Should we drop the C6 bit?
11-03-2003, 08:36 AM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Should we drop the C6 bit?
Was wondering if we should drop the C6 designation and all the other CX designations? Check out the Chevy/Corvette web sites and you will not see any use of the C5 designation. Closest they come is the C5R for the racecar. Their references are to the 5th generation. As such, I have a feeling that we will not see any official documentation referring to a C6, just 6th generation.
tom...
tom...
11-03-2003, 09:45 AM
#2
Moderator
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
Gary Cowger refers to it as the C6. Therefore it is the C6. Feel free to call it the 2005 Corvette, though, or the sixth generation Corvette, or whatever else makes you happy.
FOR RELEASE: August 7, 2003
Traverse City Management Briefings Prepared Remarks
Gary Cowger, President, General Motors North America
David, I think this conference continues to be an industry highlight each summer, and it is a real pleasure to be here this morning.
When I looked at the conference theme - Faster Than the Speed of Change - a couple of things occurred to me.
First, ... what IS the speed of change?
And how the heck do you go faster than that?
But the funny thing about change is that it can happen very fast or very slow.
At GM, we're moving faster than at any time in our history.
Having said that, we must and will continue to push our business forward faster than our competition.
Too many people working at General Motors today, and hundreds of thousands depending on us for their future, know what can happen if we turn back.
This morning, I'd like to frame our changes this way:
We're leveraging new, exciting products to revitalize our divisional brands and our corporate stature.
The payoff is continued industry leadership.
Now, as you know, Jack Smith retired earlier this year as our chairman. And he deserves all the credit he's received, and then some, for saving General Motors.
Jack got us thinking and acting like one company... he blew up duplicate organizations and central staffs. And he got us to really look at the competition... beyond just the guys in Dearborn and Auburn Hills.
Before that, whatever the "speed of change" was, we definitely weren't keeping up with it.
Quite frankly, a lot of what we were doing for much of the '90s wasn't easily understood on the outside...
And we didn't go out of our way to try to explain it.
Jack's mantra was "Deeds Not Words."
But the changes were enormous. Jack had asked me to begin to centralize the manufacturing groups in the early '90s, and by the time I left the U.S. for my next assignment in Mexico in 1994, we were already starting to realize the tremendous potential.
Safety and quality programs with our unions were taking hold...
We were starting to become more productive...
And the manufacturing lessons we learned from our NUMMI joint venture were finally starting to be understood and applied.
And those lessons became the basis of the GM Global Manufacturing System.
Some of you heard Joe Ponce and Ray Koopman talk about that earlier this week.
GMS is an important tool that has helped lead to our quality and productivity improvements.
Every one of our plants around the world focuses on the same five principles: people involvement, standardization, built-in quality, short lead time and continuous improvement.
And it's amazing what happens when you give people the respect and support they deserve. We saw attitudes change from "can't do" to "can do" ... and then to... "We can do even better than that."
Quality has become a measurable, specific value in everything we do at GM... one to which every employee contributes.
We're dedicated to maintaining good working relationships with our unions. They deserve a lot of credit for the kind of results we're seeing. Such as:
* Eight of the top 12 plants in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey were GM facilities, including the number one and number two finishers... and four of the top five.
* GM was the only domestic automaker to have fewer problems per hundred vehicles after three years than the industry average in Power's recent Vehicle Dependability Study.
* In Consumer Reports, 44 percent of our volume is covered in the 13 "Recommended Buys" on GM products.
Initial quality... reliability and durability... and there's a third type of quality... what we call perceived quality.
That's what customers see and touch in a vehicle.
It often forms a first and lasting impression.
It's about the fits and gaps of the sheet metal panels...
The quality of the interior materials...
The tactile feel of the switches...es...
The alignment of the seams on the seats.
The gloss level, layout and feel of the IP and so on.
You will see this focus on perceived quality continue as we roll out our new products.
(Pause)
In productivity, our gains are just as significant as our quality improvements.
The Harbour Report showed GM had a 7.4 percent improvement this year.
Seven GM vehicles were No. 1 in their segments.
Four assembly plants led their segments.
And four powertrain plants led their segments.
Our suppliers, many of you in this room, have brought innovative ideas to us and worked hard to take costs out of your systems and our system.
And you have significantly contributed to our quality improvements up and down the line. Your spill record has been tremendous over the last three years.
But as good as these results are... we aren't number one in quality and productivity - yet.
I believe the entire team is on the right course.
But our goal is to be No. 1. Period.
Having the right processes is not enough if we're not focused on innovative products and great designs.
And, here again, I think we are.
No other manufacturer today is offering more new product in the market than General Motors.
