MASSIVELY OT: Imports and their supposed superiority.

[Thraxz]

Go ahead and delete this if you don't want it around but I read it on another board and really liked it.

OK, kids........

Lately, the press (and others) have had a field day bashing GM. Quite frankly, we’ve been accused of everything short of the Lindberg baby kidnapping. (that will be next week)

As you know, I visit a lot of enthusiast sites. Some are friendly; some are downright rude and crude. Some on various sites make statements that people tend to agree with…..but invariably, they don’t have their facts straight.

If you’re not interested in reading the rest of this, that’s quite all right. But I want to set the record straight on a number of issues.


So..sit back, grab a beverage, and here goes:

STATEMENT: “GM QUALITY SUCKS!”

FACTS:

QUALITY and DEPENDABILITY:

Strategic Vision 2004 Quality Study……..GM and Nissan tied for First.

2004 J.D. Power Award ……Vehicle Dependability Study (bought new – still own 3 years)

GM was number 4 in the industry….highest domestic at 264 problems per hundred……Toyota was at 207, Honda at 210, Porsche at 240.
But…GM was better than these ‘select’ companies

BMW – 264
Nissan – 271
Ford – 275
D Chry – 302
VW -- 366
Hyundai – 375

Consumer Reports:

In 2000, only 11% of our vehicles were rated average or above…….in 2004, it’s 65%.


PLANT AWARD WINNERS;

Number one plant in North America: Oshawa 2 – Buick LaCrosse score of 85
Number two plant in North America: Oshawa 1 – Impala/Monte Carlo score of 89
Number three plant in North America: Hamtramck – DeVille/LeSabre score of 90

The score is based on Problems per 100 vehicles……how does this compare?

Honda – Marysville, OH - score of 94
Toyota – Georgetown KY scorer of 99
Lansing Grand River (STS/CTS) score of 99
Bowling Green, KY (Corvette/XLR) score of 100
Fairfax KS (Malibu and Malibu MAXX) score of 101





Moving on……………..





STATEMENT: “GM DEALERS SUCK…THEIR SALES DEPARTMENTS SUCK AND SO DO THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENTS!”

………..not so fast……………


Satisfaction with Sales Experience:

GM finished 2nd in overall sales satisfaction -- GM is highest ranked multi-divisional manufacturer…and ALL Divisions scored above Industry average. ALL GM Divisions ranked higher than Toyota or Honda.

Satisfaction with Service Experience:

Buick and Cadillac ranked in top 5 and outperformed LEXUS, HONDA, TOYOTA and NISSAN.

All GM Divisions scored above Industry Average and scored above NISSAN, TOYOTA, CHRYSLER AND VW…..they all scored BELOW Industry Average.

SO MUCH FOR GM DEALERSHIPS BEING ‘THE WORST’ AS CLAIMED BY MANY.



STATEMENT: “OH YEAH? WELL MY TOYOTA/HONDA/BMW/MERCEDES IS BUILT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES!”


82% parts in the average GM car or truck are domestic content
At Honda, it’s 49%
At Toyota, it’s 41%
Nissan? 38%
BMW? 11%

(by the way……go look at what the ‘transplants’ pay in taxes….real estate, school, state and federal……you might be surprised……if you’re a teacher and you’re complaining about budgets in you’re driving a Toyota or Honda, SHUT UP!)

GM/Ford/and DCX provide 23.4 jobs per 100 vehicles sold in the United States

The Japanese competitors? 13.3 jobs per 100 vehicles sold in the United States

GM’s capital investment in the United States from 1999 thru 2003 was $20Billion. Toyota’s capital investment from 1980 thru 2003 was $10.7Billion. Nissan’s? 2.8Billion from 1980 thru 2003…Honda? $5.6Billion – ’80 thru ’03.

GM’s contribution to the U.S. Gross National Product (GNP) is 4 times that of Toyota

Every Day, over 1 million North Americans earn their living by helping GM build and sell cars in North America. – Every month, 457,000 retirees and their spouses count on GM for pension checks. More than 1.1 Million people receive health care benefits from GM. A one-point drop in GM market share results in over 18,000 jobs in the United States.



STATEMENT: “GM FUEL ECONOMY SUCKS!”

GM has more car and truck segment fuel economy leaders than ANY manufacturer…a list is on www.gm.com

GM builds 19 car models that get 30mpg or better…..VW builds 14, DCX builds 13, TOYOTA with 12 and Ford with 11.

GM’s West Coast Hybrid Busses save more fuel than ALL Priuses sold in a year.

GM 4WD full size Utilities have the highest fuel economy in the industry

GM V8 pickups have the highest combined fuel economy in the industry

Those of you who have an LS1/LS6/LS2 engine know that incredible performance and fuel economy come out of our small block V8s……..


