No more Cruze, Impala, etc.

[KrisZ]

I had a rental Impala for almost two weeks and I liked it. Very quiet and smooth. The power of that 3.6 DI engine was also very impressive. The steering feel was non-existent though. I also don't like the way the rear end looks. Otherwise quite a good vehicle IMO and I got 28mpg hand calculated in my commute.

This is usual American car company behaviour, just as they are getting good at building a model, they axe it.

 

[carviewsonic]

I'm glad we bought our new Impala a few months ago. I see many, many Cruzes on the road around here, and quite a few newer Impalas too. If Toyota can make a go of it with the Corolla and Avalon, the why not GM with the Cruze and Impala?
After test driving a few SUVs, my wife and I both found that we still preferred the styling, handling, and packaging of a sedan. But we are obviously in the minority.
People like sitting up higher in a SUV, but what happens when everyone is sitting up higher in their SUVs? The 'All New Extra Tall' SUV I guess.. 'Now for 2021, look down on all those driving around you'..

 

[Jimzz]

The Cruze is also made in Mexico. So they may still make them for import. I think most, maybe all, at that plant are hatchback. But they could retool for the sedan pretty easy. They sell over 180k of them every year so if they don't import them a lot of other companies will take those sells.

The Impala is a awesome car but most do not want full size cars anymore.

 

[E365]

Toyota isn't far behind with "adjusting" what they sell.

They just reduced Camry production:
http://www.thedrive.com/news/24956/...uction-at-kentucky-plant-amid-poor-sales


And will probably be cutting the 86 and Yaris Hatchback, at a minimum.
https://www.motor1.com/news/274827/toyota-trim-american-lineup-rumor/

 

[marine65]

As usual GM and Ford could screw up a free lunch.
If anything Lincoln and Cadillac should go away.

I have no use for GM, Ford or Chrysler/Dodge products.
My Elantra and Sentra have been as close to bullet proof as a car could get.

 

[Greggy_D]

Originally Posted by marine65

I have no use for GM, Ford or Chrysler/Dodge products.
My Elantra and Sentra have been as close to bullet proof as a car could get.


I'm with you. After 30 years of buying Ford products, I'm done. From the decision to kill off sedans, the quality issues we've seen the past 10 years, to the complete indifference and incompetence displayed by their dealer network service departments around here.....we're moving on.

Our next vehicle will be a Hyundai, Nissan, or Kia.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by Traction
GM was great at building full sized cars, but they suck at building what the market wants.


It would seem like they're building exactly what the market wants and reducing what is selling less.

We want no part of sedans, don't like sitting low and looking up at everything else on the road.


Gotta love the weekly GM bash thread.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Considering their 30+ years of screwing up just about everything they touch, they deserve to be bashed.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by Traction
GM was great at building full sized cars, but they suck at building what the market wants.


It would seem like they're building exactly what the market wants and reducing what is selling less.

We want no part of sedans, don't like sitting low and looking up at everything else on the road.


Gotta love the weekly GM bash thread.

It's what the market wants. Not what some bitogers want thus American companies are the pits.

 

[mctmatt]

I have a 2007 3.5 Flex Fuel Impala that is black and only 81,000 miles on it and still looks great. Maybe I should store it and see if it becomes something people will admire more in about 20 years. LOL! Really how I wished I would have kept a few cars that I have had such as 74 Monte Carlo, 81 Olds Cutless Supreme, 67 Red Chevrolet S10 Pickup , 1971 Wood Panel Olds Station Wagon with 3 seats and an electric window in the back which was a special option back then. Now when I go to different car events I see all these cars and think man I had one of those!!!!

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by Jimzz
The Cruze is also made in Mexico. So they may still make them for import. I think most, maybe all, at that plant are hatchback. But they could retool for the sedan pretty easy. They sell over 180k of them every year so if they don't import them a lot of other companies will take those sells.

The Impala is a awesome car but most do not want full size cars anymore.

