ABC News reports that “General Motors Co. said Tuesday the rollout of its new 2010 Buick LaCrosse is being delayed for a few weeks due to quality concerns. Speaking to analysts and reporters during a conference call on August sales, GM’s vice president of U.S. sales Mark LaNeve said about 300 to 400 of the cars were shipped in August, but further deliveries are on hold until the company works out what it called ‘quality issues.'” RF just got off the phone with Buick Communications Manager Michelle Bunker, who categorically denied her boss’s assertion. “I don’t know what Mr. LaNeve said,” Bunker admitted. “But we’re shipping cars to dealers every day.” Well, we know what he said . . .
“(It’s) probably not the end of the world because we need to build awareness around having this new LaCrosse,” LaNeve told the telephonically assembled throngs.
Awareness? Multiple quality issues is not the thing to be building “awareness” around. Still, LaNeve insisted the production setbacks “were not serious but were enough to delay us three or four weeks while we made sure they were fixed so that our customers didn’t have any problems.”
Bunker was slightly more forthcoming about the exact quality issues involved. “They surround fit and finish. For example, where the headliner meets the sunroof. There’s no room for error.” Bunker says that the LaCrosse production problems—I mean “issues”—are proof that GM’s committed to getting it right. And it’s no biggie, really.
“LaCrosse production isn’t ramping-up as fast as we would have liked. But we will be going to full production on September 14 as planned.”
Good luck with that.
Well, I could comment about the similarities between a Government owned motor company executive and policitian with the old joke about how do you know when a politician is lying? When his/her lips are moving.
Seems like new GM has it down pat already.
This is what happens when you outsource engineering and design. Like the Boeing 787 debacle there is little communication between the various engineering departments.
I wager this LaCrosse will not even come close to the sales of the previous LaCrosse.
Not sure LaNeve knows what day of the week it is.
Proof that absolutely nothing has changed. So much for carry over of the new administrations policy of transparency.
I just called my local Buick dealer. He claims the Lacrosse CXS and otherws will be there tommorrow or monday.
Fortunately LaNeve doesn’t build the cars. But it sounds like the people that do build them know what is happening and are determined to do the right thing. Build quality vehicles regardless of the “time table”. That was not always the case in the past, I am sure.
Sounds like a good thing to me.
Please don’t call people liars unless you have the facts, you know, the truth.
No there is a change, rather than continue with the there’s nothing to see here routine, once it became clear that it was alittle more than nothing to see, they admitted it, rather than just giving out defective cars and acting like they have no clue whats gone wrong, they pulled back the roll-out. I think GM’s history is just as amusing as the next, but they have handled this differently.
Anyone want to place bets on how long Michelle Bunker will be around, now that’s she’s shown up one of the Masters of the Universe?
Has anyone ever been in a Lucerne with a sunroof? Every single one I’ve been in (quite a few, I work for Hertz) has had detaching headliner around the sunroof. We aren’t talking 40,000 rental miles, either – many of these had less than 5,000 miles and the double-sided tape holding up the middle of the headliner was simply failing in 60 degree weather. Every single one. Over three model years.
psarhjinian:
“Anyone want to place bets on how long Michelle Bunker will be around, now that’s she’s shown up one of the Masters of the Universe?”
If GM’s corporate culture (and corporate culture in general) have taught us anything, my bet says not long. She should at least be expecting a heated phone call from one of LaNeve’s underlings in the next day or so. Possibly to be followed-up by a “calling to the carpet” in front of Marky Mark himself.
I do like the honesty she displayed, however. She talked about the “issues” with sincerity, but cut through the corporate BS factor– which is really a huge thing to achieve, when you’re talking GM.
My buddy – who doesn’t read this site – just asked me if I want to come with him on Saturday – he has an appointment for a test drive in a Lacrosse CXS.
So, there’s at least one at a dealership here in Dallas….
