Toyota, Honda Top GM Study of American Views on Fuel Efficie

Toyota, Honda top people's perceptions of fuel efficiency.

(GMs problem is they don't even see that they have a problem. They think it's not a matter of what they build, it's just a matter of how they're advertising what they offer. They think 'spin' will 'fix' the market.)

"Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have done the best job building energy-efficient vehicles, while General Motors has done the worst, according to a study of American consumer attitudes released by GM today.

The study found that 77 percent of consumers believed that either Toyota or Honda lead in developing vehicles such as hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles. GM is viewed as having the poorest record in developing alternative-fuel vehicles, said the study, done for GM by Washington-based Hart Research.

``It is somewhat humbling to see the magnitude of our challenge,'' GM Vice President Elizabeth Lowery said at a new conference today. ``General Motors and its domestic competitors need to do a better job of communicating.'' "

(To me, this is the problem. GM feels that it's problem is communicating, not the product it produces.)

" GM is trying to bolster its image among consumers and lawmakers as gasoline prices rise to record highs and states try to slow global warming by imposing rules requiring higher-mileage vehicles. A reputation of SUVs as inefficient has led to a drop in the percentage of consumers who consider the purchase of the vehicle as ``patriotic,'' to 11 percent from about 23 percent, according to a survey by Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research."

(I object to being forced to buy any car to prove I'm a patriotic American. Sorry, but there it is.)

" GM needs to emphasize the fact that 28 of 53 cars and 41 of 66 trucks have the best fuel-efficiency in their vehicle classes, Lowery said. GM will emphasize its near-term commitment to hybrid sport-utility vehicles in the 2007 model year, and fuel cell vehicles by the end of this decade, she said."

(I can only speculate on whether this will continue as more manufacturers release more and more hybrid models. 44 by 2012 I believe.)

" ``We are trying to get our vehicles repositioned,'' GM sales and marketing chief Mark LaNeve said in an interview June 24. ``The perception gap of where we are relative to the Japanese is grossly disproportionate to the reality.'' He said the automaker is working to change the view that its cars and trucks are gas guzzlers."

(Repositioned? Gas Guzzlers? Well....how many get 50 mpg?)

" GM spokesman Christopher Preuss said Toyota is using the Prius to distract from its decision to spend $1.5 billion on plants to build trucks that burn more gasoline."

(And there it is. The Money Statement.)

" LaNeve said GM will have ``a lot of new offerings'' in the hybrid sport-utility vehicle segment. The company also needs to make buyers aware that it has 20 models that top 30 miles per gallon, compared with Toyota's nine, he said."

(Oooo. 30mpg. 20 models. Out of how many? How many models does Toyota make? This is semantics and a numbers game. Maybe GM should make fewer models and make at least one TRUE hybrid that can get mileage at least above 45 mpg.)

" Preuss said GM also needs to convince members of Congress, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, that U.S. cars are competitive with Japanese models in terms of fuel efficiency."

(Which is easy to do. Make and sell cars that prove it. A hybrid truck that is only available to fleet sales and improves mileage from 16 mpg to 18 mpg isn't exactly competition.

What will GM do when Toyota and others start making TRUE hybrid trucks?)