straightedge442

With the release of pretty much every new vehicle in the last two years, GM has made a bold statement of its own return. Through its drastically improved product, this company is assuring us that it is a world power again, and the restoration of its bright ambition is becoming glaringly evident. Vehicles like the C7, the new Camaro, the SS, and Cadillac's entire fleet send a deep message of a glorious uprising back to the top. The effect this will have on the competition will be interesting to watch unfold as well.

04_Z06_CE

Now , hopefully they can concentrate on service and quality because thats still not vastly improved like it should be..

Sin City

The best way to become a great company is to get back to basics.

Make great products at the right prices that allow your company to be profitable and self-sustainable while you support your customer to his best satisfaction.

If they can do that, nothing can stop them. If they can't, well..... honestly.... it's their own fault.

jkcam6017

Let me guess; you own a bunch of GM stock that you paid too much for?

I think that GM has long ago become a distant follower to virtually all of it's competition, and remains so today. Some Cadillac's and the Vette being the marginal exceptions.

Do you really think that the $40,000 Impala is going to be stunning success? It's appearance is pitiful. At that price it must be hiding something somewhere.

Were it not for the sale of Chevy trucks to consumers, and the sale of Chevy cars to government agencies and rental companies at huge discounts, they would be out of business.

Sin City

I drove an Impala last week as a rental and I really liked it. I don't know what it costed though but it was as good as a Camry IMO.

To me, the Cruze as been a good seller but the Ford Fusion is a pretty amazing car. It's good that American firms are fighting back.

Kappa

So that's why GM is back to being arguably the top selling automaker in the world. OK.


It doesn't need to be a stunning success. But, it is more than competitive with cars like the Taurus, Avalon, Azera, V6 Charger, and other large cars in style, space, and powertrains. They don't start at $40K either.


So far this year fleet sales were responsible for 27% of total sales. Where are you getting these assumptions from?

jkcam6017

Not to quibble, but VW produced more cars than GM in 2011. 27% in fleet sales is a substantial segment of their business. I hope GM does well in the future, but aside from the Vette, I wouldn't buy anything they currently offer. In the 70-80's GM was all I drove.

11BladeGS

In the 70's and 80's GM produced some of the worst vehicles ever. Just sayin'

J

Sin City

The 70's and 80's were the worst period ever for cars from America, Britain, and Italy. Horrible. Only the Germans and the Japanese made anything close to decent. Go down the list of "worst cars ever" (Pinto, Vega, MGB, Spitfire, Jaguar XJ-12, Fiat X1/9, Maserati Bi-turbo -- even Ferrari's in the 80's and 90's are pretty crappy) and you'll see they are all from that period.

So, GM wasn't alone here.

Kappa

As of five days ago, the order was Toyota, GM, and VW for 2013.

I'd like to see the claim that VW was larger in 2011, maybe I've seen something different.

Either way, GM is on a hot streak IMO. Buck and Cadillac are well on their way. The only misstep lately was the Malibu. Should be rectified with the '14 refresh.

b4i4getit

I think you must work for GM.

jkcam6017

I got that from some section in Wiki. I believe it only related to "cars".

jkcam6017

Bite your tongue. My 1975 and 1982 Malibu's were some of the best cars I ever had. My Dad had Pontiac's and they were great too. Maybe not by today's standards, but never left us walking.

Supercrewbear

My opinion is that GM could build the best car in the world but their dealers are the link between the company and the customer. That's the weak link. The practices at the dealership is what can make or break GM - if I were GM I'd make a huge effort to educate everyone involved at the customer level. The sales staff, prep staff, service advisers, mechanics, etc.

The first contact a person usually has when buying a new vehicle is the salesPERSON. On an average visit to any dealership it seems I usually get the one who went to work day-before-yesterday or last week. And I always seem to know much more than any of them. A few years ago I was test driving a new pickup and the salesman (a boy about 18 years old) told me he had been working there a couple weeks. He also knew practically nothing about the truck. My advice to him was to read EVERYTHING he could get his hands on (the brochures at least) about the vehicles he was trying to sell. That way he could answer the customer's questions. Most sales people tend to have a lot of free time between customers - a perfect opportunity to read brochures. If I owned a dealership I think I'd be giving "pop" quizzes every so often about the vehicles and such. I'd find out who knew what!

The only time EVER I've learned much of anything was when I first started shopping for a Corvette - sometime in 2009. I stopped at a random dealership in Dallas to see if they had one I could just look at and maybe sit in - I had never touched one. Their front windows were mirrored glass and I saw no Vettes outside. When I opened the door they must have had a dozen sitting inside. The salesman who approached me was very helpful and knew his ****. He had me sit in one, pointed out all the "gizmos", showed me the door releases on the floor, etc. He even opened the glove box to show me the FOB slot for when the FOB's battery has ran down. I was impressed! And, most important, he told me and showed me all that info without making me feel stupid.

Just my opinion!

Sin City

I think every car nut says that about their dealer -- we know much more about the cars than they do. It's not unique to GM.

In general, dealers and their salesmen in the US are lazy and go for the easy sale (not all Mike!) and rely on advertising, bank deals, and company incentives to move the metal rather than selling the car and it's features itself.

jr3

In some dealerships this is true. Some have high turnover in the sales dept. If you are selling a product you should at least know some info. about it so you can answer the customers questions.

GM should also make sure the people selling the new C7 actually know info. about the car and can answer questions correctly and represent the Corvette brand well.

Greg00Coupe

For me there are two big issues.

1. When I go in for service at GM I cringe and worry. At most foreign dealers they make you feel confident that they will take care of business. My adventure back to GM service was with my 2000 C5. Showed up with a bad battery, remember 4 service reps at the counter all puffing on cigarettes telling me a battery cannot go bad in a new car.

2. When you buy a $65K Cadi & 3 years later it retails for $25K who can "afford" that loss???? Only GM car that reasonably holds its value in the Corvette.

GM has no answers for these 2 above points. Service is a crap shoot and no resale value.

04_Z06_CE

Service and quality is where they need help big time. I agree about service department and having to cringe. After all these years it's still the worst.

rcallen484

I'm thinking that would need to be judged on a dealer by dealer basis.

John Shiels

yea yap crap was just stunning wasn't it?