GM offering Toyota test drives

[WRXtranceformed]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If you want to test drive a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, starting next month you'll be able to do it at a Saturn dealership. General Motors is asking Saturn dealers to have one or more of the competing models in the showroom so customers can look at it, sit in it and drive it.

Of course, Saturn dealers can't sell you an Accord or Camry. But they hope that, when you see a Toyota or Honda sedan next to the Saturn Aura, you'll decide to buy the Aura.

"In that side-by-side comparison, we come out really well," said Mark LaNeve, head of North American sales and marketing for General Motors.

Later this year, Chevrolet dealers will be doing the same thing as they introduce customers to the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu, which shares its engineering platform with the Aura.

In focus group research, GM has shown potential customers new GM models next to competing vehicles with all brand identifications removed and, said LaNeve, customers have reacted well to the GM products.

CNNMoney.com: 10 great first cars

Another advantage for GM dealers in having competing products on site is that customers may not need to set foot in a competing dealership before making a purchase decision.

"I think we can stand up to the comparison," said Wade Hoyt, a Toyota spokesman.

Auto salespeople always research the competition, he said, and prepare advantageous comparisons to offer customers considering another product.

"They talk down the competition all the time," said Hoyt, "so this is just taking it one step further"

According to industry newspaper Automotive News, sales for the Saturn Aura, which was voted Car of the Year by automotive journalists in January, 2007, have been disappointing for GM. So far this year, about 18,000 Auras have been sold, according to Autodata, a company that tracks car sales.

Part of the reason GM is willing to take this step, said LaNeve, is because the company has little to lose. Midsized sedan shoppers often don't even consider GM products, he said, instead going straight to Honda and Toyota dealers.

The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are now the two best-selling cars in America.

"Over the course of a few years that became the default choice," said LaNeve.

GM has sold about 48,400 of the current version of the Malibu so far this year. Meanwhile, Toyota has sold about 145,000 Camrys.

GM wouldn't even consider doing something like this with its SUVs, said LaNeve. GM currently holds about a 70 percent market share in large SUVs, so there would be little to gain from bringing Toyota Sequoias into Chevrolet dealerships to compare to the Tahoe.

I think it is a sound idea in theory, but only if Toyota's cars actually sucked. There's a good chance GM could shoot itself in the foot with tactics like these. The only way I can see this being a good idea is if they line up a bottom-of-the-line Camry or Accord with hubcaps next to a pimped out Aura. Even then, any buyer with half a brain would realize the comparison isn't fair.

Hey GM, CAMRYS AND ACCORDS ARE NICE FUCKIN CARS. Saturn already has quite the stigma about it, the Aura itself should be hyped up on paper vs those cars, not in person.

[CaptainHenreh]

Hey GM, CAMRYS AND ACCORDS ARE NICE FUCKIN CARS. Saturn already has quite the stigma about it, the Aura itself should be hyped up on paper vs those cars, not in person.

Have you been in an Aura? It's a very nice car, and it stacks up well in person AND on paper.

The Aura GreenLine is the most inexpensive hybrid you can buy...period. GM Would not make this move if they weren't sure that the Aura was a better car.

Newsflash: Not everything the General makes is a flaming pile of dogshit.

[WRXtranceformed]

Everyone thinks their own product is the greatest thing since sliced bread (oh right, except for the Ford CEO who claimed at one point that Toyota made a better product). The Aura won what, North American Car of the Year or something? However the Camry and Accord both have a history of strong sales backed by a tradition of good value and good reliability. The newer versions of both *I think* look nice, whereas the exterior of the Aura is bland.

Maybe I'll have to stop by a Saturn dealership and test drive all 3 to find out for myself though :lol:

[Andy]

Conversely, the Camry, IMO, sucks big donkeyballs but its super reliable and can be driven until global warming kills us all.

[Goodspeed]

Sounds like a desperation move. No matter what sales trick they pull, they can't refute the higher resale values/long term reliability figures of the very cars they are trying to demean.

And even if GM "knows" their product is better, that doesn't mean a thing if the buying public thinks otherwise, and with all the negative attention GM has been getting lately, they are thinking otherwise.

[WRXtranceformed]

Sounds like a desperation move.

That was my first thought when I read the article. By openly pointing out who your competitors are, in this case you're probably reinforcing that rivalry to the customer and making them wonder why they walked into a Saturn dealership when everyone else buys Camrys and Accords.

I wouldn't put it past some salespeople to air down one tire of the Toyota/Honda test drive cars, mess with the suspension, purposely put the car into a limp mode to deceive customers either.

[CaptainHenreh]

Sounds like a desperation move.

That was my first thought when I read the article. By openly pointing out who your competitors are, in this case you're probably reinforcing that rivalry to the customer and making them wonder why they walked into a Saturn dealership when everyone else buys Camrys and Accords.

I don't understand this logic. It's no secret who GM is gunning for....and most places do similarly with their online "comparison" tools.

Maybe I just don't see this as a big deal. To me, this shows faith in their product, not the opposite.

[HAULN-SS]

I read about this a while back. I am pretty sure that they arent going to tamper with the other cars. It's just like any other advertisement..if a car is voted car of the year, and still isnt selling..why not show people exactly why, right there, it's a better car. It's not like GM voted it car of the year.

[WRXtranceformed]

Toyota / Honda doesn't need to provide test drives of their competitor's cars to prove why their cars are more popular, reliable, and their resale value is so high. All they'd really have to do is post up a chart like this:



What's Saturn going to say, "oh don't worry, we've redesigned yet another series of cars....we promise this batch will be more reliable!"

