GM killing the Avalanche by 2013

[lightbg]

According to today's Automotive News video broadcast, GM is axing the Av by 2013. "On the Bubble" are the Tahoe and Suburban. Also going are the Cobalt, Colorado, and HHR (probably because I just bought one with my "Clunker" money). At Caddy the Escalade line is over as well.......

Watch it and weep......

http://www.autonews.com/article/20090812/VIDEO/308129957/1219

Jake

[tritonboulder47]

That will be a sad year...   

[chAVey]

 

Yeah, we'll we have to expect it.  Good thing I don't plan on buying another AV anytime soon.  

I've very surprised about the Tahoe/Suburban "on the bubble" tho' - the Sub goes back to the 1930s!  What vehicle would fit that segment?

If you notice tho - all the future vehicles are all fuel efficient.  Is the gas that bad that we're going to kill people haulers?  Are we all going to have to buy vans if we want to haul more than 6 passengers?

[EricM]

Yeah, we'll we have to expect it.  Good thing I don't plan on buying another AV anytime soon.  

I've very surprised about the Tahoe/Suburban "on the bubble" tho' - the Sub goes back to the 1930s!  What vehicle would fit that segment?

If you notice tho - all the future vehicles are all fuel efficient.  Is the gas that bad that we're going to kill people haulers?  Are we all going to have to buy vans if we want to haul more than 6 passengers?

The text article in AN actually said the Suburban is likely to survive because it is also used in a number of commercial applications.  The Tahoe, if it survives may move to an enlarged Lambda platform (though I personally doubt it since the interior volume of the Traverse is so close to the Tahoe now).  The article also mentioned that there will be a smaller, Avalanche like vehicle that will be closer in size to the Honda Ridgeline (I believe it will be Lambda based as well).

[ltxi]

No big surprise. The Av is a just chopped Sub and I don't think most of us expected it to survive beyond the GMT900 platform....the Sub either in "real" truck form. Too bad, but reality.

[gn85]

Amazing how close I'm getting to buying a Ford. 

Government Motors strikes again.

[chAVey]

Well, if you noticed, all the 7-8 passenger SUVs were "on the bubble".  Thats the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Escalade.  They also mentioned the Silverado was "on the bubble" too.

What I would say is just combine them all under the GMC name - let GMC become the "truck" brand and keep Chevy for "cars".  Silverado would combine into the Sierra.  Tah/Sub/Yuk/XL/Esc would all just combine into the Yuk/XL line.  Then it would just be a matter of different trim levels.  LS for cloth, LT for leather, Denali/etc for full luxury.  I mean, why sell all versions? - they just rob sales from each other since Ford no longer offers the Expedition versions.  There's no other vehicles in that fullsize SUV class.  And if that class disappears, then we're looking at fullsize vans if we want to transport 7-8 passengers.  When I bought my first Sub, it was specifically because I specifically needed that 7 passenger transport that could tow.  (And actually, I need 6 passenger now but the AV only does 5.)  What would I buy if it was gone?

[MS03 2500]

I think you are right chAVey it's time for GM to stop competing with them selves. I hope the spin off a GMC AV like they did with the Pontiac G6

[maverick1974]

So lets see, we create a company that will turn a profit and be self supporting.  What is the first step, kill off the vehicles that have the highest profit  margin (correct me if i am wrong on that).  So now the people who normally would buy those vehicles move to another manufacturer that is going to build them.  So now you sell vehicles with a lower profit margin and sell less of them.  I guess my high school economics class didn't teach me the correct way to make a profit.

[gn85]

I just want to see how I'm gonna cram a 4x8 sheet of drywall into a Chevy Volt!

I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm a loyal GMer, but they have steadily been heading in the wrong direction building vehicles that people DON'T want.  I think GM is trying to re-create it's image as the green American company.  It's fine and dandy to build green cars.  But take a page from Ford's book.  Build green for the people who want green.  Build trucks for people who NEED trucks.  Not watered down grocery getters.  TRUCKS. 

