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Ford put a lot of emphasis on its F-150 launch this year, and rightly so. We know from past experience that GM will put a lot of effort in its Silverado / Suburban redesigns.
But I submit that it is the Chevrolet Cobalt, and to a lesser extent the success of the Malibu that will make or break Chevy and GM's domestic brands.
Chevy should be putting a lot of weight on the Cobalt release. Even more than they did with the Malibu. No bland Malibu styling allowed - this time there will be no Pontiac variant, remember?
Chevy runs the risk of becoming irrelevant if they produce a lackluster product like the Saturn ION. They might as well become "Chevy Trucks" with a better than so-so Malibu for the rental fleets. They need to score a run on all of these accounts:
1. Performance
2. Value
3. Fit and Finish
4. Quality
5. Styling
6. Safety
That's a tall order. But Chevy / GM MUST learn from the mistakes of the Saturn ION. They MUST look at all of the Motor Trend and Car & Driver articles poo-pooing the Saturn as the "most disappointing domestic car of the last decade" and fix all of the concerns the journalists had. The Chevy design team should be actively taking this negative feedback and altering whatever they can in the half year before launch.
No center stack speedo. No poor body fit and panel gaps. No bumper car steering wheel shenanigans. No anemic acceleration. No funky electric steering that is hard as a rock on the highway, and too loose at low speeds. No oddball "unique" styling.
Here's a clue: Work with Opel and its Astra design. Opel isn't perfect, but even a cursory glance at the difference between the Opel Vectra and the Malibu - exterior and interior - tells me that they know attractive design, and Detroit's designers often don't.
Maybe it's too late now, with 6 months or so til the Cobalt is released, to make these demands. But whatever Chevy can do now, it had better do. Instead of staying the course, the same course it had when GM was hyping the Saturn ION as the next big thing, they need to change and realize the reality --- the ION was and is a bomb with the critics. Saturn hard core fans will buy it, and probably like it. And a similar Cobalt would probably impress previous Cavalier owners. But if Chevy wants the Cobalt to make conquest sales, it had better take this segment seriously.
Forget about making it cheap for profit. If it is cheap, the customer will see it, and will demand 4000 dollar rebates. Where's the profit then?
The UAW also needs to take it seriously, because it may well be the last compact they are ever allowed to make if the Aveo and Canadian Optra prove more profitable and get better reviews.
Seeing as how the Cavalier has lasted largely unchanged (engine excluded) for a decade, GM will be stuck with the Cobalt for a long time. So they need to get it right now. Toyota and Honda won't sit on their laurels and wait a decade to redesign theirs.
This is a plea to GM designers. Work with Opel. Get it right. Knock our socks off.
Or just go ahead and pass all small car responsibilities to Daewoo...
But I submit that it is the Chevrolet Cobalt, and to a lesser extent the success of the Malibu that will make or break Chevy and GM's domestic brands.
Chevy should be putting a lot of weight on the Cobalt release. Even more than they did with the Malibu. No bland Malibu styling allowed - this time there will be no Pontiac variant, remember?
Chevy runs the risk of becoming irrelevant if they produce a lackluster product like the Saturn ION. They might as well become "Chevy Trucks" with a better than so-so Malibu for the rental fleets. They need to score a run on all of these accounts:
1. Performance
2. Value
3. Fit and Finish
4. Quality
5. Styling
6. Safety
That's a tall order. But Chevy / GM MUST learn from the mistakes of the Saturn ION. They MUST look at all of the Motor Trend and Car & Driver articles poo-pooing the Saturn as the "most disappointing domestic car of the last decade" and fix all of the concerns the journalists had. The Chevy design team should be actively taking this negative feedback and altering whatever they can in the half year before launch.
No center stack speedo. No poor body fit and panel gaps. No bumper car steering wheel shenanigans. No anemic acceleration. No funky electric steering that is hard as a rock on the highway, and too loose at low speeds. No oddball "unique" styling.
Here's a clue: Work with Opel and its Astra design. Opel isn't perfect, but even a cursory glance at the difference between the Opel Vectra and the Malibu - exterior and interior - tells me that they know attractive design, and Detroit's designers often don't.
Maybe it's too late now, with 6 months or so til the Cobalt is released, to make these demands. But whatever Chevy can do now, it had better do. Instead of staying the course, the same course it had when GM was hyping the Saturn ION as the next big thing, they need to change and realize the reality --- the ION was and is a bomb with the critics. Saturn hard core fans will buy it, and probably like it. And a similar Cobalt would probably impress previous Cavalier owners. But if Chevy wants the Cobalt to make conquest sales, it had better take this segment seriously.
Forget about making it cheap for profit. If it is cheap, the customer will see it, and will demand 4000 dollar rebates. Where's the profit then?
The UAW also needs to take it seriously, because it may well be the last compact they are ever allowed to make if the Aveo and Canadian Optra prove more profitable and get better reviews.
Seeing as how the Cavalier has lasted largely unchanged (engine excluded) for a decade, GM will be stuck with the Cobalt for a long time. So they need to get it right now. Toyota and Honda won't sit on their laurels and wait a decade to redesign theirs.
This is a plea to GM designers. Work with Opel. Get it right. Knock our socks off.
Or just go ahead and pass all small car responsibilities to Daewoo...
lasma: 
