I think Holden should introduce the new Corsa range above the current Barina range, as they have done with the Opel built Astra's above the Daewoo built Viva's. That would give people a greater range of vehicles & prices.

 

I think Holden should introduce the new Corsa range above the current Barina range, as they have done with the Opel built Astra's above the Daewoo built Viva's. That would give people a greater range of vehicles & prices.

I don't think that would work, not when you have the astra in the $20-$35 range.
I believe the sticky point is getting price to work, and the volume to make it happen.
Look what happened to the new vectra, priced to high next to the larger better value commodore...
I reakon they will wait for the next Daewoo sorced barina, which is a shame the euro sorced barina was and is still a much better vehicle.
That's one nice looking small car...

 

Well that explains why the Aveo (Barina) only got two stars down there when it got 5 here--our test isn't as demanding.

...but wait. I was told we have the toughest crash standards in the world...

 

The reality is Holden aimed for the bottom end of the market, which has worked...more expensive and more accomplished small cars aren't selling in the same numbers as the Barina.
people in that lower part of the market don't want or can't afford to spend extra amounts off money on a better made, handling, more refined small car...which the Eruo barina would provide.
the majority in that market want cheap runabout transport...
They got extra volume and presence in the small car class with the Daewoo sorced barina, but not a solid reputation or class leader.
Owners of the previous barina really do have a better product, at least until the new korean sorced barina is released.

 

How is the Aveo going in the US? I'm not sure what sort of competition is in that market. I would have expected the US to have tougher safety ratings based on the number of larger vehicles (SUVs trucks etc.).

 

You could almost bet on the long wait for a new Barina rather than the return of the Corsa. After all we just spent 1 billion oxford scholars.

 

You could almost bet on the long wait for a new Barina rather than the return of the Corsa. After all we just spent 1 billion oxford scholars.

lol, yep.

I believe that new euro barina would be class seller if Holden could import at the right price...shame, big shame.

 

Do it, then dump the Aveo in NA and give Saturn the Corsa. Actually, we don't need to dump the Aveo, just give Saturn the Corsa!!!

 

"I am not worried about losing face," said Holden chairman and managing director Denny Mooney. "I am worried about selling cars and brand image, and there is no doubt the two-star rating impacted on that."


AT LEAST THEY WORRY ABOUT HOLDEN'S IMAGE IN AUSTRALIA,NOONE CARES ABOUT CHEVROLET IMAGE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD.

 

I think they could sell both, maybe the Corsa could be "Barina Maxx", as Holden is selling the (Chevrolet) Captiva alongside the Captiva Maxx (Opel Antara).

 

Yeah, sell both... let the public decide. The Barina (Aveo) is already there... they money has been spent to add it to the lineup, so sell it alongside the other (if they can make a case for it) and see if people are willing to pay more for the Euro one or prefer the cheap version.

 

Yes, well Holden SHOULD dump that awful Daewoo-sourced Barina, its terrible, almost a disgrace. WHEELS magazine recently did an article on the Vauxhall/Opel Corsa, and they loved it. This is a reading from WHEELS magazine:

"GM Europe's Mk4 Corsa made its international debut, premiering both three and five-door body styles. The stylish hatch was developed on an all-new-from-the-ground-up platform, but retains the strut front, torsion- beam rear suspension layout of the previous model. The advantage of the all new architecture is the ability to engineer dedicated differentiation into the two body dtyles. From the A-pillar back, the two Corsa variants share no body panels. Gm's new hatch is bigger all-round than its predecessor, including a 40mm-higher roof, liberating mini-MPV-like interior space. Launched in the UK with three diesel and three petrol engines, a 132kW turbo VXR version will follow soon. And to think this could have been our Barina..."

As you can see we're not the only ones that want that Barina. And i don't think holden should sell both the Korean and Opel based models at the same time. Holden needs a good refresh on its range and the Commodore and Statesman/Caprice were the first refresh. Next will be the Vectra replacement (Epica) and the new Captiva. But that VXR Barina sounds really good and it has a wide choice of engines as well.

 

Yes, well Holden SHOULD dump that awful Daewoo-sourced Barina, its terrible, almost a disgrace. WHEELS magazine recently did an article on the Vauxhall/Opel Corsa, and they loved it. This is a reading from WHEELS magazine:

"GM Europe's Mk4 Corsa made its international debut, premiering both three and five-door body styles. The stylish hatch was developed on an all-new-from-the-ground-up platform, but retains the strut front, torsion- beam rear suspension layout of the previous model. The advantage of the all new architecture is the ability to engineer dedicated differentiation into the two body dtyles. From the A-pillar back, the two Corsa variants share no body panels. Gm's new hatch is bigger all-round than its predecessor, including a 40mm-higher roof, liberating mini-MPV-like interior space. Launched in the UK with three diesel and three petrol engines, a 132kW turbo VXR version will follow soon. And to think this could have been our Barina..."

