GM sees sales soar overseas, but continue struggling at home

[Bigbee60]

Originally Posted by A Bum In A Bus

Hey General, ready a midsize brawny pick-up that gets good gas mileage, America is still in love with their trucks, they simply cannot afford to run them.

I have a 2008 Colorado Crew Cab 2WD with the I-5 242 bhp engine and automatic transmission. I regularly get between 25 and 28 mpg in highway driving and I average between 19 and 22 mpg around town depending on how much load I'm carrying. I keep the highway driving to 55 or 65 mph depending on the road and I don't drive it like I stole it around town. I also left off the heavy and fuel robbing 4WD system that 90% of the buyers buy, but which 2% probably really need (RWD with the locking differential and traction control are pretty good at getting you out of anything).

So I'd have to say that GM already makes the truck you want - it just forgets to advertise it a lot. Add a small diesel option and smaller turbo four option plus a six speed auto and/or manual to this model and GM would have a winner today in the market, not just the hidden gem they have now.

[Blair1118]

Originally Posted by benroethig

One more ring down the size ladder. Its the Matiz/Spark City car.

Then why does the license plate say Aveo? I was talking about the blue one......

[benroethig]

Originally Posted by Blair1118

Then why does the license plate say Aveo? I was talking about the blue one......

Didn't see that one. I thought you were talking about the read one.

[Ming]

Europe has had the 2-door Aveo/Kalos for some time (that's just the refreshed new one). Not sure that there is a 2-door Matiz, at least I've never seen one. I'm not convinced that the "Beat" won't be 4-doors as well.

If they can pull off the 2-door "Beat" styling on the next Matiz with 4-doors, more power to them.

[Toto]

Originally Posted by JonathanRohr

Why does that image show dollar signs? If its german, shouldnt it show Euros?

Chevrolet Germany use the low dollar as an incentive.

[Toto]

Originally Posted by Ming

Not sure that there is a 2-door Matiz, at least I've never seen one.

There is no 2-door Matiz available.
Chevrolet Germany picture gallery exterior: http://www.chevrolet.de/matiz/matiz-...alerie-01.html

[johnny smallblock]

If they're not going to bring the Beat here, they should at least offer the 3-door Aveo. Since they sell the 4 and 5-door models here I'm sure the 3 would meet safety requirements.

[chade]

Originally Posted by camaro_freak

booohooo.... I'm tired of this excuse.

GM let that this perception take hold and occur on their own. It isn't like some great force happened and it suddenly hit them in the face overnight. Imports have been improving with each redesign for DECADES. Imports have been slowly gobbling up the marketshare as a result. This didn't happen overnight either.

If GM would have taken the Japanse, then the Koreans, and soon the Chinese seriously, they wouldn't be in the mess there are in now.

GM needs to step up or ship out of NA entirely. Doing a half assed job isn't going to cut it anymore.

Ok, message taken by GM. They are now building great products. It's time for our country to support our own, not the imports. Go to Europe or Japan, you don't see too many people buying imports there, do you!!

[rs02cavi]

What GM needs to do is to bring the cars they sell over there here. They look alot better than the crap we get here except for a few vehicles.

[TimR]

I like how they say the race is to the bottom line, not the number of cars sold....so why then does the media go crazy when Toyota gets close to over-taking GM?? They are the ones making a story out of it...

[RCDonner]

Originally Posted by rs02cavi

What GM needs to do is to bring the cars they sell over there here. They look alot better than the crap we get here except for a few vehicles.

That´s said so easily. I am from Europe and I like the american GM cars better. Tell me about one single successful model which was brought from GM europe or Ford europe to US. (Cadillac Catera, Saturn Astra, Pontiac GTO Ford/Mercury Mystique, Merkur, Scorpio)
In all cases everybody was excited about the cars before they were available but then nobody bought them.

[davidlane]

Originally Posted by RCDonner

That´s said so easily. I am from Europe and I like the american GM cars better. Tell me about one single successful model which was brought from GM europe or Ford europe to US. (Cadillac Catera, Saturn Astra, Pontiac GTO Ford/Mercury Mystique, Merkur, Scorpio)
In all cases everybody was excited about the cars before they were available but then nobody bought them.

In almost every case you mention the choice was either inappropriate for this market or the content was changed so as to make the car undesirable. The one exception, IMO, was the GTO. Unfortunately, most people wanted the styling of one of the "cartoon" GTOs from the 70s/80s as opposed to the original. Plus, the first versions were short on engine, typical GM, and heavy. If I recall correctly the '64 I had weighed approximately 3450 lbs the '04 weighed about 300 lbs more. The same issues helped kill the SSR as well.

[2012Aveo]

I also like the blue Aveo in the picture. If that is the Gamma II platform version, then it is the one I plan to purchase.

[benroethig]

Its the 3-door version of the T250 Aveo.

[FBODYRULES]

42% down from 48%, that snot too bad really considering the us economy is real slow right now, I think it would be a completely different story if the economy was so slow