Fourteen new cars and trucks last year...
Sixteen this year...
Fourteen more in 2004 and similar numbers for the next five years.
Having the right basics, such as our Vehicle Development Process means we need as little as 18 months on some programs from when a design is approved to the time production begins.
Our common launch processes are helping knowledge gained in one launch flow naturally to the next launch.
Acting as one GM means sharing architectures globally. Of course, one prime example of that is our Epsilon architecture.
So far, Epsilon is the basic platform for the new Opel and Vauxhall Vectra in Europe... the Saab 9-3... and the new Chevy Malibu and Malibu MAXX.
You can see the Malibu MAXX on display during this morning's break.
And there will be other entries coming out next year, all much different in character and design... but all from the same global architecture.
This flexible architecture and portfolio change allow us to bring more innovation to our products as well. And General Motors has a long record for innovation:
The first electric starter...
The catalytic converter...
The first air bags...
The Chevy Vega...
Okay, maybe not the Chevy Vega...
...even though it was Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1971.
Seriously, the list goes on and on. And it's growing today.
Innovation is a huge part of what we call "gotta have" products. You just saw a glimpse of the Envoy XUV, which combines an automated rollback roof with the convertible midgate that debuted on the Chevrolet Avalanche.
Innovation inside the vehicle is just as important because people spend so much of their time there.
OnStar, our cellular- and satellite-based safety and security system, is saving lives and helping recover stolen vehicles.
We offer OnStar as factory equipment on 51 models. Fourteen thousand times a month, we're performing remote diagnostics for customers who get a "Check Engine" light... or just have a question about something in their cars.
And, did you know that OnStar:
Handles 25,000 lockouts a month... sending a cellular signal to unlock the doors.
Averages 500 stolen vehicle location requests a month... working with law enforcement to recover many of them.
Then there's XM Satellite Radio:
One hundred and one channels of digital music, news, sports and other programming... many of them without commercials.
XM will be factory installed on more than 40 GM models for 2004.
Later this month, we'll install it on the 500,000th GM vehicvehicle... and over the next six months, we'll double that to a million vehicles.
XM's main competitor will be available on just three 2004 models.
Innovation extends to the major business challenges as well, like fuel economy.
From what I hear and read, it seems no one knows GM is the fuel efficiency leader in trucks.
But it's true.
GM comes out on top in 44 percent of like-model comparisons. The next closest competitor wins 22 percent.
With coming technologies like Displacement on Demand and Parallel Hybrid trucks, the number of head-to-head firsts could grow.
Now, the internal combustion engine will be with us for a long time. But our long-term strategy is fuel cells and a hydrogen-based economy.
Others have their answers - usually based on whatever technology they've sunk their capital investment into.
The Japanese favor hybrids.
The Europeans favor diesels.
Our resources and global reach allow us to agree with all of them. Which is why our approach is a little different.
Basically, we're talking about a giant technological horse race here.
And everyone's hoping their horse is Seabiscuit.
The reason we're pursuing all of these is simple: we want to be in the position to offer the best technology or set of technologies at any given time... and do what makes the most sense for our customers considering the externalities I talked about.
We've done a lot with our processes, our people and our products - even looking 10... 20 years out. And that's allowing us to focus on revitalizing our divisional brands.
This starts with great products and brands - in that order.
And we are blessed, from top to bottom, with a great portfolio of brands.
The top of the GM brand pyramid is Cadillac, which is undergoing a product transformation that has generated a sustained buzz.
Back in 1999, Cadillac started on a course to create a brand renaissance... not to recreate the brand.
The things that had made Cadillac the Standard of the World - bold design, great powertrains and a certain American style - always belonged to the brand.
Cadillac just needed the right products to get going again.
We're putting a lot of money into Cadillac because, well, greatness doesn't come cheap.
Just ask the Detroit Red Wings.
The dedicated rear-wheel-drive Sigma architecture, a focused engineering group and significant financial investments were necessary to keep the plan for Cadillac on track.
Cadillac's sales comeback really began with the Escalade.
Sports and entertainment trendsetters embraced Escalade, but this year 60,000 people who don't catch passes or rap to sold-out arenas for a living are buying them as well.
I think the Cadillac concept cars - from Evoq to the Sixteen - got people to notice Cadillac again... credibility returned a little bit at a time.
In fact, the Sixteen itself is a modern interpretation of one of my favorite cars - the 1932 split-cowl V16 Phaeton.
Each new product is helping restore Cadillac's reputation as the Standard of the World.
The "Breakthrough" image is gaining traction thanks to Led Zeppelin. Many of today's Cadillac buyers identify their yesterdays with Zeppelin...
