New Daewoo Veritas - The Park Avenue The US Can't Have!

[Astra RL]

Aww boo. I really like the Park Ave, and think it would have made a competitor, just give it a MCE to add a sweapspear and upgrade the interior to match the new Lacrosse. Stupid dealers didn't want a better sedan than the Lucerne and now they are paying for it. It could have started around $50,000 and been sold alongside the Lucerne with no overlap at all.

[jzEllis]

Originally Posted by TuffG929

Hey i've seen this show before. The car enthusiasts cry for the automaker to bring car X to the states. Then, to eveyones suprise the car flops and the automaker is left holding the bill.

you say that like it's a good thing! remember these are EXCELLENT CARS!!

who's fault is it that the general US consumer is so dumbed down in their expectations of US AND foreign automakers that they don't know great car when it hits em at a cross walk!

[jzEllis]

Originally Posted by 61BelAir

I'm not sure Buick needs more softly sprung FWD cars. That thinking is why Buick is in the mess that its in now. Buick should not be thought of as some car for the geriatric set. If that mindset continues at GM then they might as well close Buick now and get it over with. Back in the day Buick use to compete with everyone, Cadillac included. Why is that a problem? Doesn't competition breed better cars?

it does, thats why GM has so many classics from it's hay day, when Buick dared to outdo Cadillac and Pontiac dared to thumb it's nose at the rest of it's GM siblings.

when you're not willing to compete, ur static. and when ur static ur useless!

[TuffG929]

Originally Posted by jzEllis

you say that like it's a good thing! remember these are EXCELLENT CARS!!

who's fault is it that the general US consumer is so dumbed down in their expectations of US AND foreign automakers that they don't know great car when it hits em at a cross walk!

Honestly ask yourself if you would sign on the dotted line if gm brought this thing stateside? I'm guessing the answer is no because to my knowledge you haven't bought a G8 and you haven't bought an Astra. There is no business case for this car this car. Now if you'll excuse me, i'm going to watch Gossip Girls.

[jzEllis]

Originally Posted by TuffG929

Honestly ask yourself if you would sign on the dotted line if gm brought this thing stateside? I'm guessing the answer is no because to my knowledge you haven't bought a G8 and you haven't bought an Astra. There is no business case for this car this car. Now if you'll excuse me, i'm going to watch Gossip Girls.

no i bought TWO GTOs!
and have no plans of getting rid of em. if the g8 wagon comes over, it WILL be my next car. i have no problem putting my money where my mouth is, it's the other supposed loyal GM fans and US customers who do.

[Rocket 88]

Originally Posted by megeebee

Oh, for pity-sake how often do we have to re-hash this?

It's hardly news, we've known the "Chinese" Park Avenue wasn't coming to the US for a long time now. And if you look at sales figures of the G8 you can hardly blame GM? What would be the advantage of sellng the G8 next to the Park Avenue (since most Pontiac and Buick dealers are one and the same)? It would interfere with Cadillac and the last thing GM needs to do is compete with itself. Buick needs softly sprung, FWD luxury cars. The Park Avenue, as it is today, would only confuse people about Buick.

IMO: Excellent point on the G8. I'm no so sure softly sprung FWD luxury cars is exactly what Buick should aim for but the Park Ave does not fit.

Originally Posted by Ambalanche

Megeebee, the point is, if GM HAD brought the Park Ave here unmolested from the Chinese version, I'm sure plenty of luxury buyers would take notice and actually...buy it. Buick is different in perception from Pontiac, look at how successful the Enclave has been.

I think it would be exactly like the G8. How many people who think poorly of Pontiac find Buick to be the Bees Knees? To me it is almost unimaginable.
And while Enclave has been a success, Lucerne and Lacross have hardly been hits. And its not like the Buick crowd is into hardcore specs and find them lackluster because they're a few year old models.

Originally Posted by RedVee8

Back on topic, I think it is a shame for Buick that this car is being badged as a Daewoo in Sth Korea.
I would like Buick to expand to be a pan-Asia brand, rather than just China. Both cases being in addition to Nth America, of course.
A wasted opportunity.

I have no idea what the brand dynamics in Asia are but its an interesting point. I'm sure Daewoo has tons of recognition as a "domestic" brand but maybe Buick could be their upmarket stablemates.

