Perception of the Big 3 Automakers

[The Critic]

I found this post on GM Inside News:

Quote:
It's just amazing how people will see what they want to see. The article never mentioned Malibu being the benchmark or segment leader. In fact, it says according to Hyundai, their base model interior is better than top-of-the-line Malibu's interior. That's doesn't say much about Malibu's interior, at least in their point-of-view.

Here's why Malibu will never be the segment leader (sales wise), even if it is a much better product that Camry or Accord: Class. Go ask any trailer trash hick if he thinks a University professor has more class than him, the answer will be NO. The hick will never say he lacks class. That's the same problem with the Malibu.

Many people who buy Toyota or Honda will never be caught dead in a Chevy. They associate Chevy/Ford or Dodge with uneducated hicks and rednecks. Look at the people that drive Hondas and Toyotas, most of them have good jobs, educated jobs, they don't want to be seen driving a car that is popular among the trailer trashes.

I am not saying that this practice is right. In fact, if the Malibu is a better product than Camry, the Camry owners are the ones at loss here just because they won't drive a Malibu for image reasons. But that's how it is now. And that's the reason why Malibu will never be "as good" as the Camry or Accord.


What are your thoughts on what the poster wrote? Would you agree with him? Do the Big 3 suffer from an image crisis within your friends and your community?

 

[Steve S]

I presently own a Ford F250.and a 4x4 Toyota p/u what does that make me?

 

[Anduril]

I went from an Accord and a Corolla to a Cavalier. The former two were unreliable, the latter is not. The former two were bland, the latter is not (at least in the looks department).

Does that make me a hick?

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I associate GM with cheap shoddy interiors and questionable build quality. But of course they've changed so some of their cars seem to be okay. I don't really associate a brand with a stereotype of people. If they're poor enough to be considered "trailer trash" then most likely they would owning any car they could get their hands on that meets their commuting needs. And usually these are what usually would be considered beaters.

In addition, I think there are only a certain amount of people that really care what brand of car they are driving as long as it runs and doesn't cost them a fortune to keep it running. Saying that the majority of people who drive a Toyota/Honda are educated and have good jobs and so forth is just his perspective.

 

[CivicFan]

I don't judge people who drive other brands. You drive what you think is the best car in your circumstances.

After all, it's just a car.

 

[TooManyWheels]

I think the poster is exactly right - perceived class is the problem with Chevy.

Contemporary Chevy products just look distinctly frumpy and cheesy in the styling department. Compare any VW auto to any Chevy auto (except the Corvette), and the difference in the tastefullness of the styling will be apparent. The VWs are sleek and sophisticated looking, the Chevys and Saturns will all have a big chrome horizontal scab pasted on the back, seemingly as an afterthought. However it sets the stage perfectly for aftermarket bling such as wide wheel opening moldings and spinner wheels.

I'm guessing this is a deliberate ploy to encourage people with more discriminating visual tastes and bigger budgets to move up-market in the GM line. I grew up as a died in the wool Chevy guy, but my attitude has done a 180 as I have gotten older. I am not completely anti-American, as I would consider Fords and Chryslers, but I'm no longer interested in something which is apparently being positioned as a bare-bones, entry-level product.

 

[mstrjon32]

I totally disagree.

I dispute that Chevy is the trailer trash product. Take a ride through the poor areas of Baltimore and Washington DC. There are far more beat up, nasty old Honda Civics and Accords than there are Chevy cars. When I'm following a could of burning oil on 295, I can almost guarantee you there is an old Civic producing it. Sure there are plenty of IROC-Z's and Beretta's cruising around with mismatched wheels and door panels that don't exactly help the Chevy image, but that doesn't stop the upper middle class from buying the Suburban and the Tahoe and parking them in their driveway. If there were a problem with the brand image, they wouldn't be buying those trucks and parking them next to their $2m houses.

 

[badtlc]

I would agree with that when applied to GM and Dodge, not so sure about Ford.

Just from my personal observations, I live in a well off subdivision. I see tons of japanese cars everywhere along with the Mercedes, BMWs and a few porsche's. Amazingly enough, I see a ton of Fords around the neighborhood, too. I have seen one Chevy truck and one Dodge truck in the subdivision. I have yet to notice any other cars from those makers.

