Are we going to have to save GM ... again?

[loliea]

Looks like GM and Chrysler are the only two brands we declining sales in December after the sale off boom...
Ford is doing great though

Kia U.S. Dec. sales rise 44% to 21,048 vehicles
Hyundai U.S. December sales up 40.6% to 33,797
Ford December U.S. sales up 32.8% to 184,655 units
Toyota Dec. U.S. auto sales up 32% to 187,860
Honda Dec. U.S. sales jump 24.5% to 107,143 units
Nissan Dec. U.S. sales up 18.2% to 73,404 vehicles
Volkswagen U.S. December sales rise 16%
Porsche December U.S. sales rise 1.7%
Daimler U.S. Dec. sales rise 0.2% to 20,889 units

Chrysler Dec. U.S. sales fall 3.7% to 86,523
GM Dec. U.S. sales down 6.1% to 208,511 vehicles

[nthfinity]

GM sold off a majority of the Saturn and Pontiac branded cars remaining at insane discounts last month. Now that those are basically gone; new car sales will go up a little. GM isn't doing well... leadership is lacking.

Fiat have a legacy of cars that people don't want. Chrysler have a few good cars, and have relied upon those few good cars far too heavily. It will take time to revamp the line up.

Maserati, Rolls Royce, and Lamborghini are really hurting.

[pitfield]

Daimler?

Also stop knocking FIAT it's so far improved that it's a good car, its image is sticking obviously but for five years they've been better than Chrysler. We only have a limited number of the range here but I've worked with Voyagers, Grand Cherokees, and 300Cs and of that the 300C is the best but in a horribly tacky way. FIAT don't really have a badged equivalent but ALFA do, and it's loads better.

[nthfinity]

Originally Posted by pitfield Daimler? Also stop knocking FIAT it's so far improved that it's a good car, its image is sticking obviously but for five years they've been better than Chrysler. We only have a limited number of the range here but I've worked with Voyagers, Grand Cherokees, and 300Cs and of that the 300C is the best but in a horribly tacky way. FIAT don't really have a badged equivalent but ALFA do, and it's loads better.

Fiat's Chrysler contingent have a slew of legacy models that are uninteresting in a way that Toyota have managed to sell to idiots. Fiat have a long way to go. People in the US don't want small cars. Just look at Ford's success... it isn't in the small car division.

[MidEngine4Life]

Wow look at KIA's boom. I guess im not the only one looking at that company for the first time. Genious of them to bring that Audi guy over. Past KIA's were pretty awful to look at. Now owned by Hyundai they're not crap to drive anymore either lol

Originally Posted by nthfinity Fiat's Chrysler contingent have a slew of legacy models that are uninteresting in a way that Toyota have managed to sell to idiots. Fiat have a long way to go. People in the US don't want small cars. Just look at Ford's success... it isn't in the small car division.

Truck sales have dropped considerably. The mighty F-150 was recently dethroned by a car. Ive always hated large vehicles, but I realize im a minority here in the states.

[pitfield]

Originally Posted by nthfinity Fiat's Chrysler contingent have a slew of legacy models that are uninteresting in a way that Toyota have managed to sell to idiots. Fiat have a long way to go. People in the US don't want small cars. Just look at Ford's success... it isn't in the small car division.

Not sure I under stand who you mean by 'Fiat's Chrysler contingent' are these the people at Chrysler who want FIAT to take over?

FIAT's range is very new, it even supplies engines to GM and shares platforms, which were developed by FIAT with GM and Ford.

[HeilSvenska]

Originally Posted by pitfield Not sure I under stand who you mean by 'Fiat's Chrysler contingent' are these the people at Chrysler who want FIAT to take over? FIAT's range is very new, it even supplies engines to GM and shares platforms, which were developed by FIAT with GM and Ford.

Fiat's range is aging fast too. The 500/Fiesta flatform that you refer to is based on the Panda platform, which has been service since 2003 and Fiat's other major platform has been used since 2001. And they won't go away for a while, which isn't that surprising or bad, but I wouldn't call them "very new".

Fiat doesn't "supply" GM with engines and platforms. They "co-own" the technology. It doesn't mean Fiat makes engine for GM, nor did that stop GM from developing more advanced powertrain for Opel/Vauxhall. The same thing with the platform design. Of course, it works the other way around too. The Alfa 159 runs a GM V6 with some modifications.

Frankly Fiat Chrysler merger kills development of new platforms for either company. They don't have enough money going around both of them. I think it's all but secret that they pretty much agreed that they are only going to build new models off current platforms. Meaning, yes. They will be outdated pretty quickly.

[pitfield]

Fiesta/500? I think you means ka/500.

Also Alfa uses just the block from the GM unit, all induction, heads, management, ancillaries are different.

[HeilSvenska]

Originally Posted by pitfield Fiesta/500? I think you means ka/500. Also Alfa uses just the block from the GM unit, all induction, heads, management, ancillaries are different.

Yes. You are right. The Ka.

But my point remains.

[pitfield]

Fiat is still a much more modern company than Chrysler.

Check out the multiair system, the biggest step forward since fuel injection apparently.