http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases...T2006011343838

 

Not too bad... the funny thing is that I bet it won't hurt Toyota a bit. GM looks desperate by dropping all of their prices!

 

What's funny is that they will have to raise their prices to be more competitive, lol.

 

IMO it will take an economical fall out from Detroit to get things back on track. The big 3 need to file bankruptcy, get rid of the UAW and then start from scratch in order to get sale back to where they were a decade ago.

 

LOL. If only it were that easy. I'm sure if you were the man in charge, that would be the last thing from you mind.

 

...and the more desperate they look the more likely buyers are going to choose another brand. The bottom line is GM cars are inferior by most of the measurement criteria that matters. Fit and Finish, efficiency, handling, dependability, fun-factor, and the list goes on and on... I think the core of the problem is Eastern philosophy versus Western philosophy. Considering the two opposing thought processes lends insight to our current car buying/selling environment.

Consider the GMC Yukon, Denali, Suburban monstrosity... it's just all wrong. It's so heavy it takes multiple hundreds of HP just to move the thing. Once it gets going... oh ____ now we've got to stop it... so many design compromises are made in producing a car this large it is impossible to end up with anything logical and practical, difficult... to park, pay for the gas, sure it's big and roomy, and safe in a crash but everything else is NOT GOOD. I bet the HP/weight ratio of the Scion xB is about equal to that of the Yukon but I bet the xB wins in 0-60 time, 1/4 mi. ET, skidpad, and on and on... In fact I'll go look up those numbers and post them... be back later : )

 

my favorite quote from chevy.... "it's an american revolution!" maybe national pride will bring people back to them... lol. i think not. simply put: good cars sell. and the educated buyer will buy the better car for him/her.

anyways right now they're aiming for nostalgia. look at all the recent domestic cars to take on an old school muscle car look. (charger, camaro, mustang, gto, 300, etc...) i guess that's what it's going to take to get people back into there showrooms...

what do i think? i think it's a sign of desperation by taking steps like that.



but you have to admit... the concept camaro shown above does look pretty sweet.

 

Actually, they shoulda done this years ago - then, they could add new models with something exciting to offer.
GM/Ford/Chrysler seem to have the same designers that they hired 35 years ago. The unions are killing them too - $35 an hour to put lug nuts on a Tahoe? Please.
If you look at something original (sorta) like the Solstice - it will sell well, but they made like 2000 of the stupid things and people are fighting over them on ebay.
America's car companies are in a world of hurt. I'm a hugely proud American, but this slice of the Apple Pie needs to be tossed out and rebuilt.

Scott

 

Okay....and how is this different from any manufacturer that makes an SUV. They all fall into the same info you just described.

 

Yes, I agree with you to a point but to my taste the Lincoln Navigator and GM Yukon/Tahoe things are overly large resource wasters designed mainly to bolster the driver's ego and one upsmanship the other guy.

It saddens me to see the Tundra's, Armada's, Land Cruiser's, Titan's, vehicle's growing larger and larger. But it does illustrate the fact that not only do the japanese build a better small car but they can do big also.

 

Right on!

I'm afraid their inability to change thus far has more or less killed their chances for the next few years. Keep in mind cars aren't designed and tested in a day. It's a looong process. They are just now figuring out there should be a change in their way of thinking, and yet they may be making the same mistake Hollywood does. Due to decrease of sales, they are re-hashing what they think will be a 'safe bet' and going for the nostalgia. Time will tell I guess but methinkg it might not work. Oh, and the unions are killing the industry. Unions were a great thing when concieved, but like all great things, became corrupt and rotted from within.

 

xB vs Tahoe, Feb 06 Car and Driver

xB
0-60 9.6 sec
1/4 mile 17.3 @ 79 mph
Skid pad 0.80g
Braking distance a 70mph 194ft
Combine Cty/Hwy mpg 27

Tahoe
0-60 8.5 sec
1/4 mile 16.5 @ 84 mph
Skid pad 0.72g
Braking distance a 70mph 201ft
Combined City/Hwy mpg 12

The Tahoe is faster on the straightaway. The xB stops quicker, holds corners better, and gets 225% better mpg. FWIW

 

Local example of GM's poor outlook... the dealership I work at used to be a Toyota/GMC/Pontiac/Cadillac/Buick dealership, and as of last week, we've dropped all our GM products and gone completely with Toyota. Which is good for me, since I'm a toyota technician... but just goes to show you, even the dealership owner is bailing out on GM.

 

^^^ I'd take a Toyo dealership any day over anything GM.
Congrat's to you.

Scott

 

the new camero is pretty bad lookin but that probly won't all end up on the production car. look at the new toyota fj coming out this year 4.0 liter motor. real transfer case 5 speed auto or 6 speed manuel 32 inch tires all for 21'000 way better than a jeep. better power and better gas milage better handling.