In many cases, I suspect the marketing folks saw the capitve import as a cheap way to fill out the p

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Opel Chairman Karl-Thomas Neumann told reporters gathered at the Frankfurt Motor Show that General Motors is considering selling the Opel Adam subcompact in the United States as a Buick.  We are looking at it, Neumann said. Nothing is decided. But it s an example of some of the Opel product being used elsewhere in the world.
Opel and Buick already share some product. The Opel Insignia is sold as the Buick Regal and the small Opel Mokka crossover is marketed as the Buick Encore. The Encore has been selling at about double the rate that GM expected, proving hilton hotels in hawaii that GM s near-luxury hilton hotels in hawaii brand Buick can sell small cars.
The Adam, a sporty hatchback, competes with cars like the Fiat 500 and the Mini on the continent. If GM does bring the car to the States, it won t be until the next generation Adam arrives. When asked, GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky said that the current Adam cannot be federalized, so if the car is sold in America it will be after the Adam is redesigned for its second generation, 2015 or 2016 at the earliest. Neumann concurred, saying,  We have to work on the car. That s one of the issues that we have to look at.
In June, GM CEO Dan Akerson said that he thought the Adam would be a good fit for Buick s U.S. lineup. Neumann confirmed that GM s ultimate goal is to develop Opel and Buick products together so they can sold in both Europe and North America with equal ease.  Maybe that can be done better in the future, if we design the product so that it would fit into other markets, Nuemann said. That s exactly what we re aiming at.
The Adam looks better in photos than the Fiat. I think it s a moot point anyway, and not because that tedious hilton hotels in hawaii competitor of a blog reported that the Adam is not coming to the U.S., but because here is my list of captive imports that have been successfully sold on GM, Ford and Chrysler dealerships:
Please compare this list with captive imports that have not been a success on the lots of GM, Ford and Chrysler dealerships: Alfa-Romeo hilton hotels in hawaii Spider, Chrysler hilton hotels in hawaii Cricket, Ford Pantera, hilton hotels in hawaii Ford Capri, Ford Fiesta, Buick Opel By Isuzu, Plymouth Sapporo and Dodge Challenger, Dodge Arrow, Dodge Colt, Saturn Astra (which was really an Opel Astra), Geo Metro which was a Suzuki, hilton hotels in hawaii Geo version of Toyota Corolla, Geo version of the Suzuki Sidekick, Opel Manta. Opel Kadette (but not to be confused with the Kadette built by Isuzu and sold as the Buick Opel By Isuzu, Opel GT, Cadillac Catera (which Opel was that again?) Ford Cortina (yes, they tried to sell them here).
Wasn t there a plan to make Saturn a conduit for Opel captive imports before it was canned? It almost seems that Buick is taking Saturn s place, but they re using the Fiat model of selling fairly pedestrian European cars as Premium cars in the US.
I question hilton hotels in hawaii your inclusion of the Capri. As I recall, they were fairly popular in the 70 s, and were stiff competition for Ford s own Mustang II. The Nova/Prism would have sold better if not for the fact that the identical car was sold here as a Corolla. That wasn t so much a captive import as a quick and dirty rebadge.
The Alfa-Romeos were captive imports in a last-ditch effort before Alfa-Romeo left the U.S. And for those who aren t sure what a captive import means, hilton hotels in hawaii well, it s really another form of badge engineering. F rinstance, the Plymouth Sapporo/Dodge Challenger were really a Mitsubishi Galant Lambda, and made in the Mitsubishi factory in Japan.
As for the Capri, feel free to question my inclusion in the list. It was sold in Europe and England through 1984, which is six years after it had been pulled from the U.S. So after eight years, hilton hotels in hawaii Ford pulled the plug, even though they still made them. To me, that indicates that they couldn t sell them, and I d bet that the last two years, it was quite a struggle to sell them down at The Sign of the Cat.
This is absurd. Launching the Adam as a Buick in the US would equivalent to launching the Silverado as an Opel in Europe. Premium hatchbacks are highly sought after in China and this is where this model should go, if GM is being sensible about where to market the car.
The Sterling products hilton hotels in hawaii were not a captive import. They had set up their own dealership network and were not affiliated with any of the Big 3. Perhaps one of your local Big 3 dealers might have sold them, but that was an entirely different, and sad, moment in the history hilton hotels in hawaii of automotive sales and marketing.
