Quote:
Originally Posted by WildBillyT
A big one for me.
"How do you plan on changing people's negative predisposition surrounding the purchase of a domestic automobile given both the recent failures of the US auto industry and its inability to produce a strong competitor to best selling foreign automobiles?"
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A great question when asked from the 80's to about a few years ago! I think GM, dodge, and Ford have upp'ed their game considerablly in the last few years after the restructuring and streamlining of brands (not agreeing w/the downfall of the bird but i get it). The past few years, the quality and material composition has improved greatly and even though i'm a pessimist i can honestly say the big 3 can make vehicle that can compete w/the likes of honda/toyota and lexus/bmw/infiniti. Its winning over the folks that were burned in the 80's by shoddy workmanship and unreliable cars..thats always the uphill and hardest battle.
My question would be: How do you expect GM to position themselves ahead of the curve??? To me, gm isn't always the innovator, but rather it waits for the market to dictate what to make or watches market conditions rather than set a standard or define a market. Gm waiting a few good years before releasing the retro themed camaro to battle the retro themed mustang. Market share was grabbed up and ford made a boatload of $ while gm was still working on the camaro and its release. We still don't have a great hybrid seller (volt is great in theory but the general public still thinks its an electric=marketing). The hhr was a waited release to battle the pt cruiser, when market share was saturated already by this competitor vehicle. The 130r could be a great car to do battle w/the scion brand (small car/early 20 something niche)...whats the delay?
What i'm asking for is: How does gm position itself to offer a new age cult vehicle offering that will break the mold? aka, like what the 1938 beetle was, what the vette was in '53 or the jeep willys back in early 40's? A model that is an innovator to set the stage and make the competitor retool?