The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 3/26 M Car Covers (by State of Nine) | 12/12 Make Amazon Pay Saabnet!
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:09:52 GMT
From: still me <wheeledBobnospamo.com>
Subject: Re: New 9-3 - Form over Function? pah-leeze...


On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:03:22 +0100, Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelationsnospamail.com> wrote: > >These things you mention are essentially entirely due to GM's influence (tinkering) > >For the life of me, I can't understand why American car companies have bought various >European brands and then diluted their traditional brand values by Americanising them ! > >The rather gross chrome front-end treatment of the 9-5 a year or so ago is a case in >point. I saw that Americans generally seemed to love it yet it was ridiculed in Europe, >its strongest market ! > >Also see the 'Saabillac'. Cadillac's BLS based on the 9-3 has all but sunk without >trace despite Lutz making it his 'big thing'. Frankly I reckon there are too many >cultural / value differences between the USA and Europe / rest of the world for each >others' cars to easily cross the divide in geat numbers (with the exception of >Japanese cars of course - although it seems many they sell in the USA don't make it >anywhere else). Speaking as an American... most Americans them have little taste when it comes to car style. Secondly, GM lives in the long past and doesn't have a clue. It's one of the worst managed companies in the world. That said, their greatest mistakes as of late have been what you alluded to. They buy a brand that has a following for a specific reason (e.g. Saab... European... known for engineering) and they ruin it by introducing crap into the line like the Saaburu and the Chevy SUV. They bought a brand that had a following for some very specific reasons and introduced cars into the line that run 180 degrees from that following. They did the same thing with Cadillac, taking a brand purchased as the definitive large American luxury car and brought in small cars that they recycled from other foreign lines. Again, introducing models that run 180 degrees from what their core audience wants. Now they talk now about how they finally realized that having six car brands that sell the same models with only minor differences is a bad strategy... but as noted above, they are setting up the above two lines to follow in that role - just more recycled vehicles from other lines, badged to match successful lines, and destroying the brand's following in the process. GM lives far in the past, with archaic, ignorant, incompetent, useless management that doesn't have a clue.

Return to Main Index
StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]