mmarshall

Well, why did they abandon sedan marketing? Yes, sales were declining, but that wasn't the main reason (and NFL/NBA athletes still did some ads for Buick sedans). The main reason was that SUVs made a higher profit per unit, despite any issues of consumer choice. And.....the plant-closures that resulted from those decisions are one of the very cores of the present GM strike. So, where did all that get GM today?.....losing upwards of $100 million dollars a day. Brilliant decision, folks.

Toys4RJill

Those Shaq ads and Tiger Woods are were memorable. Shaq driving around in a small car was effective. You agree?

geko29

So you're in favor of BMW cutting American jobs in South Carolina and sending them overseas. Got it.

This is incredibly naive. Taken to it's ultimate conclusion, this suggests that it's "easier" for VW to have 90 factories producing the Golf, because they sell it in so many markets. It is neither easier nor cheaper. To stick with the BMW example, they have apparently decided it's most efficient to produce all X3s in South Carolina, and export for non-US sales, while making all 3-series in Germany and exporting them for non-German sales. Unless you have a high-ranking position in their Finance division, I don't believe you have standing to tell them they're wrong.

mmarshall

With all due respect, no, you don't have it....and apparently don't understand what I'm saying. BMW sells vehicles in the U.S, and hires American labor in South Carolina. Nothing wrong wth that. They don't have to cut any jobs there....nor should they.


Again with all due respect, you are actually oversimplifying matters more than I am. Many of those 90 countries would probably not have the necessary trained workforce to man a plant, even if the company had one. Obviously, there has to be some limits. But the main point is that American companies, producing vehicles that sell in America, should hire American labor first and foremost. A solid majority of the American public accepts that and believes that.

mmarshall

Shaq was actually stretching out in the past-generation Lacrosse, not a small car....trying to convince us that someone with his enormous frame could easily fit in.


And don't forget the Peyton Manning ads for the Verano. Trump himself once did a complementary ad on the Verano (he liked the car), but I can't find a video of it to post.

Woods? Yeah, He made some good Buick ads (and was Buick's poster-image) for awhile, but lost some credibility when his marital affairs and other discrepancies came to light...plus him wrecking some kind of Cadillac product (I don't quite remember which specific model it was)

mmarshall

We're getting off-topic, BTW...we already have a thread going on the demise of American-market Buick sedans.

Toys4RJill

Sonic boom....

geko29

You responded to this:

Quote:

Car makers make cars all over the world. BMW makes all their SUVs in Spartanburg SC and *exports* them back to Europe. Sounds like a terrible thing in your view because they’re a “German” company.

With "I don't think you quite get the point. Sell in Europe, build in Europe." How is that supposed to be interpreted in any other way than the SUVs that BMW sells in Europe should be built there instead of here? That would, in turn, mean fewer jobs in SC.

Toys4RJill

I think you have boxed yourself into a contracdition with the BMW and the South Carolina plant example. BMW exports 275K units to the rest of the world with that plant.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Mmarshall is essentially saying no one should export vehicles anywhere else. Yeah that’s efficient.

mmarshall

No, I haven't boxed myself in...and that isn't what I'm saying. (In fact, if that WAS what I was saying, I wouldn't have posted it LOL) Each country is different. Not all countries have conditions, particularly in the Third World where there is a shortage of skilled workers/technicians, where it is feasible to have plants or an auto industry. But the is not the case in the U.S. We are easily able to build and sell vehicles in this country....and, up until probably the late 1970s when Honda and Toyota became major players, we DID produce most of what actually bought here.

On a slightly different note, as of yesterday, UAW strike pay has increased from $250 a week to $275.

https://uaw-newsroom.prgloo.com/pres...-during-strike

mmarshall

BTW, although it is somewhat overshadowed by the the much larger GM strike, the UAW hit Mack Trucks at midnight. 3600 workers walked off the job at six plants in FL, MD, and PA. I'll leave it to the mods if they feel it is worth a new thread, or just leave it as part of this one.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...ck/3968408002/

mmarshall

Many people (including here on Car Chat) like to blame the UAW and unions for high vehicle prices and squeezing company-profits, but the actual labor part of what a GM vehicle costs averages about 5%

SW17LS

You know what else is about 5% of what a GM vehicle costs? The profit margin.

Toys4RJill

5% GM does not capture while their competitors do. Great post.