[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by JerTM

I could be wrong, but I thought GM stopped selling rental fleet vehicles a year or more ago.

GM significantly reduced rental fleet volume. A lot of this was done by simply not deep discounting fleet purchases and/or not producing specific content for fleet only. Rental car companies can still buy whatever GM vehicles they want, they just don’t get huge discounts for them. That’s why in Florida, California, and Hawaii you can actually rent a Camaro SS convertible. But the rental car company would not have gotten a big discount to buy them.

[JerTM]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

GM significantly reduced rental fleet volume. A lot of this was done by simply not deep discounting fleet purchases and/or not producing specific content for fleet only. Rental car companies can still buy whatever GM vehicles they want, they just don’t get huge discounts for them. That’s why in Florida, California, and Hawaii you can actually rent a Camaro SS convertible. But the rental car company would not have gotten a big discount to buy them.

This makes more sense. I must have misread it a few years back, always thought that was a bad idea.

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

Impala has already run longer than originally intended. The original plan was for Chevrolet to have two sedans in the portfolio. Cruze and Malibu. And that was BEFORE the bottom dropped out on sedans. Notice that Malibu has continued to get larger, to the point that it is almost the same size as Impala. That’s because Impala was s’posed to go away. It’s a fuel economy thing. Malibu is 100% 4-cylinder now and gets better fuel economy than Impala. This was planned in order to address fuel economy regulations.


Exactly.

Actually I heard two versions of this. The version that I remember was that Malibu was to eventually take the place as the top sedan in sales, and that Chevrolet was to develop a flagship rear wheel drive sedan akin to Chrysler's 300 and Charger. I believe this was the thought process before GM suffered hard times in '04 and in '08. Some other events happened as well. Chevy was trying to figure out what to do with Malibu before '08, and somehow the Impala seemed to be a fairly good volume seller (prior generation). The Malibu had a good re-birth in '08, but Chevy held onto the Impala way too long and essentially wore out its place in the regular car sales market.

Now, it seems that the sedan market has shrunk to only one legitimate sedan in the line-up.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

Impala has already run longer than originally intended. The original plan was for Chevrolet to have two sedans in the portfolio. Cruze and Malibu. And that was BEFORE the bottom dropped out on sedans. Notice that Malibu has continued to get larger, to the point that it is almost the same size as Impala. That’s because Impala was s’posed to go away. It’s a fuel economy thing. Malibu is 100% 4-cylinder now and gets better fuel economy than Impala. This was planned in order to address fuel economy regulations.....

Originally Posted by lbls1

Actually I heard two versions of this. The version that I remember was that Malibu was to eventually take the place as the top sedan in sales, and that Chevrolet was to develop a flagship rear wheel drive sedan akin to Chrysler's 300 and Charger. I believe this was the thought process before GM suffered hard times in '04 and in '08. Some other events happened as well. Chevy was trying to figure out what to do with Malibu before '08, and somehow the Impala seemed to be a fairly good volume seller (prior generation). The Malibu had a good re-birth in '08, but Chevy held onto the Impala way too long and essentially wore out its place in the regular car sales market.

Now, it seems that the sedan market has shrunk to only one legitimate sedan in the line-up.

Remember in all the discussions about why Camaro disappeared after 2002? When I pointed out that Sigma was a consideration, but that the plant was already oversubscribed with CTS, STS, and SRX and that there were two other programs ahead of Camaro, but those two never happened? Well, you just identified one of them.

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

Remember in all the discussions about why Camaro disappeared after 2002? When I pointed out that Sigma was a consideration, but that the plant was already oversubscribed with CTS, STS, and SRX and that there were two other programs ahead of Camaro, but those two never happened? Well, you just identified one of them.

I hated the fact that the FBody was going away, but luckily the Camaro got a reprieve of sorts. Malibu did well since its reintroduction in '97. It definitely needed upscaling (in 2008). It is a very competent and capable sedan in terms of technology and quality. I kind of felt that it was in peril in '05 with its bland styling and aimless model selection. Malibu's life, however, hasn't been easy and it still has a complex and difficult role to fill. While its sales are brisk, unfortunately it is handily outsold by both Toyota and Honda. Personally I don't feel that the Malibu is a lesser car than its competitors. I feel that Malibu is also fighting against a similar malady that Impala faces; Although it is a better product, the Malibu has had a reputation of being just a filler product and an anonymous fleet sales product. I wouldn't mind it if Malibu continued to grow in stature, but on the other hand it has always been a midsized and affordable alternative for family transportation. It is important that it doesn't lose its focus in its genre.

