GM's hot products selling out

[mikeyb]

All the available production for Pontiac's Solstice, Saturn's Sky and Chevrolet's Corvette is sold out for 2006, according to General Motors product czar Bob Lutz. Citing the fast-selling sports cars as evidence that GM is fully capable of building vehicles that people want to buy, Lutz also pointed to Chevy's successful HHR as another new vehicle that's selling well without big incentives. HHR annual production has more than doubled (to 132,000 units) to meet demand.

In a speech to the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce earlier this week, Lutz took a swipe at everyone from President Bush ("GM is going to have to learn to compete.") to Fortune Magazine ("In product design, [GM] lost the magic long ago.") by pointing to the success of GM's latest "awful, boring products"-- not only its sports cars, but also its new SUVs and the Chevy Impala, which is the third-best selling car in the U.S. at 250,000 units per year.
[Source: GM]

 

[Captain KRM P5]

doesn't even begin to resolve thier labor/union/healthcare problems, surging debt, junk bond status, contractual obligations to delphi and the presence of way too many brands and models. so four cars from three of thier 7+ brands are selling well - whoop dee do.

 

[Roywhitep5]

its weird how we all fully expected the hhr to bomb, but it is doing really well

 

[Kansei]

Congrats for letting your union control you to the point that you can't increase production to meet demand for your only hot sellers, and at the same time you are forced to build too many of the cars that don't sell well.

Bravo to GM for letting the s*** union get away with an incredible package though. Instead of getting fired, if they shut down a plant you get to go to "work" every day and sit in a room 9-5 watching TV or something unless they have something for you to do, and you can take classes and stuff. Oh yeah, and while you are sitting in a room 9-5 making your entire normal salary without having to do any of the work, they bar you from getting any other job INCLUDING 0-pay community service.

 

[warrier04]

so they sell a few good cars out of many that they produce. there's still no light at the end of the tunnel w/ unions in place. they need to go bankrupt, then drop the unions, and then make a resurgence, like the airline industry.

 

[MP5cd]

Unions are sending jobs east.You do not have to pay someone $25.00 hr to place a switch, or tighten a screw.There cost off living is 1/10 of America, health care 0.
GM Ford Chrysler have been selling junk uninspiring cars,gass guzzling trucks, up until the east came to town.Know they are scrambling to stay afloat.GM deserves what THEY have created.Curent new models, 80% off the shelf old pieced parts.There curent do gooders, mostly only aply to about 10% of population,Pontiac's Solstice, Saturn's Sky and Chevrolet's Corvette.
Need to make Accents and Echos, not Cavalier look alikes Cobalts.I actualy drove the G6, feels,sounds,drives like my 10 yr old v6 GrandAM.
GM to little to late.RIP

 

[romecandleboy]

The thing I find hard to believe is that people are buying the Solstice/Sky without ever driving, let alone sitting in one.

 

[spacemonkey]

I would be interested exactly how many units sold out and whats their profit margin off those cars. I mean its hard to not sell out 3,000 units or whatever (if its small).

I know GM would rather sell more Cobalts then Vettes.


just doesnt seem right...average american doesnt really want a sports car. Average american wants a good daily driver.

Sales of those are nowhere near what Toyota sells in one week. Or how many Camarys/corolla will be sold.

 

[Mallard]

I would be interested exactly how many units sold out and whats their profit margin off those cars. I mean its hard to not sell out 3,000 units or whatever (if its small).

I know GM would rather sell more Cobalts then Vettes.


just doesnt seem right...average american doesnt really want a sports car. Average american wants a good daily driver.

Sales of those are nowhere near what Toyota sells in one week. Or how many Camarys/corolla will be sold.

Well there were 13,000 Solstices on order when production began. The first year of production was only half a year and about 7,000 cars with 20,000 to follow this year. A year and a half of production sold before they even hit dealer lots. The Sky is the same way. Some dealers are completely sold out of their 2006 allocation. I ordered mine the day after New Years and I may not have it until Sept/Oct. The people first on the list that were delivered in March had ordered theirs about a year and a half ago.