egmCarTech

I would consider the Regal GS (OPC), but not the plain Regal. They neutered the car too much for my taste. The exhaust, rims, and fender are what gave the car style. I am 32 years old and have driven GM cars since I was 16. I am having trouble finding aggressive cars that fit my personality now. Currently, I drive a Hummer H3. I am looking toward my next car and would like a sports sedan but you killed off Pontiac, a CTS with Nav and sunroof cost $51,000, and Chevy/Buick offer no such cars. It's like you are pushing me to buy a BMW.

I like what GM is doing with Buick. I think they should allow Buick to compete with Cadillac somewhat. Create a Pontiac line of Buick cars, Soltice,Regal GS,G8. Add the Lacrosse, Enclave and Invicta concept to the full line up and Buick is relavent again. GM is completely losing the 25-40 market which will only create more problems once they solve their current problems.
Overall I would like GM to:
Let Chevy compete with Honda and Toyota, offer a full line-up of cars. Move the Corvette to Cadillac(I know blasphemy) to offer distinct of brand. Chevy right now has and Aveo and Corvette at the same dealership? WTF? Cut Tahoe, and Silverado from Chevy.
Make GMC pick-up trucks more aggresive looking. Sell all trucks through GMC (no rebadging, no crossover). Maybe even steal some of the Hummer cues and use them in GMC.
Cadillac is doing well with their line-up, just add the Corvette to replace the XLR. Create a sub-CTS, but make it compete with the Regal GS. A real performance car to compete with the 3 series (no Cateras please). Use the Cadillac Sixteen as the design for the XTS flagship car. Let the Converj be the second generation CTS Coupe. (Why did GM show the Coupe, then tease us with the Converj? I didn't want the Coupe after I saw the Converj. Don't worry about the electric engine just come out with the Converj. All the cars can have electric options later.
Buick should use some of the popular Pontiac designs(Solstice and G8). Come out with the Regal GS First, THEN come out with a neutered version. Lacrosse should be flagship car for Buick. Please use Cadillac leather instead of the stuff you are using now, and re-tuned the engine to get over 300hp. Next, develop the Invicta model. The 2-door model could sell for 50-60K, more if you can put gull-wing doors on it. Get better wood grain in the Enclave, it looks so cheap for such a nice car. Think Cadillac dark wood grain.

Lastly, GM needs to invest in rims. The rims that GM is putting on their cars are pathetic. Aggressive rims with Large tires like on their concept models. The CTS Coupe/Lacrosse,SRX,Regal are examples of neutered rims.

My dad worked for GM for 32 years, sometime I wish I could talk to the heads of GM and give them perspective to what buyers of different age ranges are looking for.

The biggest obstacle left is Perception. Unless customers know why a GMC Terrain is better than a Honda CR-V then buyers in that price segment are going to buy based on "perceived" quality. If styling, reliability, technology, effiecency, and warranty are all on par like they say then the last hurdle is perception translating into sales. May the Best Car Win is the right first step...keep going, push harder.

Styling, Comfort, Performance.

Those are three big sellers.


Style:

Sure, you might not have much to work with in terms of subcompacts, but look at how the Mini Cooper and Alfa MiTo do. The vehicle doesn't have to be a toaster on wheels.

On the interior, don't be afraid to try some things out...no need to be ultra-conservative.

Comfort:

Make the seats deeper with more side support. Days of bench seats should be over. Nobody likes shallow, hard seats.

Performance:

It doesn't take much to boost the performance of the vehicle, just change the gearing. It'll give the cars some pep. There are probably other countless budget ways to make cars perform better. ------ Please don't make the Cruze a slouch.

Listen to what the people want, give them what they want. Don't give them what you think they want or need. Not very tough at all.

Listen to criticisms and learn from them. Be open to suggestion.

