GM's
hybrid vehicles: The wrong start?
Thursday,
August 30, 2007
Large
SUVs will become GM's first hybrids
When the first full hybrid
vehicles from GM hit the streets this Fall, they will
come in the form of full size SUVs. And, why should anyone
be surprised that GM would start with large SUVs, such as
the Yukon
hybrid or the Tahoe
hybrid?
If large trucks are GM's bread, then large SUVs are GM's
butter.
Of course, GM's bread and butter isn't as tasty to
consumers as it was a decade ago. Sure, more fuel
efficient hybrid versions of these gas-guzzlers might help
stem the public's growing disinterest in such vehicles,
but will they provide any new marketshare?
For GM critics and discontents, a Tahoe hybrid simply
indicates that GM really hasn't changed - that GM hasn't
grasped the reality that large SUVs and trucks might be
nearing their death roll. Even if large SUVs survive
today's foreign oil dependency and global warming
turbulence, large hybrid SUVs are almost certainly not
going to increase marketshare for GM.
On the other hand, what might have surprised GM critics,
would have been a Prius
fighter, or at least a Toyota
Camry hybrid contender. And, no, the Chevy
Volt doesn't count - what might happen in 2010 is of
little importance today.
For years GM has maintained that the public's perception
of GM doesn't match up with the reality of GM. GM has
changed. Products are safer and more reliable than they
have ever been according to not just GM, but to customer
satisfaction studies.
Fine, but is that the perception of GM that really
matters, or is there something else, something bigger?
While large hybrid SUVs might be a step in the right
direction, GM discontents see them as just more evidence
that GM just can't embrace change, let alone lead change.
Moreover, critics wonder, Is GM afraid of the Prius? Is
GM, again, simply handing over another segment to a
Japanese automaker in favor of large SUVs and trucks?
Sadly, GM's hybrids will do nothing to change those
perceptions. Unfortunately, changing those perceptions
might be the best path to increased marketshare.
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