of comparisons of material, hip room, leg room, head room, etc. Right now ATS and CTS beats BMW and MB, yet since they now build a quality product, you and others just like you continue to rip them as inferior by using generic excuses rather than facts. Just accept it, every dog has their day and right now Cadillac quality is not the problem, they built a superior product!

 

Their marketing and sales approach is the problem in showing just how superior their auto's are.

[smk4565]

Cadillac does have a marketing problem and has for a while.  They don't have a consistent theme, they jump around year to year, they don't consistently advertise products, they advertise what is new then forget about it for 4 years.  They don't really push the attributes of the individual cars or promote the brand name.

 

Cadillac product is getting better, but the Germans are still superior.   BMW makes a 45 mpg sedan, Mercedes has a 42 mpg sedan, the diesel C-class should get 45, Cadillac can't come close those numbers.  Mercedes E63 AMG S does 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, that is 2015 Corvette Z06 fast.  The 2015 C-class doesn't have plastic buttons on the interior, the window switches, fuel release door, power seat adjustments, etc are metal, they raised the bar big time.  I bet Cadillac has plastic power seat buttons and fuel filler door release buttons on every model.  Cadillac still misses some little details, as well as big things like no hybrids or diesels or convertibles.

[Robert Hall]

.  The 2015 C-class doesn't have plastic buttons on the interior, the window switches, fuel release door, power seat adjustments, etc are metal, they raised the bar big time.  I bet Cadillac has plastic power seat buttons and fuel filler door release buttons on every model.  Cadillac still misses some little details, as well as big things like no hybrids or diesels or convertibles.

Metal switches?  Those are not going to be very good to touch in the summer when the interior gets to 145F...

[Cmicasa the Great]

The Cruze is more for commuter car purposes, or single people, older couple with no kids or kids who are adult age.  Agreed that it isn't a family car, but that is okay, there are a lot of people without families or kids, who a Cruze fits their needs well.

 

The Accord outsold the Cruze, Malibu and Impala combined last month.  Chevy may want to merge the Spark and Sonic to one subcompact, push the Cruze down in size and price about about 5-10% so they can re-focus on the Malibu.  But I have a feeling they will never get the Malibu right.

 

 

 

That would be fine.

 

The Sonic really is the car that should be a Hatch only or a smidge smaller

 

Take the Spark and make it Electric only as a hatch, EV version of the Volt. The name says it all.

 

The Cruze gets a lil smaller in length but interior volume remains.

 

The Malibu get a slight larger interior, in line with the last gen,

 

while the Impala gets SS and AWD until the redo in '19 when it goes to RWD on a decontented Omega platform which, by then, will be 3 years old.  

 

Kill SS and Caprice when Zeta dies.

[Cmicasa the Great]

Cadillac does have a marketing problem and has for a while.  They don't have a consistent theme, they jump around year to year, they don't consistently advertise products, they advertise what is new then forget about it for 4 years.  They don't really push the attributes of the individual cars or promote the brand name.

 

Cadillac product is getting better, but the Germans are still superior.   BMW makes a 45 mpg sedan, Mercedes has a 42 mpg sedan, the diesel C-class should get 45, Cadillac can't come close those numbers.  Mercedes E63 AMG S does 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, that is 2015 Corvette Z06 fast.  The 2015 C-class doesn't have plastic buttons on the interior, the window switches, fuel release door, power seat adjustments, etc are metal, they raised the bar big time.  I bet Cadillac has plastic power seat buttons and fuel filler door release buttons on every model.  Cadillac still misses some little details, as well as big things like no hybrids or diesels or convertibles.

 

 

The E63 does that via AWD and the current CTS-V was doing 3.9 0-60 as far back as 2009. I have plenty of faith that with GM's tech of Launch Control and MRC they will match or beat the AWD E63 when the new one arrives. I won't even bring up that the E63 AMG weighs well over 4500lbs . The Alpha based CTS-V will most likely come in around 4000-4100.

