Why can't we get the new Cruze Wagon?

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
What was (were) the last traditional wagon(s) that GM sold in the US?

Roadmaster and Caprice - '96?

Did you guys never get the Optra wagon?

I see a few around and they seem not to be rusting atleast. It was just a simple transportation device type car, but it does look fairly similar to the Cruze wagon.



Multiple Canuks are filling this thread with misinformation!

The Chevy Orlando is not sold in the US.

The Chevy Optra was also not sold in the US. But, the same car was sold as a Suzuki Forenza. My friend has the wagon version and hasn't been super impressed.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666


Multiple Canuks are filling this thread with misinformation!

The Chevy Orlando is not sold in the US.

The Chevy Optra was also not sold in the US. But, the same car was sold as a Suzuki Forenza. My friend has the wagon version and hasn't been super impressed.


Give us a break

, we're so used to getting the short end of the stick when it comes to automotive offerings, that it's hard to imagine that we would have models not available in US.

In that case, perhaps there is a slim chance that Canadians will get this model, oh yeah!

.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: stephen9666


Multiple Canuks are filling this thread with misinformation!

The Chevy Orlando is not sold in the US.

The Chevy Optra was also not sold in the US. But, the same car was sold as a Suzuki Forenza. My friend has the wagon version and hasn't been super impressed.


Give us a break

, we're so used to getting the short end of the stick when it comes to automotive offerings, that it's hard to imagine that we would have models not available in US.

In that case, perhaps there is a slim chance that Canadians will get this model, oh yeah!

.

I think Volkswagen is hoping we don't! They are back ordered on TDI Golf wagons right now, but I could see many people cross shopping the two.

 

[PF52]

I'll go the other direction. I wish there was a 2-door Cruze available.

 

[Stu_Rock]

I badly want that Cruze wagon as well.

Unfortunately, if you go count the people who say they want wagons here, on Jalopnik, and on Hooniverse, you will actually have accounted for every US citizen who actually wants to purchase a station wagon.

 

[NateDN10]

I too would love a diesel Cruze wagon. That said, I hope not to have to buy another car for 10 years, and things will surely change significantly by then.

Originally Posted By: Stu Rock
Unfortunately, if you go count the people who say they want wagons here, on Jalopnik, and on Hooniverse, you will actually have accounted for every US citizen who actually wants to purchase a station wagon.

This is probably true.

 

[artificialist]

Most station wagons came and went, because their popularity could never be sustained. I could list at least 5 of them.

Also, many people who can afford to buy new cars associate the station wagon with that thing their parents drove, and took them on boring roadtrips.

 

[MarioT]

About the Chevrolet Optra/Suzuki Forenza:

The design/space/suspension/road handling was great for a car I owned for 7 years. All it really missing was a half decent engine/transmission combo! 120hp was just no enough for the size, plus the engine technology was just too old to return some decent fuel consumption.

Seeing this new Cruze Wagon seems to me they might have found a solution after all. Too bad I can't stand a GM dealer anymore after all the repairs they had to do on my car.

 

[91344George]

Originally Posted By: JOD
I think the business of wagons not selling in the US is part self-fulfilling prophecy, part out-dated thinking and part by design.

-companies bring in a tiny number of wagons, don't promote them, and guess what? they don't sell (Mazda 6, anyone?). If you bring in a healthy number and support them, they'll sell. The V70, Legacy and Jetta Wagon are all proof.

-auto execs and forecasters seem to be stuck in what used to sell versus what will sell, and GM seem to be among the worst at this. Missing the boat on the Cruz hatchbacks while Focus, Mazda 3 and Impreza HB's sell in droves is just one example. Yeah, the Caprice wagon didn't sell. Get over it!

-auto mfg's seem to make better margins on crossovers loaded with gadgets, so that's what they're inclined to push.

GM would have a great opportunity to bring this in and sway a lot of people who ordinarily wouldn't look at GM because they don't make anything they like--and potentially gain loyal customers as well as sales. History seems to make me think they won't do this, and those people will continue to look at auto makers more willing to given them what they want, versus what they think they want....



Well stated.

These companies want to sell only high profit items so they try and create that reality by MANIPULATING the market in such a way that it appears like the consumer is driving such demand for mostly high profit items when in fact it is high paid marketing and consulting agencies inventing it.

PHONY AND FRAUDULENT!

Essentially the marketing and consulting firms are creating data that is just what the customer wants to hear. FRAUD!

 

[kkreit01]

Same reason why we can't get Focus wagon, Fusion wagon, etc. The Cruze wagon looks nice. I like wagons too. Wifey does not. What's an SUV? A tall one.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
What was (were) the last traditional wagon(s) that GM sold in the US?

Roadmaster and Caprice - '96?

Did you guys never get the Optra wagon?

I see a few around and they seem not to be rusting atleast. It was just a simple transportation device type car, but it does look fairly similar to the Cruze wagon.



Multiple Canuks are filling this thread with misinformation!

The Chevy Orlando is not sold in the US.

The Chevy Optra was also not sold in the US. But, the same car was sold as a Suzuki Forenza. My friend has the wagon version and hasn't been super impressed.

It is neither a Chevrolet nor a Suzuki. It's a Chevrolaeoo or a Daewoozuki.

 

[Racerjk]

Originally Posted By: css9450
I'll go the other direction. I wish there was a 2-door Cruze available.


Ditto!!!

 

[Stu_Rock]

It's official. Mark Reuss says that the Cruze wagon will not come to the US. Apparently the decision was made years ago, before the bailout.

 

[MrHorspwer]

There are lots of very good reasons why many cars don't make it to the Unite States.