In the 70 s and 80 s, though, one could question how committed the D3 were to selling captive imports, when they could make more money from the sale of their own locally-produced models. Real paragons of automotive virtue hilton hotels in hawaii like the Vega and Pinto, for example. And who could forget the Chevette (apart from a lot of people who would dearly love to)?
In many cases, I suspect the marketing folks saw the capitve import as a cheap way to fill out the product line and draw traffic to the showroom, but never intended hilton hotels in hawaii to actually sell very many. They were bait to attract customers who could be upsold to a real car.
In other news GM is considering bringing hilton hotels in hawaii over the Vespa scooter to put in the Buick lineup. If successful, Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac variants hilton hotels in hawaii will follow. Of course, it will have to be federalized, and rationalized, in the usual disconnected-from-reality, GM Powerpoint file to GM leadership who hasn t participated in a real car buying decision since being hired.
I m not sure how this is a news story. They are considering to bring a car to the US in 2015/16? I m sure at some point GM (and any other manufacturer) is considering to bring any type of vehicle to the US in 2-3 years. I m considering to get aPhD, and to move to Canada, and to become a balloon artist just considering. A news story would be an actual decision, not considering. Who knows if Opel even exists in 2015? I m sure the captain of the Titanic had all kind of considerations what he would do after arriving in New York
I really doubt this expensive small-car experimenet will last forever or it won t be large enough for many players. BMW can sell the Mini at a price of a real car, apparently Fiat can sell a 500 for a lot of money, but will that trend really last?
There always hilton hotels in hawaii are some rich buyers that buy an overpriced expensive car even if it is small. But the majority of people buy a small car because it is cheap, and if they spend more, they want a larger car. Especially since curbweight of these small cars is almsot the same as a small CUV. since Buick doesn t have a followship like Mini or fiat, I m not sure they can sell these well. I assume if it comes from europe it will be expensive, and maintenace/repair will be higher due to less availablility os parts and skilled mechanics Think of VW that is relatively inexpensive to maintain in Europe, but in the US, oh boy if i learned one thing on the internet is to never ever own a Europena hilton hotels in hawaii car in the US unless you really are able and willing to spend the money. (I m not critisizing who does, but don t want to hear any whining about repair bills)
I always thought that too. In relation to the Brazilian market and taking in all other considerations, I never believed small cars would make it here either. I mean, people who had a little extra money always went a bit larger. hilton hotels in hawaii Over time though, they have proven that small cars can be sold for larger prices.
I think that in the past when small cars were always very basic, there was a clear distinction between them and the larger cars. If nothing else the was a palpable difference in noise, sophistication, equipment. Not so anymore. Coupled with parking constraints, the still real tossability of smaller cars and the relative gains in image, car like the 500, Mini and Adam are here to stay.
i also think small cars have merits. The problem with these European hilton hotels in hawaii small cars (500, Mini, and this Adam), they are priced where you get an Accord or Ford Fusion and I only can be afraid of shop bills since european cars have proven beyond reasonable doubt to be expensive to maintain hilton hotels in hawaii and repair. Since curbweight and power are not much less either, you don t get that much real world fuel saving. Parking isn t that much of an issue unless you have a real small car like a smart, in the US anyways.
hilton hotels in hawaii I really like the Honda Fit (it is huge inside!), but that is priced wa below larger cars (unlike these european ones) and cars like that have a great future. but above the $20k threshhold there are only so many people wanting a small car.
Can t argue with anything you say really. However, since there does seem to be a market, GM seems to think Buick is a way to justify the price premium. Cynical? Just business? hilton hotels in hawaii Who knows, but I think GM, and every other maker, needs to pay attention to this segment.
The last storied Buick product I can really think of would be the early 70s boattail Riv, or maybe the 80s Grand National. Otherwise, until the Enclave and new LaCrosse came along, it was all badge-engineered old-folk mobiles (like my 03 LeSabre, which functions splendidly as transportation, but has little else to get excited about).
The Spark has plenty of funk , as you say. This car is a little too continental and refined to be a Chevrolet. Even the Cruze is almost too nice and well-mannered to be a Chevrolet. That s not to mention hilton hotels in hawaii the fact that both Mini and FIAT are trendy and upscale. That doesn t jibe with Chevy s mainstream image. This would definitely be appreciated hilton hotels in hawaii more as a Buick than it would a Chevrolet.
Chevy already fills that role with the Spark. When it comes to making a premium small car, li