The Chevy Volt story has been long, intense and very high profile. This site has served as a beacon and helped fan the flames of media interest primarily to help acheive our goal of reducing petroleum use.
However, some Chevrolet dealers are apparently frustrated by Volt marketing and are concerned that it is shifting emphasis and marketing dollars from cars in the showroom right now, and GM’s new CEO may be on their side.
This idea was suggested in a Wall Street Journal report about last week’s executive shakeup at General Motors.
Fritz Henderson was ousted by Chairman of the Board Ed Whitace, the former AT&T CEO who in the process seized the position of CEO.
Whitacre made some other immediate moves. He kept veteran car gurus Bob Lutz and Tom Stephenson as his first hand advisors, and removed marketing responsibility from Lutz. He also shifted Susan Docherty, 47, into being in charge of both marketing and sales, and Mark Reuss, 46, into head of North American operations.
These actions reportedly illustrate Whitacre’s drive to accelerate and simplify decision-making and help break GM’s slow-moving and oblivious historic cultre.
It also shows his desire to create a leaner, younger team.
Possibly these changes could also shift focus to selling cars available today instead of spending millions marketing the Volt which isn’t here yet, and when it does arrive will be in small numbers, and be sold at a loss.
“If I were to tell you how most dealers feel in all this, it’s that we’re at a point where we wish they would focus on selling the cars they have today to today’s customers,” said Steve Cook, owner of Cook Chevrolet in Michigan.
“We’re tired of talking about Volts in 2011,” Mr. Cook told the Wall Street Journal. “We want to sell Malibus, Impalas and pickup trucks in December.”
Many expect the early Volt to be a halo car to improve GM’s image in the mind of environmentalists and others and lure people into showrooms perhaps having them leave with less expensive more available cars such as the Cruze.
Will Whitacre’s moves push the Volt to the back-burner? Could his ouster of Henderson on the very same day GM was in the midst of a Volt media blitz in the key target state of California been his way of sending that message?
The next few months ought to tell.
Source (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 6th, 2009 at 9:54 am and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
+8
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:02 am)As in, shift marketing and resources away from niche automobiles that can’t be sold profitably and into cars that might make GM some money?
What a strange idea… still, it might work.
+6
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:04 am)The move makes sense. We can only hope that promotion steps up once the inventory is there.
I’m sure demand for the Volt will be there. The news media has been offering free promotion on all levels.
Most importantly, GM needs to survive in order to SELL VOLTS.
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:05 am)Moot point. All Volt’s will sell out before they even arrive at the dealers. Word of mouth takes over from there and *off we go!*
Be well,
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+10
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:25 am)I thought GM was crazy to ever spend a dime on TV/radio ad’s for the volt. This is the kind of car that will be in magazine and internet articles because it’s an amazing technology and for that reason sells itself. If putting the volt on the back burner though means slowing down the production schedule in any way they’re making a huge mistake. GM has a small lead right now in the electrification of the car (post hybrid that is). If they keep plowing along and work towards GEN II as quickly as possible the Volt will start making money. Do what you gotta do to make money today but they need to position the volt and voltec technology to make a profit in as short a time as possible.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:33 am)Amen.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:35 am)GM has an opportunity with the Volt that any company relish…
gm-volt.com is ample proof that the Volt does not need traditional marketing from GM. Just let the euthanists do it for free…and most of them are more than willing…and can it do it better. The best marketing will always be “word of mouth”. Getting a customer (in this case, future customer) to promote a product that will not available for another year. Even then, very limited quanities and locations.
GM tell your marketing department to sit this one out…at least play a very small role. They can explain that they are playing a small role and euthanists are taking the lead.
I know that it will be tough finding a small marketing team that can implement this obvious idea. Give them a small budget…but require a BIG results. They will have no choice to use the euthanists.
+4
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:38 am)Lutz bashing again,
Maximum Bob has historically focused his time/energy and GM’s budget on the high ticket/ low sales items and relied on the brand association to sell their mainstream products.
Lutz’s “brand association”, “halo effect” and borderline elitist mentality hasn’t worked. It’s time for a change.
GM now needs to truly focus on beating the competition with the engineering of reliability, ergonomics, quality, price, mpg . . . . on their mainstream products.
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:43 am)GM and Ford should be marketing mpg improvements as a whole, Volt is part of that. GM’s ads do reflect that, although they are still limited in “class” leaders (Chevy Cobalt XFE beats a regular Honda Civic, but can’t touch the hybrid…). I agree Volt marketing could be scaled down to appease dealers now, though marketing the technology could have more long-term benefits.
The following article is interesting (sorry if it’s been posted already):
http://gas2.org/2009/11/23/new-epa-fuel-economy-numbers-ford-and-gm-show-the-most-gains/
Good to see GM and Ford finally get it.
+5
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:45 am)What is gained by bashing Lutz? Most of us are here to be pro-Volt, pro-energy independence, etc. That doesn’t meant that you have to be pro-Lutz, but I just don’t get the benefit.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+6
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:45 am)Admit it…you checked down at the bottom to see who wrote this piece didn’t you?
/wasn’t me
+3
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:45 am)The GM dealers don’t get it. If it weren’t for the Volt, people would be abandoning GM for other brands much sooner. As it is, people are just waiting, which a much better scenario for GM and its dealers.
-1
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:49 am)Nope. I usually don’t have to any more.
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:50 am)*I* didn’t!
/hope this finds you well.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:51 am)Thanks for the link – interesting article. Progress is progress, even if it’s “little steps for little feet”.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
-2
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:55 am)How long are they willing to wait? What will they end up buying?
The picture has been grim for GM between now and when gen-2 of Volt becomes available in terms of profitability & competitiveness.
What should Whitacre do to change that?
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:58 am)I doubt the Volt is in any danger of being marginalized after all the publicity it has already received, the hype it has stirred, and the expectations it has set. I also doubt Whitacre would want to lose money by not living up to the promises made for/about this car’s range and availability — it would simply tarnish and to some extent invalidate his obvious efforts to wipe the slate clean and populate it with kept promises and prompt responses.
The Volt is simply too high profile to take a risk on this close to launch date.
With that said, it is definitely a wise idea to remind the world that GM isn’t just about the Volt. In so doing, Whitacre can prove a new approach on a much more consistent basis and a larger scale by bringing forth a steady stream of improvements in quality, fuel economy, and reaction to public need/desire. The Volt is a big promise to be sure, but big promises gain even more significance when surrounded by small promises that are also kept. We want a strong presence and a solid reputation for GM — not a one trick pony, “Yeah the Volt is awesome but everything else stinks.” company.
I wish him luck and look forward to a steady and ever growing list of GM “done right” reports pushed by his efforts. I want the Volt, but I want what comes after the Volt even more!
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:58 am)Exactly in my case…
-1
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:59 am)If GM does not sell the cars they have today, they will be begging for another bailout tomorrow. Regressive Corporatism (gov’t+business) partnership SUCKS!