[CaptainHenreh]

Toyota / Honda doesn't need to provide test drives of their competitor's cars to prove why their cars are more popular, reliable, and their resale value is so high. All they'd really have to do is post up a chart like this:

What, that old toyotas, hondas, lexuses etc are reliable? We all know that.

But for God's sake, Oldsmobile is on that chart! Mercury is number two! Buick and Cadillac are above Honda and Toyota? So what's Honda gonna say with this chart: "You're better off buying a LeSabre?"

No, that's not what they're going to hand to customers.

[white_2kgt]

Mercury is number two! Buick and Cadillac are above Honda and Toyota?

That's b/c nothing but old people buy those cars and put like 100miles/yr on them going to bingo, hell the tire dry root before they wear out.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Lol thats exactly right, my grandma swears by buick. Has a 1998 Buick Lesabre that has never had but one small little glitch with the remote. But it has.....24k miles on it....and its a 9 year old vehicle. LOL what can you expect?

[HAULN-SS]

I've owned i think 4 GM vehicles, and I've never had a major problem with any of them, and they all had over 100k miles, up to 180k miles and I never had to do anything to any of them, other than pretty minor stuff except for one time, and that was replacing a transmission at 168k miles. I don't really know what more you can expect out of a car.

[WRXtranceformed]

What, that old toyotas, hondas, lexuses etc are reliable? We all know that.

But for God's sake, Oldsmobile is on that chart! Mercury is number two! Buick and Cadillac are above Honda and Toyota? So what's Honda gonna say with this chart: "You're better off buying a LeSabre?"

No, that's not what they're going to hand to customers.

Of course not Rex. It's all marketing rhetoric though. The company I work for has consistently ranked somewhere within JD Power's top 5 for new home builders for a number of years. If a client comes in to my office and tells me that they want someone to build their home with a reputation for customer service and satisfaction, and they're considering another homebuilder (like Toll Brothers) who consistently ranks among the last in JDP, I will point that out to them every time. This has happened a number of times in actuality.

Now, you're right that I can't physically display any JD Power results unless our company is #1, but you can bet I'll mention it if it gives us an edge over another company. If the client is looking at a builder who ranks higher than us, there's no need to bring it up, but if they do... they're still considering two builders in the top 5 for customer service (which is a little skewed anyway, because two of the top builders on the current list are tiny custom builders and / or condo builders, which are completely different markets).

Trust me, I have gone undercover and have used pictures of other builders' products in finished state and under construction to show our clients why our homes are superior to some builders. That's ONLY when I know that their product is inferior. In Honda / Toyota's case, they both have products which year after year are among the most popular and reliable cars in the country. That's like stacking Merriwether up next to a young, up and coming boxing star and being like "Look how much better Little Mac is!" (+ points if you get that reference)

[CaptainHenreh]

Sorry, I'm just not sure of your point.

You say yourself you'd get pictures of a competitor's house if you knew yours was better.

If GM really has faith in their product, this is a fine move. It's like Progressive's commercials where they're all like "We'll get you the lowest rate, even if it's not with us."

[Mike]

"Look how much better Little Mac is!" (+ points if you get that reference)

no + points... too easy.

[JackoliciousLegs]

I think if those saturns drive anything like the entire chevy or pontiac line that I've driven when traveling, i'll stay the hell away. Those things drive so nasty. That Malibu was ok, I guess. But I still like the way a new accord drives over all of them.

[WRXtranceformed]

My point is: faith is all well and good, but you have to have the numbers to back it up. If your company has a history of making cars that aren't ranked high in reliability surveys, don't have the best resale value, and just generally aren't well liked, I think you need to fix those problems first and convince the buyer otherwise. I personally don't think that bashing two of your competitor's products that are parts of their financial bread and butter and that have traditionally been kicking your ass in sales is the best way to prove that. Build the credibility first with a marketing campaign based on those things your company needs to fix, fix those things and then bash your competitors when you've got the numbers to back up why your product is better. I guess that's where we can agree to disagree... I just think that's too aggressive of a comeback plan.

[HAULN-SS]

I dont think they're bashing them are they? They're just saying: Look at our car, and walk 7 feet over, and look at their car...compare what's offered, and in the event you're pretty convinced, save a trip across town to go look at the others.

[CaptainHenreh]

I dont think they're bashing them are they? They're just saying: Look at our car, and walk 7 feet over, and look at their car...compare what's offered, and in the event you're pretty convinced, save a trip across town to go look at the others.

See, that's how I see it.

Saturn, to me, is saying "Here's our Saturn Aura. We think it's so good (and many consumer reports agree) that we're willing to bet you'll like it better than the Accord or Camry...which you can see right over there."

In your words, they've "Fixed what was broken" and are trying to remove the public opinion that saturns are somehow a piece of crap, though I've never really heard that people hated Saturns. The Aura is a critical car for GM. It's their first mainline "hybrid" sedan, (a really nifty hybrid system) and it's really the first Saturn they've had that might actually make Saturn turn a profit. It's too critical of a game to lose by being "lost" in the shuffle. Many people buy a Camry or Accord just because they're Toyota and Hondas. There's nothing wrong with that, but if GM can break the assumption that a Japanese car is better by default, they might actually retake a portion of the midsize sedan market.

Edit: Some of you may be confused by my GM apologetics. Allow me to explain myself. I do not want to see the Big Three go the way of the dinosaur. It would be...disappointing. But neither do I want them to get by on old ladies buying Crown Vics or by some government prop-up. This is how I want them to survive, by creating solid products that people want to buy. Some of GM's recent new cars seem to be a step in that direction, and I want to encourage this behavior.