GM's New Lure

Ok, so you mean, they've lowered prices to the point that their "incentives" are so low, that they are in fact as low as Toyota's incentives?

If that's what you mean, I don't know how that's important. What's important is their profit margins are shrinking.

 

Lutz Denounces Kerkorian Demand to Cut Exec Pay

Paraphrased: it takes SKILL to fire workers.

 

I am not a marketeer, and I proudly admit to finding their manipulations nonsensical. But I think the basic notion is to try and convince prospective customers that the price they are being asked to pay is reasonable.

Saturn's 'no haggle' pricing scheme was similar in intent. Unfortunately for GM, supply and demand tends to muck up their idealized version of what a vehicle is worth.

 

The Chevy HHR was recently reviewed in Consumer Reports. I think it finished close to last. Looks like the marriage of a Liberty in the rear and a PT Loser in the front. No stability control even as an option. The dumbing of GM at it again.

 

GM cannot compete against Honda/Toyota, so they are going after Hyundai

 

How can you pay attention to a consumer reports review of anything with a GM badge on it. I could tell you about what it would say without reading it.

 

Yeah, GM quality is awful. You don't need CR to tell you that.

 

I think it was a Ford money guy the other day that said in as many words -- it will sale if it cheap enough. He was talking about SUV's, but I think his point is germane to both Ford and GM across their product lines.

Bad approach for the Detroit carmakers. Korea will eat them alive.

 

Isn't that a bit of an over-generalization, Mike ?

After all, 2/46 GM cars scored bettter than average reliability in CR.

 

If price alone were what sold cars, wouldn't we all buy the least expensive one we could find? For most, the equation is complicated by many other factors not the least include historic reliability, past customer treatment, sales person attitude, resale value, gizmos, and pollution output. Or, am I the only one who doesn't base financial decisions solely on cost? To illustrate my point, take housing for example. Around here, a 2 br, 2 ba cottage sells for upwards of $800,000. I could go elsewhere and pay around $80,000, but I wouldn't want to live 'elsewhere'. Yep, there's more to it than price. Getting back to cars, I'm sensative to pollution, innovation, and yes, even ratio of lowest-paid to highest-paid workers. You may not agree with my personal criterion or choices, but you probibly have your own, exclusive of price. I believe price DOES play a factor AFTER all other factors have been considered. For example, for me, after I decide I want xyz model car only. NOW I consider price. I want red, but blue is much cheaper, so I may decide ok, blue will do.

 

you could be right as I am only guessing..... but what would make me nervous is that they were recently trying to outpace and actually did an attempt to make some nicer rigs, but it may be too little too late.

They even dropped prices and caused prices to have to drop elsewhere with other manufactures "but not toyota", now they are dropping even more?

I'm always suspicious when they are already in trouble and on the verge of bankruptcy, then they drop the price even more????

that could only mean impending doom or that they are trying to make a new stab of it and regain public trust and competitive warfare.

The only problem with the latter is that if they were not making it before, are they just digging even deeper in thier pockets to revamp the company?... or are they out-a-here?

HHR looks like it has tons of room, but another SUV as long as thats what you want. And if the mileage is better.... how did they get it better?... I couldn't even find any specs on thier page?...... is it a gutless SUV?.. or is it a car that looks like a SUV?

A nice looking rig but the dash is not near as cool as the prius. It says 450 miles to the tank... how many gallons to do that? The functionality of inside is very similiar to the prius. The EPA ratings are "half" what the prius is?

but if thats what you want... thats ok.. its a whole different beast.... not really a good comparison.

Oh and how many miles will it likely last?... its a chevy... which are good, but they are not toyotas.

It bugs me I couldn't find specs... that should be a bragging point, not something to hide?

 

'but its not a toyota', how many times can you say that windstrings? How could anyone buy a vehicle other than a toyota? Only 14 million 'non-toyotas' sold in the states in 2005. Step out of the herd of sheep on here for a moment(ok there are some exceptions(ms, mdmikemd, etc) and look at what you actually wrote. Is the world flat and he will step off the edge by considering something else?

 

That's roughly how I feel about my Prius... except it shut down at about 55mph, nto 70mph. And it did it twice. So I guess it's not just GM/Chevrolet.

 

Well... he does have a point about the stability control. It has saved my nice person more than once this winter.

Viewing the Chevy web site for the HHR, I can't find any information that it has stability control or traction control either standard or as an option. Can you clarify?

Edit: Ok, I found traction control as an option. No stability control though.

 

SIGH. I'm fairly certain that he read what he wrote, but I don't think you did.

He was not talking to you. He was talking to fshagan, who's particular situation is stick with the Prius that he was considering previously, or switch to the HHR. The reason why he was making the comparison between the Toyota Prius and the HHR is because that's the choice that fshagan has in front of him. Windstrings is adding his perspective. I'd say he was completely fair, and is asking questions that anyone should ask when deciding to switch from buying one vehicle to the other.

How is what windstrings wrote any different from your GLOWING immediate recommendation for the HHR once fshagan even mentioned it? How could *anyone* buy a vehicle other than a GM, if they're listening to you?!?

Geez. :angry:

 

Laughingman, what did I say? Its a great vehicle and I hope he gets one, no cut on Toyota, no flag waving, nothing.

 

And some of you wonder why i get a little hot under the collar sometimes. Very educated and well thought out post by windstrings.

 

his post was fair in the comparison questions that must be asked when deciding between two vehicles, but yes, his post was unfair to GM. You responded in kind with an insult to him and to the rest of us "sheep."

It's fine to discuss this stuff, but don't lump us all into the category of "sheep." You have no idea how insulting that is.

 

I would not lump you in the category of sheep, but some of the posters don't have na original idea or thought. "It must be a great vehicle because it is a Toyota""I t must be gas-guzzling junk becuase GM makes it". Windstrings can't find info on the HHR because GM is a sinister company and doesn't want the public to know what a bad car the HHR is?

 

You forget to mention all the sheep who believe the hundreds of thousands of owners who give reliability data on their cars they have had for several years. BTW, there are some who probably think that few, if any, of your ideas are original either malorn, they are just respoke from what GM tells you.



Personally, I rode in a friends HHR a couple of months ago. I thought they were pretty neat, but they felt really small inside, especially in the back seat. Maybe the specs say the interior room is similar to the Prius, but I definitely felt cramped in there. Not to mention that I would never go back to a car that only gets mileage in the 20's.