-3
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:01 am)Viability.
Viability has always been my number one concern with the Volt and GM. If the Volt can’t compete with the plug-in competition and if GM can’t survive out of bankruptcy, then all our tax dollars were wasted in an exercise of futility.
If GM can’t make money on every Volt they sell, then the whole thing’s a bunch of B.S. I DO NOT believe that a green halo lead/loss product is an asset for GM — or any other auto manufacturer, for that matter.
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:04 am)Under normal circumstances, perhaps. But GM has a huge obligation to taxpayers still. So, simply keeping up with the status quo is not enough.
GM requires a balanced product-line. They need something for the mid-size, mid-priced, high-efficiency category (40-50 MPG for around $25k) …which is a major market opportunity the competition is striving to take advantage of.
+5
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:06 am)It worked out pretty well for Toyota.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:19 am)Making a profit would be a good start (even if it’s a little profit). I hope they are not making decisions based on a feeling that the Govt is looking over their shoulder. The decisions have to be the same as any profit driven company would make.
Do they need a balanced line-up? Sure, but it’s just not going to happen overnight. I hope that they can keep their nose above water in the meantime.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
-1
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:21 am)carcus1 writes, “Lutz bashing again,…”
That’s not “Lutz bashing,” it’s a reality check on Lutz. Good post.
Tagamet writes, “It (the Prius as halo car) worked out pretty well for Toyota.
You are entirely wrong about the comparison.
First, Toyota was making money, they could afford to develop the Prius.
Second, the project had clear goals, including mainstreaming to large volumes.
Third, it was to be pitched to a market segment that Toyota knew existed; people who would want to burn less gas at an affordable price (the JDM market was a sure bet).
Fourth, they did get it to profitability fairly quickly (Dec 2000, they say).
Fifth, Toyota is good at building lower volumes of price-competitive vehicles profitabily, this is absolutely not one of GM’s strnegths, in case you hadn’t noticed.
Sixth, Toyota has flex manufacturing, they can build the Prius on the same line as other cars, so their investment is smaller.
Seventh, and this is the most important, Toyota’s project was engineering-driven, not ego-driven. Their CEO set a goal, with cost targets, and turned his people loose to figure out how best to acheive it. At GM, the project was ego-driven. Lutz sketched out what he wanted, presumed an arbitrary figure to build what he wanted (a figure entirely wrong) and told people to execute his vision.
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:22 am)If GM really wanted to sell cars today, they would stop “shaking things up”. Buyers want to know that the company they are buying from is stable and will be around in the next ten years. Every time they have high profile sackings, organizational change ups and asset sell offs, it reeks of desperation and no doubt sends buyers to the Hyundai/Toyota/Ford dealer. No more radical new executive line ups. No more “New” GM. Just settle down and start building better cars. Stop trying to convince us that GM is “just as good as” and just be better than. The buying public will find out all on their own. Nobody cares who is running the company or what company they used to run, they just care about the product in the show room and what the automotive press, their friends and family and consumer advocates have to say about it. Satisfy these people and you will sell cars all by themselves.
Oh, yeah, stop advertising the Volt, it’s a stupid waste of precious money.
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:29 am)This seems a bit of revisionist history. The way it was characterized at VoltNation I:, “When your family name is on the building, you can say ‘I want to make a small (ugly) hybrid car that will lose money’”. Lutz couldn’t very well take the same request to the GM board without being laughed out of the room. (I added the ugly part, but it fits). Hindsight is 20/20.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:35 am)Hummmmm They need to work the Chevy Volt Like Apple works the iPhone and there Laptops… and develop a Cult like following.
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:36 am)I agree with you about the need for stability, but then you go on to say that people don’t CARE about the shakeups and only care about quality. I’m confused (not an uncommon condition).
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:37 am)I thought that was what we have here! (g).
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+4
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:38 am)I didn’t know there was this ‘problem’. I’ve seen many GM commercials and ads (except for Buicks) such as those with Howie Long comparing various Chevys to their main competitors; Cadillac spots with upscale 40ish beautiful people driving them around (which I think is a necessary approach to gain a more youthful, virile image); GMC commercials such as the one where a GMC pickup tows a Toyota and Dodge out of a mudhole….
Volt commercials? Not one have I seen. Volt ads? Not one have I seen. Am I missing something here?
The Volt is surfing a big wave of free publicity, and GM must keep riding it out for all its worth. Perhaps what they could do is to find a way to make a connection between the Volt and the standard product lines, in an attempt to have the positive vibes the Volt is generating rub off a bit to the other members of its GM family.
An example of how this could be done — create some general GM corporate commercials touting GM’s engineering skill and leadership; using the Volt as prime evidence with the other products standing visibly alongside. The point to make would be that the Volt and all other GM products are in the battle together.
In summary, stay the course with the Volt – milk every bit of publicity possible. But — find ways to make the Volt’s positive connections transfer to the rest of GM’s products.
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:38 am)I haven’t really noticed any hard ads about Volt lately. Mostly, Howie Long commercials pitting Chevy against the competition head-to-head. The Buick Lacrosse ad is very well done imho.
Yeah, Volt is at the auto show. So what. That’s what car shows are all about. If they don’t get ‘Chevrolet’ in people’s heads, they won’t sell any Malibus or Silverados.
As far as dealership ads, GM is lacking. You need local ads to sell to local people. Toyota has way more ads for local dealerships in my area.
BTW, if any Chrysler/Fiat people are out there reading this, the ‘I am Ram and my tank is full’ ads are terrible! Show the dang truck plowing through snow/mud or pulling a load. The current ads are not visceral at all. Using Einstein imagery will put off your market. Geeks buy trucks, but, they want to think of themselves as blue collar at the time of purchase. This is Texas dammit!
-1
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:39 am)VoltNation I got it entirely wrong.
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:44 am)Thanks for the clarification.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:52 am)http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobw
here=1251599351010&ssbinary=true
For those of us in Colorado, a HYBRID tax credit is available. Hope GM considers throwing a few Volts this way. A Tesla Roadster brings a $42,000 tax credit as an example.
Let’s get off foreign oil.
-11
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:53 am)(click to show comment)
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:00 pm)After being a Ford and Honda buyer for 23 years the Volt has caught my attention. I test drove a 2009 Malibu. It’s a nice car, but it won’t replace my Honda. What is it worth to GM to attract 1000’s of Ford and Honda buyers?
GM has a home run product that will be available in California sometime during the first quarter of 2011. A few thousand or so. These will easily sell for over 40k each. My guess is $46,900.
I am willing to wait to test drive a Volt before looking elsewhere.
Who knows who will be in charge of GM in 2012. The Volt will still be wearing a GM badge.
=D~
+3
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:06 pm)The dealer expressing concerns needs to learn how to sell the inventory he has and be thankful that we all bailed out his business. Thankful that he is still in the business.
Thankful the Volt is coming and just be quiet.
