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Yeah, more Chevy convertibles! Especially if they can make them cheap. 'Verts are fun; the PT Cruiser was a glorified gocart but convertible? A blast. There is nothing comparable to the Cavalier convertible on the market.
I guess they'd need to look how much of the VW EOS market they think they can steal and go from there. Seems like a comparable car, considering like some current Buicks it might made in Europe I'd imagine it'll retain plenty of it's driving dynamics.
GM tried to sell the Astra as a Saturn already, and it didn't sell very well. I don't think they'd have any better luck as a Buick, or a Chevy.
You can't really go by UK prices though. It's a weird market, new cars are very expensive, yet used ones can be really cheap. Folks would rather buy a new car and not bother with a MOT for the first 3 years. The car companies call the UK "Treasure Island". That car isn't going to be that much here. The original Astra was a $18K car here but was a $30K car in Europe with VAT and various other taxes.
Yeah, more Chevy convertibles! Especially if they can make them cheap. 'Verts are fun; the PT Cruiser was a glorified gocart but convertible? A blast. There is nothing comparable to the Cavalier convertible on the market.
GM tried to sell the Astra as a Saturn already, and it didn't sell very well. I don't think they'd have any better luck as a Buick, or a Chevy.
You can't really go by UK prices though. It's a weird market, new cars are very expensive, yet used ones can be really cheap. Folks would rather buy a new car and not bother with a MOT for the first 3 years. The car companies call the UK "Treasure Island". That car isn't going to be that much here. The original Astra was a $18K car here but was a $30K car in Europe with VAT and various other taxes.
When they sell a car here like that Astra, to keep the price down it is usually decontented. The small cars are much nicer there... nicer finishes, touches, etc. The Astra that came over had the weakest engine of any US market Delta platform car (1.8L Ecotect), which was it's biggest problem in sales. However, had GM used a bigger engine (such as the 2.2L which was in the Cobalt, or the 2.4L) it would likely have been the most expensive compact on the market.
Then another problem is that they brought over the 3 door hatch Astra. The US market for 2 door cars is rather small to begin with, and small hatchbacks have also traditionally been a hard sell. Combine the two, and they were playing to a very small niche.
The Astra had also been on sale for years in Europe. So the finishes, digital displays, etc, looked out of date in it when it arrived.
I do not disagree totally with what your saying either... but the Astra was likely doomed to be a low volume niche product requiring incentives to move it the second they decided to bring it over. There could not have been a strong market plan for it.
Then another problem is that they brought over the 3 door hatch Astra. The US market for 2 door cars is rather small to begin with, and small hatchbacks have also traditionally been a hard sell. Combine the two, and they were playing to a very small niche.
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I had seriously considered buying one of the 4 door hatchbacks, but when it came down to the final decision I ended up buying a Hyundai Sonata. It was a nicer car, quieter, better equipped, and yeah, GM really brought the wrong drivetrain over.
Europeans won't accept the average interior sold here. We've rented a couple of cars in the UK and the interiors were much nicer than the average US rental car. They also got better fuel economy. It must be a bit disappointing to come here from the UK or the EU and find such dismal interiors in the land where cars are king.
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