spwolf

I said Toyota because I searched for Toyota plant pics in the US.





You might be right about Lexus plant, but Rav4 plant also does not require uniforms... they probably do require certain type of clothing but not strict uniform.

Infra

iTrader: (1)

Perhaps, but consistent dress has been shown to create a sense of team involvement. What you wear alters your behavior as well as others perception of you.

Vh_Supra26

iTrader: (1)

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...low-sales.html

Vh_Supra26

iTrader: (1)

X2, I have seen it first hand having worked at places that make workers wear uniforms vs where works are allowed to wear their own personal clothing.

Toys4RJill

Not surprised at all, GM still struggles to sell cars.

mmarshall

I have to agree with Joeb427. Good work comes from a person's body, mind, and brain, not their clothes or uniform. A uniform, yes, may give a sense of team involvement, but that means little if the "team" is a group of substandard workers.

LexBob2

It's surprising that inventories are building on the Impala given all of the positive reviews and media buzz on the car. The Verano and Sonic have been on the market a while, so not too surprising that sales are leveling off on them. Caddy is too aggressive on pricing with their new models like the ATS, CTS and XTS. I'm seeing a lot of deep discounts on them to help move the inventory.

At least GM is taking action on the situation with all of these models.

Toys4RJill

I'm not surprised that the Impala is struggling, GM forever has been trying to get people to view the Impala as a car that can compete with the like of Toyota Camrys or Ford Fusions. The Impala is a GM fanboys wet dream, but not for competing shoppers. As for the Cadillac's, try as they might, Cadillac just can't get the public to view their new cars in the same view as the top tier luxury brands. The Escalade with its slick style and smooth ride is different.

mmarshall

Impala sales seem to have little to do with the fact that it is such an excellent product, at least in the new 2014 version, compared to the previous rental-grade models. Its biggest problem in the marketplace seems to be that Buick LaCrosse sales are so firmly entrenched that people aren't noticing that the Impala (which is done on the same platform) actually offers as good or better product for the same or less money. I've driven and reviewed both, and, to me, the new Impala is actually more pleasant to drive.....Consumer Reports agrees.

tex2670

Personally, I think it speaks to the fact that positive reviews and "media buzz" are just lost on the average car shopper. I just don't think the average shopper does a significant amount of "research" before buying. They see what a friend or neighbor has, or they "know" Honda/Toyota/Lexus/BMW/Fill in the Blank Brand is a "good" car, and that's what they get.

tex2670

This is *exactly* what I'm trying to say--people have their perceptions, biases and opinions of a brand or a model. Why is the LaCrosse "entrenched"? Because Buick buyers want another Buick; they don't want a Chevy; Chevy is step down from Buick, and they don't want that. Never mind that the Impala is as good, or better. Perception is reality--the GM brands have had gradations for decades, and you can't just expect that a top notch Impala debuts, and people are going to suddenly be clamoring for it. Consumer behavior doesn't work that way.

Look as a comparison at JC Penney -- they decided to do away with all the coupon clipping, and just have low prices all the time. That almost killed the company. People didn't "want" to shop there and always get the best price? (Wha????). No they "felt" better scrounging around for coupons, and having the store mark up prices, just to discount them for coupon holders. It's not logical, but that's consumer behavior.

Given each brand's history, just making a good car isn't enough these days.

Toys4RJill

The Impala as good as it might be is not going to change any consumer behaviour. The car is a tough sell, sort of the like the Avalon. Sales can slow very quickly. Almost to a halt near year end.

Strange thing about the Impala is that I hear it is supposed to be "incredible" but when I dig into some of the professional reviews, the car appears to be "good" or "very good" and quite incredible. Even Car and Driver suggested that the Impala could use a new interior.

I look at the interior and I think it is a mess up front, autoblog thinks it is a home run.

mmarshall

Yes, you have a point. One of the reasons why the LaCrosse goes like hotcakes now is that they picked up many of the former Lucerne buyers....at least those that didn't hang on to their old cars. And, yes, as you say, brand-loyalty can be a tough nut to crack. Except with Cadillac, the former DTS buyers seem to be gravitating as much (or more) to the new CTS now as to the XTS.

Don't want to get too far off-topic, but I do a lot of shopping myself at J.C. Penneys, particularly for my clothes (and for gifts for others as swell), since they have a reasonably-priced Big & Tall Men's department....something of a rarity these days. Trust me on those coupons, though......if you know what you were doing and keep your eyes open, you can save a LOT of money. Penny's allows you to use the coupons in addition to the already-discounted sales prices. A number of times, I've checked out a brand-new pair of slacks, shirt, sport-coat, or even shoes for as little as $10....decent stuff, not junk. And if you put it on a Penney's credit-account, you get even more discounts.

Yep. You can lead a horse to water, but................

mmarshall

The Impala's interior is not a home run, but easily gets to third base. The awkward-looking upper-center dash piece, awkward manual-shift-button on top of the shift-lever, and flimsy flip-cubby-cover work against it....just as the flimsy wobbly console-*****, paper-thin glove door, and stiffer-than-necessary suspension works agains thet Avalon. But that doesn't mean that the Impala doesn't give one his or her money's worth....it certainly does.

tex2670

I guess it's all subjective, because I think the Impala looks way better than the LaCrosse. I haven't compared them feature-to-feature, but if the equipment was the same, I'd absolutely get the Impala over the LaCrosse.