If he cant get the job done with zero interest he needs to flip hamburgers.
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:16 pm)I would like to add that prior to the volt I had never owned nor considered owning a GM product. The volt had gotten me excited for GM. I helped sway my inlaws to get a Saturn Aura and think the discontinued Vue and Solstice were beautiful cars I would have bought had I been in the market for those class of vehicles. The volt does a lot for GM (in my case anyway) even though not a single one has been sold. Don’t underestimate the halo affect but I still stand by my previous post that it’s better as a grass roots campaign then a government bailout dollar one untill you’ve got something to sell.
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:16 pm)I hope people realize that the marketing money spent on the Volt is not to sell the Volt. Silly are those who think that.
As someone already said, they will be sold out for years and sell at a loss.
It’s all about the image. GM took (and is taking) a massive hit on it’s image. They took hits in the eye of the public who now think GM uses old technology to make crappy cars designed by boring old men in white shirts and corporate ties.
Also, remember that most people want to hold on to what they know. There is comfort in the past, even if the past is gone and holding on to it will kill their future. This is the situation GM faces.
Their marketing MUST be based on what they are going to do in the future. Their image needs to be restored. An image that they have a top ranked group of smart and cool people designing the best modes of transportation that will provide the next generation of mobility.
Now, people have a good point that GM has to make money NOW so that they even have a future. There obviously needs to be a balance. Some flash of their “coolness”, “techno”, etc. with strong marketing for their current lineup.
I hope they remember the most important thing – good marketing kills a bad product very quickly.
MAKE THE VOLT AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE
I hope all the engineers are busting their butts like their careers and the fate of American automobile manufacturing depends on it.
Like they say – success is the world’s best deodorant.
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:19 pm)There was a lot of good information and a comprehensive chain that tied everything together but it was still missing a little of the Statik spice I’ve come to expect from your articles.
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:23 pm)My comments to each paragraph.
Paragraph 2: What Volt Marketing?
Paragraph 8: Look, before even the first Saturn was available in dealers showrooms, before we even knew what one was going to look like, there was advertising for Saturn.
I’m not saying to go full tilt on Volt Advertising, but in the ramp up to launch, there has to be some ramp up in advertising as well, and this is not happening
Paragraph 9: What the hell are you talking about? The only GM advertising we’re seeing right now is just that: for vehicles that are available in the showroom right now. I defy anyone reading this to prove to me that GM is in fact NOT advertising for cars that are indeed available in dealer showrooms right now! Steve Cook, owner of Cook Chevrolet in Michigan, you sir are an imbecile.
Paragraph 10: That’s just it you idiot, THEY’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE VOLT IN 2011. And not only that, they’re not talking abut it in 2010 either. The only ones that are talking about the Volt are those of us here at gm-volt.com because GM sure as hell is’nt. Once again, I defy anyone to show me how the emphasis has shifted away from GM advertising vehicles that are available right now to the Volt in 2011. Once again Steve Cook, owner of Cook Chevrolet in Michigan, you are an imbecile.
Paragraph 11: Heres what Bob Lutz had to say on that:
“GM is moving from a company that, for 100 years, has been based on mechanically driven automobiles, to one that will eventually be focused on electrically driven vehicles,” …“This is a big deal.”
http://gm-volt.com/2009/12/03/bob-lutz-announces-chevy-volt-production-volume-plan/
Paragraph 12: That’s the plan, push it to the back burner. You hit the nail right on the head Lyle.
Paragraph 13: The Chevy Volt: 358 days and counting.
+7
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:48 pm)Toyota’s Prius was not originally “engineering-driven”. In 1994, the Toyota G21 committee determined they should create a car for the 21st century that was resource and environmentally friendly, and gave the task to Toyota executive Takeshi Uchiyamada – originally the committee thought it might just be a more efficient ICE car. Uchiyamada quickly determined that a hybrid design was their best bet. Their biggest problem with this hybrid approach was the longevity of the battery.
GM realized that lithium ion batteries were going to change the game in EVs/hybrids, realized that Toyota had a hit using NiMH batteries and was in no rush to obsolete its big hit, and decided to be first in the next wave of fuel efficient autos.
In 2007, li-ion batteries were not ready for prime time. GM decided to move up the schedule by pitting LG Systems against A123 Systems (among other potential suppliers, who did not make it to the final competition). By offering the possibility of $billion contracts, they have spurred the li-ion cell suppliers to offer their best chemistries and manufacturing abilities at a low per unit cost, they have designed the battery pack and have been doing 24/7 testing for years, and have designed a car from the ground up to use this battery pack, with engineering carry-over from the EV1, to bring the new technology to the mass market with standard warranty reliability. Niche players Tesla, Fisker and Aptera had to be content with off-the-shelf li-ion batteries. GM has changed the game by moving up the schedule on the inevitable. Nissan and others have had to scramble to announce their own li-ion designs, but are hedging their promises with battery leasing schemes and fuzzy launch dates.
I remember the American press ridiculing the early Prius in 2000. They will do the same with the Volt. Not many realize how quickly technology can change in just 5 years, once it has its foot in the door and increasing economies of scale.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:49 pm)Lyle is all the advertising GM needs for the Volt, at least for a while. Let GM build the Volt, Lyle (and others) will announce them to the world. The Volt is pretty much defined. There are some details to work out. The only real question is when will one be available on my dealer lot? GM does have some nice cars. They need to sell them so they can survive to build the Volt. I suppose I could be tempted into a sweeter HHR, just have not seen one yet.
It almost seems that Volt Gen 1 Will be manufactured from unobtanium.. How about Volt Gen 2 & 3, stay tuned to GM-VOLT.com. Yup, Lyle will keep us informed. In the meantime I am thinking about an extra battery in the Prius.
Cheers
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (12:53 pm)The Volt was headlined at the LA Autoshow on December 2nd, but I don’t see that as marketing on GM’s part, rather I see it for what it was, free publicity.
Agreed, GM must initiate a sequential advertising program to prepare the general consumer for the EREV vehicle, in this case the Volt, which although not available in large numbers yet, still needs advertising of a form to make the consumer aware/understand the vehicle that will soon be available to them.
This needs to be happening now but it is’nt.
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:05 pm)The Dealers could give a rats behind about the Volt, in general. While it sounds good and feels good, they need to make money by selling cars. With the Volts low volumes, the dealers know they are not going to make a much, even with business generated in other cars, due to the Volt in the showroom.
The sales guys have families to feed. The Volt is not on their table, and they know it.
Long term may be a different story, but you tell that to the sales guy living check-to-check.
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:09 pm)I agree with Guy. The stations I watch on TV are inundated with ads for current GM products and how they are better than the competition–”May the best car win.” I’ve seen maybe one ad hinting about the Volt and I think they are gearing up promotional activity at about the right speed. I am disappointed they canned Fritz–I thought he was doing an excellent job and it gives the impression that GM is still struggling to right the ship. Gm’s only problem with the Volt is making a profit on the car because demand will outstrip supply for all of Gen 1 and probably into Gen II.
