Oppo Question Time

"For Sweden" (rallybeetle) 11/27/2018 at 12:04 • Filed to: Oppo Questions

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Why is the Chevrolet Impala worth saving? Why are Americans so angry that dying products are dying?

sony1492 > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:09

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merican jerbs

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:10

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Think of the rental car fleets!

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:11

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People just can’t let go of the name, even though the 2000-present Impala has nothing to do with the original FR coupes and sedans with massive engines .

For Sweden > sony1492 11/27/2018 at 12:12

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Which sounds like a dumb argument. There are lots of American jobs. For example, programming is a quintessential American job. Even trucking has a few more strong decades left.

EDIT: I forgot about aircraft mechanics.  Companies are desperate for more aircraft mechanics!

For Sweden > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 11/27/2018 at 12:13

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May Spinelli bless us and bring the day when I can go to an American rental car office and drive away in a Honda Accord instead of an Impala.

For Sweden > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 11/27/2018 at 12:13

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Is that why the Blazer is back?

Dru > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:15

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I’m gonna hot take this and say the XTS doesn’t deserve quite as much hate as it gets.  The impala, eh.  Mostly, as others have pointed out, people are generally mad about all the jerbs that are going away.  I get why GM is doing this, but it sucks for those affected. 

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:15

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Well around here (Ontario) , people are angry about how GM was given billions to “preserve jobs” 9 years ago... and now they’re *not* preserving jobs.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:16

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It’s not worth saving, and neither is the Buick LaCrosse (Although it is a great value lightly used ) unless you look at it from a Rental sales and China perspective. A Kia Cadenza does everything an Impala does. You’re not missing out, really. Same with XTS, no FP or OPPO commenter is buying that while the CTS exists, even if you do want a big Caddy sedan.

Speaking specifically on the cars and not the corporate profit chasing, jobs loss etc. Americans are not angry , it’s a small vocal minority of enthusiasts online who will mostly not even buy this car,who are angry. If anything, Americans are angry that there are not MORE crossover choices from manufacturers.

As for the rest, The best CT6 is the one with the turbo V6 or V8 and that’s not going away.

The Volt I think has potential in a Crossover body.

For Sweden > Dru 11/27/2018 at 12:18

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Why would I spend fifty thousand American dollars on a FWD Cadillac

For Sweden > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/27/2018 at 12:18

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Thanks Trudeau

For Sweden > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 11/27/2018 at 12:19

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Kia is doing alright with a crossover EV

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:21

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I mentioned this in another post on the topic :

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/1830679813

Ash78, voting early and often > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 11/27/2018 at 12:23

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I’m 40 years old and to me, Impala evokes 90% crappy fleet cars from the early 2000s.

10% RWD retro Hudsons from the 90s.

And 10% ‘60s lowriders.

The current Impala doesn’t even register for me. I rarely see them, I never think about them.

For Sweden > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 11/27/2018 at 12:24

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Good analysis.  And that’s before GM’s tax credits for EVs run out.  Every Hyundai/Kia EV will be $7500 cheaper than the equivalent GM model.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:25

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Actually it was Stephan Harper who did the Canadian portion of the bailout.

For Sweden > Ash78, voting early and often 11/27/2018 at 12:25

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But can we bring Hudson back

For Sweden > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/27/2018 at 12:25

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Thanks Harper

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:26

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its not worth saving.... but someone should send me one of these

a purple one please santa

ive been a pretty not bad boy this year

For Sweden > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 11/27/2018 at 12:26

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agreed

WilliamsSW > Dru 11/27/2018 at 12:26

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I have driven an XTS. I would argue that it deserves even more hate than it gets.  

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:28

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In reality the Impala is a great car for the money.

People like to hate on GM, but they’ve really turned around in the last 10 yrs. 

For Sweden > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 11/27/2018 at 12:30

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At what amount of money is it a great car for the money?  Is that amount enough for GM to break even?

Shift24 > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:30

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Yes 100%. Why the Continental, Cherokee, Charger, Challenger, and Aviator have been brought back. Its all about the Nameplate and people are loyal to it even if they dont buy one.

Look at today, the Passport. A name plate that got Honda into the SUV market. They may have not made it but knowing Honda they did their research and the nameplate was popular enough or had enough recognition to be brought back.

