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Originally Posted by a_v_s
I'm not going to defend the Sonata or the G6. However, I find that this type of attitude might be the demise of GM. Despite the fact that the Sonata is a potential threat, many people like to dimiss it, and say that nothing is wrong with the G6, the Impala is just as good or better, so let's not worry. This type of sitting still attitude is ultimately what's going to kill GM.
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EXACTLY. Making cars that are merely "good enough" isn't going to cut it anymore. GM has a lot to prove if they want to revamp their image. It doesn't matter what preexisting GM loyalists think of their cars. GM could release a car made out of plywood and tinfoil with an engine out of a riding lawnmower, and I think some people on these forums would think it's the best car ever made.
What matters is, most consumers still think GM vehicles are junk. When they see the ads that mention nothing more than the piles of incentives being offered, it certainly doesn't boost GM's image. When they sit in the car and see the mediocre interiors, it further reinforces their suspicions--they think "if this crap is what you see and feel, it must be a real POS under the sheet metal!" - it's really the opposite, but most consumers don't realize this of course. And finally, people (rightfully) think "if companies like Hyundai can offer a 10-year warranty and GM's quality is supposedly soooo great now, why can't they follow suit?"
Hyundai, in contrast, is making cars that look and feel very good, and they back their products with a 10-year warranty. So even people who are skeptical about their long-term reliability aren't too concerned.
GM is going to have to offer a similar warranty and beat Hyundai's (and everyone else's) committment to things like interior quality and overall refinement if they want to regain their former glory. It wouldn't have been so hard if they paid more attention to the competition 15 or 20 years ago, but now they have a LOT of catching up to do.