And Robert Plant had never endorsed an automobile before Cadillac.
All of our brands are getting similar attention, and the products to make them succeed.
I don't have time to go into all of them, but I'd like to spend a few minutes on Chevrolet.
Chevy is a big beneficiary of the productivity and quality gains I talked about.
Beginning in January, Chevy will introduce nine all-new products in 20 months. In the next 12 months alone...
The all-new Malibu... which goes into production next week.
The SSR roadster...
The Colorado midsize pickup...
The Malibu MAXX extended sedan...
The Equinox compact pact SUV...
The all-new Aveo small car.
And shortly after that, the all-new Chevrolet Cobalt small car.
This January in Detroit, we'll reveal the next generation of what has consistently been the most anticipated new car over the last half century.
Of course, I'm talking about the C6 Corvette.
Let me give you just a teasers and details about the C6.
First, it will be more powerful. In baseball terms - and this is a quiz - think about Ted Williams' unmatched feat from 1941: His batting average.
A more athletic stance... longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs... Can't show you that today.
For the first time since 1962... fixed headlamps. Unlike the traditional pop-ups, this will allow the use of modern, high-technology lighting.
You'll notice the Corvette badge is a bit different as well, trimmer and more athletic to match the stance of the car itself.
(Pause)
The heritage of a great brand is one of its greatest assets. And Chevrolet is no exception. Look at the SSR, which is in early production in Lansing even as we speak.
Did you know that one of the early Signature Series SSR production models sold on eBay for $140,000?
Well, the overwhelming success of the SSR got us to thinking about another kind of vehicle... one that even more people could appreciate.
To understand its heritage, you have to go back about 55 years ... to the 1949 Suburban.
That really was the first crossover vehicle, used for hauling people or cargo.
So, we took that Suburban...
And the SSR...
And came up with ... this.
Codename: HHR.
Like the SSR, it's both a nod to the past and a big step into the future. The inspiration comes from nearly 95 years of great Chevy design and performance.
In addition to its striking exterior design and proportions, this vehicle offers a more flexible interior than any similarly sized vehicle in its class. It seats five, has a flat load floor and folding second-row seat.
We'll also give it "more-than-expected" Chevy performance. It will utilize the growing family of ECOTEC 4-cylinder engines ranging from 140 horsepower to more than 220 horsepower.
Its DNA requires that only Chevy get this vehicle.
For the few people who have driven it, the comments are positively glowing on the interior, ease of driving, acceleration and ride and handling. In fact, words like "wow" and "fun" come up a lot.
This vehicle is about Chevy's proud heritage, and what Chevrolet heritage can do to create a halo for an entire brand.
(Pause)
This product barrage should help get Chevy back to selling 3 million cars and trucks a year. In fact, it's been on that pace for the past two months.
And when you couple this Chevy renaissance with what we're doing at Cadillac, we've got the bookends covered - the flagship and the foundational brand at GM.
These pillars are in place, and the products to support all our divisions are arriving with many, many on the way.
Product is critical.
At the end of the day, best car wins. Period.
But we have a challenge with many customers.
Some don't know about our improvement.
Others question the evidence.
Well, we're all judged on how we're perceived.
And perception always trails reality.
We're trying to compress that lag time by taking our case directly to the people who avoid us... or never gave us a chance in the first place.
These people consume a lot of print media... and we're reaching out to them by putting our message in the publications they read.
This Road to Quality effort is an ongoing dialogue with customers... not an advertising campaign.
Our message platform began in June with the first message: "Road to Redemption,"
It was a bit controversial, but the clear takeaway was was that GM's quality has dramatically improved.
We're now in the market with a message about GM's many safety initiatives over the years - from the modern day crash dummy to the first child-protecting car seat.
We'll follow that with several messages on the environment, fuel economy and our powertrain performance.
Getting these people behind the wheel of GM vehicles is the goal.
We started by introducing the 24-Hour Test Drive in June. So far, more than 240,000 people have taken us up on the offer, and more than 75,000 of them have become GM owners.
Seriously, the program has been very successful. Many of these customers were driving the competition. Getting them IN a GM vehicle changed their mind.
Well, I've covered a lot of ground this morning and I appreciate your attention. I want to wrap up by explaining what I think all of this means.
For nearly a century, General Motors has contributed to the well being of Americans and helped build this country's economic base.
We produced 4.9 million vehicles domestically last year, which accounted for 1 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product.
The economic ripple effect of the assembly workers we employ amounts to a 2:1 ratio in the supply industry... and 9:1 in the service sector.
We have 456,000 retirees and surviving spouses in the U.S. They receive billions in pensions and retirement benefits, contributing to a standard of living unequaled anywhere in the world.