 

I think U have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much faith in your adopted German people. Eff Germany. and Eff them Good

[Cmicasa the Great]

 

 

The Accord outsold the Cruze, Malibu and Impala combined last month.  Chevy may want to merge the Spark and Sonic to one subcompact, push the Cruze down in size and price about about 5-10% so they can re-focus on the Malibu.  But I have a feeling they will never get the Malibu right.

 

 

I agreed in some degree with the merging.. but the Accord outsold the Chevy three for a reason that has nothing to do with the cars themselves but the choices that one has when walking into a Chevy dealership. Chevy just has way more choices to pick from versus Honda which literally had a one trick pony last month. Without the added volume from the Accord, sales for the Honda and Acura divisions would havebeen down combined 7 percent in August

[Cmicasa the Great]

 

GM has enough crossovers and trucks. They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1). The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans. The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales. The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

Cadillac only has one crossover. The SRX. The Escalade is an SUV .....as are the suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon. If they had 3 or 4, their sales would be a lot more. Look at all the lux marques.....the percent of crossover sales vs sedans.....

 

 

 

And that is a FACT. Cadillac should be putting together an all out assault for 2016 MY ready to debut in Summer '15 of at least two new CUVs and a new SRX all simultaneously put out.

 

New ATX (small), New SRX (med.)  new CTX (large). Sales would go up JUST LIKE THAT. It is precisely what is driving the market. The Audi Q5 actually OUTSOLD the A4 last month. The two top sellers at Acura are the MDX and the RDX. BMW is adding more and more CUVs. 

[Robert Hall]

 

 

GM has enough crossovers and trucks. They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1). The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans. The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales. The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

Cadillac only has one crossover. The SRX. The Escalade is an SUV .....as are the suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon. If they had 3 or 4, their sales would be a lot more. Look at all the lux marques.....the percent of crossover sales vs sedans.....

 

 

 

And that is a FACT. Cadillac should be putting together an all out assault for 2016 MY ready to debut in Summer '15 of at least two new CUVs and a new SRX all simultaneously put out.

 

New ATX (small), New SRX (med.)  new CTX (large). Sales would go up JUST LIKE THAT. It is precisely what is driving the market. The Audi Q5 actually OUTSOLD the A4 last month. The two top sellers at Acura are the MDX and the RDX. BMW is adding more and more CUVs. 

 

I would assume the reason they don't have smaller CUVs at Cadillac already is Buick..pressure from them is pretty keeping them from adding more..

[ocnblu]

On that topic, the Trax can't get here fast enough.  I predict the HR-V will easily outsell the Fit when it comes out.  The Trax v. HR-V sales figures will be interesting to see... I think the Chevy is a tick too conservative though, in a few ways.  Color & Trim, for example.  That is one longstanding beef I have with GM products, their lack of color vibrancy and variety, inside and out.  I think the Encore and Trax also need a 1.6t engine as an option.

 

Encore Color & Trim seems fine, with Buick's conservative customer base, but Trax needs to be available in Dragon Green, a bright yellow and a dark blue, in addition to what they've got.

Edited September 4, 2014 by ocnblu

[Robert Hall]

On that topic, the Trax can't get here fast enough.  I predict the HR-V will easily outsell the Fit when it comes out.  The Trax v. HR-V sales figures will be interesting to see... I think the Chevy is a tick too conservative though, in a few ways.  Color & Trim, for example.  That is one longstanding beef I have with GM products, their lack of color vibrancy and variety, inside and out.  I think the Encore and Trax also need a 1.6t engine as an option.

Too many 'despair gray' interiors at GM.  Ford and Chrysler are guilty of this also.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[ocnblu]

Chrysler seems to be trying more than GM though, on the interior and exterior color selections.

 

LOVE the Eco Green Metallic on the Cherokee, AND, there is no upcharge.  GM charges $495 for green paint?  That is nothing but greed.

[Robert Hall]

Chrysler seems to be trying more than GM though, on the interior and exterior color selections.

 

LOVE the Eco Green Metallic on the Cherokee, AND, there is no upcharge.  GM charges $495 for green paint?  That is nothing but greed.

They dropped the ball on the new 200, though..interior choices are black or black and light gray.  Blech.