The Equinox outsales the Malibu and Impala combined. So the market does not want sedans.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by Jimzz
The Cruze is also made in Mexico. So they may still make them for import. I think most, maybe all, at that plant are hatchback. But they could retool for the sedan pretty easy. They sell over 180k of them every year so if they don't import them a lot of other companies will take those sells.

The Impala is a awesome car but most do not want full size cars anymore.

Was in Aberdeen a few weeks back … hatchbacks of all makes … clearly a favorite there …

 

[itguy08]

Makes sense. Few are buying sedans. Even the stalwarts, the "all new" Camry and Accord are cratering in sales:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...h-top-north-american-car-shows-suv-shift

Quote
Passenger cars may have plunged to just 29 percent of the market in August, which would be an all-time low, according to Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with AutoTrader. Five years ago, cars were 49 percent of industrywide deliveries, she said.

"If it continues to slide, then one wonders how low it can go," Krebs said of the sedan market. "We were anticipating passengers cars would make up 30 percent of the market this year, and that may have been optimistic."


Why build what a declining few are buying. With CUVs and pickups getting higher and higher fuel economy people are buying what they always wanted - larger vehicles.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by Traction
I hate SUV's. GREAT full sized cars would be much better, except they don't build them, or forgot how. I miss my 1950 Buick Super, my 96 Impala SS, and many other big cars that simply needed modern engineering. GM was great at building full sized cars, but they suck at building what the market wants. They could make the big car market work again if they tried. They chased the market with cars like the Vega, Chevette, Aztek, and the endless list of many others


Well I think Mercedes will continue to make the E and the S class cars along with other foreign car makers.

I always preferred sedans to other types of cars. Handles better, better gas mileage, better braking, weights less than trucks/SUVs.

 

[aquariuscsm]

The problem is the cattle mentality of society. You're a bad parent if you transport your rugrats in a *car*,so you must drive a bus or else you're a bad parent. And so the herd obeys...."yes master".

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
The problem is the cattle mentality of society. You're a bad parent if you transport your rugrats in a *car*,so you must drive a bus or else you're a bad parent. And so the herd obeys...."yes master".


Oh I didn't know that. I saw a guy with 3 kids before driving a Geo Metro. Guess he was a bad parent and I didn't even know it at the time.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
The problem is the cattle mentality of society. You're a bad parent if you transport your rugrats in a *car*,so you must drive a bus or else you're a bad parent. And so the herd obeys...."yes master".


To be fair kids aren't supposed to be in the front passenger seat until they're 12 and when you go back to help them in their high-back full-size car seat until age 5 it's nice to have a higher roof.

25 years ago we just had infant seats, maybe a phone book sized booster, and lap belts.

I got through the gas crunch 10 years back with a couple saturn s-series but it took careful planning and selection of specific seats known to fit. But of course it was possible.

 

[philipp10]

I should become a futurist......I've been pounding my fist on the table arguing this has been coming. GM and Ford both see a future with autonomous cars and sales down by 1/2 from today. Car subscriptions are coming and that means no more having a car sit 90% of the day in your driveway or at your work parking lot....slowly degrading just sitting there. In the near future a car will be busy alot....perhaps 35-50% of a given day. Because of that, many less vehicles will be needed. GM and Ford are just being proactive, trying to survive a huge industry shake up. Its coming and no one realizes how disruptive it will be.

 

[dishdude]

Yep, the autonomous car will be here soon and when it does no one will need to own a car. Order one up on your phone and save the hassle and expensive of ownership plus not dealing with parking. I wouldn't be surprised if I never buy another car again.

For right now, CUVs make sense. The packaging allows for more interior space and cargo hauling capacity. Now that CUVs achieve about the same fuel mileage and similar performance as sedans, what incentive is there to purchase a sedan?

 

[ls1mike]

Always been a 4 door sedan type of guy. Regals, Grand Prixs, CTS, Caprice, Malibu, Station Wagons. I am sad to see how low sedan sales are. If I didn't camp so much 60 to 80 nights a year, I wouldn't have a truck. Our Equinox was fine but as nimble and exciting as sitting on the toilet. I guess that is where it is at now. The modern station wagon. Well I ain't buying. Guess I should stock up on a few sedans.