Ways GM Can Improve Its Image

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Bill V

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From the "Late Show with David Letterman"'s weekly online Top 10 contest...



Top Ten Ways General Motors Can Improve Its Image



10. Make cars lighter so they're easier to push when they break down

9. Replace windshield wiper fluid with delicious Gatorade

8. Change its name to Toyota

7. Create new V8 engine that actually runs on V8

6. Instead of Oldsmobiles, build Batmobiles!

5. Start making cars that exhaust only the rich and bold flavors of McCafe

4. Graciously accept demotion to "Colonel Motors"

3. Run over Bernie Madoff with a Hummer

2. Get a 10pm time slot

1. Land a Cadillac in the Hudson
 
8. Change its name to Toyota
Click to expand...



Interesting tidbit of information. GM and Toyota have had a long running relationship. Many GM cars were rebadged Toyota's and Toyota has used some GM technology. GM and Toyota even share a production facility.





Tom
 
I fellow I know had a nice Toyota Tundra and when he found out it had virtually a GM engine, he traded for a F250! Praises for a new Ford guy! Now we have to get his wife out of a Camry and into a Fusion.
 
GM & Toyota run a joint plant in California. They make Pontiac Vibes and (I think) Corollas there. The Pontiac Vibe & the Toyota Matrix were developed jointly and are nearly identical, though the Matrix is built in Ontario.



 
My rental car while in Atlanta this week is a Toyota Yaris. Yuck. What a POS. This whole "middle of the dash instrumentation" (no doubt a design measure to make moving the wheel to the left or the right for different countries much less costly) takes a lot to get used to, and the car just feels cheap, cheap, cheap...and not safe.



TJR
 
This whole "middle of the dash instrumentation" (no doubt a design measure to make moving the wheel to the left or the right for different countries much less costly) takes a lot to get used to,
Click to expand...



I have a friend with a Saturn Ion. It also has the center instrument cluster. He said that once you get used to it, it is much more comfortable to use. He loves it.





Tom
 
I rode shotgun in a Yaris and almost cried. I just couldn't imagine driving it, but I think a good small car could be designed if people stopped trying to make it cutesy or trendy. Just build a good small car.
 
I have a friend with a Saturn Ion. It also has the center instrument cluster. He said that once you get used to it, it is much more comfortable to use. He loves it.





Tom
Click to expand...

I dunno--A center console, in plain view of all passengers, would only encourage my 7-year-old daughter to nag the driver every time they went two tenth of a mile over the speed limit, or had the fuel tank under 1/3 full... :D
 
The Nissan Quest had that center intrument thing too. We had one in my company fleet. I hated it.
 
my scion xb has center cluster instruments. at first a lil' hard to get used to but now no problem.



tjr,

the yaris is a "bargin" vehicle for those that want to spend 10-12K with proven toyota reliability. a pos ? that is your opinion ;)

check out the interior of some chevy's, now that is the definition of cheap.
 
Gary S,



Yep...it's a matter of opinion. I looked at the Yaris, the Aveo and the Focus when purchasing a new '07 econobox. I drove the Aveo and the Focus. I bought the Focus. I never considered the Yaris because if memory serves it was quite a bit more expensive equipped with power windows, mirrors, A/C (my only desired options), than the other two, and if memory serves it was "first model year".



Now, having driven one (a Yaris) for a week, I'm glad I went with the cheap Focus. Of the three, the Yaris gets the lowest rating, or highest on the POS meter.



Yes, that IS my opinion.



TJR
 
I dunno--A center console, in plain view of all passengers, would only encourage my 7-year-old daughter to nag the driver every time they went two tenth of a mile over the speed limit, or had the fuel tank under 1/3 full..
Click to expand...



When I rode in that Ion, the passenger could not see the speed or anything going on.





Tom
 
Tom, just to be clear--as a 7-year-old, the passenger I'm referring to sits in the center of the back seat. Which I suspect would have a supberb view of the console in that configuration.
 
Bill V,



The sky is gray today in Atlanta! Just thought I would say that because that would open the door for folks here to chime in and say:



"No it isn't. I've been to Georgia. The sky was blue. You must be wrong!"



;)



TJR
 
My late wife had a Saturn Ion with the instruments in the center console and. It seemed strange at first but is easy to get use to.. It does eliminate the need to adjust the steering wheel to see the instruments, which is common in most cars/trucks. Also, the instruments are placed in the same horizontal plane as the side view mirrors, so it makes it easy to scan your instruments and both mirrors in one sweeping motion..



As for Chevrolet and Toyota collaborating on vehicles, when they first started they worked on the Geo Prizm, and the Japanese wanted to combined the company names and call the car a "Toylet". Obviously they did not know what that word translated to in English..LOL



...Rich
 
tjr,



when you refer to the yaris as a pos is it because it broke down, interior parts fall off, items malfunctioning ?

not sure of your definition in this case
 

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