Re: GM does things right, thinking outside the SUV
Hate to revive an old thread, but I feel like I can add a little bit of perspective and maybe even some clarity here.
Opel Cars: Opel brand in Europe is sort of a middle of the road brand. The cars are well designed structurally and kind of middle of the road wrt design, as compared to say Audi and Volkswagen.
Why doesn't GM just bring 'em over here?: Cost is definitely a factor. German labor is even more expensive than US labor. Pretty much the same with material cost. Then, of course, you'd have to pay to ship them. Finally, since European crash standards and US crash standards are different, and European emissions standards and US emissions standards are different, you wind up having to either modify the European market car to meet US standards or from the outset design the vehicle to have variants that apply to both markets. Sometimes these modifications can have an impact on the character and dynamics of the vehicle. The Cadillac Catera felt different to drive than the Opel Omega upon which it was based.
When you are as large as GM or Volkswagen, you tend to manufacture in or pretty close to the region where you sell. Both GM and Volkswagen build US market cars in the US, China market cars in China, Mexico market cars in Mexico, etc, etc. Smaller manufacturers like BMW tend to develop variations of the same vehicle for each target market, build them all at the same facility and ship them wherever they sell them. BMW does have plants in the US to make SUVs and their 2 seat convertible, but they still import their most popular 3 & 5 series cars from Europe.
The evolving approach in the auto industry is to develop "global architectures" that can share the same basic underpinnings, but be tailored to specific regional requirements. Going forward, Opels designed for Germany and Saturns designed for North America will have the same basic structures, but have powertrains, crash characteristics, and emissions capabilities tailored to their specific regions.
Peace,
Martin
I am NOT the official voice of GM with respect to Hybrid issues
I am NOT the official voice of GM with respect to Hybrid issues
I am NOT the official voice of GM with respect to Hybrid issues
Last edited by martinjlm; 02-07-2006 at 03:20 PM.
Reason: ficksed mah spelin
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