This is the result of a century of commitment to dozens of communities - from Michigan to Texas and Delaware to California.
Through all of these efforts, we touch and improve millions of lives every day. And everything we've done over the past 10 years is designed to ensure that we keep making these kinds of contributions.
A lot of people are counting on General Motors for their present and their future.
And I hope you can see, we're rebuilding this company to last for a long time.
Thank you very much.
FOR RELEASE: August 7, 2003
Traverse City Management Briefings Prepared Remarks
Gary Cowger, President, General Motors North America
David, I think this conference continues to be an industry highlight each summer, and it is a real pleasure to be here this morning.
When I looked at the conference theme - Faster Than the Speed of Change - a couple of things occurred to me.
First, ... what IS the speed of change?
And how the heck do you go faster than that?
But the funny thing about change is that it can happen very fast or very slow.
At GM, we're moving faster than at any time in our history.
Having said that, we must and will continue to push our business forward faster than our competition.
Too many people working at General Motors today, and hundreds of thousands depending on us for their future, know what can happen if we turn back.
This morning, I'd like to frame our changes this way:
We're leveraging new, exciting products to revitalize our divisional brands and our corporate stature.
The payoff is continued industry leadership.
Now, as you know, Jack Smith retired earlier this year as our chairman. And he deserves all the credit he's received, and then some, for saving General Motors.
Jack got us thinking and acting like one company... he blew up duplicate organizations and central staffs. And he got us to really look at the competition... beyond just the guys in Dearborn and Auburn Hills.
Before that, whatever the "speed of change" was, we definitely weren't keeping up with it.
Quite frankly, a lot of what we were doing for much of the '90s wasn't easily understood on the outside...
And we didn't go out of our way to try to explain it.
Jack's mantra was "Deeds Not Words."
But the changes were enormous. Jack had asked me to begin to centralize the manufacturing groups in the early '90s, and by the time I left the U.S. for my next assignment in Mexico in 1994, we were already starting to realize the tremendous potential.
Safety and quality programs with our unions were taking hold...
We were starting to become more productive...
And the manufacturing lessons we learned from our NUMMI joint venture were finally starting to be understood and applied.
And those lessons became the basis of the GM Global Manufacturing System.
Some of you heard Joe Ponce and Ray Koopman talk about that earlier this week.
GMS is an important tool that has helped lead to our quality and productivity improvements.
Every one of our plants around the world focuses on the same five principles: people involvement, standardization, built-in quality, short lead time and continuous improvement.
And it's amazing what happens when you give people the respect and support they deserve. We saw attitudes change from "can't do" to "can do" ... and then to... "We can do even better than that."
Quality has become a measurable, specific value in everything we do at GM... one to which every employee contributes.
We're dedicated to maintaining good working relationships with our unions. They deserve a lot of credit for the kind of results we're seeing. Such as:
* Eight of the top 12 plants in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey were GM facilities, including the number one and number two finishers... and four of the top five.
* GM was the only domestic automaker to have fewer problems per hundred vehicles after three years than the industry average in Power's recent Vehicle Dependability Study.
* In Consumer Reports, 44 percent of our volume is covered in the 13 "Recommended Buys" on GM products.
Initial quality... reliability and durability... and there's a third type of quality... what we call perceived quality.
That's what customers see and touch in a vehicle.
It often forms a first and lasting impression.
It's about the fits and gaps of the sheet metal panels...
The quality of the interior materials...
The tactile feel of the switches...es...
The alignment of the seams on the seats.
The gloss level, layout and feel of the IP and so on.
You will see this focus on perceived quality continue as we roll out our new products.
(Pause)
In productivity, our gains are just as significant as our quality improvements.
The Harbour Report showed GM had a 7.4 percent improvement this year.
Seven GM vehicles were No. 1 in their segments.
Four assembly plants led their segments.
And four powertrain plants led their segments.
Our suppliers, many of you in this room, have brought innovative ideas to us and worked hard to take costs out of your systems and our system.
And you have significantly contributed to our quality improvements up and down the line. Your spill record has been tremendous over the last three years.
But as good as these results are... we aren't number one in quality and productivity - yet.
I believe the entire team is on the right course.
But our goal is to be No. 1. Period.
Having the right processes is not enough if we're not focused on innovative products and great designs.
And, here again, I think we are.
No other manufacturer today is offering more new product in the market than General Motors.
Fourteen new cars and trucks last year...
Sixteen this year...
Fourteen more in 2004 and similar numbers for the next five years.
Having the right basics, such as our Vehicle Development Process means we need as little as 18 months on some programs from when a design is approved to the time production begins.
