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Posts By: Robert Farago
Ever since ForbesAutos.com disappeared down the media rat hole, the autoblogosphere has been more or less listless. Into this breach (dear Horatio) strides everyone’s favorite misnamed bi-weekly motor mag. AutoWeek presents their “best rides for campus cruising.” Which is, of course, the headline writer’s “inventive” take on a top ten list of entirely sensible cars that Mom and Dad should purchase on behalf of their education (i.e. party) seeking progeny. Well, it’s not really a “top ten” list per se—’cause that would mean AW would have to rate the cars in some sort of order, which would risk pissing off the people paying the bills. So here are their random choices for aspiring didacts.
As Old GM’s satellite divisions fly out of orbit, sending the company’s “world car” development plans spinning off into chaos, GM NA is trying to defy gravity with a new, limited product portfolio. Or something like that. Bottom line: Buick is planning to sell the rejigged Opel Insignia—formerly destined to replace the Saturn Aura—as the new Buick Regal. Automotive News [AN, sub] wants readers to clock the fact that the new Regal will slot below the new LaCrosse—because otherwise they might not wonder . . .
A TTAC Commentator emailed this about the what did she mean debate re: GM’s proposed inventory levels for the new Buick LaCrosse.:
Just an FYI, but the execs at Chrysler always looked at the dealer stock and total stock separately. Although the cause of this was as you pointed out – due to the sales bank where cars were being parked in overflow lot. The situation got so bad in 2008 that Chrysler had to track “unaccounted for and parked somewhere random” stock separately… but that’s a separate story. Hopefully New GM will never go the route of building thousands of unallocated cars (but I’m sure they’ll find a way). The two metrics were required because the various operating groups could be measured against the gap between dealer/total stock or the efficiency of the dealer stock. It just depended on what was being measured.
Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Buick jeffe Susan Docherty promised to “restrict” supplies of the new LaCrosse to a 75 to 90-day inventory. As we pointed out in our blog, that’s 15 to 30 days above the industry ideal. We also highlighted the lunacy of Docherty’s comparison to the slow-selling Acura TL. As PFC Pyle used to say, surprise, suprise, surprise! Docherty’s spinning and backpedalling furiously. What’s worse: Autoblog has appointed itself apologist-in-chief. Make the jump to span the “plausibility gap.”
Our good friends at Wooden Horse (a magazine writers’ website) tell us that Lexus is launching a lifestyle magazine called . . . Lexus. Below is the official description of the new buff book. Knowing TTAC’s Best and Brightest as I do, I’m sure you can provide Lexus’ editors with a more appropriate list of departments and articles to entertain and amuse [both of] the marque’s non-narcoleptic owners/enthusiasts.
It is a loyalty and brand-building publication and is mailed for free to anyone who owns or leases a Lexus vehicle. The editorial covers lifestyle, the arts, fine dining and travel, as well as vehicle reviews and test drives of the newest Lexus models. Departments include:
Lexus News – The latest on Lexus’s products, services, owner benefits, and partnerships.
Lexus Sense – Information on timely products and events that will help Lexus owners indulge their senses.
Spotlight – A feature profile on Lexus owners.
LEXicon Culture Pages – A magazine-within-the-magazine dedicated to categories of interest to readers, including Travel, Active Pursuits, Design, Products for Good Living, Cuisine and Philanthropy.
Sensibility – A back-page essay highlighting a notable innovator.
Steve Rattner recently surrendered his position as the head of The Presidential Task Force on Automobiles (PTFOA). Seems Steve-a-rino must attend to a little mess down in The Empire State. More specifically, NY AG Andrew Cuomo suspects that Rattner’s Quadrangle Group paid a $1.1 million bribe to political consultant Hank Morris to secure megabucks from the New York Pension Board. The Treasury Department immediately spun Rattner’s resignation as a normal part of the PTFOA’s new role as Chrysler and GM’s more silent partner: “Steve’s decision to leave is the first step in a planned scaledown of the task force and there will of course be more departures in the future. It was always part of the plan to downsize once Chrysler and GM emerged from bankruptcy.” So how many other bureaucrats on the [now] 24-member PTFOA have left government employ? None. Meanwhile . . .