-2
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:17 pm)What about those who ridiculed in 2004?
What about those who have already been waiting 5 years for fuel-cell vehicles promised for 2010?
What about those who were expecting something “nicely under $30,000″?
These are all questions the new CEO must directly address.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:19 pm)The good news is that we got the Chevy Volt Song and Lyle’s video montage before Volt marketing got de-emphasized.
If all gm is talking about is diminishing Volt PR coverage until Volts are available for sale, that’s fine. Probably speaking softer about the Volt and louder about the trucks is good judgment, as the corporation has to get to there from here.
But if Mr Whitacre is thinking about delaying the beginning of production of the Volt or slowing down how soon production speed increases, that’s a tragedy.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:24 pm)The new CEO will just say “I inherited these from a previous administration”. Next question.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
-2
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:28 pm)To be true GM has to improve a lot.
Example i was suggesting equinox for a friend of mine who was looking for a small/med SUV. He went to customer reports checked and said : 32 mpg is what you never get , the actual is 22 mpg and he started reading more in ford escape hybrid because is has 34/31 mpg.
Again look at cruze : From gminsidenews
1.8L: 24/36 MPG*
1.4L Manual: 27/40 MPG*
1.4L Auto: TBA/37 MPG
*Pending EPA certification.
40 is only one condition and people never get it (ex: i dont drive on high way at all now a days )
volt is important but improving current cars is more also important.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:43 pm)Showcasing VOLT via LA Auto Show apparently rubs some dealers. As a number of posters here noted GM ads are productively directed into immediate sales. So why the rub? VP Susan Docherty certainly wouldn’t have been promoted if Whitacre felt VOLT media conflicted somehow with sales. It may be Whitacre contributed to dealer confusion as to what’s marketing and what’s PR in plotting his palace coup. WSJ jumping all over this only screwed-up the story line.
On that score Whitacre correctly has given Docherty free rein … GM clearly is on the mend. Meanwhile, all the free ink VOLT’s generated has contributed to GM rebuilding its 100+ year gold-standard reputation.. and equally important being absolutely consistent with Howie Long’s “May the best car win..” line.
+3
Dec 6th, 2009 (1:57 pm)gmtx2652 Says:
GM and Ford should be marketing mpg improvements as a whole, Volt is part of that. GM’s ads do reflect that, although they are still limited in “class” leaders (Chevy Cobalt XFE beats a regular Honda Civic, but can’t touch the hybrid…). I agree Volt marketing could be scaled down to appease dealers now, though marketing the technology could have more long-term benefits.
The following article is interesting (sorry if it’s been posted already):
http://gas2.org/2009/11/23/new-epa-fuel-economy-numbers-ford-and-gm-show-the-most-gains/
Good to see GM and Ford finally get it.
Honda: 23.6 mpg 376 g/mi
Hyundai-Kia 23.4 mpg 380 g/mi
Toyota 23.2 mpg 383 g/mi
Volkswagen 22.8 mpg 398 g/mi
Nissan 21.6 mpg 411 g/mi
BMW 21.6 mpg 412 g/mi
Ford 20.5 mpg 434 g/mi
GM 19.9 mpg 447 g/mi
Chrysler 18.7 mpg 476 g/mi
***********************************************************************
In the link it above, it shows Honda as the leader in average gas mileage. This is not a fair comparison because Honda does not make trucks.
Why are we so anxious to give foreign companies undeserved praise? I just don’t get it.
+3
Dec 6th, 2009 (2:01 pm)********************************************************************
Why don’t you start reporting facts instead of fiction!!!
Dec 6th, 2009 (2:05 pm)I don’t know how much money GM is spending on the Volt, but I know it’s not much, I haven’t seen any expensive advertisements. I think I heard one on the radio and I saw a magazine ad. That’s it for over a year of Volt watching. Those were both before the bankruptcy.
That being said, if GM was NOT going to be artificially limiting Volt sales, I would say that they should pour on the marketing campaign, but since they will sell so few anyway, I agree, the focus should be on actual cars that make money, which I actually have seen tons of TV commercials for that I thought were very impressive during high profile football games and such so I don’t know what the dealers are complaining about.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (2:09 pm)I have only seen advertising on main-stream vehicles (and a lot of it). I have seen none on Volt .
+3
Dec 6th, 2009 (2:17 pm)There are a lot of things to agree with here:
1. Carcus is right that GM has to make better cars and introduce new models faster. He should like Reuss, who has said expliclicitly that GM quality is not where it needs to be on all cars and that engineering has been compromised by downsizing and a requirement that the engineers adhere to the party line even when they don’t agree with it.
2. Texas and Bob Lutz are right that marketing the Volt will play an important part in resurrecting GM’s image, giving GM mindshare in an important demographic where they have zero mindshare at the moment (yes DaveK we’re talking about you and me).
3. Tag is right that the Volt is a critical first step in moving towards the electrification of transportation. Personally I think the market will be less price sensitive than many currently think.
The dealers don’t understand the importance of the Volt because they’re focused on selling cars today, and while the Volt may help around the edges now it won’t make a big difference until a few years out. If it makes GM feel any better, sometimes I work out with the local Nissan dealer and he’s not very excited about the Leaf for similar reasons. No doubt Toyota dealers felt the same way in 2000 about the Prius. Dealers are sales guys, and sales guys are not known for their big picture thinking.
But the Prius ended up being a big story, and the Volt and Leaf are going to be an even bigger, which will help GM and Nissan. Moreover, if the story is good, in the best possible case, the Volt will lead to a profusion of serial hybrids and the Leaf to a profusion of BEVs, just as the Prius has lead to any number of other hybrids such as the Ford Fusion.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (2:19 pm)Geronimo wrote, “In 1994, the Toyota G21 committee determined they should create a car for the 21st century that was resource and environmentally friendly, and gave the task to Toyota executive Takeshi Uchiyamada – originally the committee thought it might just be a more efficient ICE car. Uchiyamada quickly determined that a hybrid design was their best bet. Their biggest problem with this hybrid approach was the longevity of the battery.”
The committee gave out a general goal. And Uchiyamada went to his engineers. He did reject some ideas for various reasons but he let the engineers come up with the solution. That’s bottom-up engineering. Lutz did it the other way.
—
Tagamet wrote, “Thanks for the clarification.
You’re welcome.
—
Miscellaneous people remarked on marketing…
There’s more to marketing than advertising. Marketing should begin very early, with product, price and quantity specification. Engineering and R&D are tasked with advancing the technology but Marketing is tasked with ensuring that anything produced is wanted at the price offered. Failure to do this is a failure in marketing.
GM’s biggest marketing blunders to date have little to do with advertising or substandard engineering/manufacture; they are a result of pitching a product that no one would want at the price required to make a profit. The two worst failures are the GMT-900 hybrids and the BAS hybrids. They’re both tolerably good ideas that fail to find a market at their price. It’s a failure of marketing that neither one was stopped before wasting a ton of money.