Our common launch processes are helping knowledge gained in one launch flow naturally to the next launch.
Acting as one GM means sharing architectures globally. Of course, one prime example of that is our Epsilon architecture.
So far, Epsilon is the basic platform for the new Opel and Vauxhall Vectra in Europe... the Saab 9-3... and the new Chevy Malibu and Malibu MAXX.
You can see the Malibu MAXX on display during this morning's break.
And there will be other entries coming out next year, all much different in character and design... but all from the same global architecture.
This flexible architecture and portfolio change allow us to bring more innovation to our products as well. And General Motors has a long record for innovation:
The first electric starter...
The catalytic converter...
The first air bags...
The Chevy Vega...
Okay, maybe not the Chevy Vega...
...even though it was Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1971.
Seriously, the list goes on and on. And it's growing today.
Innovation is a huge part of what we call "gotta have" products. You just saw a glimpse of the Envoy XUV, which combines an automated rollback roof with the convertible midgate that debuted on the Chevrolet Avalanche.
Innovation inside the vehicle is just as important because people spend so much of their time there.
OnStar, our cellular- and satellite-based safety and security system, is saving lives and helping recover stolen vehicles.
We offer OnStar as factory equipment on 51 models. Fourteen thousand times a month, we're performing remote diagnostics for customers who get a "Check Engine" light... or just have a question about something in their cars.
And, did you know that OnStar:
Handles 25,000 lockouts a month... sending a cellular signal to unlock the doors.
Averages 500 stolen vehicle location requests a month... working with law enforcement to recover many of them.
Then there's XM Satellite Radio:
One hundred and one channels of digital music, news, sports and other programming... many of them without commercials.
XM will be factory installed on more than 40 GM models for 2004.
Later this month, we'll install it on the 500,000th GM vehicvehicle... and over the next six months, we'll double that to a million vehicles.
XM's main competitor will be available on just three 2004 models.
Innovation extends to the major business challenges as well, like fuel economy.
From what I hear and read, it seems no one knows GM is the fuel efficiency leader in trucks.
But it's true.
GM comes out on top in 44 percent of like-model comparisons. The next closest competitor wins 22 percent.
With coming technologies like Displacement on Demand and Parallel Hybrid trucks, the number of head-to-head firsts could grow.
Now, the internal combustion engine will be with us for a long time. But our long-term strategy is fuel cells and a hydrogen-based economy.
Others have their answers - usually based on whatever technology they've sunk their capital investment into.
The Japanese favor hybrids.
The Europeans favor diesels.
Our resources and global reach allow us to agree with all of them. Which is why our approach is a little different.
Basically, we're talking about a giant technological horse race here.
And everyone's hoping their horse is Seabiscuit.
The reason we're pursuing all of these is simple: we want to be in the position to offer the best technology or set of technologies at any given time... and do what makes the most sense for our customers considering the externalities I talked about.
We've done a lot with our processes, our people and our products - even looking 10... 20 years out. And that's allowing us to focus on revitalizing our divisional brands.
This starts with great products and brands - in that order.
And we are blessed, from top to bottom, with a great portfolio of brands.
The top of the GM brand pyramid is Cadillac, which is undergoing a product transformation that has generated a sustained buzz.
Back in 1999, Cadillac started on a course to create a brand renaissance... not to recreate the brand.
The things that had made Cadillac the Standard of the World - bold design, great powertrains and a certain American style - always belonged to the brand.
Cadillac just needed the right products to get going again.
We're putting a lot of money into Cadillac because, well, greatness doesn't come cheap.
Just ask the Detroit Red Wings.
The dedicated rear-wheel-drive Sigma architecture, a focused engineering group and significant financial investments were necessary to keep the plan for Cadillac on track.
Cadillac's sales comeback really began with the Escalade.
Sports and entertainment trendsetters embraced Escalade, but this year 60,000 people who don't catch passes or rap to sold-out arenas for a living are buying them as well.
I think the Cadillac concept cars - from Evoq to the Sixteen - got people to notice Cadillac again... credibility returned a little bit at a time.
In fact, the Sixteen itself is a modern interpretation of one of my favorite cars - the 1932 split-cowl V16 Phaeton.
Each new product is helping restore Cadillac's reputation as the Standard of the World.
The "Breakthrough" image is gaining traction thanks to Led Zeppelin. Many of today's Cadillac buyers identify their yesterdays with Zeppelin...
And Robert Plant had never endorsed an automobile before Cadillac.
All of our brands are getting similar attention, and the products to make them succeed.
I don't have time to go into all of them, but I'd like to spend a few minutes on Chevrolet.
Chevy is a big beneficiary of the productivity and quality gains I talked about.
