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#1 (permalink) |
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1.8 Liter ECOTEC
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 43
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Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
Supply woes stall hybrid SUVs
Carmakers are unsure how to meet demand as high gas prices drive up interest in fuel efficiency. General Motors Corp. ran into troubles with the battery for last year's Saturn Vue hybrid SUVs, which has slowed production for 2008 models. And GM's other hybrid trucks, the full-size Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, are hard to find, in part because about half of the automakers' dealers opted not to sell them. Also, GM has produced the vehicles in limited numbers. ************************************************** Bob Morgan of San Francisco said he was drawn to the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid because it provides enough room to travel comfortably with his wife, teenage daughter and dog, and enough power to haul loads to the family's second home in the mountains. Yet he doesn't feel any stigma from driving a full-size SUV in a town where environmentalism has long been a mainstream cause. He bought his hybrid about two months ago and considers himself lucky because the few Tahoe hybrids still available in his area are now commanding more than the base-model $49,000 sticker price. "I still see some on sale around here," he said. "But you look at the Chevy dealer lots, and they're tacking on a $2,000 to $4,000 premium." GM spokesman John McDonald said the company is working carefully to match production with demand, so GM isn't delivering the trucks to dealer lots in large numbers. GM doesn't control what dealers charge for vehicles. Dealers who sell a hybrid but don't have one on their lots can get one within weeks, McDonald said. Edmunds estimates that GM has sold 1,000 to 1,200 Tahoe and Yukon hybrids since they went on sale in January. GM said it sold 589 of the trucks in May, but didn't provide year-to-date sales figures. McDonald said the supply issue isn't entirely because of production limits. He said about half of GM dealers opted not to stock the hybrid SUVs. Dealers who wanted them were required to go through special training on servicing the trucks' high-voltage batteries and on explaining the technology to prospective buyers. "We're talking about a $53,000 hybrid SUV," he said. "Nobody has done this before. We're trying to see where the market is." |
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#2 (permalink) |
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7.0 Liter LS7 V8
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: West Chester, OH
Drives: Chevrolet Malibu LS, GMC Envoy SLE, GMC Sonoma SLS
Posts: 5,493
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Re: Supply woes stall hybrid SUVs
I wasn't exactly aware that a lot of people wanted the Tahoe/Yukon Hybrids...
__________________
Proud to drive American. Proud to drive GM. Current Cars: 2007 Chevrolet Malibu LS: 2.2L ECOTEC I-4 2003 GMC Envoy SLE: 4.2L Vortec 4200 I-6 1998 GMC Sonoma SLS Ext. Cab: 4.3L Vortec 4300 V6 Former Cars: 1993 Saturn SW2 (1993-2006, 243,000 miles) 1989 GMC Safari SLT (1989-2003, 293,000 miles) Future Car: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2LT RS: 3.6L DI VVT V6
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#3 (permalink) |
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6.0 Liter Vortec V8
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: California
Posts: 1,757
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
They sit on lots for awhile before selling. At least from my experience. They should have built them in a base model Yukon/Tahoe. GM needs to get with the program on what people want.
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Member of the: I Will Never Buy a Japanese Car In My Life Club. www.BADBOYVETTES.com C6 and C6R rule! |
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#5 (permalink) |
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3.8 Liter V6
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
Drives: 1996 Chevy Blazer AWD LT.
The Second Love of my
Posts: 349
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
GM should have put the 2-Mode in the Aura and Vue first, not a Tahoe or Yukon. Use the new diesel in the Tahoe and Yukon.
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[b][font=Optima][color=gray] Gotz_Otto |
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#7 (permalink) |
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3.8 Liter Supercharged V6
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Red Sox Nation
Drives: '05 GTO
Posts: 730
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
Actually, you save much more fuel increasing MPG from 14 to 20 than you do increasing MPG from 24 to 30.
No sarcasm needed. |
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#8 (permalink) |
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3.6 Liter V6
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Central Florida
Drives: 2004 Chevy Trailblazer
2002 Acura TL 3.2
2006 N
Posts: 1,033
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
So you have some dealers opting out of selling the 2 Mode because of special training and learning to explain the technology to customers?
If those dealers are having problems with 2-Mode then what the hell are they going to do with the Volt? These dealers better get with the program!!!
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Don't forget CRACK IS WHACK!!!
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#10 (permalink) |
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3.9 Liter V6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 805
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
they need to sell a "loaded" one to cover the manufacturing cost because people will not pay what GM would have to charge for the hybrid option on a "stripper"
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chevy owner since 1953,30 new chevys and 11 new corvettes since 1959 ,# 11 2008 corvette in the garage ,2004 impala,1988 2500 silverado,former NASCAR tech inspector,retired race engine builder |
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#11 (permalink) |
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6.2 Liter Vortec V8
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: at the corner of walk and don't walk
Drives: 2008 Trailblazer LT3
2009 Mustang
Posts: 2,899
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
it surprises me that there are actually dealers out there that opted not to sell the hybrid. and it also surprises me that they were actually allowed to pass on the training needed to service the vehicles properly. so if you're in a po-dunk somewhere in east Texas with a Tahoe Hybrid, and you pull into the local Chevy store to get an issue taken care of, odds are that they don't have the training and therefore can't work on your vehicle? that just shouldn't even be allowed. dealers that would opt out shouldn't be able to keep their franchises, or should at least be penalized somehow. stupid, stupid, stupid.
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Acura: Because if you want a really nice Honda, there's only one choice. "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein - 2008 Trailblazer LT3 - 2009 Mustang SUPPORT AMERICA: BOYCOTT WAL-MART |
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#12 (permalink) |
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3.8 Liter V6
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 309
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
Where is the original story from? GM does not sell the hybrids like they do regular cars. See my story here:
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...r-hybrids.html The dealers who opted in get one for demo and interested buyers have to basically order one and they get it in about a month. I would assume any on dealers lots were ordered by the dealer themselves. Based on selling days they're selling pretty well 49 days, vs the average of 65 days and versus about 110 days for the non hybrid Yukon for those that are on lots. Battery issues are slowing production of the Vue hybrid however. Why battery supply/production is not the biggest news story of the day versus how great hybrids are is beyond me. If you wanted a Vue hybrid or Escape hybrid good luck finding one. And the automakers simply can't build enough.
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KickingTires |
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#13 (permalink) |
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GMI Staff Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: France
Drives: 2007 MBK Flipper Scooter
Posts: 13,397
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
Bah, I can see dealers not caring about selling the Yukon and Tahoe hybrids. They may be high margin but in many markets they just wouldn't sell enough to make the investment worth it. I know tons of small-town dealerships that simply couldn't justify something like that.
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The department of redundancy department.
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#14 (permalink) | |
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3.8 Liter V6
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 326
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
Quote:
It's no different than Corvette, its a separt and optional franchise that if you can't make your money back on it, you don't have to pay for the tools and equipment. |
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#15 (permalink) |
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3.9 Liter V6
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: DE
Posts: 765
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Re: Supply woes, Dealer Opt-out stalls hybrid SUVs
But you move more units by making a hybrid that people really impacted by high gas prices can afford. Leave saving the earth to special interest groups, GM needs to move vehicles.
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