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Automotive News: Pontiac G8 Might Survive?
Detroit, 6:59 AM
Tue Dec 1
28 posts in the last 24 hours
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Automotive News: Pontiac G8 Might Survive? |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
06/08/09
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No, I am NOT getting my hopes up on this.
Yet.
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[jalopnik.com]
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My guess is that he actually tries to run this as a car brand, and uses GM-built vehicles and tooling until he can get on his feet and develop his own. From that standpoint, I would think that if he could do it, buying up access to the Zeta platform G8 and selling it alongside other Saturns would be a smart move on his part.
06/08/09
06/08/09
Oh, that was an analogy...
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06/08/09
This statement sort of pissed me off. Of all the times you COULD have said that (I'm nodding at you, Malibu/Impala), why now? It's all about brand(o) management.
06/08/09
The best part is..
Accord OUTSELLS Malibu AND Aura.
So.. whats the point of 3 sedans of the same size.
Malibu
Impala
And now this?
Is this the new GM.. or the shitty old one?
06/08/09
"..So whats the point of 3 sedans of the same size..?
Well. You've got your kitchen paring knife, your plain old butter knife, and then you have your Gerber folding knife. And they all are the same length. See?
06/08/09
Unless Fritz meant "no chance" the same way Wagoner meant "no bankruptcy", I'm a bit perplexed.
As for the line "Chevrolet already has several sedans"...pure twallop. They have three, the same number as ACURA, and one less than Toyota.
So the answer to the question is twofold: One, dump the Impala and convert the G8 to that (it already friggin' IS that in Arabia), or two, just add one more sedan. One RWD large sedan in it's prime, one FWD large sedan that's not.
Baka GM.
06/08/09
How does it not fit? It's angular in all the right places, just like the new Cadillacs. Hell, it's based on the same platform as the new CTS-V, I believe (the Zeta).
06/08/09
06/08/09
The government typically uses leaks and will float policy statements on Sunday morning shows like Meet the Press to gauge public reaction to their policies. They then review a bunch of polling to determine if they should actually follow through with what they say. Example: Bill Clinton
I think what you're seeing here is a shift by GM into a more government-inspired method of product planning.
06/08/09
Step 1) Smile
Step 2) Nod
Step 3) Wave
Step 5) Drink more beer.
Repeat process whenever offhand GM comment is reported on.
06/08/09
The bankruptcy took step 4 already? Goddamn this is depressing.
06/08/09
Drink more beer.
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06/08/09
This
or
This
Granted, this may be a tough question for most Jalops, but that's what makes them Jalops.
06/08/09
in all honesty i wouldn't do either of them.
Wes, on the other hand, has got quite a nice ass.
06/08/09
I do not see how this sentence even suggests:
1. The G8
2. This car.
3. A new car.
4. The death of an old car.
Maybe you guys can read deeper then me, or I'm just dumb, but I don't see it at all.
06/08/09
I am Professor PaulJones, but you may refer to me by my other name: God. Because as long as you are my pupil, I am your God. What I say, you will listen to and take notes on.
Without further ado, let's get started.
The key to undertanding what is being said is to first know what was, in fact, said. Therefore, I re-post the initial comment that is the genesis of this entire clusterfuck:
"I know there's still discussions on it," says Stephens. "But Chevrolet already has several sedans. How many sedans do you need to cover the waterfront?"
Let's begin with the first part of the quote, which clearly states "I know there's still discussions on it", and by the pronoun "it", he is referring to the possibility that the car we currently know as the Pontiac G8 may survive the death of Pontiac by being transferred to a different division.
The next part of the quote states that "...Chevrolet already has several sedans", meaning that at the present time, Chevrolet produces no less than three sedans, the Cobalt, Malibu, and Impala, to market to three perceived sub-divisions of the of the sedan market.
The final sentence in the quote raises the question as to how many sedans Chevrolet needs to produce in order to adequately cover all sub-divisions of the market for sedans.
Now that we know precisely what has been said, let us now move on to the interpretation element of it all. This requires a tentative grasps of various elements such as logic and reason, but it's not as scary as it may seem.
To begin with, the first sentence in the quote about there being discussions on the potential survival of the G8 under a different brand means two things: first, they recognize that the Zeta platform was expensive to develop, and that the best way to recuperate those costs is to sell as many as possible, which invariably leads to platform proliferation. Therefore, from a financial standpoint, keeping this car around has certain advantages. Secondly, it also means that they recognize that the car is highly-praised and adored by fans and those people that actually know of its existence. Therefore, from an image and marketing standpoint, keeping this car around also offers certain advantages. And by "this car", we are of course referring to the G8, which covers your first two points
The second sentence of the quote indicates that Mr. Stephens is in fact familiar with the current Chevrolet lineup and the marketing justification for the existence of each car within said lineup. It says absolutely nothing whatsoever about a new car. I have no idea where you got that from. But that covers your third point.
Finally, the third sentence of the quote indicates that he understands the lesson that GM just learned the hard way: too much saturation of a given market segment is a bad thing. Conversely, not enough saturation of a given market segment is a bad thing. Therefore, he is attempting to figure what that optimal level of market saturation is, and how a re-badged G8 may or may not fit into it.
This, of course, leads us to several possible outcomes:
1) He decides that there should be no further sedans in the Chevrolet lineup, and the current sedans are fine. Therefore, the G8 is Kobyashi Maru.
2) He decides the the current market can support an addition to the Chevrolet sedan lineup, therefore opening the door for the G8
3) He decides that there is no room in the Chevrolet lineup for more than three sedans, but one or more of the sedans is inadequate and uncompetitive *ahem*Impala*ahem*, thusly opening the door for the G8.
4) He decides to say, "Fuck this shit. I'm going to go snort blow off of the bodies of hookers in my private jet".
Thusly, your fourth point is covered.
Are there any questions before we move on?
06/08/09
G8 supporters to GM: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario"
/Trek Nerd
06/08/09
Fascinating...
Thing is, this is GM. They look at all scenarios; golden ones, rosy ones, profitable ones, market share rising, production costs falling, and all dice in the manufacturing and political world falling the way they want, and they see a No Win Scenario. Because, THEY ARE GM. They will find a way to ruin ANY good fortune they inherit. It is the Way of Things. See this, and accept it.
06/08/09
In best Captain Pike voice
It depends on how you define winning. They've got your money, don't they?
06/08/09
Why do I have to go Deutsch to get a decent RWD sedan around here? Fuck.
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06/08/09
Instead, sell it to Penske so he can rebrand it as a Saturn. I thought I read somewhere he might want to get into Grand Am racing with Saturn, so a rebadged Saturn "G8" would be a good start.
Plus, there is no room in the boat at GM for this now.
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Can you guys really see this as a Chevy or Buick? Chevy has Impala SS, Camaro, Corvette. No room for a 4-door RWD car there. At Buick, they have Lucerne and LaCrosse. Maybe room there, but do you really see this car as a Buick? Name it the Regal? GNX = GXP? I would like it, but I don't think it would happen.
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They will run rings around the competition.
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