Beginning in January, Chevy will introduce nine all-new products in 20 months. In the next 12 months alone...
The all-new Malibu... which goes into production next week.
The SSR roadster...
The Colorado midsize pickup...
The Malibu MAXX extended sedan...
The Equinox compact pact SUV...
The all-new Aveo small car.
And shortly after that, the all-new Chevrolet Cobalt small car.
This January in Detroit, we'll reveal the next generation of what has consistently been the most anticipated new car over the last half century.
Of course, I'm talking about the C6 Corvette.
Let me give you just a teasers and details about the C6.
First, it will be more powerful. In baseball terms - and this is a quiz - think about Ted Williams' unmatched feat from 1941: His batting average.
A more athletic stance... longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs... Can't show you that today.
For the first time since 1962... fixed headlamps. Unlike the traditional pop-ups, this will allow the use of modern, high-technology lighting.
You'll notice the Corvette badge is a bit different as well, trimmer and more athletic to match the stance of the car itself.
(Pause)
The heritage of a great brand is one of its greatest assets. And Chevrolet is no exception. Look at the SSR, which is in early production in Lansing even as we speak.
Did you know that one of the early Signature Series SSR production models sold on eBay for $140,000?
Well, the overwhelming success of the SSR got us to thinking about another kind of vehicle... one that even more people could appreciate.
To understand its heritage, you have to go back about 55 years ... to the 1949 Suburban.
That really was the first crossover vehicle, used for hauling people or cargo.
So, we took that Suburban...
And the SSR...
And came up with ... this.
Codename: HHR.
Like the SSR, it's both a nod to the past and a big step into the future. The inspiration comes from nearly 95 years of great Chevy design and performance.
In addition to its striking exterior design and proportions, this vehicle offers a more flexible interior than any similarly sized vehicle in its class. It seats five, has a flat load floor and folding second-row seat.
We'll also give it "more-than-expected" Chevy performance. It will utilize the growing family of ECOTEC 4-cylinder engines ranging from 140 horsepower to more than 220 horsepower.
Its DNA requires that only Chevy get this vehicle.
For the few people who have driven it, the comments are positively glowing on the interior, ease of driving, acceleration and ride and handling. In fact, words like "wow" and "fun" come up a lot.
This vehicle is about Chevy's proud heritage, and what Chevrolet heritage can do to create a halo for an entire brand.
(Pause)
This product barrage should help get Chevy back to selling 3 million cars and trucks a year. In fact, it's been on that pace for the past two months.
And when you couple this Chevy renaissance with what we're doing at Cadillac, we've got the bookends covered - the flagship and the foundational brand at GM.
These pillars are in place, and the products to support all our divisions are arriving with many, many on the way.
Product is critical.
At the end of the day, best car wins. Period.
But we have a challenge with many customers.
Some don't know about our improvement.
Others question the evidence.
Well, we're all judged on how we're perceived.
And perception always trails reality.
We're trying to compress that lag time by taking our case directly to the people who avoid us... or never gave us a chance in the first place.
These people consume a lot of print media... and we're reaching out to them by putting our message in the publications they read.
This Road to Quality effort is an ongoing dialogue with customers... not an advertising campaign.
Our message platform began in June with the first message: "Road to Redemption,"
It was a bit controversial, but the clear takeaway was was that GM's quality has dramatically improved.
We're now in the market with a message about GM's many safety initiatives over the years - from the modern day crash dummy to the first child-protecting car seat.
We'll follow that with several messages on the environment, fuel economy and our powertrain performance.
Getting these people behind the wheel of GM vehicles is the goal.
We started by introducing the 24-Hour Test Drive in June. So far, more than 240,000 people have taken us up on the offer, and more than 75,000 of them have become GM owners.
Seriously, the program has been very successful. Many of these customers were driving the competition. Getting them IN a GM vehicle changed their mind.
Well, I've covered a lot of ground this morning and I appreciate your attention. I want to wrap up by explaining what I think all of this means.
For nearly a century, General Motors has contributed to the well being of Americans and helped build this country's economic base.
We produced 4.9 million vehicles domestically last year, which accounted for 1 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product.
The economic ripple effect of the assembly workers we employ amounts to a 2:1 ratio in the supply industry... and 9:1 in the service sector.
We have 456,000 retirees and surviving spouses in the U.S. They receive billions in pensions and retirement benefits, contributing to a standard of living unequaled anywhere in the world.
This is the result of a century of commitment to dozens of communities - from Michigan to Texas and Delaware to California.
Through all of these efforts, we touch and improve millions of lives every day. And everything we've done over the past 10 years is designed to ensure that we keep making these kinds of contributions.
A lot of people are counting on General Motors for their present and their future.
