GM Next-Gen Models Revealed, Including Chevy Cruze
July 17, 2008
DETROIT - Here we go again, as General Motors Corp. once again unveils a host of coming models to reassure a jittery Wall Street, a speculating media and fleeing investor base that the company not only is on solid financial footing but that it has some decent stuff in the product pipeline.
Detailed images of pending new product were shown in this week's presentation to media, analysts and the financial community to accompany GM's announcement that it is trimming its white-collar ranks, cutting more pickup production, scaling back investment in next-generation fullsize pickups and SUVs - and will seek capital infusion if reasonable credit terms present themselves.
Many of the vehicles, such as the Cadillac CTS coupe and Saab 9-4X, for example, already have been seen in near-production form.
This appears to be the first time decent images of the replacement for Cadillac's current SRX crossover have broken cover, however, and there is a fair look at a coming midsize sedan for Buick, as well as the next-generation Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover, a vital piece in Chevy's new-model puzzle.
GM also showed images of the Chevrolet Cruze, a global model that is earmarked to launch first in Europe and eventually replace the Chevy Cobalt in the U.S. as GM's mainstream import-fighter in the compact-car segment.
We'll leave the judgement to you, but just to get on the record: We'll take the CTS wagon. The SRX and Saab 9-4X are okay, but hardly original thinking. The Buick sedan looks useless and we're still having trouble getting excited about the chubby-ish CTS coupe, much less its volume potential.
The Cruze and the Equinox will work for Chevy, although designers might do well to consider not relying too much solely on the family grille styling that works so well for the Malibu - on these vehicles, it's already beginning to look over-used and derivative. The Cruze reputedly flaunts the all-new global front-wheel-drive underpinnings, but GM seems elusive, at present, about just when the architecture will be deployed for the U.S.
PHOTOS:
Chevrolet Cruze will be global model.
Cadillac CTS wagon seems a well-timed addition to the model range
Saab 9-4X: still too big?
Cadillac SRX an advance over the current slow-selling design.
Posted by Bill Visnic at 1:25 PM under Business , Companies , Featured , GM , News | Comments (14) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Sad news. These cars all look big, even huge, in light of current oil prices. What is GM thinking? The Cadillacs are not volume sellers, even if they generate decent profits. The Buick is an overweight Japanese wannabe. The Saab is just plain pathetic (an Acadia with a facelift). The photo of the Transformers II set currently circulating shows a nice evolution for the Corvette, though. And in the background, there's a Beat, which GM needs to market asap. Oh well, if this proceeds in this direction, Lutz or no Lutz, GM won't make it.
Posted by: bubusdad | July 17, 2008 at 2:24 PM
GM will be fine. They are acting fast and bring great products to market - never enough for closed minded import drones. GM already has more cars that get 30 MPG that the other guys. Now the bar needs to be higher. Americans will demand better EPA, but some of us still need room.
Like all brands, GM's challenge will be to bring great products fast. Furthermore, they have the burden to overcome the preconceived notions and bias of a lot of people. They'll do it. God help Ford and Chrysler.
Posted by: iansdad07 | July 17, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Maybe Alfred P Sloan's time has come again. Five \Divisions/, not brands; Chevrolet: Aveo, Cruze, Malibu, Traverse, Colorado (or the Latin market Montana/Tornado), Camaro, Corvette.
Pontiac: G6, G8, an Impala-sized car- the Bonneville? Star Chief?, Solstice.
Buick:Riviera, China market Park Ave in rwd/awd (maybe update the name to Mall Frontage Road), Enlcave.
Cadillac: a DTS-type rwd/awd car on the Pk. Ave. structure, CTS, XLR.
GMC: All the full-size trucks including SUVs.
Saturn: The different kind of car from a different kind of car company is neither, anymore. Gone.
Saab: How much money does Ratan Tata have left?
Hummer:Taps
Dealer Realignment: Amend the franchise rules so that any Dealer anywhere can sell any combination of Divisions. The trend is toward multi-brand megadealer groups as it is. You would have the same types of vehicles at the dealership as now, but you wouldn't have to have Equinoxes, Torrents, Enclave, SRXs, Arcadias,on the same lot, for example.
Posted by: fulcrumb | July 17, 2008 at 6:39 PM
I like the cruze. should just be called the coblat. Nothing wrong with that name.
If you want to call it 'derivative.' design, then at least assign proper blame, imho it looks dervied from the cvic, and the mazda 6.
and reusing the malibu front end is too much? please then whats toyota doing? the yaris and camery are virtual twins, one just didn't take the HGH.
If theres a front end design that misses the mark its honda with there accord/pilot/ridgeline and acrua tsx/tl front ends.
Then again some people just feel a need to bash gm for whatever reason.
Posted by: opfreak | July 18, 2008 at 7:26 AM
Sad to see the Buick is so watered down. The Riviera concept has a superb front end that would turn heads. This one is pretty, but a 'big so what'.
The comments prior mention the size of things. The key really is weight, if they can get the tonnage down, then the size is a non-issue. The masses still like size in their vehicles.
Posted by: spwilson | July 18, 2008 at 11:49 AM
It's not too little, but it is too late.
If the Cruze was ready for N.A. in 2009 (2010 model) and that Buick LaVicta was being sold now they would sell well. Also disturbingly missing is the all-new 2010 Aura. If GM unleashed that beautiful Insignia sedan on N.A. for 25K it would seriously dent Camry and Accord sales, SERIOUSLY.
Instead, GM will roll it out around 2012 when it will be summarily clobbered by an all-new Camry available with a 45 mpg plug-in option.
