Auto Spies: Is Beijing keeping Buick alive?

[Reatta Man]

One GM senior staff member said GM is keeping Buick alive because killing it would send the wrong message to China, where it is the #1 brand.

Here's the link:

http://www.autospies.com/news/Is-Beijing-Keeping-Buick-Alive-10733/

[Guest Skyking]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">One GM senior staff member said GM is keeping Buick alive because killing it would send the wrong message to China, where it is the #1 brand.

</div></div>

Now that's a pretty sad statement!! What happened to this country??? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

[Reatta Man]

Skyking,

I think the answer was revealed in a recent episode of "American Muscle Car" that aired on the Speed Channel a few days ago.

In that episode about the infamous Chevy 409, the narrator said "GM realized in the 1950s that to stay on top in sales, they needed to redesign their models every three years."

When was the last time you saw GM (or Ford or Chrysler) redesign a car line every three, four or five years? All we have gotten is a slightly modified grill, a choice of beige or gray interiors and one (maybe two) engine(s) in a GM car line that was usually boring to look at from the first year it was introduced. If we are lucky, we get a redesigned car line every 8-11 years. The only time GM has really moved quickly to redesign a car line is when they finally realized they totally screwed it up the first time, such as with the Pontiac Aztec or the plastic-covered Chevy Avalanche.

Meanwhile, Honda and Toyota are following GM's recipe for sales by making significant visual and functional improvements in their car lines every 3-6 years, while Hyundai (and Kia) keep introducing competitive models that score well in the quality ratings and crash tests.

Of course, GM DID respond with that 5-year warranty--only on the power train, of course. This means that when a customer brings in a 4 1/2 year old GM car or truck with a blown PCM or A/C compressor, and the repair bill is $1,500 or more, they will find out that 5-year warranty is useless becasue those items are not covered...and a new 'never buy another GM car' customer is born.

[Guest Skyking]

You may be right about GM & Ford, but not about Chrysler. Their designs are always changing and still their sales are down. It's imbetted into the Americans that the Asians build better cars and most of these people will not come back. I say "most". I work with a girl who's in sales and always bought Japanese cars. One day she had to give another girl a ride to get her car at a Saturn dealership that was getting an oil change. When she dropped off the girl in front, she noticed a new Saturn Aura parked there. The more she looked at this car, the more she wanted it. She did end up buying it and loves it. She has nothing but praise to say about this car. So who knows, maybe things will change.