And I hope you can see, we're rebuilding this company to last for a long time.
Thank you very much.
11-03-2003, 09:54 AM
#3
Race Director
Thread Starter
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Hurricane)
Took some looking/reading to find the reference to the C6 in that thing :rolleyes: I do agree that senior GM/Chevy people are saying C6. My point is that the C5 was dropped in offical documents and I have the feeling that the offical materials from Chevy will not have any reference to a C6.
tom...
tom...
11-03-2003, 11:01 AM
#5
Moderator
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
Took some looking/reading to find the reference to the C6 in that thing :rolleyes: I do agree that senior GM/Chevy people are saying C6. My point is that the C5 was dropped in offical documents and I have the feeling that the offical materials from Chevy will not have any reference to a C6.
tom...
tom...
GM references the fifth generation Corvette frequently in its media releases as the C5, which is probably why the auto magazines keep referring to it as such. The same holds true for the C6.
But if official corporate media releases are not official documents enough for you, then feel free to call it whatever you want. :rolleyes:
Personally, I am far more concerned with how it will look, perform, etc.
11-03-2003, 11:06 AM
#6
Moderator
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Hurricane)
http://media.gm.com/division/chevrol...53_to_2003.pdf
Here's just one example of a reference by GM to the C5. There are many, many more on the GM media website. But I guess if it isn't in the sales brochure, it wouldn't be "official" enough for you.
Here's just one example of a reference by GM to the C5. There are many, many more on the GM media website. But I guess if it isn't in the sales brochure, it wouldn't be "official" enough for you.
11-03-2003, 11:29 AM
#7
Race Director
Thread Starter
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Hurricane)
There are many, many more on the GM media website. But I guess if it isn't in the sales brochure, it wouldn't be "official" enough for you.
But I get the feeling that Chevy does not want to officaly refer to the new upcoming Vette as a "C6" becuse in the automotive world a "C6" is a Ford transmission. Yes, there will be some references to the C6, but I don't think we will see any headlines from GM/Chevy about "THE NEW C6".
tom...
11-03-2003, 11:31 AM
#8
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Hurricane)
OK, this is just silly, IMO.
1. No vette emblem or marking has ever included the "C?", but that did not prevent them from being a "C?".
2. Although I may disagree with some of the criteria that GM uses to define a Generation break in Corvette, it IS their product and they have a right to designate it any way they see fit.
3. If we raise our collective, attitudinal middle fingers to GM and re-label the designation, we are condemning ourselves to future miscommunications between ourselves, new site arrivals, and with GM.
4. Although I spend a large amount of time here, I also share vette-talk on a couple of other sites. I have not observed anyone taking the time to type out "generation x". Just as here, I see them referring to "Cx". I am not challenging your veracity, only pointing out that there are other, significant sites following the GM established "Cx" designations.
5. I just don't see why this is such a big deal.
1. No vette emblem or marking has ever included the "C?", but that did not prevent them from being a "C?".
2. Although I may disagree with some of the criteria that GM uses to define a Generation break in Corvette, it IS their product and they have a right to designate it any way they see fit.
3. If we raise our collective, attitudinal middle fingers to GM and re-label the designation, we are condemning ourselves to future miscommunications between ourselves, new site arrivals, and with GM.
4. Although I spend a large amount of time here, I also share vette-talk on a couple of other sites. I have not observed anyone taking the time to type out "generation x". Just as here, I see them referring to "Cx". I am not challenging your veracity, only pointing out that there are other, significant sites following the GM established "Cx" designations.
5. I just don't see why this is such a big deal.
11-03-2003, 11:32 AM
#9
Team Owner
Member Since: Apr 2001
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Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
Tom, I'm with you; but when GM themselves calls it the C6, (right or wrong) we have no choice but to say the same.
please say along with me... "marketing hype"
This January in Detroit, we'll reveal the next generation of what has consistently been the most anticipated new car over the last half century.
Of course, I'm talking about the C6 Corvette.
Let me give you just a teasers and details about the C6...
Of course, I'm talking about the C6 Corvette.
Let me give you just a teasers and details about the C6...
11-03-2003, 11:34 AM
#10
Le Mans Master
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Hurricane)
With all the magazine buzz now focused on "C6" it makes sense for GM to back away from "C5" on the sales website. There's still 25,000 C5s left to sell.
.Jinx
.Jinx
11-03-2003, 11:40 AM
#11
Moderator
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (LongTimer)
OK, this is just silly, IMO.
1. No vette emblem or marking has ever included the "C?", but that did not prevent them from being a "C?".
2. Although I may disagree with some of the criteria that GM uses to define a Generation break in Corvette, it IS their product and they have a right to designate it any way they see fit.