[Cmicasa the Great]

 

 

 

GM has enough crossovers and trucks. They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1). The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans. The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales. The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

Cadillac only has one crossover. The SRX. The Escalade is an SUV .....as are the suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon. If they had 3 or 4, their sales would be a lot more. Look at all the lux marques.....the percent of crossover sales vs sedans.....

 

 

 

And that is a FACT. Cadillac should be putting together an all out assault for 2016 MY ready to debut in Summer '15 of at least two new CUVs and a new SRX all simultaneously put out.

 

New ATX (small), New SRX (med.)  new CTX (large). Sales would go up JUST LIKE THAT. It is precisely what is driving the market. The Audi Q5 actually OUTSOLD the A4 last month. The two top sellers at Acura are the MDX and the RDX. BMW is adding more and more CUVs. 

 

I would assume the reason they don't have smaller CUVs at Cadillac already is Buick..pressure from them is pretty keeping them from adding more..

 

 

 

Nope. Buick is a non-issue and is autonomous from Cadillac. Uwe has made that clear. 'Sides.. Buick is a complimentary brand to CHEVY as is GMC. Cadillac's line-up is independent. 

Some one brought up Chrysler. What I'm tripping off is the complete GA-GA BS the media is throwing at Chrysler/Fiat.. when the reason why they are up is completely to do with the Ram getting huge incentives and the intro of a new Cargo van and a cheaper alternative to the Grand Cherokee. Charger and 200 are up.. but not by much.. and both more to do with huge incentives to move older models for the new ones.

[2QuickZ's]

 

Chrysler seems to be trying more than GM though, on the interior and exterior color selections.

 

LOVE the Eco Green Metallic on the Cherokee, AND, there is no upcharge.  GM charges $495 for green paint?  That is nothing but greed.

They dropped the ball on the new 200, though..interior choices are black or black and light gray.  Blech.

 

 

I don't think Chrysler even offers a gray interior on the new 200, even on the base models.  The one you are thinking of is a linen color which is not gray at all.  More like antique white?

 

[Robert Hall]

 

 

Chrysler seems to be trying more than GM though, on the interior and exterior color selections.

 

LOVE the Eco Green Metallic on the Cherokee, AND, there is no upcharge.  GM charges $495 for green paint?  That is nothing but greed.

They dropped the ball on the new 200, though..interior choices are black or black and light gray.  Blech.

 

 

I don't think Chrysler even offers a gray interior on the new 200, even on the base models.  The one you are thinking of is a linen color which is not gray at all.  More like antique white?

 

 

Looked gray on the website...off-white, pale gray...not too awful, I guess.  

[Robert Hall]

 

 

 

 

GM has enough crossovers and trucks. They have a whole brand dedicated to trucks, and 2 of the 5 Buicks and 2 of the 5 Cadillacs (if you don't count ELR) are crossovers/SUV (I counted Escalade as 1). The Buick-GMC-Cadillac trio has more SUVs than sedans. The Thetas and Lambdas are due for an update though, I don't think they need more, just to update what they have, although adding a compact SUV like the Trax to Chevy could get some younger urban buyers.

Cadillac could use a 3rd crossover, but Cadillac could use a lot of help in other areas too, they could use some coupes and convertibles, and the CTS might have it's lowest sales year ever this year, and the price didn't get jacked up that much, they are still pricing the CTS under the 5-series and E-class.

The Malibu sales reflect how good the car is, mediocre car, mediocre sales. The Impala sells well compared to the Taurus, Avalon, Azera type cars, I think the Impala is fine, for the full size $27-37k market it is a strong seller, that just isn't a huge segment of buyers.

Cadillac only has one crossover. The SRX. The Escalade is an SUV .....as are the suburban, Tahoe, and Yukon. If they had 3 or 4, their sales would be a lot more. Look at all the lux marques.....the percent of crossover sales vs sedans.....

 

 

 

And that is a FACT. Cadillac should be putting together an all out assault for 2016 MY ready to debut in Summer '15 of at least two new CUVs and a new SRX all simultaneously put out.