GM is very big on manufacturing locally. There are 11 manufacturing plants bolting together the Cruze. Only one of them is in the United States: Lordstown, OH. Lordstown makes vehicles specifically for North America. The plant in Russia makes vehicles for Eastern European markets, the Korean plant makes vehicles for Korea, the plant in Australia makes the Holden version, and so on.

If Lordstown isn't tooled to assemble wagons (or the hatchback for that matter), there will be a cost associated with making that happen. Further, if wherever the sheetmetal for is stamped isn't tooled to stamp out wagon panels, there will be a cost with that too. Tooling and dies aren't cheap. New local suppliers or a new supply chain would also be required for any other components or parts required (trim, seats, glass, etc.).

These costs need to be weighed against the potential profits from the vehicle. Compact cars already have a slim profit margin. Trying to make a business case to spend money on a plant to build a niche model of a car that already only barely makes money? That's a hard one to do.

It's easy to make an emotional argument about vehicles that aren't sold in a particular market. It's much harder to make a business argument for it. As much as people trash talk automakers, they're not run by a bunch of gibbons. GM in particular has had their share of niche vehicle follies. Maybe they're just being a bit more serious about building vehicles that sell well and make money, which is ultimately what the shareholders want and the corporation needs.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

That's a nice looking wagon. I have a soft spot for wagons, but if a coupe is available for the same car it would win out. I particularly like the 90s-early 2000s BMW 3 and 5 wagons. The Audi Avants are pretty nice too.

 

[morris]

do you think that if a car maker makes a car that is to good they will stop making it. like "if make a car to good i dont make money" could that be true?

 

[wapacz]

Well they did make the hhr. Which from wiki seemed to sell decently. So I guess there is a chance that they could bring it over.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
There are lots of very good reasons why many cars don't make it to the Unite States.

GM is very big on manufacturing locally. There are 11 manufacturing plants bolting together the Cruze. Only one of them is in the United States: Lordstown, OH. Lordstown makes vehicles specifically for North America. The plant in Russia makes vehicles for Eastern European markets, the Korean plant makes vehicles for Korea, the plant in Australia makes the Holden version, and so on.

If Lordstown isn't tooled to assemble wagons (or the hatchback for that matter), there will be a cost associated with making that happen. Further, if wherever the sheetmetal for is stamped isn't tooled to stamp out wagon panels, there will be a cost with that too. Tooling and dies aren't cheap. New local suppliers or a new supply chain would also be required for any other components or parts required (trim, seats, glass, etc.).

These costs need to be weighed against the potential profits from the vehicle. Compact cars already have a slim profit margin. Trying to make a business case to spend money on a plant to build a niche model of a car that already only barely makes money? That's a hard one to do.

It's easy to make an emotional argument about vehicles that aren't sold in a particular market. It's much harder to make a business argument for it. As much as people trash talk automakers, they're not run by a bunch of gibbons. GM in particular has had their share of niche vehicle follies. Maybe they're just being a bit more serious about building vehicles that sell well and make money, which is ultimately what the shareholders want and the corporation needs.


Very, very well said.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
There are lots of very good reasons why many cars don't make it to the Unite States.

GM is very big on manufacturing locally. There are 11 manufacturing plants bolting together the Cruze. Only one of them is in the United States: Lordstown, OH. Lordstown makes vehicles specifically for North America. The plant in Russia makes vehicles for Eastern European markets, the Korean plant makes vehicles for Korea, the plant in Australia makes the Holden version, and so on.

If Lordstown isn't tooled to assemble wagons (or the hatchback for that matter), there will be a cost associated with making that happen. Further, if wherever the sheetmetal for is stamped isn't tooled to stamp out wagon panels, there will be a cost with that too. Tooling and dies aren't cheap. New local suppliers or a new supply chain would also be required for any other components or parts required (trim, seats, glass, etc.).

These costs need to be weighed against the potential profits from the vehicle. Compact cars already have a slim profit margin. Trying to make a business case to spend money on a plant to build a niche model of a car that already only barely makes money? That's a hard one to do.

It's easy to make an emotional argument about vehicles that aren't sold in a particular market. It's much harder to make a business argument for it. As much as people trash talk automakers, they're not run by a bunch of gibbons. GM in particular has had their share of niche vehicle follies. Maybe they're just being a bit more serious about building vehicles that sell well and make money, which is ultimately what the shareholders want and the corporation needs.


That's a recent development.

Remember the Cadillac Allante'? GM would fly....yes, fly the completed bodies in from Italy in converted 747s. Just looking at this now and you have to know it was a bad idea from the start. Yet they did exactly that.

Just one of your "niche follies"? Okay, let's go larger scale. In the late '60s GM had a small work area at the end of the assembly line in which workers QC'd and fixed problems left from the construction. (and there were many) GM shut this program down. An "unnecessary expense". Selling a quality checked product is a "needless expense"?

Then there is the consistant problem GM has with spending the money to fix a problem design and then killing the car immediately after this huge expense.

Perhaps not gibbons. Certainly baboons. I am personally smarter than a fair percentage of GM's executive leadership and I'm not qualified to do their jobs. That makes them even less qualified.

 

[Stu_Rock]

Realistically, there's no market reason to build Cruze wagons in Lordstown. It would be a horrendous money sink. The best hope would be for GM to import them from a low-cost country.

Unfortunately, that would mean bringing Cruze wagons that are substandard compared to the US sedan. Only the 1.8 iron lump engine would be available, there would be drum brakes on the rear, and we wouldn't get the Watts linkage. I wouldn't buy one of those.