Mr. Wit's latest actions (ousting Fritz during the LA show?) & recent comments on money details as top priority (instead of product) shows that Mr. Wit is a gun shooting cowboy. Dump this guy quick. Buick is looking good actually, GMC makes $$$, Chevy & Caddy are untouchable. Just focus on the product dummy!!!

oh, and stop buying other car companies. it is okay to partner with them and share technology.

I have always say to dump Buick. Keep Chevy, Caddy and GMC. And please don't cross polinate. We don't need a Chevy Traverse and a GMC Terrain. The same goes with the 'burban. Keep the 'burban but dump the GMC Yukon Denali. Keep one since all of these vehicles are 'cheap' vehicles for the masses. It is okay to lux them out as a Caddy SRX and Escalade but make sure that the Caddy parts are high end parts. Curtail you union. It is good to have union but GM union seems to be running amock. Bring in Opel and Vauxhal but pleeeeease don't 'water' it down when they cross the pond.

and lastly, listen to the engineers and not the bean counters!

Emma - I agree about keeping only Chevrolet and Cadillac, but why even keep GMC? Those vehicles are nothing more than Chevy trucks.

Or eliminate Chevy trucks, but two truck lines is definitely redundant.

Ditch Buick. The car quality has shot up, true, but where is it positioned? Its not quite luxury like BMW or Mercedes, but its not cheap, like Toyota or Honda.

In truth, Buicks compete against top end Toyotas like a Avalon with all the trimmings and or an Accord with all the trimmings. They definitely look better and function well, but this means Chevrolet doesn't have something to offer against a top end Avalon or Accord. The Impala, as it is, is a joke best reserved for rental fleets and police.

Move the comparable Buick into the current Impala's place, then ditch the Impala, and then drop all of Buick (the Enclave should be a high end trim level on the Traverse).

Definitely agree with Omar on the Buick rebranding. I really think its crucial for GM to give Buick a new logo and a new name. Whether or not "Opel" I'm undecided

If they are going to do anything with logos, GM should ditch Cadillac's crest and wreath - the international symbol of old people.

Opel is just a suggestion - although I think many American would love a lightning bold on their car badge rather than three black and white shields.

Omar Rana
Editor in Chief

If I had the opportunity to give GM some advice I'd focus on the following:

1. Allow direct ordering from the factory. Saturn enjoyed immediate popularity largely because of the perceived difference in buying experience. Fair prices, no hassle, and definitely no dealer pricing games is what the public wants and what GM should practice to set itself apart. The company should even offer transportation and accomadations for factory pick up. I'm sure the local economies could use the extra dollars.

2. Stop with the cross-branding and offer distinct models for each brand. Instead of worrying about styling changes every couple years the company should focus on perfecting each model. Quality shouldn't even be an issue. The fact that is has been is something management should ensure never happens again. Solid engineering always helps perceived and resale value.

3. Where are the rear-wheel drive, standard transmission, V8 coupes and sedans? Right now I can only think of a couple competent GM models. Sad really that the G8 is gone. Just when I was considering a GM product the management reverts back to failed knee jerk policies of the past. Talk of change is fluff and no substance. I can appreciate the need for other engine choices but not everyone wants a 6 or 4 pot.

4. Break the union stranglehold on costs. It's insane that auto employees are paid the wages they are or that some are paid not to work. The union doesn't give a damn about the company's survival or American jobs and the sooner GM management realizes this the better. Anyway, I doubt it will happen but doing this would go a long way towards future profitibility, expanded R&D budget, and product lines.

5. In line with point 2 is the thought that each brand should focus on just a very few models. And, not every brand has to offer an economy model, midrange, premium, etc. Some brands just should not have an economy model while there are some brands which shouldn't have a premium model as well. But, being the pessimist I am Cadillac will probably launch another Cimarron and the exec who thinks up this idea will probably be promoted.

In my mind the only brand that seems to be doing anything right is Caddy (except for the Chevy Corvette). Other than that it's just more of the same.