I’ve been monitoring the Association of British Drivers (ABD) for some time. I’ve refrained from reporting on their longstanding assault of the UK’s transportation policies, based (as it so often is) on their deep skepticism about anthropogenic global warming (AGW). TTAC’s Best and Brightest tend to get a bit “enervated” about AGW, and I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire (and thus raise global temperatures). But WTH. We haven’t had a good punch-up on this topic in some time. So I’m letting loose the dogs of war. On yer bikes, boys!
The imposition of more taxes and restrictions is the real agenda behind computer modelled climate alarmism via the unjustified demonization of CO2.
What is Susan Docherty smoking? At the unveiling of the new Buick LaCrosse, the VP of Buick, Pontiac and GMC (which one of these things is not like the other) told Bloomberg that GM aims to keep a “75-day to 90-day” supply of the model on dealer lots. A 60-day supply is considered ideal. But, apparently, a 15 to 30-day overage would be OK, ’cause the supply would be “consistent with similar premium models such as Honda Motor Co.’s Acura TL.” And there we were thinking the LaCrosse was aimed at something in the Lexus portfolio (48-day supply). Docherty’s comparison to the Acura TL is, shall we say, invidious. The TL is a dog, with a 100-day supply on the ground. Also worth noting: Acura dealers have a 62-day supply of RLs and a 32-day supply of the TSX. And if you figure-in Acura’s SUVs, the wayward Honda brand’s total dealer inventory represents a 58-day supply.
New GM starts . . . when, exactly? [Thanks to TTAC Fan for the link. Blog post courtesy camaro5.com]
Can we get a master list going of all the things people found wrong with the car that QA missed? Let’s keep the list down to just the facts. One of the more common issues found is loose bolts that hold back some type of fluid (ex: oil). I’ll try and go through the posts and edit this post adding everyone’s item making a master list people can print out to take with them and have checked out before they take the ride home. Should help everyone and I hope everyone can chime in here. Especially those that have their ride already and experience problems. Also, pls correct me if I have any mistakes in the list. Thanks.
Also note: This list is mainly a checklist for things wrong that a dealer can immediately fix. A broke transmission or bad driveshaft from dropping the hammer on this beast is something that they won’t know until it actually happens. Thank you for submitting all your issues.
Buickman writes:
Well, we called it . . . new incentive sheets this morning, and already they are being corrected because GM’s own website verification software is wrong.
Check out this email from GM to dealers . . .
“Please be advised that the new Employee Bonus Cash was NOT intended to be compatible with the outboarded APR’s. We are now in the process of getting this corrected to make it not compatible with outboarded APR. Please advise that currently VIN Lookup shows that the two are compatible, however they are in fact not. A formal communication is forthcoming, but wanted to pass this along as I’ve already had a few inquiries.”
Imagine you called a customer when the sheets came out; by the time they arrived at the store, you had to explain that the deal wasn’t available.
Hitting 50 was tough. I’ve reached the point in my life where I no longer ask “Is That All There Is?” I now ask, “Why did I eat that bowl of mocha chip?” I’ve entered the phase Passage’s author/plagiarist Gail Sheehy calls “Refreshed (or Resigned).” Paint me parenthetical. Recently, I’ve been wondering if I should resign myself to the fact that the car industry is full of liars, weasels, cheats and sons of bitches. And lighten-up. See the good in the people and products which make pistonheads purr. And then my daughter refused to go to bed; she trashed her room like a coke-fueled 70’s rock band. “I have anger issues,” Lola said, when she finally ran out of steam. “That’s OK,” I assured her. “It runs in the family.” So here are five things I hate about the August issue of Car and Driver.
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