STATEMENT: THE PONTIAC G6 AND BUICK LACROSSE ARE JOKES….THEY DON’T SELL AND THEIR QUALITY SUCKS!” “THE COLORADO AND CANYON SUCK…NO ONE WANTS EM!” “THE COBALT IS NOTHING BUT A WARMED OVER CAVALIER AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT……IT’LL NEVER SELL”

G6 was the highest quality midsize vehicle in the 10th annual Strategic Vision Quality Study

44% of G6 sales are CONQUEST sales as of April

G6 outsold both the Ford 500 and Mercury Montego combined in April

G6 outsold Grand Am in April (versus 2004)

LaCrosse outsold Century and Regal combined by 7.4% versus 2004

Colorado and Canyon are leading their segment.

43% of Colorado/Canyon sales are CONQUEST sales

Cobalt Sedan sales set to outtrack Cavalier sales by 72K units by year end

Cobalt in April: outsold all of Mitsubishi, all of VW, all of Scion, all of Mazda, Mustang, Focus, and 300.

If you've made it this far......thank you for reading.

There are many other things I need to get off my chest......but I really don't want to drive you crazier than I already have.

Let me just finish with some thoughts:

>Despite what you are reading in the papers......GM has a bright future. I do not want to downplay the problems in which we find ourselves......but remember that the way to turn this company around is PRODUCT!

>We are in the midst of the largest launch of new products this company.....or the world, for that matter....has ever seen.

>Fuel economy will continue to improve......

>Here's some startling info: we get upset at the price of new vehicles and the price of gasoline: well.....in a recent study of Consumer Items as a percent of increase between 1982 and 2005 (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics) take a look at what has increased and by how much:

>New vehicles 38.8%
>Personal care products 53.1%
>Gasoline 61.6%
>Beer/Ale/Malt Beverages at home 76.3%
>Meats 86.4%
>Food away from home 90.8%
>ALL ITEMS 91.3%
>Fish and Seafood 99.4%
>Airline fares 117.7%
>College and tuition costs 359.6%

so........funny, we complain about gas......but I haven't heard a lot about deodorant or beer! (yes, I realize you don't buy 20 gallons of deodorant a week......) but interesting facts none-the-less.

One last thought:

There IS a V8/RWD/affordable performance coupe coming from Chevy. That's all I'll say about that.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I've owned GM vehicles for my last 3 purchases dating back to 1993 (before that, I had A Ford,Huyundai,Dodge, and AMC)
Nothing beats my old 93 S-10 pickup. Put over 150K on it before stuff started breaking. My 99 S-10 was ok, but had a lot of maintenance issues.
My current vehicle is a 2001 Blazer, and in it's warranty period (& out) it has been a nightmare. Currently it has 140K on it, and I'm just waiting for it to die. GM DID make good vehicles, but they are getting outclassed by the Toyotas & Hondas of the world. GM plays a big part in our economy, and I hope they do well. What they REALLY need to do is build vehicles that compete better in cost and durability as the imports. If GM has any of the typical Lazy American work ethic going on at its plants, they are doomed for failure...

 

[Kenneth R.]

and here i thought this was about the superiority of import CDs! bonus tracks!

 

[Anonymous]

and here i thought this was about the superiority of import CDs! bonus tracks!

I thought the exact same thing.

 

[Horus]

It said MASSIVELY OT, so I guess if it's that much off, it can't possibly be about anything musically related.

 

[RequiemX]

A Ford Fusion is made in Mexico. A Toyota Camry is made in TN. Which car is truely foreign? Think about it.

 

[Thraxz]

A Ford Fusion is made in Mexico. A Toyota Camry is made in TN. Which car is truely foreign? Think about it.

You have comprehension problems.

GM/Ford/and DCX provide 23.4 jobs per 100 vehicles sold in the United States

The Japanese competitors? 13.3 jobs per 100 vehicles sold in the United States

 

[RequiemX]

I actually JUST read an article explaining that of the 1 million auto workers in the US, 250,000 are employed by foreign companies. This is even reflected in the number of cars manufactured in the US: 25% are "foreign". It's no secret that a few Ford cars and many GM cars are made in Mexico and Canada.

The move is away from Detroit and towards the south, where labor is cheaper. It costs a LOT of money to transport cars from overseas. Especially the larger ones and trucks. Actually cheaper to make them here.

To automagically assume that "foreign" cars are made overseas and that "domestic" cars are made in the US would be a hasty generalization indeed.

Now, how this is related to the economy and whatever econometric statistics-generation equation used it unknown. So I'm not making any claims along those lines. But as it stands, buying a car from an American automaker doesn't mean you bought a car made in America.

You have comprehension problems.

 

[Thraxz]

True, but when it comes down to it, you're giving more Americans jobs by buying an American brand. You haven't contested that and it effectively negates any arguement saying that you aren't buying a foreign car. Ultimately, it's more foreign than an American car becuase of my above quote.