When you think Chevy’s big car, its Impala. Now Chevy missed the mark with the layout as evident with the RWD V8 layout of the Charger and 300. (SS had no backing, weird nameplate, and most people dont know it exists. 10 to 1 it would have sold more as Impala SS ). Even so it was a good large car that yes was meant for rental (even though GM said it wasnt).

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 12:32

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I couldn’t tell you. Although I would pay $30k for an Impala long before I’d give $30k for other large sedans, if for nothing other than it looks better than most sedans IMO.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/27/2018 at 12:32

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It was a massive reinvestment, and they also demanded GM convert the line to something GM needed  - namely, trucks.

404 - User No Longer Available > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 11/27/2018 at 12:36

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The Truth About Cars seem to have a huge problem with GM over all. Both the writers and the commenters.

404 - User No Longer Available > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 11/27/2018 at 12:38

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There’s still the Avalon.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Shift24 11/27/2018 at 13:01

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Also look at Toyota Camry, Honda Civic/Accord, Nissan Altima/Maxima.

Most (if not all) of these model names were once sold worldwide but h ave little relevance today, but continue primarily to serve the large US/Canada markets .

Shift24 > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 13:19

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Does the impala need to be saved? No. No car should be safe if it doesn’t sell. The way GM is doing all of this is what people are more objecting to, no plans to replace what was being built. Lets just say i wouldn’t buy anything on that list , Quality inspections aren’ t going to get done.

The one thing that GM could have done is transition it into developing SUVs. Doesnt mean all plants would have been saved but l ook at Honda’s Marysville plant. The Golden s tandard for Honda of America and other than the turbo RDX, have been sedans and coupes only . But Accord, TLX, and ILX isnt selling. So Honda u pdates machines so they can handle CR Vs and the new RDX.

W orst part of this is   GM was given a tax cut but it lead to job cuts to make them look better to Wall Street . Trickle down that doesnt actually trickle. But thats business (which is bullshit even more so now companies can be classified a person according to the government , but they hide behind that )

For Sweden > Shift24 11/27/2018 at 13:20

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American government and poor financial decisions

Name a more iconic duo

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 13:28

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That’s better.

Dru > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 13:37

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I never said it was a GOOD car, nor a good value. 

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/27/2018 at 13:58

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One way to look at it is that the company is cutting out the non profitable products so that the overall company can stay in good shape. It does suck for the workers directly affected, and hopefully they can be transferred to other factories, but the alternative would be for GM to keep their heads in the sand like they’ve done in the past and let the whole company take a shit.

Still sucks for the workers and the families. My old man went through a couple factory closures when I was many years younger and it was not fun at all.    

Shift24 > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 11/27/2018 at 14:13

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Yep very true. And I think we are the only reason the Maxima is still even around

Shift24 > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 15:20

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America   and Oil?

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Shift24 11/27/2018 at 15:51

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Usually the car company gets a marketing mandate to bring a model name, say, “Blazer” back because nostalgia, etc.

Product planners are tasked with sticking the nameplate onto a car that best represents said nostalgia and best matches the buying power of the owners of that nostalgia. Often times, car tech has progressed so much since the last model bearing that name, that the new “Blazer” is entirely and fundamentally different.

Case in point is the Blazer itself, which had always been truck-based. Now we all understand that buyers really only want the tall- body practicality and don’t care for off-road chops , it makes perfect sense to put that name on a brand new unibody/car-based CUV that people will actually want.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 15:55

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I’d say that Americans still buy cars.  But the kinds of cars that they are buying have changed over the decades--this should not surprise anybody.  Production should shift to the models that are selling well.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 16:33

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It didn’t need to be saved. People aren’t angry that a thrice-resurrected badge is going away- they’re angry that Jobs are going away, especially when the President promised Jobs will stay in America, which is Great A gain, so if the Jobs leave, it’s not Great Again.

For Sweden > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 11/27/2018 at 16:35

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The American unemployment is 4%.  If you have to find a new job, now is a great time to look.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > For Sweden 11/27/2018 at 17:05

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It probably isn’t.

Probably because they a focused on the details rather than recognising their own role in the bigger picture.

GM has pulled back in the RoW (except China) so it’s natural to me for them to do it in their home country as well.