Don't flame, I'm just posting what I see around me. I think Ford has been doing a better job with attacking a "change in perception" than other american companies.

 

[Tosh]

An image crisis implies something has an image it doesn't deserve. What part of Chevy's image don't they deserve? You don't change an image overnight. The supposedly hot-s#!t Malibu just came out, and someone is expecting the whole company's image to change? Even a blind squirrel can find one nut. Ask the question in five years' time, when the whole line-up has changed.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Image is a problem for the domestic manufacturers. The morons in America have gotten it in their thick heads that "domestic" = "garbage," and "foreign" = "quality," and it will be very difficult to dislodge that notion.

I've been wanting to try an experiment: debadge my Park Avenue of its PA trim, put a Mercedes star on the hood, fasten a chromed "S380" to the trunk lip, and see what people say. Unless they know the tri-shield emblem on the wheel hubs means Buick, I think my car would gain an instant 50 points on the "wow" meter, to them.

The Chevy Malibu looks darn nice; the Impala is a very handsome car, and both can be had for a lot less than the glamor-puss imports. Let this recession poke its sharp knives into them a bit more, and maybe people will realize what a good deal an American car can be, and the h*ll with impressing the neighbors.

 

[MrCritical]

I guess you see what you want to see. You could make an equal arguement about the type of people you see in a domestic vs import.

You once could have expected to see a person with lower income in a Hyundai. Or it could have been that they have more important things to spend their money on than a car.

But now with it's improved quality and upscale offerings that would no longer be the case. We rented a Tucson on our last trip to Colorado and it was a fine machine.

 

[blackcherry06]

IMO the Malibu, Sky / Solstice, Tahoe / Suburban / Silverado / Sierra were defininetly steps in the right direction. I've owned Japanese and American cars and there always seems to be a big difference in how they're screwed together, how they feel, and how they're looked upon when seen in public. I had more trouble with my 1 Chevy and 1 Olds than I had with all my Hondas, Nissans and Mazdas put together.
The materials used. The way interior panels are attached. The gaps between body panels. The overall style of the exterior and how the details are integrated. IMO Japan has been doing it better for a long time but I do think US automakers are finally catching up. But they have a lot of making up to do in the image department. Seriously...is there anything uglier on the road than a Malibu Maxx? That car should've been submitted as a practical joke and scrapped.

It's easy to put a fully loaded, heavily optioned Malibu up against an Accord and make a great showing, but why do the base models of U.S. cars have to look so bargain-basement? When you put a base strippo Malibu up against a base Accord, the difference is like night and day. When's the last time you saw an Accord LX in a rental lot? I have seen a Camry, but never an Accord. That's because it's full of Malibus, Tauri, and Impalas. GM sells them in high quantities at bargain basement prices because they were built cheaply. The new Malibu is the first GM vehicle I've seen in a long time that doesn't deserve that fate. It seems they've fired everyone in the design studio and started over with fresh people...and that was much needed after the Aztek, Malibu and Impala.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral

I've been wanting to try an experiment: debadge my Park Avenue of its PA trim, put a Mercedes star on the hood, fasten a chromed "S380" to the trunk lip, and see what people say.


This is hilarious. I've seen an old Accord around here with BMW badges on it. I can only hope for the owner's sake it's a joke. Even if not it's better than the Integra with dual flatulance-can exhaust tips, a "carbon fiber" hood, 5 point racing seatbelts... and an automatic transmission. (I'm not knocking on Hondas, there just happen to be more umm.. interestingly decorated ones around here than other brands).

I do agree with what you're saying, by the way. The whole brand-snobbery thing is a load of horse puckey. I think up-badging your car is one of the best passive jokes you can play on people who don't know what they're looking at.

 

[Warlord]

There is a class perception problem with domestics but it has faded in the last year or two. It used to be very bad even on BITOG. It all depends where you go and who you ask. If you come out to the countryside and ask my neighbours they'll that they would love to buy a new chevy. If you go into town and ask some of the condo owners down by the lake if they would consider a malibu they'd probably laugh at you and point to their brand new accord.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: TooManyWheels
the Chevys and Saturns will all have a big chrome horizontal scab pasted on the back, seemingly as an afterthought. However it sets the stage perfectly for aftermarket bling such as wide wheel opening moldings and spinner wheels.

