The solution couldn't get any simpler...and we at Auto Spies agree wholeheartedly with the dealers!
Dealers say more stylish, zippier cars can save GM
If the executives at General Motors headquarters in Detroit want some advice on how to pull the automaker out of its funk, they need look no further than GM's own Cadillac and Chevrolet divisions, local dealers say.
In the last few years, Chevy has introduced several all-new models, including the Malibu and Malibu Maxx compacts, the Chevy Equinox small sport utility and the SSR retro high performance convertible/pickup, that have caught on with consumers.
Similarly, once-stodgy Cadillac has undergone a dramatic makeover, aided by a lineup of new makes with edgy designs and strong performance that has impressed buyers on showroom floors -- the SRX crossover, the XLR convertible, the CTS sport sedan and the STS luxury sport sedan.
"Styling-wise, our new Cadillacs are bringing in younger buyers as well as our established Cadillac buyer," said Chuck Lucci Sr., general manager of Rohrich Cadillac in the South Hills. "As a result, we're seeing buyers we haven't seen at Cadillac for a long time."
The message, Lucci and other local auto dealers say, is simple. If GM hopes to stem a prolonged decline in U.S. market share and overcome the troubles that this week led it to report a $1.1 billion loss for the first quarter -- the biggest in a dozen years -- it needs to focus more on innovative, well-styled products capable of luring buyers of all ages.
"If I had any advice at all, it would be 'It's the product. It's the product. It's the product. It's the product,' " said John O'Connor, general manager of Sullivan Chevrolet in Etna. He said Chevy's new Cobalts and Equinoxes, for example, were selling "as fast as we can get them."
Source:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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