I mean, did no one at GM notice that they were pitching a low-tech “hybrid” solution with mediocre fuel economy improvement at a price higher than a high-tech hybrid solution that offered double the fuel economy of any other midsize car? Puh-leeze.
+2
Dec 6th, 2009 (2:30 pm)From GM’s standpoint this is actually a good story. Had you not suggested that your friend look at an Equinox he probably wouldn’t have even thought about Chevy. While he didn’t buy, the fact is that the “sales funnel” is the determining factor in how many of anything you actually sell. IOW if ten people like your friend who would not previously consider a GM product now do, some percentage of those people will in fact end up buying a GM product. It’s just the way it works.
I don’t, however, believe your friend came to the right conclusion. The EPA rating is the EPA rating. It doesn’t pretend to tell everyone what mileage they will actually get, but it is PERFECT in comparing cars. If a Ford and Chevy vehicle receive the same mileage ratings from the EPA, then they’ll get more or less the same MPG if driven in similar ways. (For example, I think john1710a has gotten very low MPG during some winter periods with his Prius).
Your friend is going to be sorely misguided if he’s comparing “actual mileage” of one vehicle with the EPA mileage of another. That’s crazy. He can compare actual mileage of both cars or the EPA rated mileage of both cars, but what he doesn’t want to do is to compare the actual MPG of one and the EPA rated MPG for the other.
Dec 6th, 2009 (2:40 pm)The Chevy Stores need some creative attention for promotions.
Since the brisk advancements for Volt have captured much of the spotlight, some new kinds of thinking need to come forward for the Chevy Stores.
How about a “drive for a day” a Chevy car or truck (exc. Corvette)? (By appointment a week or so in advance, and, if it is likely someone truly is in the market to buy and can afford to buy).
That would be a way for prospective buyers to “drive relaxed” and not have their attention divided. (You leave your car there, so that there isn’t as much concern about a “free rental day”, and, have a mileage limit of, say 25 to 35 miles for nearby residents). Automatically give current Chevy customers that option (via email).
Surely there ought to be other ideas that can work for the Chevy Stores.
As far as personnel is concerned, very large corporate structures are not as amenable to quick and fast and identifiable results relating always to one person or another entirely directly. It all takes quite a bit of time, and, unless a reasonable amount of time is allowed for executive decisions and policies to begin to show positive differences, repeated changing of staff may not usually be a good thing because everyone around that new person has to realign their procedurs and policies too, and must make sure those changes actually are efficient ones, it seems to me.
Dec 6th, 2009 (3:03 pm)My last four cars have been Toyota Camrys. It is a great car all-around. For the last year i have taken a new look/view of GM as they have started thinking quality, green, electric, leap-ahead electric, long-range. For same-old, same-old, I like Toyota; however, to get me back to GM products, GM needs to continue to think toward the future — ELECTRIC, PULG-IN, VOLT, VOLT, VOLT. Let’s face it, quick sale-short range planning lead to their dependence on gas guzzlers and bankruptcy.
Dec 6th, 2009 (3:07 pm)Winter formula gas alone lowers MPG. Combine that with denser traffic to deal with, power reducing cold air, and draw from the heater, you’ve got a recipe for disappoint compared to the estimates.
Fortunately, all vehicles experience that hit and the latest generation Prius go to great lengths to minimize the impact. Of course, with the previous, I could hardly complain about the extremes…
So, you can imagine the reports I’m hoping to hear about Volt testing come January. What methods does it employ to cope with the cold?
Dec 6th, 2009 (3:29 pm)As long as it was kept plugged in overnight that will keep the battery at the operating temperature and it is insulated. You should get most of your electric range minus losses due to the heat pump/heated seats/heated steering wheel plus some losses on the wheel bearings until the grease warms up.. the stop and go crawling traffic will not affect the range much… but if the Volt was not kept plugged in then it is a different story, the genset will start cold and warm up the battery.. hopefully the car has not been sitting unplugged for two weeks and the battery is below 0 degrees, that will take a couple of hours to warm up.
Dec 6th, 2009 (3:43 pm)That’s the story many of us will face for years to come. My employer simply doesn’t offer a place to plug. The car will sit in the cold for at least 8 hours every work day.
I’m also curious how the gen-set will operate in those stop & slow driving conditions. Will there be a heat-retention system for the emission equipment allowing for short shut-offs of the engine… like during those long waits at busy stoplights with the heater running?
Dec 6th, 2009 (3:43 pm)The 2-Mode transmissions that GM developed in a JV with BMW, Mercedes and Chrysler were anything but low tech, they are expensive technological marvels.. but GM would have been better off with a Honda style “assist” hybrid, it consists of flat pancake motor placed in-between the engine and transmission.. in conjunction with a laggy turbo or an atkinson ICE you would have gotten very good MPG gains at a modest cost. The decision to do that was made in better times.
The other mistake GM did was offering it as an option.. they should have made a separate stand alone hybrid version similar to the Prius.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Hybrid_Cooperation
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/02/gm-simplifies-t.html
Dec 6th, 2009 (3:46 pm)8 hours may not be too bad, the battery pack is insulated.. per a GM engineer with very good and expensive insulation.. probably some space-age stuff.
Dec 6th, 2009 (3:57 pm)That was probably from an early Edmunds review, apparently the software has been refined in the transmission. We have had a report from a member of this forum that the Equinox does get this mileage, and even better if driven at moderate hwy speeds. Here is a link to trudelta reports, they get an hwy average of 26.5 mpg, and that is amazing for an average speed of 67 mph in such a large vehicle.
http://www.truedelta.com/fuel_economy.php?stage=pt&bd=Chevrolet&mc=62
Dec 6th, 2009 (4:02 pm)That’s what I’m curious about. The routine sub-zero temps we see each year are way colder than you realize. I’ve never heard of anything that good which is thin, lightweight, robust, and affordable… and won’t contribute to heat concerns in the summer. Engineering is loaded with tradeoffs.
Dec 6th, 2009 (4:48 pm)Hey John1701a,
If the engine shuts off at a light, the cooling system need not keep running in Winter. As a matter of fact, if the coolant is not circulating in the engine, it actually gets hotter for about a minute, a good thing emissions-wise. An electric coolant pump can also feed the heater core for the cabin for about a minute or two of heat, depending whether you have the heater on recirculate/Max or not.
It’s in the Summertime where an electric water pump must be cut on so that the engine does not develop excessive latent heat (setting off NOX pollutant as well as other long-term undesireable things).
If your parking is at a temperature well below storage ranges (and especially if that bitter North wind is blowing, accelerating heat losses), it might be programmed/decided to run the engine for about 10 minutes to do several things, to warm the battery, to charge the battery so it can warm itself with a simple little ceramic element, to warm the cabin, and to warm other things in the engine compartment, such as washer fluid (if they want to do that), and, the 12 volt battery, etc.