Av owners and loyalist wanted the cladding to stay.. GM axes it!  Av owners wanted a return of the 2500 Av... wave bye-bye!  Av owners wanted a BIG V8.  Gone is the 8.1 litre, but at least there's a 6.0L.  Oh wait... THAT'S GONE TOO! 

Sorry about the rant.  I'm dying here watching GM go to crap.  GM can build GREAT cars.  Great quality, great value, well built cars.  They just don't know how to build what people really want. 

[MS03 2500]

It's crunch time, the volt even at 40 K drive forty miles a day recharge for 40 cents per night. That a penny per mile

They need products that will sell having duplicate vehicle doesn't make sense.

[Dagryme]

How do we stop this from happening?

[MS03 2500]

Also they are not getting out of the truck market it's just going to be GMC. GMC designs all GM trucks including the Escalade. Lets just hope they spin the AV off as a GMC product. Heck they may make a 2500 AV.

[MS03 2500]

I'll explain something to you folks from personal knowledge. When GMC was going to put out the Yukon Denali GM stopped them so they could introduce the Escalade the year before. GMC will put out a heck of a product, but Chevy should not be in the truck business at this time. GMC brought out 4 wheel steering in a truck don't forget and they can probably stuff in a diesel in the AV.

[MS03 2500]

But the only thing I hate is the lower cladding is history Dammit 

[gn85]

I'll explain something to you folks from personal knowledge. When GMC was going to put out the Yukon Denali GM stopped them so they could introduce the Escalade the year before. GMC will put out a heck of a product, but Chevy should not be in the truck business at this time. GMC brought out 4 wheel steering in a truck don't forget and they can probably stuff in a diesel in the AV.

I don't have a problem with GMC taking over the truck division.  As long as I, as a consumer, can still buy a GM truck. 

GMC has become the upscale version of trucks for GM.  One of the big things I like about the Av is that it's a nice truck, but not an Escalade.  It doesn't mind getting dirty and cleans up nice.  So, I would love it if GMC would make the trucks, but keep them ''Chevy-like". 

[KS_Z71]

This is definitely sad news, although hardly surprising if you look at the sales numbers over the past few years.  GM/Chevy sold more than 93,000 Avalanches in 2003, but only about 35,000 last year.  If the Avalanche had continued to sell well, I'm sure that GM would keep making it.

The other thing I find interesting, is that people have real needs for trucks and SUVs, yet some other people want to do away with them.  I'm not blaming a political party or environmentalists, I too want to help protect the environment for my children and their children, and so on.  But we're making some pretty stupid decisions.  I can haul 8 people + gear in a Suburban getting 20 MPG, and that would be better than driving two or three small cars getting 30 MPG each.

I'd like to see the U.S. spend more on infrastructure for hydrogen powered vehicles, as I see this as the best long-term option at this time.  We have essentially a limitless supply of hydrogen, and it is the ideal fuel.  But I'm sure that the oil companies don't want to see this happen, so I find it doubtful that this will happen in my lifetime.

[gn85]

This is definitely sad news, although hardly surprising if you look at the sales numbers over the past few years.  GM/Chevy sold more than 93,000 Avalanches in 2003, but only about 35,000 last year.  If the Avalanche had continued to sell well, I'm sure that GM would keep making it.

I don't know the figures, but I can only imagine that there is a comparable drop in truck sales across the board.  Especially since GM declared bankruptcy and faultering economy. 

[ygmn]

time to sign a petition

[KS_Z71]

I don't know the figures, but I can only imagine that there is a comparable drop in truck sales across the board.  Especially since GM declared bankruptcy and faultering economy. 

GM did see a similar drop (as a percentage) in truck sales, but they still managed to sell over 633,000 Silverado/Sierra trucks in 2008, about 20x more volume than the Avalanche.

EDIT: I also believe that if you count the Silverado/Sierra variants as one vehicle/platform, it is actually the top selling vehicle in the U.S.