I'm guessing this is a deliberate ploy to encourage people with more discriminating visual tastes and bigger budgets to move up-market in the GM line.


I wholeheartedly agree. The "new" makes have tried to make every car flatter the buyer, not to make the econobox embarrass him/her.

When saturn only made the "s" subcompact they put leather, power sunroof, and other toys inside, and had a snazzy, offbeat TV advertising campaign outside. Show me a nationally created Aveo ad... just not out there.

Hyundai has made similarly nice cheapish cars like the elantra.

I use both makers as examples not because they make cheap cars but because they're relative newcomers and seem hungry for action.

GM's huge mistake is assuming a Cobalt buyer can be shamed into a cadillac... when they'd wind up in a VW Jetta.

Ford and Chrysler seem a little better in the "looks, gadgets, & features" categories.

 

[Cutehumor]

GM products are cheaper and easier to afford used. so the poorer part of the population are going to buy these vehicles. so the higher economic people brown nose those buying those cheaper vehicles.

 

[rjundi]

My friends think most domestics are just plain boring cars but make great trucks. They also put them into the same category as Honda and Toyota BORING.

 

[GMFan]

In the northeast, many consider it "the chic" thing is to buy a Honda or Toyota. However, the majority of pickups seem to be dominated by Chevy and Ford.

I do see plenty of nice houses with a nice new f150 or silverado parked in the driveway with a suburban or yukon.

I live in a blue collar suburb area and many people seem to have big 3 vehicles in their driveways. Some have a mix. I think blue collar Americans are more inclined to purchase an "American" vehicle. Buying a Chevy/Ford is the American way, like their families have done for generations. I'm the same way. Chevy/GM runs in my blood.

My family and it's members own the following: 2001 Saturn (mine), 1998 Chevy s10 (dads), 99 VW Jetta (mom), 2006 nissan sentra (sister), 1998 Chevy Blazer 4x4(brother), 2003 Chevy Trailblazer EXT (family vehicle with low miles).

I guess you can say aren't GM fanatics, but my father has always been happy with his Chevy. His truck has 140k miles with original everything. Some of our previous Chryslers have been ok (K-reliant) and one [censored] (92 town and country). My father had a Honda Accord he absolutely hated.

It's hit and miss with cars. I know plenty of people who drive American or foreign cars who have problems and those who don't. Like oil, it is important to change it. Same goes with auto maintenance. All cars are pretty reliable these days. Sit at an intersection and watch how people drive. People seem to think the only way to drive is either with you foot floored on the gas or the brake.

 

[Jett Rink]

On the car front, I think the Corvette and Cadillac (particularly the CTS) lines are cars with a pretty high reputation around here. These cars attract attention and interest. The trouble is that this is just sort of the top of the line models. When I see their other cars, my first thought is, "Is that a rental? An undercover cop? Or some kind of state vehicle?" Somebody already postulated that this might be a deliberate strategy by GM, to lure those wanting a really fancy interior or great looks to move into the Cadillac. There might be something to that. They KNOW how to build great cars, they just aren't going to show it in a Cavalier, for example. They are building that at a budget price point.

The advertising for that Malibu has just been everywhere I turn. The crazy thing, though, is I don't ever see any on the roads. I drive past two Chevy dealers on my commute each day. You'd think this car due to its ad blitz would be prominently displayed on the lot. I don't see any, though. Is this car for real, or just a media mirage, I wonder? I can't review what I never actually see.

If you want a Silverado or Tahoe they have those in abundance and prominently displayed, however. That's what they are trying to sell, not the Malibu. And that must be what they think their customers want.

 

[Kestas]

In my microcosm there's plenty of Malubu's, Taurus, and Sable's on the road. After all, nearly everybody in this town gets a discount on what we make.

When I worked at Chrysler, one co-worker lamented that his daughter was leaning towards buying a new Honda. It was a peer-pressure thing she was going through. She ended up buying a Chrysler product when she saw the price difference between the two cars. She wouldn't let peer pressure break her pocketbook.

I see it both ways. I catch a lot of heat from some of my uppity buddies over driving a 91 Grand Marquis. Others recognize that I'm driving transportation that's inexpensive, comfortable, and reliable. I also like to show off the distinctive features my car has that their's doesn't... like opera lights, velour interior, whitewall tires.