With 53 or so kilowatts, you can do lots of great things in just 10 minutes of engine/genset runtime for those really extreme cold situations. The same goes for really hot temperatures and charging the pack to maintain itself, temperature wise, with the electric AC.
I’m just glad that by March, about 90 more days, a whole new terrific phase of Volt will take place.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (5:37 pm)I’m not surprised to see dealers pushing back on Volt attention- no doubt they’re getting all sorts of inquiries for a car most of them won’t see for at least a year+. Getting dealers on board EV programs has always been a challenge; they have to talk to more customers for each sale, generally make less commission, etc. And it’s new technology and product to get comfortable with. Some do it brilliantly, others not so much…but there is also something to the point that they have to remain in business if they’re going to sell the Volt when it comes- many dealers are struggling already, and we’re just heading into the slow season for auto sales.
W/ respect to Volt, there’s a difference between advertising and marketing. In CA (other early markets too, I’m sure) we’ve had a fair bit of Volt advertising, mostly in billboards and print media, though some commercials too. The 230mpg campaign was short-lived (by design) but flogged heavily. The transparency shown on the Volt program has been crucial to its acceptance and needs to continue, but I don’t think it needs more advertising at this time.
The marketing effort is just beginning, though I’m a little concerned with the stuff I’m seeing so far. As multiple folks have mentioned, the early adopters will do the majority of Volt marketing- so I’d like to see less songwriting and more focus not only on making a great car but also ensuring the buying, infrastructure, and ownership process is as good as possible.
There will be a need for some strategic marketing to keep the momentum going once the first wave of pent-up demand has been worked through- but if those early folks don’t have a good experience, all the marketing in the world isn’t going to help. And in the meantime, forgoing traditional marketing in favor of engaging the EV community will help mitigate the period of tension we’re in: excited that cars are coming, but frustrated that it’s still going to be a while.
Dec 6th, 2009 (6:03 pm)evchels,
You really have a strong point regarding customer education. In fact, that might be the hardest job for the sales rep to explain, as well as the customer to comprehend (everything they need to comprehend).
Here is exactly where early adopters could help immensely. As launch date approaches, the task will not be to sell the Volt, but, whomever comes into the Chevy Store when it’s available, well, will have to be given seminars or more formal instructions than is given nowadays for ICE.
That is truly an involved sales task regarding informed consent, (even though they think they “just want it”). Your one point on that truly brings about a need to have early adopters even possibly be made aware that lots of people might seek them out and, out of sincere interest, just regular passers-by asking lots of involved questions for awhile.
Dec 6th, 2009 (6:24 pm)It looks like Opel will not only offer the Ampera, but possibly a BEV..
http://www.autonews.com/article/20091206/COPY01/312069984/1261
Dec 6th, 2009 (6:48 pm)Not really. What keeps the catalytic-converter from cooling? Think about where it’s located in most vehicles, especially with respect to air exposure. Does Volt use some clever new approach?
Prius continues to circulate, transferring warmth from the coolant directly to the emissions system. That’s how it is able to get away with longer engine-off driving opportunities and still retain the PZEV rating.
Dec 6th, 2009 (7:20 pm)Most of the commercials for Toyota are for the Prius, this brings the curious into the Toyota show rooms, and most like results in the sale of one of the other models. Foot traffic through the show room is what sells cars. The Volt would do the same so, GM keep advertising the Volt. Like Toyota they will generate sales from the foot traffic looking at other less expensive models.
Dec 6th, 2009 (7:34 pm)Here’s an idea for a Best Car Win survey. Line up several GM cars with several from competitors. Include the Volt. Give the participants several price cards. These will read: $16k-18k, 19k-21k, all the way up to 58k-60k. Ask the participants to place the cards on the cars. Match the perceived prices with the actual. See if the Best Car Wins.
=D~
Dec 6th, 2009 (8:05 pm)The new CEO is basically correct.
Look at history:
Back in the early 80’s Osborne Computers was selling the Osborne1 computer then they started advertising the Osborne Executive which was not shipping and sales for the Osborne1 dropped to nothing. The company collapsed and went out of business.
Obviously GM has been pushing service and maintenance for the dealerships but in the end they need new sales.
It’s a very tough market right now and there is a strong possibility that America could go into a double dip recession if the Administration cant create jobs and drum up sales here and abroad.
We should be working with the South Koreans they seem to have found success with Samsung, Hyundai and KIA in this market plus they are competing against China and succeeding. Thats a Democracy we should all be proud of.
Dec 6th, 2009 (8:12 pm)I was referring to the BAS hybrid as low tech.
As for their mistake in not doing a purpose-built hybrid, the Fusion hybrid gets good press and sells decently. As does the Escape. It’s just like any other car on the road: there must be a case for it or no one will buy it.
Dec 6th, 2009 (8:16 pm)The new CEO is basically correct.
GM needs to keep pushing better gas mileage and has to bring a small turbo diesel to the US market now.
They cant keep playing it safe and say the US market is not ready. They need a visionary at the helm and willing to take these risks. Nobody needs to be on a backlog for a diesel when gas prices are $5 a gallon and the manufacture cannot produce the car fast enough. They need to build their infrastructure now even if its a few small cars per dealership since the dealership needs time to garner understanding of the technology.
Dec 6th, 2009 (8:17 pm)Dan Petit writes, “With 53 or so kilowatts, you can do lots of great things in just 10 minutes of engine/genset runtime for those really extreme cold situations.”
My commute takes 7 minutes. Shall I start the car three minutes ahead of time to give it a chance to warm up by the time I arrive at the office?
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:09 pm)The converter is in the exhaust manifold, so GM already thought of that (used since around Y2K). And, after shut down, the temperature ramp up continues when graphed on the Genisys Scan system for all engines (all OEM software & OEM factory bidirectional tests are in a Genisys). Stationary coolant acquires more latent heat from the combustion chamber heat which is still penetrating through the cylinder head metal.
Prius software is for the Prius as far as circulation is concerned for the entirely different technical tasking related to it. Prius is not an EREV. The software (still not finalized in the first place) for EREV is entirely dedicated to a completely different array of technologies not at all comparable to the old Prius software.
I run scans several times a day when I teach auto technicians.
You can get an idea of my job if you google:
Dan Petit Texas DPS Genisys Waveform Seminars.
I am an ASE-Examined L-1 Advanced Engine Systems Educator.
I have taught 539 technicians in the last 4 and a half years/162 independent shops here in Austin (of the 1800 or so service facilities located within 50 miles). (Lots more work to do).
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:17 pm)Hey dagwood55.
I’ll bet that a Volt could be perfectly warmed up before you even get into it before your commute. Because it really doesn’t take a lot of wattage to keep or bring up an engine block to very warm (with an inexpensive block heater) when plugged in (especially for the safety of clear windsheilds and the comfort of a pre-programmed toasty interior, plugged in.)