 

New ATX (small), New SRX (med.)  new CTX (large). Sales would go up JUST LIKE THAT. It is precisely what is driving the market. The Audi Q5 actually OUTSOLD the A4 last month. The two top sellers at Acura are the MDX and the RDX. BMW is adding more and more CUVs. 

 

I would assume the reason they don't have smaller CUVs at Cadillac already is Buick..pressure from them is pretty keeping them from adding more..

 

 

 

Nope. Buick is a non-issue and is autonomous from Cadillac. Uwe has made that clear. 'Sides.. Buick is a complimentary brand to CHEVY as is GMC. Cadillac's line-up is independent. 

 

 

The reality is Buicks and Cadillacs are there in the same dealerships, so there is going to be cross shopping..and hasn't Buick been targeting Lexus for years (which should be a Cadillac competitor)...

[balthazar]

Cadillac/Buick joint dealerships are not common. I've not seen any in my travels in my state.

GM made a move to pair Buick & GMC dealerships decades ago...

[Robert Hall]

Cadillac/Buick joint dealerships are not common. I've not seen any in my travels in my state.

GM made a move to pair Buick & GMC dealerships decades ago...

That's how they are here in the Phoenix area...Buick, GMC, Cadillac..

[smk4565]

Cadillac may be getting an Omega based crossover to go between the SRX and Escalade, so that could fill that void they have.  Although one wonders if Omega is supposed to be GM's best platform, why would an Omega SUV be placed below the Escalade which is based on a Silverado?

 

Buick for a while claimed they were targeting Lexus but I don't think they ever really were.  I have never thought of Buick as a luxury brand, GM needs to build what is best for Cadillac without worrying what it does to GMC or Buick.   You can't compromise Cadillac because you are worrying Buick dealers might lose some sales.  Lexus is resurgent this year also, they have sold almost 200,000 cars already.

[Robert Hall]

Cadillac may be getting an Omega based crossover to go between the SRX and Escalade, so that could fill that void they have.  Although one wonders if Omega is supposed to be GM's best platform, why would an Omega SUV be placed below the Escalade which is based on a Silverado?

 

Buick for a while claimed they were targeting Lexus but I don't think they ever really were.  I have never thought of Buick as a luxury brand, GM needs to build what is best for Cadillac without worrying what it does to GMC or Buick.   You can't compromise Cadillac because you are worrying Buick dealers might lose some sales.  Lexus is resurgent this year also, they have sold almost 200,000 cars already.

I'm used to seeing Escalades and Yukons on the same lot, along w/ SRXes, Encores, Terrains, and Enclaves...not really any overlap in CUVs, but if Cadillac adds some, then Buick isn't going to be happy.. 

 

Buick is sort of the near-lux brand, I guess.it is strange that GM still has two filler brands between Chevy and Cadillac when most all other automakers have gone to a two brand strategy. 

Edited September 5, 2014 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

We just had a bunch of divisions ash-canned, the call is going up for MORE already??

 

The only major OEM with a lux brand that has only ONE other is mercedes, and only there because their range topper just flopped.

BMW is 3 brands, Jag is part of the Tata conglomerate, audi is part of the VW conglomerate, Lexus is the 3rd cog @ toyoyo…. not sure where 'most have 2 brands' comes from.

[smk4565]

Honda-Acura, Nissan-Infiniti (but have an alliance with Renault). Ford-Lincoln. I think Toyota could drop Scion and make a Celica, Supra and boxy looking compact SUV off the Yaris platform and get more sales than Scion makes. I think GM has room for a brand in between Chevy and Cadillac, they could do a better job defining the brands and spacing them out though.

[A Horse With No Name]

Honda-Acura, Nissan-Infiniti (but have an alliance with Renault). Ford-Lincoln. I think Toyota could drop Scion and make a Celica, Supra and boxy looking compact SUV off the Yaris platform and get more sales than Scion makes. I think GM has room for a brand in between Chevy and Cadillac, they could do a better job defining the brands and spacing them out though.

Would agree with you here. Infinity, Lincoln, and Scion also have terrible buyer retention, under 25 percent IIRC. Only Mitsubishi is worse.