3. If we raise our collective, attitudinal middle fingers to GM and re-label the designation, we are condemning ourselves to future miscommunications between ourselves, new site arrivals, and with GM.
4. Although I spend a large amount of time here, I also share vette-talk on a couple of other sites. I have not observed anyone taking the time to type out "generation x". Just as here, I see them referring to "Cx". I am not challenging your veracity, only pointing out that there are other, significant sites following the GM established "Cx" designations.
5. I just don't see why this is such a big deal.
1. No vette emblem or marking has ever included the "C?", but that did not prevent them from being a "C?".
2. Although I may disagree with some of the criteria that GM uses to define a Generation break in Corvette, it IS their product and they have a right to designate it any way they see fit.
3. If we raise our collective, attitudinal middle fingers to GM and re-label the designation, we are condemning ourselves to future miscommunications between ourselves, new site arrivals, and with GM.
4. Although I spend a large amount of time here, I also share vette-talk on a couple of other sites. I have not observed anyone taking the time to type out "generation x". Just as here, I see them referring to "Cx". I am not challenging your veracity, only pointing out that there are other, significant sites following the GM established "Cx" designations.
5. I just don't see why this is such a big deal.
I agree that this isn't a big deal.
11-03-2003, 12:10 PM
#14
Race Director
Thread Starter
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Hurricane)
C6 or C5 is much easier to say but I much perfer the descriptive versions such as:
Solid Axle
Mid Year
Shark
Clamshell
Big Butt
and Current Model for the up coming Vette
:D :D
tom...
Solid Axle
Mid Year
Shark
Clamshell
Big Butt
and Current Model for the up coming Vette
:D :D
tom...
11-03-2003, 12:13 PM
#15
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Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
The first C designation was used in the C5. The C6 will carry that designation.
The Chevy website is for laymens. What if someone who has absolutely no clue about Corvette heritage goes to the site and looks around? Would this person understand the term "C6"? No. That, and "Sixth Generation Corvette" looks more professional. It's all about the marketing.
The Chevy website is for laymens. What if someone who has absolutely no clue about Corvette heritage goes to the site and looks around? Would this person understand the term "C6"? No. That, and "Sixth Generation Corvette" looks more professional. It's all about the marketing.
11-03-2003, 12:16 PM
#16
Moderator
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
C6 or C5 is much easier to say but I much perfer the descriptive versions such as:
Solid Axle
Mid Year
Shark
Clamshell
Big Butt
and Current Model for the up coming Vette
:D :D
tom...
Solid Axle
Mid Year
Shark
Clamshell
Big Butt
and Current Model for the up coming Vette
:D :D
tom...
<insert obligatory Jennifer Lopez C5 comment here>
ah, the legacy of my treasured 2000 Vette.... "big butt..."
:lol:
11-03-2003, 12:27 PM
#17
Race Director
Thread Starter
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Hurricane)
:lolg: :lolg: :lolg:
<insert obligatory Jennifer Lopez C5 comment here>
ah, the legacy of my treasured 2000 Vette.... "big butt..."
:lol:
<insert obligatory Jennifer Lopez C5 comment here>
ah, the legacy of my treasured 2000 Vette.... "big butt..."
:lol:
Am curious as to how the next generation will measure up :D
tom...
11-03-2003, 12:30 PM
#18
Moderator
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
You are absolutely right, though - it may be remembered, like J-Lo, for its large rear end.....
Boy, I sure hope they don't mess up the front or rear of the C6, when they take that camo off! :cheers:
Boy, I sure hope they don't mess up the front or rear of the C6, when they take that camo off! :cheers:
11-03-2003, 01:11 PM
#19
Melting Slicks
Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
The C designation was an "enthusiast" and media designation that appeared when the "next generation Corvette ( the 97 model )" was being developed. It never was a company designation, however, that has not stopped current and past GM execs. and others from using it. It's sort like coins......collectors and others started referring to certain coins as a particular series, etc. and now even the US Mint uses some of the same language. I guess we could just as easily go back to saying the 05 model Vette will be considerably different from the 04.........in fact, that's pretty much the way we all used to look at it......how different is the new model year from the last one! Kept it simple I guess! :auto:
11-03-2003, 04:24 PM
#20
Racer
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Re: Should we drop the C6 bit? (Tom73)
I think there's too much mental mast**bation going on.
It's an informal descriptive designation. That's all.
I can't wait until the new car comes out. Maybe then the silly posts will stop. But then again....maybe not.
It's an informal descriptive designation. That's all.
I can't wait until the new car comes out. Maybe then the silly posts will stop. But then again....maybe not.