And, the cubic feet of space in the Volt isn’t all that much compared to, say, a five foot by ten foot by five foot space to be gently heated by perhaps a small ceramic heating element when it is plugged in. All pre-programmable on the HVAC portion of the display if that is how GM wants to do it.
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:21 pm)While the talk about advertising, etc. is all good, I am detecting some undercurrents that just might not be so good. 1) Are they going to “test the market” by raising prices? That would scare me a bunch. At $40K I nearly choke, but I have been hooked. But remember the phrase “what the market will bear”.
2) This is coming from dealerships. I’ll bet that GM is heavy into trying to qualify their dealers and pick dealers (it might just be losers that are not going to get allocation that are complaining).
3) Maybe as people who are enthusiastic about the Volt there is something we can do to support the dealers, like talk to friends about cars that might not be our first choice but get good mileage, etc. If we were to do this by letting the local dealer know by email and that we are doing it BECAUSE of our interest in the Volt and that it is spilling over into related GM products, then maybe they will see the Volt as an ally of the rest of their products.
- Of course if this resistence is coming from dealers that have been turned down for Volt deliveries, it might be hard to get through to them.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:23 pm)vincent said:
“The dealer expressing concerns needs to learn how to sell the inventory he has and be thankful that we all bailed out his business. Thankful that he is still in the business.
Thankful the Volt is coming and just be quiet.
If he cant get the job done with zero interest he needs to flip hamburgers.”
No one has bailed out the dealers. GM yanked the contracts on thousands of dealers at the beginning of this year during their “re-alignment”.
__________________________________
Lee said:
“I have only seen advertising on main-stream vehicles (and a lot of it). I have seen none on Volt .”
I have to agree. GM has come out with more TV ads over the last 6 months, though I would prefer ads showing the vehicles in motion with some exciting background music… more than just football heroes with a lot of talk. They are good commercials, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t see a strong response to the ads. Personally, I think the VOLT should be the tag line for all Chevy ads: “The 2010 Chevy ______, brought to you by the developers of the VOLT.”
__________________________________
DonC said:
“Dealers are sales guys, and sales guys are not known for their big picture thinking.”
Nah. We do see the forest for the trees. We’re just frustrated over the entire chain of events that continues to feed the cycle of unemployment and with it, continued slow sales.
The VOLT may well represent the best that GM is capable of, but the public needs to be informed that they do make great cars already: Corvette, Camaro, CTS, Equinox, Envoy, and more are coming…!
__________________________________
GM continues to suffer from BAD TIMING.
I just hopes it ends soon.
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:24 pm)OT:
Looks like Ford’s got a Prius beater. **
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Econetic
http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Ford-Focus-1.6-TDCi-109-S/S-ECOnetic-2010/245485/
**smaller, diesel, probably never see it stateside, roughly 55mpg on the u.s. cycle combined (my estimate), not much cheaper (maybe 10%) than Prius, but still ……
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:43 pm)Seems to me that ads that feature the technology and engineering of the Volt and make a point to the qualities and features of the current products would be a good way to leverage the attention of the Volt. And maybe the dealers would then see the immediate benefit of the Volt.
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:45 pm)I hope so. I want to buy it cheaper.
+1
Dec 6th, 2009 (9:54 pm)I can see why dealers are getting grumpy. The ads, press coverage, and interviews about the Volt do nothing – NOTHING – to sell Chevy car models on their sales lots today. But even if GM hits the airwaves hard with ads for their existing products, it will not do much good.
Let’s face facts – Honda and Toyota have a lock on public perception of quality. Many prople believe Honda and Toyota are higher quality than a Chevy. Kia and Hyundai have a lock on the low price car segment. Chevy has neither quality or low price, in most consumer opinions.
Personally, I would hate to be a Chevy salesman right now. Hour after hour, day after day of waiting for a customer to buy SOMETHING, for crying out loud. And dealerships cannot make payroll, pay for lights, heat, etc. without income from sales. Their message to GM – “Please, do something to help us sell the cars on our lots. We can’t sell cars that don’t exist. If you don’t help us, we’re not going to be here when the Volts finally are shipped to us”.
My solution? Let Gm put their money where their mouth is. 10 year or 100,000 mile warranty on the drive train, AND a 50,000 mile warranty, bumper to bumper, on everything else except wear items (tires, wiper blades, belts, hoses). Call it the GM No-Hassle warranty. If GM REALLY wants to impress us, make the bumper to bumper warranty 70,000 miles.
This worked wonderfully for Hyundai back in 1999, when all they had was a breakdown-prone, really crappy car called the Excel. My brother has the misfortune to drive one, until the electrical wiring harness caught fire and melted. Now, their quality is touted in various car magazines.
This would work for GM, too – if GM has the guts to believe in their own product. A warranty, for a car with no problems, costs the company nothing. OK, GM – it’s put-up or shut-up time. You say GM cars are quality cars? You want me to buy one today? You say that I will have years of trouble-free driving if I buy one? OK, put that it writing – in warranty form. If GM doesn’t believe it their cars, why should anyone else.
C’mon GM – time to step up. Will GM walk the walk, or just continue to talk the talk? Your dealers need you. Now.
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:10 pm)I think that there is only this one more Winter/slow sales time period for Chevy Stores to get past, the next 90 days.
I think March will see adequate sales, starting off with commercial fleet sales firstly. This is because of the widespread decrepid condition of about 35% of all the commercial fleet trucks that I see in the independent service bays. Neglected or omitted or severely-overdue scheduled maintenance (due to the previous years’ downturn), has really set up this situation which will hit fully when the Spring and Summertime temperatures next year hit these worn-out vehicles especially hard.
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:24 pm)You got to be kidding or blind! GM has been hitting the airways with plenty of advertisements on current models.
Cook Chevrolet most likely is having a hard time getting sales and is unhappy and will leap out at any opportunity to muster more advertising out of GM. Auto shows are the place where new technology should be shown, the appropriate venue for the Volt.
Look, Cook Chevrolet is in Michigan, one of the states with the highest unemployment.
I don’t agree with your conclusion that it won’t do much good. Everything I hear from friends and acquaintances about Chevrolet models has been positive.
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
Dec 6th, 2009 (10:53 pm)Why would I want to buy a Malibu (VHS) today when I could save my money and by a Volt (Blue Ray DVD) a year from now. Unless I’m offered a special 2009/2010 owner appreciation deal when the Volt becomes available.
NPNS!
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:37 pm)Sounds like a damn good idea to me.
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:39 pm)The Grump writes, “My solution? Let Gm put their money where their mouth is. 10 year or 100,000 mile warranty on the drive train, AND a 50,000 mile warranty, bumper to bumper, on everything else except wear items (tires, wiper blades, belts, hoses). Call it the GM No-Hassle warranty. If GM REALLY wants to impress us, make the bumper to bumper warranty 70,000 miles.”
GM hears that all the time. They ignore it.
The Grump writes, “Will GM walk the walk, or just continue to talk the talk? Your dealers need you. Now.”