[GM-Joe]

If they brought it here, no one would buy it.

[TuffG929]

Originally Posted by jzEllis

no i bought TWO GTOs!
and have no plans of getting rid of em. if the g8 wagon comes over, it WILL be my next car. i have no problem putting my money where my mouth is, it's the other supposed loyal GM fans and US customers who do.

The GTO, yet another GM success story.

[djo165]

I gotta post on this...mainly because I want to love the G8, and I just sat in one today (local BPG dealer left it unlocked.)

The G8 is a good looking car on the outside, and decent, but not great, on the inside. GM's problem in importing some of the Holden's and Opel's is they always do it half-a$$ed.

If GM was serious about helping out Pontiac, we wouldn't be getting a G8 with such limited options and colors, because that greatly limits the car's appeal. But rather we'd be getting a whole line up of G8's, just like what Holden has with the Commodore, Omega, and Berlina. Offer an interior color other than charcoal gray, for goodness sakes. I know people here in Dallas (where the temperature has hit 100 F over 20 times this summer) who absolutely will not consider a vehicle with a black or charcoal gray interior. It may not be logical or scientific, but it's true.

As for Buick dealers not wanting the Chinese Park Avenue, if that's the case, then I think they're dead wrong. If Buick is going to grow as a brand, they're going to have to reach new, different customers. A nice Buick interior in a longer G8 body would sell big time in the US.

[Bravada]

I think GM was quite right about the business case being against the ParkAve in the US. The large car market has just crashed again after many years of consecutive contracting. People do not buy large SUVs, but even less large cars, obsessed with fuel economy and whatnot. And Buick would have a hard time pushing anything more expensive than a Lucerne that is not a crossover.

That said, I do believe GM should have brought it.

Just like the G8, it would have given Buick some CREDIBILITY. The G8 is not flying off the lots mostly because GM does not want it to, as it loses money on each and every one imported. The cheapest Omega is in excess of $36K AUD, which is $30K USD now. Of course there is some Australian VAT/sales tax in it, but then there are no overseas shipping costs. I do believe GM is not making any profit on G8s, just like with the Astras.

But then, without he G8, and the GTO before it, Pontiac would have been even more desperate. It gives the "halo" to other Pontiac vehicles they desperately need.

For Buick, the vehicle to give halo is a large crossover resembling a sea cow. How sad.

[63GrandSport001]

If you want my honest opinion about GM is they dont want to sell too many good cars in America because they dont want to get people back into the idea of buying cars instead of SUV. However with gas prices as high as they are people are going to move back to cars regardless, and if GM isn't making the best cars then they wont make the car sale. So IMHO GM is passing up on the car sell letting them go to other companies in order to save SUV and truck sales.

[jbernie]

As an Aussie living in the USA I can't say I am disappointed, more than happy to have the Yanks miss out on some very nice RWD offerings that are very well accepted else where.

Thankfully the CTS & Corvette are around in the USA.

[TKR]

Originally Posted by TuffG929

The GTO, yet another GM success story.

All depends on how you define success. You cannot deny that the GTO brought Pontiac some much needed brand awareness without a large investment.

[vt6banger]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

No, when GM builds great products like the Malibu and the CTS, Americans respond by snapping them off of the lots. When GM introduces a product like the GTO or the G8, it doesn't matter how it is priced when its styling is bland/boring and the interior materials and fit/finish are inferior to its German and Japanese competition in the U.S. market.

ok styling isnt going to make everyone happy but I wouldnt call commodore bland/boring and as for fit/finish I remember alot of people saying g8 and gto where better quality than most gm offerings in the US, and on the german/japanese competition isnt the g8 alot cheaper, therefore is to be expected that it wont necessarily always measure up to that competition?

[mikmak]

lol @ Lacrosse. lol @ Lucerne. Yay @ Statesman. All you NA guys know what will fit in the US market better than we do and I'm quite happy for them to stay there. It seems that everyone wants GM to sell better product or to lift their reputation, but you don't want to pay for it. If everyone thinks that they are too good for the G8, I guess it will just pass as another ill conceived pipe dream that Lutz had: cars that actually go around corners and possibly (lord forbid) raise your heart rate for reasons other than understeer. Silly old fool.