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| General Motor's Auto Crisis | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 12 2017, 09:46 PM (183 Views) | |
| Project2017 | Apr 12 2017, 09:46 PM Post #1 |
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Nickel
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Remember back around 2008-2009 when General Motors went through a bankruptcy phase by only keeping four brands? I know Obama bailed the goverment out at the time. Here are the brands they killed off/kicked off the US market: Pontiac: Remember Pontiac anyone? Some of their cars were cutting edge for their time, others were poor excuses. I remember reading somewhere that by the late 2000's, they would be reliant in the rear-wheel drive department (not seen since the death of the B-body cars in 1996), and that they would end up being a cheap alternative to BMW (the G8 was a poor man's BMW M?, meaning it was just like that car, but at a lower price tag). Sadly, this brand got killed off after the 2009 model year was done (dealers closed by late 2010). A real shame, because this brand spelt performance. Hummer: People who had experiences with Jeep vehicles (be it the AMC Jeeps or Chrysler Jeeps, especially the Wrangler and its predecessors) may or may not know what Hummer was. Hummer vehicles did look rad for an SUV, but they were unsafe, had terrible gas mileage, was bigger than your average SUV, and was mainly used by rappers in their music videos. Around the time the crisis happened, Hummer was due to be sold to a Chinese company. Not even a year later, the deal got rejected. The second buyer didn't want it, so Hummer was history by May of 2010. Go get a Jeep Wrangler instead, because it's easier to find parts, has better gas mileage, and tends to have a wide and well-looked after backstory. Saab: This one stood out, because they and Volvo came from Sweden. Whilst known for aircraft, Saab also had a role in the vehicle market, even when they were ran by General Motors. They even worked with Subaru briefly. Saab post-GM's crisis meant getting taken by different sellers such as Spyker. Talks of Saab coming back are all myths. A real shame, because Saabs were really safe, they were reliable, and the igniiton being on the center console made it brutally hard to steal. Subaru in my mind is the spiritual successor, because Subaru is also safe and reliable (it's not just the relationship they once had), but unlike Saab, parts for Subaru are easier to find. Saturn: This one was an interesting idea. A dealer that ran like a department store, cars that were either a success or a failure, and being aimed at the enthusiaist driver...what could possibly go wrong? The S-Series was their first cars (it was love it or hate it). The L-Series was their take on a mid-size (that one was meh). The Aura, the Vue compact crossover, and the Outlook 7/8-seat crossovers were awesome cars (the original Vue was okay, the last of the Vues were good minus the lack of a power liftgate). The Ion was mainly a terrible car (cheaply made, recalled ignitions, Red Line was unknown, and the quad coupe was a strange idea). The Relay and Sky were on platforms that their siblings shared (anything that spells the GM U-body or Kappa body is a no-no). The Astra was a rare and interesting little car, but nobody bought it because Saturn was dying. The time of the crisis, Penske looked into buying Saturn and continuing the Aura/Vue/Outlook line for another two years. Sadly, the deal got cancelled, and by the time Saturn went under, the dealers all closed down. Oldsmobile: This one was not your father's car. It was the oldest automaker by the time it went under in 2004. The Cutlass was their prime reason for being awesome. The brand had a very deep and interesting backstory. They were doing very well from year of inception to the 80's. By the 90's, the brand lost their focus, because of the Japanese luxury divisions. Even so, they were doing well until 2000 when their death was announced. Their death predicted the future-GM will eventually kill Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Hummer. Suzuki: Believe it or not, General Motors did work with this company. Mainly based in Japan, Suzuki was known for their motorcycles, ATVs, and marine equipment. Cars, not entirely. For being Japanese and for having a low price tag, they were terrible cars (the SX4, Vitara/Grand Vitara, the Kizashi, even the infamous Samurai, etc. are those examples). By the end of 2012, Suzuki left the US because of regulations, and they left Canada/Mexico a year later (all from poor sales). Their departure from the US only meant one thing-is Mitsubishi going to abandon America as well? Isuzu: Also another brand GM had involvement with. Their US debut began in the 80's, as a creator of passenger cars and SUVs. Isuzu also came from Japan, and they were known for diesel trucks. Isuzu's downfall started in the late 90's, after working with Honda on some vehicles, and after a decade of poor sales, linked to terrible dealers and poor quality motors, Isuzu abandoned the US in early 2009 (they left Canada around 2002). Isuzu made the Trooper, Ascender, Rodeo, Vehicross, Axiom, etc. Geo: They made subcompacts that Toyota, Suzuki, Isuzu, and GM all had a role in. The Prism was a Corolla clone (but the Corolla got better and better). The Tracker was their oldest survivor, but it was easy to tip over. This brand came out in 1989, and was asorbed into GM by 1997. Daewoo: This one came from Korea. Their prescence in America didn't last very long (from 1999-2002), because the cars were unreliable and didn't sell well. Even GM had a poor relationship with them, along with Suzuki. If you were unlucky enough to own a Daewoo, the dealers have been dead, meaning getting service will be a pain in the neck. Korean car buyers are better off with Hyundai and Kia, because their improvement was with the decade-long/100K mile warranty claim in use since 1998. Well, there you have it. Names GM killed off, with some deported back to Japan or Korea. What are your two cents on this? |
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7:33 PM Jul 10