Posted on 09/03/2007 10:19:17 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
General Motors Corp. is struggling to halt declining U.S. sales, but it has a bright spot in the three large crossover vehicles it launched in the past year.
The Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook each have three rows of seats and look like big sport-utility vehicles, but they are lighter, have a smoother ride and get better gas mileage than SUVs. Made from many of the same parts, all three are selling briskly and have a GM plant in Lansing, Mich., running at full capacity, a key to profitable auto production.
More importantly, the trio is doing something few other Detroit vehicles can achieve these days -- they are pulling drivers from import brands.
Luring drivers of foreign brands back to domestic vehicles is a critical task for all three Detroit auto makers as they scramble to turn around their North American operations and stem their decades-long slide in market share.
Brian MacDonald is one driver attracted by GM's new crossovers. An investment-fund manager in California, Mr. MacDonald has driven nothing but BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes for the past 20 years. But last month, with the lease on his Mercedes ML-Class winding down, Mr. MacDonald leased a $45,000 Enclave, the most luxurious of GM's three models.
"If someone had told me a few months ago I'd be driving a Buick, my reaction would have been 'no way, no how,' " says Mr. MacDonald, 46 years old. The Enclave, he said, offers the roominess to haul around his three young children and the styling and interior comforts he was accustomed to with the Mercedes. Because the Mercedes ML sells for about $30,000 more than the Enclave, his monthly payment on the Buick was almost $300 lower.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
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I heard the Ford Escape and Edge have been selling very strong as well. Been seeing them alot in SUV heavy Seattle.
GM and even Ford can fix many things. I don’t think they can change American corporate culture, which is fundamentally responsible for everything wrong.
Unions/execs/quality issues.... they are all tied to a crappy work and business culture. There’s no hope of changing that within those companies.
Look into a Dodge Sprinter.
“We’re doomed”
Especially when Ford can’t even make sure they’re using 14mm bolts in 14mm holes - instead of having the line workers get lazy and bolt the rear suspension in on the Mustang with 12mm bolts in 14mm holes...
That’s not a safety issue or anything...
My son is a mechanic and he says in recent years GM vehicles have been really improving. He does NOT have the same opinion of Ford.
The Escape and Edge have been selling fairly well. The Escape is doing very well, but not spectacularly. The Edge is selling OK, but not in the numbers they’d hoped.
On the other hand, Chevy seems to be having problems convincing anyone to buy a Trailblazer, Equinox, Malibu or, well, anything else that’s not a Corvette or real truck.
*Some* of them have been improving. Some GM vehicles have been getting worse.
On the other hand, GM seems to finally be getting the message that “people are willing to pay for quality interiors.” Ford got that message long ago; while their interiors aren’t spectacular, they’re no longer embarassing and they hold up fairly well.
They have improved 60% in the last three model years.
The Kia drivers on FR dont believe it.
Those were on the limited edition Cobras if I recall correctly. Stupid on Ford’s part. Especially on their SVT model.
Then again the new Toyota Tundra chews up camshafts like they were cereal.
Anyway, GM is back. They may never be #1 in auto sales again, but they are starting to make some killer vehicles.
Their faults are they need a killer small car platform (Saturn Astra is very competitive, in fact better than most, but is in limited #s thanks to it being a Saturn and not a Chevy) and a class leading sedan. Their new Malibu and Aura are really nice vehicles, but the new Accord is probably the benchmark — even if it is as ugly as sin.
Look at the new upcoming CTS — it looks like the Standard of the World may be back in American hands at least for a short while. That car is exceptional inside and out. What a leap from Catera to last gen-CTS to the new one.
As for my 2007 Mustang GT Convertible? One of the best cars I’ve owned. Better than my ‘97 Corvette, or my wife’s Honda Accord or 2004 CTS. Which are the three benchmarks that I’ve had for both dependable and well built vehicles.
I’ll check it out, but I’d prefer it if they came out with a Cadillac trim level. The Cadillac carUV they have now looks like a hearse. It would be nice if there was something nice looking, with all the features, that was an alternative to the Escalade.
My dad leased an outlook and he really likes it.
Yup, the 03-04 Cobras with the IRS. I’m helping a friend modify his with better bushings in the back, and I saw those undersized bolts today. Yup, there was this big patch of the threads that had stripped off.
If your camshaft grenades, you coast to the side of the road. If your rear subframe falls out of the car while you’re driving, you can die.
GM blew the Saturn Aura - they got the interior looks right, but the interior materials suck. We’ll see what the Astra ends up with (I haven’t seen/driven one yet, so I’m reserving judgement). The Malibu is going to get slaughtered by the new Accord on the top end, and destroyed by the better value proposition of the Sonata at the low end.
I saw one of the new CTS on the road yesterday. Yes, it does look like Cadillac is back, and they have a right to be proud of the new car.
I’ve been giving Nissan the worst-interior award lately. I love their lineup, and I’m even okay with CVT, but the insides look cheap to me.
Best interior I saw last year was the Saturn Aura. Personal taste though, there’s probably nothing great about it.
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