Toyota won't help out domestic car manufacturers

[uranium235powered]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

The problem is not the sports segment. That accounts for like .00001% of the market. The problem is with their family cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans. Those are the ones that aren't selling.

I see your point. Maybe, GM should consider going back to making cars like the highly fuel-efficient Geo's. I'm not bashing, infact I might get a Geo Metro as a daily driver. The prices of gasoline is so high nowadays, I would think more people would go to these cars. Plus, insurance for a freaking 3 cylinder engine would be much cheaper than a Honda Civic, wouldn't it? Maybe alter the Geo's so that they would hold a little more roomier and a little decent styling, and throw in a highly fuel efficient 3 cylinder into the car, and off the showroom floor costing less than $10,000.

[Andydg]

Originally Posted by TheStang00

well ill tell ya what... that new charger looks like crap, dodge needs to rethink that one. the srt-4 is the only good thing that i can think of that they got going for em.

I agree on about the Charger not being so pretty but I bet it will sell very well. I still really with that Dodge wouldn't've called this the Charger though. But they also still have the Magnum, Ram, and the 300 all of which have been selling very well around this area.

[chevytrucks92]

Originally Posted by TheStang00

i dont know how true the is for trucks, ford trucks were the best selling vehicle in 2004 by more than 300,000. they sold nearly 1 million of them, the next best selling car, which was the camry, sold 600,000 some cars. dodge trucks were third or fourth or something and they were also around the 600k mark

Nope. The next best selling vehicle was the Chevrolet Silverado. It sold in the 600K units. And the Dodge Ram sold like 400K units.

Last month, Ford sold something like 80K F-150s and Chevrolet sold 71K Silverados. I think that was the most trucks Chevrolet has sold in March since 1978.

GMs problem isn't so much with their products as it is with their healthcare costs. They are projecting they have to pay over 5 billion (i think) dollars in healthcare costs this year.

And GM has alot of new products getting ready to hit the market. The Pontiac Solstice had 1000 pre-orders made in 41 minutes the other night on "The Apprentice". The Monte Carlo and Impala get reskinned for 06 and get all new engines and revised interiors. They may be FWD, but they'll have a 303 hp SBC next year. And then the Trailblazer SS comes out next year with an LS2 available in rear or all wheel drive. And of course the new SUVs come out next year with the trucks the year after. They're the only automaker with a hybrid full size truck, and if they improve upon it with the new trucks, then I strongly think they'll make a run at the F-150 for sales king (just with the Silverado, when you comgine the Silverado and Sierra sales, more times then not they beat the F-150). And technically, GM sales more trucks then Ford as a whole, just not as many Silverado's as F-150s.

[clawhammer]

Now that's sad. 12 mpg pickup sales are up just as gas prices jumped in the last month.

[chevytrucks92]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

Now that's sad. 12 mpg pickup sales are up just as gas prices jumped in the last month.

Well, they (GM) don't get 12 mpg though, lol. They're rated for 15-19 in 4WD and 16-20 in 2WD. Most of the car mags average 16 or 17 with them.

And mine gets 18 and 19 mpg, but its not a new one, but still. I could actually round it up from my fuel mileage last week and claim 20 (19.7 mpg is what I got-295 miles divided by 15 gallons of gas), and that's with a 13 year old, 135,xxx miles 4WD 350. It does have a couple bolt-ons that are supposed to help and I got a bedcover as well and don't have a heavy foot, but 18-20 mpg in a full size 4WD truck is fine with me.

[Zgringo]

The one of the biggest problems GM has had, in the past Chevy division cried when another division would build something better than them. In 1954 Olds built a 2 seat sport car with a Rocket V8 and 4 speed automatic while Chevy had the inline 6 Vette and Chevy cried it would kill the Vette market so wouldn't allow it to be built. Then Pont. an Olds built the tri power cars that almost killed the Belair Chevy market and had to stop building them. Then GMC built the Syclone and Typhone and once again had to stop production. Couldn't have a truck and SUV that would post better numbers than Chevy's flagship, the Vette.
With the coming of the Jap cars, the first ones were just crap, but they learned there lesson quickly and now build some of the best and most modern cars and trucks in the world. But this was good as it made the American automobile mfg's revamp and reengineer there thinking if they wanted to stay in the market. Ford and Chrysler has done some big changes while GM was draging there feet, and just now starting to come around, but still crying that the imports need to raise prices so they could remain in the market. Ford an Chrysler dugin and have started to fight back at the import market. I just hope GM does the same.
I remember a old song that went, " Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevolet".

For you old car buffs, heres the most expensive car in the world. The Olds F-88 sold at last auction for 3.24 million dollars.

[TheStang00]

Originally Posted by chevytrucks92

And technically, GM sales more trucks then Ford as a whole, just not as many Silverado's as F-150s.

you have proof of that? cause the numbers i saw had the F-series blowing away chevy trucks, and other than chevy i cant think of that many other GM trucks, except GMC. but i guess there are a decent number of GMC trucks around

[chevytrucks92]

Originally Posted by TheStang00

you have proof of that? cause the numbers i saw had the F-series blowing away chevy trucks, and other than chevy i cant think of that many other GM trucks, except GMC. but i guess there are a decent number of GMC trucks around

Well, the F-150 did out sale the Silverado and Sierra last year, but typically that doesn't happen. Silveardo sales were in the 600K units and the GMC sold in the 200K.

As for other GM trucks:

-Chevrolet Avalanche (around 100K units sold I think)
-Cadillac Escalade EXT (not real sure how many it sales)
-Hummer SUT

And then SUVs count as well

-Chevrolet Tahoe (out sales the Expidetion by 20K units or so)
-Chevrolet Suburban (blows away the Excursion)
-GMC Yukon
-GMC Yukon XL
-Cadillac Escalade
-Hummer H2

Ford doesn't have as many products, and again, the only thing they outsale GM on is the F-150 vs. the Silverado. GM sales more large SUVs then Ford.

When you add all of this up, GM sales the most light trucks.

[clawhammer]

It should be interesting to see what will happen to GM over the next few years. But they really need to make more fuel efficient cars, especially Hybrids.

[Zgringo]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

It should be interesting to see what will happen to GM over the next few years. But they really need to make more fuel efficient cars, especially Hybrids.

There's a old saying, "if you snooz, you lose". I hope GM gets there butt in gear. As a consumer, it makes for better cars for all of us when the competition is kept on there toes.