Chevy Looking at U.S. Mini-Car and Diesel
Weeks back we told you of GM’s interest in a “micro-premium
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Comments
Ramsey
This is the problem facing the US auto industry in a nutshell. They are so afraid to innovate that they are stagnating.
Why are they waiting to see how the Smart is received? Why are they waiting to bring diesel passenger cars to the states?
Step up to the plate GM and become a market leader again.
Cicero
That diesel will probably be a 3 cylinder turbo with tremendous milage, though I wish a micro premium car had gone to Buick to get younger buyers into their showrooms
06YellowGT
The reason they are waiting, in my opinion, is that it is VERY costly to bring a car to market, and have it not succeed. There are numerous reasons for this, one of them being that they are required to stock replacement parts for the vehicle for "X" number of years after it is out of production.
Not very many mini cars are successful here, so why not wait and see if they are catching on before spending money on something that is not enduring.
How many years did it take for us to see Toyota or Nissan come out with a REAL pick-up truck. And those are proven sellers in the market place.
Nothing wrong with being cautious with a concept which may not have staying power. Watch what happens in the market place, learn from that, and if others are successful, bring a product to market that bests what is currently there!
DOWNSHIFTER
Bringing a new car to market is expensive, but my understanding is this car already exists in other markets. So this is could/should be nothing more than an expansion of marketplace.
Also, it's an easy way to shut down the 3rd world marketers--provide a broad spectrum of vehicles by recognized manufacturers.
Jonathan Fung
06YellowGT is right. It is expensive to do the R&D for a new car and give the plants the necessary improvements to build the car, not to mention marketing and what not. Furthermore, the prospects for the Smart don't look particularly good from the reviews that I have read. So i think it's a good idea that they wait.
This isn't quite the ZR-1 which will sell no matter what since its an uber corvette.
BillyBob
The Naysayers say there is no market for really small cars in the US, oh coarse most of them have no memory of the '60's when "they said" the VW Bug had no market here either. Back to the future?
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