Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick show displays were empty for most of the first show day, which seems to reflect General Motor's financial woes
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| © Provided by Haymarket Media Group |
By Lawrence Allan, Autocar
Despite plenty of talk of the death of the motor show, most major carmakers still put in considerable effort to draw in punters to their displays and stands. The Los Angeles motor show was still teaming with people eager to poke and prod at most brand’s latest models. Except, that is, on General Motors’ show stands.
GM’s big brands were there, alright, with the sizeable stands and
full spectrum of product that you’d expect for its home market show. But
every time I walked past the Cadillac, Buick, GMC and even Chevrolet stands, the people looking after the exhibits outnumbered the visitors looking at the cars.
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| © Autocar Even the Corvetee couldn't lure many people into Chevrolet's LA stand |
Yes,
it was a media day and the halls were not full of buying public, but I
still suspect the punters have little interest in what GM’s formerly
dominant brands have to offer. The buzz was over at the German and
Japanese makers, most with something new and/or relatively exciting to
show off, whereas none of GM’s stands had an all-new car on display.
In
my view, the exodus is simply because there is nothing original,
interesting or remotely innovative about the majority of GM’s product.
Cadillac’s range of gas-guzzling SUVs and derivative saloon cars are far
from cutting edge, and while Chevrolet’s large range includes the
slow-selling Bolt EV, the Volt range-extender hybrid has just been given the chop as part of GM’s wide-reaching cost-cutting plans, including massive factory shutdowns.
But
by far and away the most bleak sight was the Buick stand. The oldest
American car brand still alive has been reduced to flogging a range
largely made up of rebadged Vauxhalls, with the Buick Cascada (yes, the now-dead Astra drop-top)
seemingly taking pride of place. I went there to transcribe interviews
because it was so quiet, and watched the sad sight of a cleaner wiping
the same pristine floor space that nobody’s walked on for hour after
hour.
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| © Autocar GMC's range of massive, thirsty trucks look utterly irrelevant in 2018 |
The future doesn’t look good for GM, unless something
drastic changes. The Japanese and German manufacturers have been
poaching buyers for decades, and many are now winning round staunch
nationalists by building cars in the US in great numbers. What is clear
from a day in LA, however, is that GM needs to start by creating some
inspiring products.
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| © Autocar Cadillac's show stand had a few visitors, but it was hardly a scrum |
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