As for Camaro, its an outstanding product that also has a hard job to fulfill. It is a model that is sometimes misunderstood, but (especially from the 4th generation) it has never disappointed its fans with performance. Chevrolet has a good line-up with competent players; The trick will be to convince all market spectators of its significance as a quality brand.

[GroundhogSS]

Originally Posted by lbls1

As for Camaro, its an outstanding product that also has a hard job to fulfill. It is a model that is sometimes misunderstood, but (especially from the 4th generation) it has never disappointed its fans with performance. Chevrolet has a good line-up with competent players; The trick will be to convince all market spectators of its significance as a quality brand.

We're getting back to those discussions about advertising, and how bad the GM ads are compared to some of the others, such as Dodge.

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by GroundhogSS

We're getting back to those discussions about advertising, and how bad the GM ads are compared to some of the others, such as Dodge.

^I've seen an increase in general with car ads. I believe the mfrs. have re-discovered that ads sell cars. I beleive that GM will really need to turn up the heat on car ads. They were once one of the biggest users of car and magazine ads.

[FenwickHockey65]

Officially dead. Last production unit rolled off the line last week.

[ChevyRules]

Still surprised GM never expanded Voltec technology to other vehicles( yes I’m ignoring the ELR :P ). Sedans may have fallen out of favor, but a Voltec crossover probably would sell decently. It’s still the best transition vehicle for those people who want an electric vehicle for 90% of their daily commute, but be able to take a road trip and not wait hours for a pure electric vehicle to recharge.

[snizzle]

I'm with you. It opens up the possibility for folks that live in areas without the required infrastructure in place yet. It's a brilliant powertrain.

[KMPrenger]

Agree with the above two, as I've said it before. I feel like the Voltec technology is the best option right now. Only thing it could use is a bit more range. Why they decided not to apply this to a Equinox sized CUV boggles my mind. If they had, my wife might be in one right now.

[GroundhogSS]

Totally agree. One of my boys had a Volt. Good car. I feel it is the best compromise powertrain for a hybrid. They should have expanded the product offerings.

[DGthe3]

GM didn't even want to acknowledge what the Volt was. From nearly the beginning, they called it an EV when its defining feature is that it has both a gas engine and a reasonably large battery. So, in calling it an EV with a 40 or 50 mile range they appealed to approximately nobody. The average car buyer knows they need something with more range (and doesn't know there is a gas engine to provide exactly that) so they ignore it. And the EV buyer knows it has a gas engine so they ignore it too. And they did it because calling something a hybrid is apparently a big no-no.

If they had embraced (and touted) the fact that its a hybrid & gone specifically after Prius buyers I'm sure it would have been a lot more successful. Still might not have been enough to save the car though.

Originally Posted by KMPrenger

Agree with the above two, as I've said it before. I feel like the Voltec technology is the best option right now. Only thing it could use is a bit more range. Why they decided not to apply this to a Equinox sized CUV boggles my mind. If they had, my wife might be in one right now.

Speaking of ideas for the Volt, I thought a while ago that it might have been a good idea to offer 2 different battery packs for the Volt. Say 20 or 30 miles on the base model and maybe 60 or so for the other.

The short range one would obviously be a bit cheaper and more efficient when burning gasoline (since it would be lighter). The longer range one would have enough range that it would cover nearly everyones daily needs in any conditions on electricity alone. For a premium.


*edit*


Idea #2


The Volt is an almost ideal platform for trying out new engine types. HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Combustion Ignition, basically a gasoline engine that is designed to run like a diesel) is very efficient, but limited in its operating range. A series hybrid like the Volt gets around that because the engine can pretty much hum along at one specific speed. I've also heard that Wankels could be a lot less problematic if they're used as a generator rather than as a primary engine. At the very least, the apex seals would last a lot longer if the engine rarely runs.

There are others out there too. Configurations that are almost good enough for regular cars, but have a handful of drawbacks that make them just a bit too much of a compromise as a replacement to typical auto-cycle ICE. Use them as a generator for an electric drive and you're golden.

[6spdhyperblue]

Originally Posted by KMPrenger

Agree with the above two, as I've said it before. I feel like the Voltec technology is the best option right now. Only thing it could use is a bit more range. Why they decided not to apply this to a Equinox sized CUV boggles my mind. If they had, my wife might be in one right now.

I feel like everyone was waiting for the suv version so they could actually use it