GM believes that, if they talk up quality enough, people will believe them.
Bob Lutz, not too long ago, said, “People ask us, ‘Where’s your 100K mile warranty?’ I tell them, we HAVE a 100K mile warranty!”
All Bob chooses to hear is the 100K part. He knows it’s a shell game they’re playing, that most buyers hit the 5-year mark long before they come near the 100K, but he doesn’t believe the vehicle quality is really there, so they can’t make the 10 year offer.
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:45 pm)#81 Corvetteguy “They are good commercials, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t see a strong response to the ads. Personally, I think the VOLT should be the tag line for all Chevy ads: “The 2010 Chevy ______, brought to you by the developers of the VOLT.””
and
“The VOLT may well represent the best that GM is capable of, but the public needs to be informed that they do make great cars already: Corvette, Camaro, CTS, Equinox, Envoy, and more are coming…!”
This draws the Volt into a complimentary relationship with current products. And in my judgement GM has a darn lot of good engineering in it’s portfolio. But I really do want a Volt. Well, in times past I HAVE dreamt of a Corvette, but the Volt is it for now.
Dec 6th, 2009 (11:47 pm)Just switched IE8 into compatibility mode for GM-Volt.com. The looping problem seems to have been taken care of by that.
Dec 7th, 2009 (12:14 am)55 divided by 1.25 to account for the energy density of diesel won’t beat the Prius’ 50 MPG.
Dec 7th, 2009 (12:20 am)GM has really pumped up its advertising, both in old media (TV) and in new media (internet). I’m sure it’s helping but how much I have no idea. My guess is not a whole bunch.
I disagree that the Volt has no effect on sales for current cars. GM needs mindshare, and the Volt is probably the best way for it to get some. The problem is that once you have mindshare you have to have the right models to translate that mindshare into sales.
Dec 7th, 2009 (2:39 am)Hmmm,
I wiki’d Ed Whiteacre and he sees to be a merger merchant from way back.
While his time at Bell South was prolonged I cant help feeling he is at GM for a quick fix and exit..
We do cry over ossified and inflexible organisations when it suits but while they are winning we are happy, after all , what do we think of IBM or Boeing? A little ossified and inflexible but mountains of cash?
Will he do the Volt much harm? Probably not, i think we can imagine $3,00US per US gallon by end of 2010 and a Gen 3 voltec that is rapidly lowering the costs.
The project is right on course…row faster please…
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:14 am)Here I am, down around 96 or so, so I doubt you’ll ever read this, but what I meant by that was that buyers aren’t impressed by executive changes. It doesn’t sell cars, it only makes the company look weak. What impresses people and gets them to buy is great product. Sad to think that all the folks running the place don’t seem to be on board with that basic premise and can’t work together to achieve that.
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:26 am)My thoughts exactly. Without one whit of advertising, the Volts should sell within hours of delivery well into 2012. They can worry about marketing it then once they are able to finally make enough of them to meet the demand that’s already there.
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:26 am)Nothing sells itself. In fact most people don’t know that much about hybrids and even less about electric cars. Electric cars won’t be an easy sell if the purchaser doesn’t understand a little bit about them. It’s not that car owners wont understand, its more that they are apprehensive about new technologies, particularly the Volt which has never been done before. GM will be asking the public to trust them to get it right, but that doesn’t come without heavy brainwashing err…advertizing.
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:28 am)Dav8or,
You have a nice angle, “sudden changes of senior management only look like weakness”.
Consider Apple who are desperate to maintain Steve Jobs as CEO in spite of his state of health.
But then, they have mountains of cash…
Whitacre’s act makes GM look a bit desperate…but they may be trying to make GM attractive to a buyer…
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:19 am)Hi Dave,
That is exactly what I’m doing now, I will keep my Astra and my Corsa and NOT buy a new car until I could drive an Ampera, … or a Bluecar … or a Renault-Nissan EV. The new Astras and Insignas are fantastic products but they are ICE only … so no for me nor for my family (at large, they also are waiting).
Regards,
JC NPNS
Dec 7th, 2009 (8:16 am)There is something going on at the Hamtramck plant today having to do with preparations for starting production of Volt. The governor is supposed to be there. Fritz H. was scheduled to be there before his departure. Not sure exactly what it is, but it was on the local news last night at 11PM.
Dec 7th, 2009 (9:32 am)I for one run my car till it dies. My 2002 Alero 2.2l 5 speed has 260,000 miles and still going strong. I could only achieve 36.666 MPG once but a Diesel last a long long time. The Prius is basically two cars and will not go 200,000 miles like todays 4 cyl. gas engines. Diesels are know to go 3-500,000 miles. Thats something I am interested in 40-60 MPG with the newest technolgy and longevity.
Dec 7th, 2009 (12:01 pm)Right! +1
Dec 7th, 2009 (12:04 pm)That’s what we’re doing as well. BTW, did you see my comment about the Belgian Grand Prix poster? Actually, I went back and checked and it was 1898, not 1908 as I had thought.
Dec 7th, 2009 (12:14 pm)Yeah, I’m blind. I didn’t see the 24 hour all-Chevy, all the time channel that you apparently watch on my Comcast channel guide. On the channels that I watch, Chevy ads are as scarce as hen’s teeth. FYI, I abandoned the major TV networks ABC, CBS, and NBC for cable. I tried increasing the brightness while watching the news with Peter Jennings, but it didn’t work. He’s just as stupid and clueless as ever. (LOL) But I digress…
GM needs to help the dealers now. Honda, Toyota, Kia, and Hyundai ate GM’s lunch during “cash for clunkers”, and the trend is continuing. Gm must do something, and just talking about quality isn’t working any more. A huge warranty would do wonders for sales.
Oh, I forgot – they can just get more taxpayer money to stay afloat. Never mind, GM. Just keep talking about quality – someone’s bound to believe it sooner or later. And with taxpayer money, there will always be a “later”. GM, after all, is too big to fail – or is it?
Dec 7th, 2009 (2:14 pm)OMG! WTF!? Will the dealers never change? Do they not get it?!
Quote: “We want to sell Malibus, Impalas and pickup trucks in December.” from a Chevy dealer in Michigan.
Yes, I understand that they want to sell all those to make $, but don’t they see that their customer base is shifting away from those big comfy gas guzzling mid class sedans?
They should be grateful that people bailed them out; they could have been bankrupt & in ruins right now if the bail out didn’t happen. Frankly speaking, they should be focusing on how they can turn the VOLT momentum in their favour by showing off their newest high MPG cars like the Cruze or Equinox, not complaining how Malibus, Impalas, and pickup trucks are not getting favorable spotlights. They should get it into their ever THICK skull that no matter how much money GM throws at advertising those, consumers will likely ignore those ads or even take further negative views of GM.
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:39 pm)What’s that in the background to Mr. Whitacre’s right? Please tell me it’s a Voltec light delivery vehicle! Please, please, please!!
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