And I’m glad that GM is taking this launch seriously. This is the first indication that I’ve seen that things aren’t ‘business as usual’…
That’s the most important thing they can do right now.. show that they’re sweating the small stuff.
Who would have thought that cars would be so hard to build right? Maybe GM should throw in the towel and build port-a-potties or something.
The perception gap is still there. There’s GM thinking they can build a quality car. And then there’s reality. Big gap in between.
What’s the saying? – “close enough for government work”
Tough spot to be in if you are GM. Either admit to quality troubles and face derision or try to conceal the fact and be mocked if it ever comes to light. Delaying shipments to address quality concerns is probably the right thing to do, but they should at least be singing off the same song sheet.
as long as I’ve been paying attention (at least 15 years); GM has never rolled out a new or significantly re-engineered model at once and quickly, in the manner that everyone else does. They always do a slow rollout, which shows that they don’t get all their ducks in a row prior to rollout like Toyota, Honda, Ford, etc. do.
I bet this new LaCrosse won’t be easily available for months, and GM will claim in their PR that “supplies are tight” and they’re “selling out”, but it’s not because of demand
@KalapanaBlack
Headliner detachment (especially around the sunroof) is a common issue in many GM cars (you can find TSBs galore for it for many GM models). The official solution (at least for the 4 that I read) was to properly clean the surface area where the adhesive had failed and reinstall new hook and loop fasteners.
(Because the adhesive on those will be…better?)
Yeah – that’s quality…
as long as I’ve been paying attention (at least 15 years); GM has never rolled out a new or significantly re-engineered model at once and quickly, in the manner that everyone else does. They always do a slow rollout, which shows that they don’t get all their ducks in a row prior to rollout like Toyota, Honda, Ford, etc. do.
Pleeze – Getting your ducks in a row would imply that there is never any need for recalls. ALL car manufacturers have recalls. FWIW I’ve never purchased a GM car (except for a used ’56 Chevy back in the old days), so no ax to grind here.
Like many others, this news holds no relevance to me. Never will touch another GM product again.
highrpm :
Who would have thought that cars would be so hard to build right? Maybe GM should throw in the towel and build port-a-potties or something.
I don’t know what you do for a living, but it is damn difficult to build something as complex as a car correctly over and over, thousands of times.
What you said is an insult to all car manufacturers, not just GM.
So what does GM plan to do with the 300-400 they already shipped? Are they going to bring them back? Are they going to hope the dealers can make the repairs for them?
yankinwaoz
GM says its shipped three thousand LaCrosses so far. I asked Ms. Bunker if the vehicles already sent to dealers had any of these quality issues. “No,” was the official reply.
The dealer near me (north of Chicago) has three in stock.
It does appear that GM has actually admitted quality problems. That IS a change.
But it’s also not a surprising statement to make, because the words “GM” and “quality problems” often appear in the same sentence or paragraph.
I hope they fix it. But I’m still firmly in the “Never Again” catagory.
highrpm: “Who would have thought that cars would be so hard to build right?”
Juniper: “… it is damn difficult to build something as complex as a car correctly over and over, thousands of times.”
Give GM a break. It takes time to get the hang of things, and GM has only been in existence a few months.
Well, if you don’t count the years 1908-2008.
rumor I heard is that while someone works under the hood if someone else opens the door…BINGO trouble codes galore. the body architecture has flaws in the electrical components, ie the PCM and BCM not communicating.
hmmmm…
it is a hot car, hope they get it right soon. do agree it’s better to hold ’em than ship ’em. even better would be to tell The Truth About Cars.
like the ad, no price, payment, rebate or interest rate. has style.
Just don’t worry about Ms Bunker’s job security. This is GM: she WILL be assimilated. The car’s problems with assembly pale in comparison to that car in the surf. I wonder if they towed it out of the sand before the tide came in? If so, I hope the guy who thought of putting it IN the surf gets the car as payment – with a voided warranty and/or salvage title.