GM urges patience as Silverado falls to No. 3
11-26-19, 07:09 AM
#121
Lexus Fanatic
If you spend $70,000 and you get the interior of a $35,000 car, that's not good enough. Maybe good enough to sell at the status quo, but that's not good enough in a market where you're #2 trying to be #1 while simultaneously fending off #3. Even KIA and Hyundai have stepped up their game and cost tens of thousands less. If the cheap Korean car maker is doing better than you are, you're not doing a very good job with your interior.
Kia and Hyundai do not even market a true BOF pickup in the American market....though Hyundai is currently working on a model that is somewhat similiar to the Honda Ridgeline. Not only that, but it is a reasonable assumption that if they do introduce something competitive with Big Three full-sizers, it will not cost tens of thousands less.
That is not a comparison of, say, the Genesis G90 and the Mercedes S-class, there there is indeed a huge price difference.
11-26-19, 07:20 AM
#122
Lexus Fanatic
Sadly, a Hyundai Elantra has better plastics than the new Silverado. It is almost universally accepted that the new GM truck interiors are below expectations.
11-26-19, 08:01 PM
#123
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
If there's actually a good reason to advertise, like major engineering changes to the trucks (the recent conversion of the F-150 to aluminum body panels for efficiency, and the new suspension/sound insulation on the Ram 1500s for comfort, are good examples), then fine. But my point was that these trucks probably don't need routine ads every year. And, consider this......it is (already) the high sales-numbers of these trucks, and the noted high profit-margin on each them, that provides the money in the first place for these ads. After a certain point, a lot of advertising is simply putting the cart before the horse.
And I would generally not use Ford or GM, after what we've seen in the last 18 months to two years, as examples of sound management. One notable exception, to that of course, is what Ford has done with Lincoln, which has been excellent and is clearly turning the brand around.
And I would generally not use Ford or GM, after what we've seen in the last 18 months to two years, as examples of sound management. One notable exception, to that of course, is what Ford has done with Lincoln, which has been excellent and is clearly turning the brand around.
I know a lot of forum posts are just opinions, but maybe we should post mainly on things we have experience in or know something about.
11-26-19, 08:14 PM
#124
Lexus Fanatic
just because we can post on forums doesn’t make us an expert or even knowledgeable about any given topic. Have you EVER worked in marketing? Have you EVER read a marketing book? Taken a marketing class? if none of these, then respectfully that your posts, while interesting, are irrelevant. By the way i have done all of those things. It would be like me posting on a brain surgery forum. Maybe good for a laugh for the surgeons, but completely irrelevant.
Just look at the list of casualties that we have seen in the last couple of decades from poor or incompetent marketing....Saturn, Plymouth, Eagle, Pontiac, Hummer, Scion, Mercury, Saab, Oldsmobile, Merkur, Sterling...the list goes on and on. With all due respect, one cannot look at that list and accuse it of being irrelevant.
I know a lot of forum posts are just opinions, but maybe we should post mainly on things we have experience in or know something about.
Last edited by mmarshall; 11-26-19 at 08:30 PM.
11-27-19, 12:27 AM
#125
Lexus Champion
Yes, as a GM fan and truck owner I will freely admit these interiors are a disappointment.
I'd say we have the C8 to thank for this.
I'm sure GM will get the message though and improve it with a refresh.
I'd say we have the C8 to thank for this.
I'm sure GM will get the message though and improve it with a refresh.
11-27-19, 06:27 AM
#126
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Just look at the list of casualties that we have seen in the last couple of decades from poor or incompetent marketing....Saturn, Plymouth, Eagle, Pontiac, Hummer, Scion, Mercury, Saab, Oldsmobile, Merkur, Sterling...the list goes on and on. With all due respect, one cannot look at that list and accuse it of being irrelevant.
Almost all of us on Car Chat are are more knowledgeable and car-savvy than the typical John and Jane Doe. That is not opinion, but fact. However, when it comes to reviewing, IMO, Alex Dykes (who is not a Car Chat member) takes the award....that, I'll admit, is not necessarily fact, but simply my opinion....I consider him the best one I've seen yet.
11-27-19, 06:58 AM
#127
Refreshes are usually done in 3 year intervals, GM will have to endure 3 years of weak sales until then or they can buy competitors. Really bad position to be in.
Last edited by 4TehNguyen; 11-27-19 at 07:02 AM.
11-27-19, 07:32 AM
#128
Lexus Fanatic
Not answering questions is not necessarily the same as not telling someone simply what they want to hear.
Yes, I have, Thank-You.
Incorrect. There are times when marketing does affect sales, and times when it doesn't. I've tried to differentiate between the two.
Anyhow, with all due respect, I'm moving on.
and brain surgery isn’t funny if you know people who have been through it.
you’ve previously written that marketing has little or no impact on sales, that it’s a waste of money because people already know about the products or brands or because sales are already high that somehow creates continued momentum automatically. now you’re saying bad marketing killed a load of brands. Since you clearly know NOTHING about marketing, making more comments about it isn’t really constructive.
Anyhow, with all due respect, I'm moving on.
Last edited by mmarshall; 11-27-19 at 07:47 AM.
11-27-19, 07:36 AM
#129
Lexus Fanatic
11-27-19, 07:47 AM
#130
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
So back to the Silverado... short of a redesign and maybe upgrading the interior, what can GM do to improve Silverado sales?
11-27-19, 07:55 AM
#131
Lexus Fanatic
One thing I'd suggest is give it a better warranty....and perhaps better engineering. A number of recent GM truck owners (and SUVs derived from them) have complained of the notorious "Chevy Shake" vibration on the road, although pinpointing the source of it has been difficult. Chevy and GMC only have the typical 5/60 drivetrain and 3/36 BTB warranties, where Buick and Cadillac have 6/70 and 4/50. Though not always, in general, standing behind their products for a longer period of time often increases public confidence in an automaker or vehicle....especially considering that there are already lawsuits from some owners on that vibration.
11-27-19, 12:11 PM
#132
Lexus Fanatic
There is nothing you can do at this point aside from changing the marketing. The marketing has to change to appeal to the current loyalist to stop the market share erosion.
11-27-19, 03:34 PM
#133
Lexus Fanatic
With all due respect, I disagree. Marketing won't make it a better truck, and you yourself, in earlier posts, alluded to the necessity of improving the truck itself.
11-27-19, 04:01 PM
#134
Lexus Champion
No marketing won't make it a better truck. I don't think Jill was implying that. Marketing can slow down sales erosion from "current loyalists" migrating to other brands. It can also draw in new buyers from the other brands as well as first time truck buyers.
11-27-19, 06:06 PM
#135
Lexus Fanatic
This was exactly my point. Chevrolet needs to re do their marketing to keep their current owners within the brand.