GM Vehicle Inventory Figures: The Good (CTS), The Bad (SUVs), The Ugly (Astra)

[b4z]

I've got European experience with Astra as I have mentioned before in the other 50 Astra threads we've had here at GMI.
Ours was the 1.4L 104hp 5 speed 5 door.
The car has so much to recommend but I don't think the 104 hp version
would make it here. I also think our mileage in the UK was closer to 30mpg over the 5 days we had the car.
Partly because most of the time I had the thing on the floor.
0-60 had to have been 13 seconds. Coming from an '04 GTO and '04 SRX(at the time) it was quite a difference.
The car handles fantastic, solid as a rock at 90mph.
I do have to agree with a previous poster about the revs on the highway. At 80mph it was well into the 3000rpm range.
But if GM lowers the revs on the highway then acceleration gets worse.
So I think the 6 speed is the ticket + more power.

And Saturn's no haggle pricing has got to go. They are seriously handicapped.
it might steal sales away from their GM stablemates if they start selling them for invoice.

[DuSpinnst]

Originally Posted by Perian

Source: Automotive News Data Center

Figures are as of April 1, 2008

Notable Days Supply Figures*:

Buick Enclave: 40
Cadillac CTS: 24
Chevrolet Impala: 21**
Chevrolet Malibu: 37
Chevrolet Avalance: 136
Chevrolet Silverado: 118
Chevrolet Uplander: 11**
GMC Canyon: 148
GMC Yukon: 146
Pontiac G8: XX (2,700 units in stock)
Pontiac Solstice: 167
Pontiac Torrent: 135
Saturn Aura: 60
Saturn Outlook: 101
Saturn Astra: 326




*Days Supply: Number of days needed to sell all vehicles in inventory based on the previous month's daily selling rate. The industry considers a figure of "60" to be normal.

**Major fleet vehicle.

What are these based on? How can you have a 326 day supply of Astra's when the car has only been out for 60 days?

Also, the title of this thread could use a bit less Drama, but the OP seems to have extreme difficulty with that due to his chachness.

[SUPERBADD75]

Originally Posted by coaster.n3rd

In your opinion is a correct statement. Sales numbers say otherwise regarding haggling.

how do you figure? is Saturn suddenly outselling all other makes because of their no haggle pricing? i think that if i know a dealer will discount a car several hundred (or thousand) dollars if i argue a bit about the price, then i'm going to go try to get my best deal there. i like buying used cars, and you know, i would never buy a car at CarMax because they will not haggle. people know where to find info about car pricing, and they want their best deal. a lot of people will haggle over price just for a few hundred bucks, a set price is a stupid way to go.

[joemac]

IMHO the inventory levels of trucks and SUV's can be slightly misleading. For any truck manufacturer the number of trims and option combinations is into the stratosphere, thus dealers need to keep a considerable variety of optioned trucks on hand, this translates into quantity in an attempt to have the vehicles optioned and colored to suit potential customers desires.

[44 mpg by 2010]

As a consumer, I could NOT care less about inventories ... until there is at least a 44 mpg(US) combined average vehicle available ... and it better be a turbo diesel so that it has some torque!

Say something like the 47 mpg(US) combined cycle 5dr ... maybe the European estate Astra ... MIGHT be worth looking at!

Until then, I'm sure NO ONE really cares except ... "employees" (for how long?) and fans.

[salbracht]

Originally Posted by 44 mpg by 2010

As a consumer, I could NOT care less about inventories ... until there is at least a 44 mpg(US) combined average vehicle available ... and it better be a turbo diesel so that it has some torque!

Say something like the 47 mpg(US) combined cycle 5dr ... maybe the European estate Astra ... MIGHT be worth looking at!

Until then, I'm sure NO ONE really cares except ... "employees" (for how long?) and fans.

It does affect the consumer ... as the inventories get higher the manufacturer becomes more motivated to introduce incentives to move product. It also is a good indication of which vehicles are succeding in the market, and which are not ... which can be an indicator of which vehicles will be focused on with an update, or even which vehicles will be killed.

[Elk]

Originally Posted by Buick61

I think it's safe to say at this point that I'll never step into a Pontiac dealership again. But I wouldn't hesitate to consider Saturn again: better dealerships, better looking cars, less baggage, and, my god, no red lighting scheme.

So, I'm glad Saturn exists, and I hope Pontiac dies the death it should have died in the early 1950s or in the early half of this decade.

That’s nice, but clear the vast majority of car buyers don’t agree with you.

I think Saturn should be kill because.........well it’s painfully clear they have failed to sell cars and they are unprofitable. But hey I’m sure you think red lights being tacky is a totally legitimate reason for GM to throw few billion more into the money pit that is Saturn.

Originally Posted by New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66

Well, zero marketing for the Astra could explain those numbers.

Last month’s sales:
Pontiac G5 1,546
Astra 720

When was the last time you saw an ad for the G5? Or better yet have you ever seen an ad for the G5?

Come on Saturn fans Pontiac is one of the “damaged brands” with terrible old dealers that no one will step foot in. While Saturn is the brand everyone loves. Shouldn’t they be able to sell more cars by word of mouth?

Originally Posted by FierySolstice

The Pontiac G5 is a joke.

Yup and as you can see by the numbers I posted that joke is outselling the Astra by more then 2:1. Which shows how much of a disaster Saturn is.

[Geotpf]

Originally Posted by DuSpinnst

What are these based on? How can you have a 326 day supply of Astra's when the car has only been out for 60 days?

Also, the title of this thread could use a bit less Drama, but the OP seems to have extreme difficulty with that due to his chachness.

Simple. The car has been out for two months, yet sold less than 800 units in each month. Therefore, the number of units in stock is ten times 800, or about 8,000 (30 days a month means a 326 day supply would be a little more than ten times each month's sales).

Keep in mind that the Ion typically sold about ten times as many as the Astra is, mainly because it was close to half the cost.

Saturn overall is, and always has been, a money loser. There's no way to save it. It didn't make fiscal sense to start a brand that only sold Corolla-clones, and it doesn't make fiscal sense to, after selling mostly Corolla-clones for a decade or two, think taking it upscale will work. People look at a Saturn and expect to pay no more than a Corolla; the Astra definitely costs more than a Corolla, and it's the cheapest Saturn. Plus, people who are paying 20-30k+ on a vehicle expect to be able to haggle, especially (as in the case for their entire product line except the Vue and Astra) if they can buy a similar vehicle at a different GM dealer down the street that does haggle. Also, now that everybody thinks "Corolla-clone" when they think "Saturn"-Saturn no longer has a Corolla-clone! (The Astra is a hatch, the Corolla is a sedan. The Astra is sporty, the Corolla gets good fuel economy.) Plus, plus, if you do expect to go upscale, you need features to match, like a nav system, bluetooth, and an aux in jack. Heck, you can get two of the three (nav and aux in (aux in standard)) on a Scion xD, which is several thousand less than an Astra.