[Z66 BUTCH]

I'll explain something to you folks from personal knowledge. When GMC was going to put out the Yukon Denali GM stopped them so they could introduce the Escalade the year before. GMC will put out a heck of a product, but Chevy should not be in the truck business at this time. GMC brought out 4 wheel steering in a truck don't forget and they can probably stuff in a diesel in the AV.

.......Sorry but the Denali came out a year before the Esclade. The Denali was introduced in 1998 and the Escalade in 1999. The Escalade was originally based on the GMC Yukon Denali and later redesigned to fit more closely with the Cadillac line. I can't wait 'till Flint sees your opinion of Chevy and the truck business! 




Maybe I missed it but i did not hear anything about the Silverado being on the bubble. What I heard was that the Silverado will be "refreshed" starting in 2012. I had heard somewhere else that the Sliverado may be on the way out but it was not in this tape that I heard it......


It is sad if we loose the Avalanche but at least I have the one that I want!

[Darkhorse]

time to sign a petition

time to buy more Avalanches

Avalanche (and Escalade) sales have been running consistantly lower that the corporate average for quite awhile which doesn't make a good case for keeping them around.

April 09
Avalanche sales 1,582 down 63% over last year.
May 09
Avalanche sales 1,021 down 63% over last year.
June 09
Avalanche sales 1,329 down 61% over last year.
July 09
Avalanche sales 1,721 down 57% over last year.

If every member of CAFCNA and a friend or family member each bought a new AV over the next six months there's no way they would kill it.

[anglarry04]

It is sad if we loose the Avalanche but at least I have the one that I want!

this is sad.   I want the newer generation av, but I guess not now.  Oh well, my 04 gets paid off in summer 2013, possibly earlier.   Maybe by then I can drop in the newer 320 horse engine in there...

[Flint4x4]

.......Sorry but the Denali came out a year before the Esclade. The Denali was introduced in 1998 and the Escalade in 1999. The Escalade was originally based on the GMC Yukon Denali and later redesigned to fit more closely with the Cadillac line. I can't wait 'till Flint sees your opinion of Chevy and the truck business! 




Maybe I missed it but i did not hear anything about the Silverado being on the bubble. What I heard was that the Silverado will be "refreshed" starting in 2012. I had heard somewhere else that the Sliverado may be on the way out but it was not in this tape that I heard it......


It is sad if we loose the Avalanche but at least I have the one that I want!

Thanks Butch but I don't know/care if I am building a Chevy or GMC truck unless the specific job calls for me to need-to-know   

GM put a hold on the design/engineering for a replacement platform for the GMT900 when gasoline prices spiked over $4.00 a gal. That was well before the housing market bomb and credit crunch. Probably gave the Avalanche a longer life span. What's next ? they aren't going to tip thier hand and let the competition know.

Chevy already makes a crossover SUV with the passenger/interior capacity of a Suburban, many people don't need the towing capacity. No way GM will leave the full size truck market but it is possible they may all be labeled GMC trucks and include a YukonXL/Suburban type version. We've already seen advances in hybrids and using fewer cylinders, I expect when GM releases the replacement for the GMT900 it will take years for Ford, Dodge and Toytota to catch up. I'm sure thier engineers and spies are already hard at work though.

[Aussie Red]

Price difference and tow capacity was the reason most steered from AVY. I know it to be the case when we bought the new Silverado after the Pearl. We love the AV but sadly it is too costly and it can not do what the Silverado HD can and does not have the horses to do it.
I knew it was a matter of time for the AV a year ago. Sadly that has been the case for most any vehicle I truly like. I am never buying a new one regardless. I am fed up with paying through the teeth for a new one only to have it become worthless as a trade in etc. I will drive the Pearl until it becomes more costly to keep on the road or the green folks force me out of him and then I guess like many I have to do what I have to do or I will ride a bus. Unsure at this time and very unhappy that we are being forced to give up things we love all for a cause.