As you can see we're not the only ones that want that Barina. And i don't think holden should sell both the Korean and Opel based models at the same time. Holden needs a good refresh on its range and the Commodore and Statesman/Caprice were the first refresh. Next will be the Vectra replacement (Epica) and the new Captiva. But that VXR Barina sounds really good and it has a wide choice of engines as well.

I agree they can't sell both and let the public decide...
The case has to made before taking any risks, u can't just send them over and wait and see...thats how money is lost.
The small euro cars are making some big leaps in design, build, dynamics and desirability!
i would never consider buying the current barina over that corsa, i'd pay the extra premium and buy the corsa.
But, thats me not evey joe public wants to spend extra on better handling, comfort and refinement.
I chat to friends who are not car people at all and i can see why people buy the daewoo sorced barina...
A lot of average people go on style and price alone...they don't look as hard for dynamics and build, not at this price point anyway!
Maybe we/us on here look too hard sometimes!

 

How is the Aveo going in the US? I'm not sure what sort of competition is in that market. I would have expected the US to have tougher safety ratings based on the number of larger vehicles (SUVs trucks etc.).

It's going alright, but the subcompact market isn't that large in the United States and those buys tend to gravitate towards Japanese cars.

 

Do it, then dump the Aveo in NA and give Saturn the Corsa. Actually, we don't need to dump the Aveo, just give Saturn the Corsa!!!

The second seems more likely. Saturn dealerships can be hard to find at times.

 

I like the Corsa. I wish we could have it.

 

Saturn needs that car to hit Honda and Toyota back which are not as large as Chevy also. They could do it they have enough dealers to sell the product.

 

How is the Aveo going in the US? I'm not sure what sort of competition is in that market. I would have expected the US to have tougher safety ratings based on the number of larger vehicles (SUVs trucks etc.).

The old Aveo is the best selling sub-compact car in the US. The reason, Price (it was $1 under $10k).

Until recently the Kia Rio and Toyota Yaris where the biggest competitors.

Now there is Fit, Yaris, Rio, new Aveo, and a few others.

 

This is a very interesting report and hard to see why Mooney has come out with these (very considered) comments.... is he after public support to beat up GMNA to improve the Barina or get Opel's pricing down? He has put the boot into the Barina in a round about way, whilst at the same time defending it.

I can see the problems in pricing the Corsa ...it would probably be in the same price band as the Viva, against which some (most) people buying in this segment would see it as poor value for money.

 

This one is pretty much a no-brainer. However you look at it, those little jellybeans on wheels aren't safe.

 

How is the Aveo going in the US? I'm not sure what sort of competition is in that market. I would have expected the US to have tougher safety ratings based on the number of larger vehicles (SUVs trucks etc.).

It's sales are pretty strong for the segment, but could be better. In 2006, through August, sales are down 13% to just over 41,000 units and, while it used to be the market leader, it now trails 2 of Toyota's 3 similarly sized hatches, the Yaris and Scion xB. The Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio combined sell in comparable volume. The Versa and Fit haven't been on the market all year, but their monthly sales are well short of the Aveo's, for now. Also, the redesigned Aveo hasn't been available all year, so there could be some future sales growth due to that.

 

of corsa!

sure GMDAT is doing well, but it is a developer in a developing country; what else do you expect but crap. once GM finally goes modularly global, assembly in korea would be fine for the west (east in Australia), but until then it is not.

 

Just replace it with the Corsa! I'm sure that the Corsa is a superior vehicle in every way.

 

Mr Mooney ordered the Corsa study in part because he is finding it hard to convince other parts of the GM world that sell the Barina it should be modified to improve its crash test results. In the US, where it is sold as the Chevrolet Aveo, it scores five stars in a less taxing crash test.

So, he can't get GM to get this POS even a little safer. Boy, it sure raises my confidence in GM management. I had some work done on my van yesterday and talked to a salesman at the Buick/Pontiac/GMC place. Until recently he had worked at a Chevy store. He said the Aveo is junk; most people aren't interested. They did OK until the Fit/Yaris/Scion came along and now down they to. I think the Aveo will get the sales it deserves when/if the Fit and Yaris can be had in quantity.

Man this crap gets old. GM just does the minimum in so many areas. No wonder Honda does so well. They are light years ahead of GM in small engines and safety and working hard 24/7 to increase the gap. OK, a small car impacting a pickup is death no matter what, but if someone is going to buy one, why in the world would they even go into a GM store unless $9,995 was all they had?

 

Well that explains why the Aveo (Barina) only got two stars down there when it got 5 here--our test isn't as demanding.

...but wait. I was told we have the toughest crash standards in the world...

Oh, yeah, we the best, no doubt about it. Well, except for trivial things like safety, low-sulfur diesel, and a few more. We've got the best politicians the oil and car companies can buy.