Quote From GM CEO: GMC Will Be "Emphasing Crossovers"; Receive Equinox Version

[goatgary]

Originally Posted by Quickening

So GMC gets yet another rebadge. Why are they spending the money on this brand?!

Ageed mg.

Could it possibily be because they are the #2 selling division behind Chevy and enjoy the highest loyalty of ANY Division? As mentioned in other threads every time GMC comes up, these are NOT Chevy people and would defect from GM before driving a Chevy. Believe it or not, a ton of truck buyers buy into the "Professional Grade" cool-aid.

[steined]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

Further proof that GM has no clue where the market is going and what the hell it's going to do from a strategy standpoint.
The emphasis on crossovers is doomed.

GM is betting on big SUV drivers to trade down to crossovers. I just don't see that happening. Saving 2-3 mpg on gas? When you can save 10-15 by getting a small car?

Sorry GM, this isnt where your strategy needs to be aiming. Fix the problem that makes it impossible for GM to build small cars profitably in the US. THAT'S the problem.

Saving 3 MPG when you are getting 13 (Getting 16 in a crossover) saves more money than an extra 10MPG when you already get 25 with the same miles driven per year.

People who NEED SUVs (me) will go to crossovers when possible. In my above scenario I save $868 a year at $4 a gallon. I would only save $688 if I went from 25MPG to 35MPG. Not worth the sacrafice.

Now GM just needs to do a better job explaining to people the cost per mile instead of MPG.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by goatgary

Believe it or not, a ton of truck buyers buy into the "Professional Grade" cool-aid.

Or because, you know, the Sierra looks a ton better than the Silverado, same with the Yukon/Tahoe, etc...

[GMC-70]

I recently traded an GMC Sierra (800 platform) for a Chevy HHR. As much as I like the HHR for its versatility and great MPG it's no substitute for a full size pickup or SUV. Can I do 80% of the type of cargo hauling I did with he Sierra--yes. But it does require some clever packaging and some extra time to get things right.

That being said, my next purchase probably will be a bigger truck once again regardless of fuel prices---they are just that handy and anything smaller than an HHR/Cobalt is absolutley useless besides being a general commuter car. I would hope that GM continues to focus on effectively increasing the MPG for their truck line. If they can do that they will take back that market with ease.

I know alot of people like small cars, but once people start living with their small cars after driving a full size SUV/truck for years a good portion of them will realize that they want that SUV/Truck back. I think its a perfect time for GM to invest heavily in SUVs/trucks--not new ones, but invest heavily on making the current crop way more efficient. If they can pull that off, it may catch the other guys offguard as everyone seems to be focusing on these little rinky-dink cars latley (Fit, Versa, Yaris, etc).

[CanadianGMGuy]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Or because, you know, the Sierra looks a ton better than the Silverado, same with the Yukon/Tahoe, etc...

Yep thats why I got a sierra, and add to that the lease on a GMC was a bit cheaper because the residule value was higher than that of the chevy.

[GMCdriver]

The busness case for GMC isn't so much about product as it is about demographic.

GMC has a much more desireable demographic then Chevy(trucks) does.

I remember fom HIDL training a few years ago that GMC's customers have the highest net worth of all of GM's brands. Caddy and Hummer had higher anual incomes but GMC's customer have more money in the bank.

GMC has the among the highest, if not the highest buyer loyalty of GM's brands.

GMC's product mix skews to a much higher trim level then Chevy's does and that in turn helps the average profit/unit be higher.

These things factor more into the case to keep GMC then any of the questions about how unique the product can be made.

[viral]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

Yeah, that doesn't make sense to me. The Acadia seemed to me to be pretty distinguished from the Enclave. Are Acadia sales that bad?

The Acadia outsells the other Lambdas combined. It's the biggest selling GMC next to the Sierra. It has outsold the Yukon 2 to 1 this year. Acadia is one of the biggest sales hits GM has had in decades. I predicted that "breaking news" from GMI would fizzle out, and I think this is the start of it.

[akenaten]

What I don't understand here is why some people seem to think that if GM doesn't go completly to small,80,000 MPG cars that they are going under.
Are you people kidding? A lot of people don't want small cars for WHATEVER reason. A lot of people are willing to pay more for gas because they are driving what they want. I have a GMC 2500 Duramax as a daily driver. Because I like the truck. And that's enough for a lot of people.
When some quit saying that America has to become like Europe as far as tiny little diesels blah blah maybe they'll see that America is different. I'm seeing new Yukons,Suburbans,Sierras,Savannas on the road every day. People are still buying these high profit vehicles. And I think that GM Management (clowns though they are sometimes) may see that while all you doom oh God the world is ending people don't.
By all means they should invest in more fuel efficency across the whole line. Sure some over lapping vehicles should be dropped. More small models should be developed. Hummer and IMO Saturn should be dumped.
but thinking that money can't continue to be made on trucks,SUV's and Crossovers is just ignorant.

[dwight1947]

I agree with akenaten. Some people will but what they enjoy anyway. I just purchased a new 2008HD for a daily driver. Have no real need for a 2500HD but like the way they look and ride. Cost of gas was not a consideration.