Posted by: thriftytechie | July 18, 2008 at 5:33 PM
I don't understand all of the death tolls being rung for GM right now. Where isn't GM competitive? Family sedans? SUVs? Crossover vehicles? Sports cars? Sport sedans? Small vehicles? GM has vehicles positioned to be competitive with BMW, Honda, VW, Mazda, Porsche, etc... The addition of these new vehicles will only further aid GM's cachet with the luxury and import crowds. Seriously, the biggest problem GM has right now is not with the products (particularly if they continue to refine and improve what they already have), but with changing auto-snobs and the uninitiated general public that GM has changed over the decades. Still, it seems that it takes about 10 years before the public image of a company catches up with the products. Just give GM time, continued speculation in the death of the company will only hurt investment and ultimately hurt the company, good products or not.
Posted by: uncanny_man | July 19, 2008 at 3:22 PM
The criticims of the designs are ridiculous. Why would the GM be criticized for the SRX and 9-4x not being "original thinking" when every automaker is coming out with small crossovers? How in the world is the Malibu's styling becoming overused when no other current Chevy car shares its front end? The Impala, Cobalt and Vette do not look like the Malibu. BMW and Audi use the same styling cues on all their cars so I dont see why Chevy would be any different. Also, GM has not been "elusive" about when the Cruze will come here. It will go into production in 2010 in Ohio- this is old news. Folks covering the auto industry should know this already. I also find it funny that they say its hard to get excited about a "chubby" CTS coupe when most of the auto press has been very excited about this car since it debuted earlier in the year. People want GM to make exciting, attractive models and that's what they are doing.
"I don't understand all of the death tolls being rung for GM right now. Where isn't GM competitive? Family sedans? SUVs? Crossover vehicles? Sports cars? Sport sedans? Small vehicles? "
There is no logic to this criticism, its simply a matter of saying anything GM does is wrong.
Posted by: 1487 | July 21, 2008 at 7:34 AM
Um, mister 1487? That was my point. I wasn't making fun of GM, I was saying that GM is competitive already and will only get more competitive with new vehicles. It will only take more time to change people's perception of the company, but that does change with time. I wasn't criticizing GM.
Posted by: uncanny_man | July 21, 2008 at 11:52 AM
I agree with you uncanny. I was just saying the entire premise of the article is garbage. But there is never any good news about American cars here so its no surprise. Its beyond absurd to criticize GM for using similar design cues in Chevy models when BMW and other European automakers have been doing this for decades.
Posted by: 1487 | July 22, 2008 at 6:24 AM
GM will not be fine. Room is a poor excuse to justify these new models (as well as the Camaro). There are two main reasons for this: 1) we cannot afford them. (And I'm not talking about funds at a personal level.) We cannot afford to keep exporting dollars in exchange for oil. If you don't believe me, just go to the Pickens Plan website (Pickens is a well known Texas oil man) and look at their info. It's plain and direct. Our currency is already devalued. If we proceed in this direction, it will eventually crash. 2) I'm no tree-hugger or eco-freak, but I can already see that something is substantially wrong with our planet's weather patterns. (All you have to do is travel a bit and you'll soon recognize evidence of change.) My son's generation will have to deal with these effects. And GM will no longer be there, at least in the form we presently know it (if it refuses it change).
Oil needs to go. The car will survive, but only companies that adapt to this shift will make it.
Posted by: bubusdad | July 23, 2008 at 3:21 AM
Okay, what does toyota have for small cars: corolla, matrix, prius, scion xd, scion xb, scion xc.
What does GM have: aveo, cobalt/cruze, vibe, g5, astra, saab 9-3. I apologize if I'm forgetting anything for either brand, but the point is GM has small cars. The aveo is being refreshed for 2009, the new cruze is coming, the volt is coming, the vibe is new for 2009 (being a matrix and all), the 9-3 was just refreshed and the astra was just introduced here. Both companies have more small cars to choose from than honda or ford, they don't need to exclusively sell small cars to succeed.
Posted by: uncanny_man | July 23, 2008 at 3:04 PM
Oops, I did forget that toyota also has the yaris now.
Posted by: uncanny_man | July 23, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Ok. uncanny_man, you are correct about what you have said. GM will survive and they are changing. There is probably not a company that is as progressive (in the auto industry) as GM right now. If you disagree, you need to do a lot more reading and research. Ford and GM were the first to put water powered cars into testing and that was about 10 years ago. GM has more cars with higher mpg ratings than any other company! Try that on for size. They have a car for every market, and their quality is compatible with any other car company, especially for the price—note all of the quality awards they have been winning. If you want a variety of solutions for fuel GM had more than any other company just a year ago, with hybrid, flex-fuel, and its automatic piston shut off system. NO OTHER COMPANY offers all of those. Anyone who argues this needs to re-read what they have read and actually understand it. I have been following the auto industry for years. GM was also the first to put touch sensitive screen technology in their vehicles (1985 Buick Riviera). Wow! And the list continues. Not to mention all of the other incredible designs that they have been putting out lately. You name one, and I mean one, good looking Toyota. I did not think you could. What about GM's electric car that came out in the '90s, way ahead of its time. Only now 10 years later is anyone paying any credence to that type of technology. Phew! My fingers are getting tired. What about the new Volt?! Name one other car that has ever been suggested for production that has has 5 options for fuel!! I did not think you could. Please, research for yourself and stop believing all of the liberal trash that is thrown around as truth and claim it as such when you have never gone to the source and researched it for yourself. GM is really gearing up because of the competition. The only problem is, all of those uniformed individuals who speak not from research or experience but from bias reports, or tainted pop culture. Thanks.
Posted by: bhappy2b | August 02, 2008 at 4:07 PM