Posted on 11/26/2018 4:47:20 PM PST by Eddie01
General Motors will end production of six sedans by the end of 2019.
North American customers want SUVs, crossovers, hatchbacks and trucks. Sedans have fallen out of favor.
As GM (GM) adjusts to changing customer behavior it is also planning ahead for the future. The company announced massive layoffs and is closing five North American facilities as it transitions to self-driving, electric cars of the future.
The soon-to-be closed plants mean GM will no longer make these cars:
Buick LaCrosse January - September sales: 13,409, down 14.2%
The LaCrosse is a large car built by a brand that was a pioneer in small crossovers. Buick is still shifting heavily toward crossovers: Sales of the Encore and Enclave crossovers are both up this year. But Buick is struggling after turning itself around a few years ago.
Cadillac CT6 January - September sales: 7,270, down 10.6%
The only surprise of the bunch, the CT6 is an unusual choice for GM, because it serves as the tech halo for Cadillac. It's still the only car that has GM's Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving technology. But it's also the least popular Cadillac.
Cadillac XTS January - September sales: 12,664, up 15.9%
Most XTS cars are sold to limousine and taxi companies. GM recently updated the XTS' design to keep customers happy, helping drive sales higher. It's the only car GM is killing that has performed better in the first nine months of 2018 than in the first nine months of 2017.
Chevrolet Cruze January - September sales: 109,662, down 26.5%
The bestselling Chevy sedan, the Cruze is highly regarded among auto reviewers and enthusiasts. The Cruze was the "Consumer Reports" top pick for compact cars last year. It was beat out by the Toyota Corolla and a handful of other small cars this year, and sales have disappointed.
Chevrolet Impala January - September sales: 43,952, down 13.4%
The recently redesigned Chevy Impala was the 2018 "Consumer Reports" top pick for large cars. But it's a large car in a market that seems to have forgotten that large cars exist. The Impala is among the worst-selling Chevrolets.
Chevrolet Volt January - September sales: 13,243, down 13.7%
The Volt is a plug-in electric hybrid sedan lost in the excitement of all-electric cars. Chevy has been promoting the electric Bolt hatchback, though Bolt sales have fallen too.
I see that every day, but if I were to buy a p/u it would be a crewcab long box 4x4 srw.
I’m working on ordering a 20’ car hauler trailer that will double as a big utility trailer. For the few times I could use an open 8’box, it’ll be a better value.
Suspect small SUV / Crossovers have taken the market for small sedans.
I can see a modern Daytona fin...
Bring back the 68-70 taillights in various forms.
No Charger should ever have more than 2 doors.
I’m just across the line from the Lordstown plant - LOTS of wailing and gnashing of teeth going on. Many people, not just the auto workers, are going to be hurt by this.
I have all 6 of these cars parked at my estate.
My last GM car was a 1973 Olds Omega. Inline 6, 3-speed manual, manual steering, manual brakes. Easy maintenance. Traded in 1985 for a Ford T-Bird.
I have and had a Toyota Camry made in Kentucky. No. Union American cars. My Chevy Impala was a POS that GM wouldnt stand behind because it was pre US citizens bailout. Go figure.
GM - Garbage Machine .
This will be the third trip to the boneyard for the Impala.
It was made from 1958-1985 then discontinued.
Resurfaced from 1994-1996 then discontinued.
Resurfaced the third time in 2000.
Like a drowning man going down for the third time.
Or guys like me who spend about 10 hrs a day in them.
As a kid I learned to drive in my dads 67 Impala, 396. I remember asking him, Why didnt you get the 427?
“GM is cutting 15,000 jobs in America, but not slowing production in Mexico.”
That’s because the bloated Silverado is mostly made in mexico.
I just recently saw a brand new F-250, standard cab, long-bed 4x4 pickup in a parking lot. I actually circled past it a second time to get a better look. Had to be from one of the dealers that does a lot of fleet sales.
When I was in elementary school, we lived in Arlington, Texas. There was a big GM plant in Grand Prairie and every year, they would park all the new cars, right off the production line, in a huge parking lot on the other side of a chainlink fence. My dad would drive us over to it to see the new models b/c in those days, they changed the body style every year. We all weighed in on the new designs and whether we liked them. It was a lot of fun! Ahhhh, those were the days...
“Weve always called the knobs falling off, headliner crumbling, AC vents disintegrating GM-ite-is. Its a real thing.”
You forgot to mention the “lean”, the faulty wiring, the “chuggle”, or the fact that after three years you sound like Sanford and Son rolling down the street with all the squeaks and rattles.
.
The most important thing we have to do right now is absolutely ban “self driving cars.”
There is no logical argument in favor of them.
.
Amazing that a 50 year old design is still on top.
(Both Dodge and Ford)
“I just recently saw a brand new F-250, standard cab, long-bed 4x4 pickup in a parking lot. I actually circled past it a second time to get a better look. Had to be from one of the dealers that does a lot of fleet sales.”
The company I work for is going with the F250/350 now for the small trucks.
And compared to the GM’s that were replaced, the new F250’s are huge
GM / taxpayers lost a ton of money on everyone sold. Yet the battery / gas engine hybrid like the Volt would be the only thing I could consider = NO range anxiety.
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