The Current Generations Take On Us Vehicles

MikeNH · August 21, 2011

Lack of brand loyalty or even seeing cars as something more than an appliance is the fault of some of today's parents. If daddy just buys an Accord because its reliable and practical, why is it any surprise when his kids do the same?

tonygxp · August 21, 2011

There are only a handful of cars out there with full leather seats.....hyundais sure arent one of them. The gm leather seats have more real leather on them than most fords, dodge, audi, bmw, mercedes, and kia's....Gm just seems to be the only manufacurer that tells you they are not 100% leather.
There is no brand loyalty with the younger buyers. Look at the choices they are faced with: Hmmm... Should I buy the Silverado with lint collecting interior or leather "seating surfaces" for 40k or buy the Kia with cooled leather seats for 25k?

The US manufactures can't compete until they start making quality products at a fair price. They have a long way to go.

any proof to back that up? or is this perception and speculation? i recently owned a Hyundai Genesis sedan (V8) and the leather in that car far exceeded my Yukon Denali and even my 2007 Cadillac i purchased new back then. Both of which might i add are heads and shoulders better than the leather that's in the Silverado/Sierra (non denali). I would just like to hear where the merits come from when you make a statement (factual) about the different mfr's and their "leather use content"????

PS. i just purchased a '11 Durango and i have to say GM Lambda's better do something because this RWD biased ML/Grand Cherokee based SUV is very nice and filled with tech options. Between the Acadia Denali and the Durango the wife wanted nothing to do with the Acadia after sitting in it and driving one and she has spent the last three years "dying" for an acadia lol..

mwatters · August 21, 2011

Although playing catchup, GM had made great strides over the past two years. I believe Gen Y wants to buy domestic - but they have to be able to justify it as worth their money. GM is working hard on that - let's not count them out yet.

jro909 · August 22, 2011

i can say that i am mildly brand bias, if i can't find a GM vehicle that fits my needs then i'll look at the other two american companys...reason being i like trucks over cars any day of the week and the american companys will always dominate that market hell we made it...i respect some things other countrie's brands bring to the market...europe has luxary, italy gave us crazy super cars...japan gave us quick nimble 4 bangers..and so on but to this generation isen't brand biased is rubbish, we are just like any other generation our fathers or parents passed on the likeing of a brand...or some of our memorys involve a brand like for me i remeber riding in my grandma's old boat of a caprice...people buy cheap now because of the economy, wether its kia,hyundai or whatever but those people deep down inside wish they had something better..in the end people will choose a brand, try it, and if it burns them they will move on to another brand until they find that car that was good to them, then they are hooked

ChevyTech77 · August 22, 2011

Im sure they realize the problem, but they have gotten deep into the unions and way overpay employees to put these things together resulting in either high selling costs or cheaping out on materials.If they could get all the plants filled with employees making wages like the foreign manufacturers they would be leaps and bounds ahead in pricing and profits

Great blanket statement from 1998 but it doesn't hold it's water today.

PS. i just purchased a '11 Durango and i have to say GM Lambda's better do something because this RWD biased ML/Grand Cherokee based SUV is very nice and filled with tech options. Between the Acadia Denali and the Durango the wife wanted nothing to do with the Acadia after sitting in it and driving one and she has spent the last three years "dying" for an acadia lol..

And while I am GM threw and threw, I too would GLADLY buy my girl a new JGC over a GM Lambada platform as well but it isn't because of the interior. It's because GM no longer builds a mid-sized suv anymore. I want her to have a CAPABLE 4WD/AWD system in case she really needs it. Just like her current '04 JGC has. Plus her uncle just bought an Overland JGC and tossed me the keys for a test drive. He didn't check the box for the Hemi but checked every other box that he could and all I can say is........VEEEEERRRRRRY NICE.

csheatz · November 6, 2011

I have to agree that the union autoworker will put us 6' under. there needs to be changes!

However I am 28 and have been working at a tier one supplier for 10 years. Although we supply parts to GM, BMW, VW, and other manuf. I am loyal to GM, and other american auto makers. My first car was an Acura (parents thought this would be great) after blowing it up I bought my own S10(90?), then a cavaler (92)(sp?), 83 trans am, 99 grand am, 2001 blazer, 2006 silverado. my wife had a ford when we started dateing that soon became a 2005 sunfire that I now drive to and from work everyday and has 180k on it. She just got a 2011 ford edge, I was not even interested in looking at a Ford but have since had a liking to the edge. I love every thing about it! The dealer has tried to get me to trade in the silverado for a F150, yeah I took one for a drive and returned it saying I will stick with my chevy (or a new dodge powerwagon ). When my sunfire dies i will looking to used cobalt or cruize.

Does that count for Loyal to GM? I have had no reason to think different!

gonad · November 6, 2011

Brand loyalty has to be won and then kept.

It will make you look at this brand first but you should also keep an open mind to what others brands are doing.

As for price this is based on what the manufacture can get away with and I feel has little to do with cost of manufacturing.

I would like to know the real cost of building a small car as to a large truck. Just because it's bigger does not mean it cost more to make.

Why is a diesel truck so much more than a gas truck, I can under stand a small price difference but anything from $10,000 to $20,000 come on that's just taking the pi**.

Don't only blame the unions there is a lot of poor management out there.

unit731 · November 7, 2011

Lack of brand loyalty or even seeing cars as something more than an appliance is the fault of some of today's parents. If daddy just buys an Accord because its reliable and practical, why is it any surprise when his kids do the same?

Agreed.

Price though is a great factor. I purchased my first Chevrolet Chevette new for $2,556.00 delivered. GM gave up on the Chevette. Then gave up on small cars allocating to GEO brand which just confused the general public. Then dumped the GEO brand. Chrysler dumped the Omni/Horizon. And if you go way back the Vega was a disaster. The Pinto was OK but nothing like a Toyota/Datsun.

For some reason US manufacturers don't like to make small cars that are any good. Times are changing presently. Quality is way up. Now it goes to the Marketing people. Toyota viewed their demographics and saw that the Toyota customers were aging. Toyota mobilized their marketing and they came up with the Scion. A sub-brand inside a Toyota store.

GM has got to Market cars and trucks. The Colorado/Canyon has almost zero marketing and advertising.

Price is one thing. Marketing is another. The US manufacturers have to create the perception that young people want their products.