Disappointed after visiting Chevy dealer

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Falcon_LS

Falcon_LS

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Good friend of mine has a '07 TrailBlazer and was pretty excited about the new '13 model, so we went to see it together this evening. Needless to say, it wasn't what he was expecting and I was quite disappointed after seeing the entire range.

Of course this is all my personal viewpoint and many will disagree, but I feel Chevrolet has lost its character. Having grown up around GM products, I have a thing for American design and certain "distinctive" touches. It's a bit difficult to explain really, but I just don't associate anything other than the GMT900 products with the Chevrolet brand.

Save for the Corvette, the only US built products in the showroom are the Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado. If you count Canada, you've got the Camaro which also shares the same platform with the Australian built Caprice. Sadly, the Lumina (Holden Commodore) has been discontinued and one can no longer get a V6 equipped Caprice either. The Malibu is built in South Korea, as is the Spark, Aveo, Sonic, Cruze and Captiva. The TrailBlazer is built in Thailand along with the pickup version sold as the Colorado. The Avalanche is discontinued, the Express is only available to fleet customers, understandably.

Was also quite surprised to see a car (Aveo) with 13" wheels.
crazy.gif
 
All of the Chevy Cruze cars sold in the USA are built in Lordstown OH. This facility can run 3 shifts/day. FWIW -- Oldtommy
 
Has it been proven that the GMs built overseas are of inferior build quality compared to the US built ones?

or is it some other reason that the OP sees this as a negative?
 
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Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Thailand? China? No thanks.


China? what are you babbling about? still muttering romney's line about sending jeep to china...or what?
 
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Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Has it been proven that the GMs built overseas are of inferior build quality compared to the US built ones?

or is it some other reason that the OP sees this as a negative?



Maybe he sees it as a negative since Chevrolet always billed itself as "the Heartbeat of America" or "baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" or maybe he's just annoyed that the American taxpayers bailed out GM and many of the jobs 'saved' aren't in America....
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Has it been proven that the GMs built overseas are of inferior build quality compared to the US built ones?

or is it some other reason that the OP sees this as a negative?



Maybe he sees it as a negative since Chevrolet always billed itself as "the Heartbeat of America" or "baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" or maybe he's just annoyed that the American taxpayers bailed out GM and many of the jobs 'saved' aren't in America....


It isn't the quality I'm concerned about, it's the overall brand image. Many of the cars in the lineup I just cannot associate with the Chevrolet brand. On one side, you've got something iconic like the Corvette and on the other end of the spectrum you've got the Spark. Ever since Chevrolet started selling their economy cars (AKA Daewoo) in Europe, the Corvette became a standalone brand not bearing the Chevrolet nameplate for this very reason.

I'm not happy with the fact that most of the passenger car lineup are rebadged Daewoos. IMHO, they should have kept Daewoo as the economy line and left more premium products for the Chevrolet lineup - especially in this particular market where they discontinued the Buick brand after 1996. Then again the only product in the Buick lineup back then was the Roadmaster.

Then you've got "character". Vehicles like the Tahoe, for instance, are styled in a very traditional American fashion. You look at it and automatically go "That's American". Same goes for vehicles like the Ford Expedition or the Dodge Charger, they're very distinctive and different compared to say a Toyota Camry or a VW Toureg. Whereas looking at something like the Aveo or Sonic, it's very bland and really has no identity to the brand it bears or its origins. Then again that's my opinion, you may or may not agree.
 
Wow. I didn't think this thread would go off the rails this fast.

The OP is in KUWAIT. This isn't your local Chevrolet dealer in Poughkeepsie and the vehicle line-up isn't what you'll find in North America.

General Motors is a global corporation and they do have manufacturing facilities located in many different regions. Like most automakers, they have a "built here, sold here" manufacturing philosophy that aligns manufacturing location to relative region. If you live in the Philippines, the Aveo you buy is built in Korea. If you live in Poland, your Aveo is built in Russia. If you live in Kansas City, your Sonic is built in Lake Orion, Michigan.

For those that think this is in some way betraying America because GM was involved in a government structured bankruptcy and all those cars should be made here: You're being obtuse. That is akin to saying that you'd rather see GM (and the government's massive investment) fail by trying to make all vehicles in North America than to see them succeed as a true global corporation, like every other successful automaker. That's called cutting off your nose to spite your face and it's just plain dumb.

It's unfortunate that Falcon thinks Chevrolet lost it's way in the Middle East. Personally, I think they've really found their way in North America. The Sonic and Cruze are finally competitive, well built, and well selling small cars. The Camaro has outsold the Mustang for the first time in... ever. A new Corvette is being introduced in Janurary. The GMT900 replacement is being unveiled later this month. We finally get another Holden-based RWD full size in the SS. All good cars and good news for GM.

