Chevrolet shuffle off

[martc]

And in other news, following Holden being shutdown in Australia; GM have announced that they will be withdrawing the Chevrolet brand from Europe from 2016 see http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/12/gm-announces-plans-to-withdraw-chevrolet-from-mainstream-segments-in-europe/ and many others for the gory details.

 

 GM intend to concentrate on their two "quality" brands Opel and Vauxhall.

 

They are no longer going to co-operate with PSA - who are more likely to suffer than GM.

[dollywobbler]

Good, in a way. The European branch of Chevrolet was a bit of a joke. I would have been far happier if they'd just kept the Daewoo brand going. That was already a budget brand. Treating the mighty Chevrolet brand as a budget range was frankly insulting.

[r.welfare]

The Cruze doesn't seem like a bad car and is probably futureshite. The rest of the range seems crap.

[Mr Livered]

It absolutely was insulting. The mighty Chevrolet, maker of the Camaro and the Bel Air - why the hell would they choose to debase that brand by sticking the logo onto those ridiculous little shopping trolleys? This is the marque of the all American muscle car (not to mention the simply massive cars like the Suburban) and putting the badge on ex-Daewoos was beneath their dignity.

 

Edited to add: oh and the Corvette. How could I forget the Corvette?

[Split_Pin]

GM Korea has roots going all the way back to the 1950s and the GM name started in 1972, so says Wikipedia.

 

It also says that they build CKD kits for nealy all of the GM affiliates so your so-called premium brand of car may have started off the production process.

 

Chevrolet is hardly a premium brand though. They've built some right old shitboxes in their time in the US.

 

I'm quite happy with my Chevroloo Aveo, very solid little car.

[warren t claim]

Aren't Chevolet the new Man Utd shirt sponsors for 2014?

[Junkman]

It absolutely was insulting. The mighty Chevrolet, maker of the Camaro and the Bel Air - why the hell would they choose to debase that brand by sticking the logo onto those ridiculous little shopping trolleys? This is the marque of the all American muscle car (not to mention the simply massive cars like the Suburban) and putting the badge on ex-Daewoos was beneath their dignity.

 

Edited to add: oh and the Corvette. How could I forget the Corvette?

 

Accountants. People who do such stuff are called accountants.

They keep creeping out of some hole in droves since 1986 and have since managed to ruin even the healthiest of all companies. In case of car companies, they have a simple trick for that: Don't build cars that are as good as they could possibly be, build them to fit so-called market segments, which don't exist outside what they consider their imagination, though, because in reality they don't have any.

 

On the other hand, and I know I'm going to repeat myself for the umpteenth time, I'm not surprised that GM is in dire straights and I seriously mean it. No matter which global division or branch I look at, I can not tell for the life of me, who the cars they make are intended for.

 

Up until 1986 it was crystal clear. Let me take Opel as an example, but this held true for each and every GM company world-wide.

 

Kadett - secretary

Ascona - blue collar dad

Rekord - white collar dad

Commodore - manager

Admiral/Diplomat - director

Manta - director's son

 

First, they stopped making cars for directors. In fact, they had surrendered this highly profitable market segment without a fight already in the late Seventies. BMW said thank you. Then they discontinued making cars for secretaries, VW said thank you, then they stopped making cars for blue collar dads, Ford said thank you, then they stopped making cars for white collar dads, Audi said thank you, then they stopped making cars for managers, Lexus said thank you, then they stopped making cars for the director's son, and Porsche said thank you.

 

I now look at the current model range of Opel. The only thing I can tell for whom it is made is not a car at all, it's the Movano. They make it for small businesses whose credit rating is not good enough to get a lease plan on a Sprinter.

 

GLWTS, as we say here.

[warren t claim]

I can remember when Opel was considered a premium brand in the UK.

[willswitchengage]

Aren't Chevolet the new Man Utd shirt sponsors for 2014?

 

Yes; but remember 99% of Man Utd fans aren't from Manchester, Britain, or Europe

[Justin Case]

Accountants. People who do such stuff are called accountants.

They keep creeping out of some hole in droves since 1986 and have since managed to ruin even the healthiest of all companies.

 

 Not always in my experience. I have worked for companies run by accountants; they were generally pretty successful, you just had to justify every penny that you spent while they shuffled the money around so that   they never paid any tax but the shareholders still got a healthy return On the other hand I can't think of any company that survived after bringing in management consultants

[Junkman]

I can remember when Opel was considered a premium brand in the UK.

 

Vauxhall went from the 30/98 to the Zafira, so much for GM.

[rml2345]

At least accountants serve an actual purpose. Management consultants exist purely to line the pockets of management consultants.

[eddyramrod]

I'm saddened by this news, says a man with his third Chevrolet sitting outside.  Yeah ok, it's a rebadged Daewoo, but it still wears the bowtie, and the other two were actual American models.  Er... even if one was RHD and the other delivered new to Canada. 

WTF is GM doing?  They've killed off Pontiac and Oldsmobile, they're withdrawing Chevrolet which still makes versions of at least two legendary names (Camaro and Corvette) and they're doing 4x4s and crossovers with Buick and Cadillac badges!  I agree that the name is devalued by the use of cheapo Oriental designs, but to sell in the European markets that is more or less what they had to do.  You wouldn't want the name on an Insignia, would you!

Chevrolet was, like most big American autos, a premium product in the UK... when the product was a big comfy V8-powered sedan that looked like it belonged in a proper Hollywood movie.  Sadly, it hasn't matched that description for years.  Back home it was always at the bottom of the GM range, very much the entry-level blue-collar car.  So there's a bit of an international identity crisis, right there.  Do UK buyers remember when it was a premium product?  That might explain why the downmarket Daewoos didn't sell too well.  Of course the dominance of the German brands means everyone else has a fearsome hill to climb. 

 

And the Vauxhall/Opel Movano (a van I really like) is a Renault in a new suit.  Ok.....................

[Parky]

If only GM had a European luxury brand to take the fight to Audi and BMW. Someone like Saab maybe.....oh hang on.

 

I can't even begin to imagine the backlash in Australia where Holden are less of a manufacturer and more a way of life for many Aussies. That's a big loyal market thrown away right there.

 

I appreciate rationalisation is important but for Christ sakes, it's a badge on the bonnet and steering wheel. It can't cost them that much in tooling costs to satisfy the punters, can it?

[Lacquer Peel]

GM are pretty hopeless 'brand guardians', in recent history sticking SAAB badges on everything from a body-on-frame SUV to a Subaru Impreza.

[dollywobbler]

GM are pretty hopeless 'brand guardians', in recent history sticking SAAB badges on everything from a body-on-frame SUV to a Subaru Impreza.

 

Whereas Ford seem the exact opposite. They seemed to make a pretty decent job of improving Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo, then sold them all off!

[Cavcraft]

I have to say those European style Chevrolets do seems pretty shit looking and I just can't see there being much outpouring of grief about them not being sold in Britain.

[warren t claim]

GM will kill the Vauxhall brand in the UK next.