GM's sales focus to get 'dramatic redesign' as gas soars [View All]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080514/AUTO01/805140386/1148

After months of holding out hope that U.S. truck sales would rebound, General Motors Corp. is accepting that the market shift toward more fuel-friendly vehicles isn't likely to end.

The automaker, which has made billions off its hefty trucks and SUVs over the years, said Tuesday that it's been over-promoting its largest vehicles and plans to change course.

Instead, GM will implement a "dramatic redesign" of its marketing strategy that places a much greater focus on its high-mileage cars, new hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles.

"We've been promoting our trucks more than we should have," Mike DiGiovanni, the company's top sales analyst, (maybe they should fire this asshole because even a blind man could see the writing on the wall )told a bankers' conference in Warren. "We're going to shift our marketing toward fuel economy and hybrids." (it's about fucking time dimwits)

The automaker's new strategy will blanket the Internet with advertising to drive home a message that GM can compete with industry rivals on fuel economy. When speaking to the media, company executives will talk up GM's high-mileage vehicles and commitment to new fuel-saving technologies, such as hybrids and battery-powered vehicles.

Even in ads promoting trucks and SUVs, GM will focus on the fuel economy of its lineup relative to like-sized competitors. The Chevrolet Silverado pickup, for example, gets about one mile per gallon more than the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra, its top rivals, according to the car shopping Web site Edmunds.com.

GM's move comes as U.S. truck sales continue to spiral downward amid a weak economy and rising fuel prices. Jittery consumers are holding off on major purchases, while record oil prices have those who are buying vehicles searching for more budget-friendly options. Meanwhile, a slump in new home construction has eaten away at pickup purchases by contractors, who comprise a key part of the segment


It goes without saying, some of the worst dinosaurs in the American auto industry work in marketing. They should have been extinct years ago.

At least they see the light before going bust.