Customers Say "Don't Desert Us!"
One result of the Big 3's trip to Washington begging for money is that GM had to reveal its budget plans for the next few years. It emphasized the importance of Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC to the company's future, which left people wondering what would happen to the other GM brands.
I've written before about being a Saturn owner. In fact, I purchased one after writing my first story about the brand for 1to1. Saturn is an economy brand that has a no-haggle pricing scheme, cars that were made out of plastic instead of metal, and great customer service. A Saturn executive was even a 1to1 Customer Champion for 2008. Not surprisingly, Saturn owners (who are notoriously loyal) are upset at the prospect of GM eliminating their favorite brand. I'm with them.
The economy has certainly hurt the car companies, but they need to focus on what's going to work in the future. The average age of a Cadillac or Buick owner is easily over 60. These people are not (with apologies to my grandparents and other AARP members) going to live forever. I understand the need to cancel Hummer, but Saturn emphasizes hybrids, and did so before the other brands woke up to the environmental movement. If GM thinks that keeping Escalades on the road is a better idea than promoting Saturn's line-up of 30mpg-plus cars, Congress is right to deny them bailout money.
Saturn customers can't keep the company from shutting down their favorite brand, but they can send a message by not buying another GM vehicle if this half-baked plan goes through. I'll never buy a foreign car, but Ford is looking better and better these days.
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Tim-
I don't have anything against the Japanese, Germans, or Koreans, I just prefer American-owned companies to foreign ones. I try to buy as many products as I can that are made in the US. I understand that Toyota and Honda have plants in America that support the US economy, but at the end of the day they're still foreign entities.
Whether or not it's entirely accurate, my impression is that Big 3 cars are more reliable, retain their value longer, and are less expensive to maintain. If I were to just look at price as many people do I would buy a foreign car, but to me it's worth the extra money up front to buy American.
Saturn is the brand they should keep. It's got great long-term customer loyalty. Those are the customers that GM shouldn't abandon. They should reorganize to follow the Saturn model, not the has-been GMC or Chevy model.
Why will you never buy a foreign car?