I guess we see things different from the inside than from someone looking in. We've been saddled with things like the Cavalier. A rebadged Daewoo is an upgrade, believe me. Calling the Cruze a rebadged Daewoo doesn't do it justice though, because it is a truly competent small car. It may be bland, but bland sells and that's really what GM needs right now. Look at Opel in Europe. Not doing so hot. Chevrolet in Europe? A growing business.
 
Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
Does Ford manufacture any less outside the USA?


Most of the Ford lineup here is either built in the States, Canada or Mexico. European products, such as the Mondeo or Focus, come from Belgium and Spain respectively. Then again, country of origin is not what I'm on about - it's brand image.

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
2013 Chevy Malibu is assembled in Kansas. Which last time I checked is NOT in South Korea.


Originally Posted By: cchase
Guys, he's in Kuwait. The vehicles they sell there may not be made in the same plants as the ones sold here.


Thank you.
thumbsup2.gif


Also, if you take a look here, you'll see the Malibu is also built in China, South Korea and Uzbekistan, as well as Detroit. Fairfax is just one facility building this vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
Wow. I didn't think this thread would go off the rails this fast.

The OP is in KUWAIT. This isn't your local Chevrolet dealer in Poughkeepsie and the vehicle line-up isn't what you'll find in North America.

General Motors is a global corporation and they do have manufacturing facilities located in many different regions. Like most automakers, they have a "built here, sold here" manufacturing philosophy that aligns manufacturing location to relative region. If you live in the Philippines, the Aveo you buy is built in Korea. If you live in Poland, your Aveo is built in Russia. If you live in Kansas City, your Sonic is built in Lake Orion, Michigan.

For those that think this is in some way betraying America because GM was involved in a government structured bankruptcy and all those cars should be made here: You're being obtuse. That is akin to saying that you'd rather see GM (and the government's massive investment) fail by trying to make all vehicles in North America than to see them succeed as a true global corporation, like every other successful automaker. That's called cutting off your nose to spite your face and it's just plain dumb.

It's unfortunate that Falcon thinks Chevrolet lost it's way in the Middle East. Personally, I think they've really found their way in North America. The Sonic and Cruze are finally competitive, well built, and well selling small cars. The Camaro has outsold the Mustang for the first time in... ever. A new Corvette is being introduced in Janurary. The GMT900 replacement is being unveiled later this month. We finally get another Holden-based RWD full size in the SS. All good cars and good news for GM.


THANK YOU! You hit the nail in the head.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS

Also, if you take a look here, you'll see the Malibu is also built in China, South Korea and Uzbekistan, as well as Detroit. Fairfax is just one facility building this vehicle.


Actually I think the vehicles that are produced in those countries are Daewoo branded.

True it is the same platform, but slight changes are made for those markets and the Daewoo brand is used.
 
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Yeah I don't blame you OP.

But it's not just chevy, there are maybe 10% of new cars where both the styling and something technical strike me as an improvement over ten years prior.
 
I have a question and comment. Question: Do we feel better about Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, etc. as "foreign" manufacturers because they have opened manufacturing plants in the U.S? Honda was building Accords in Ohio that had more American content in them in the 1980's than many supposedly "American" cars. For these companies, having foreign manufacturing is part of doing business in the modern era. Maybe it creates goodwill, but most likely it is because they want to get the product close to the people who buy it. There are more new drivers getting licensed and buying cars for the first time in India and China than anywhere else on the planet. Why wouldn't a company like GM want to make cars there? Also, as a condition of selling cars there those governments may even REQUIRE them to manufacture there.

Regardless, anyone, especially corporate management, who does not think of our economy as global will not last. It is our very capitalist economic model that drives businesses to maximum profit. Since we have a tough time with price increases lowering costs is one way to drive the profits. You can't have it both ways. "Bringing jobs back to America," or similar nonsense is akin to socialism or communism. If you want to force the issue then only buy cars made in America and refuse to do business with anyone who doesn't. Good luck. I hope you have $100,000 burning a hole in your pocket for a Tesla. We vote with our wallets and we always vote cheap. Stop whining and DO SOMETHING.
 
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Actually I think the vehicles that are produced in those countries are Daewoo branded.


As of 2011, the Daewoo name as it involves automobiles is dead. As new models have been introduced, they have switched from Daewoo to Chevrolet. In 2011, GM officially changed the name of their Korean operations from GM Daewoo to GM Korea.

The last markets to receive Daewoo-badged vehicles were Korea and Vietnam. That also ended in 2011. They are now all Chevrolets. The lone holdout in this is what used to be the Daewoo Alpheon (a rebadged Buick Lacrosse for the Korean market). I believe it is simply being sold as the Alpheon now, with no "make" identified, much like Corvette is it's own brand in many markets.
 
^Yes, but that gets you the base model of the new sedan. If you want decent range out of the batteries (optional higher capacity battery pack) and other features you'll spend closer to $100K. Read about it in Popular Mechanics just last month.
 
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