Thoughts on the HHR?

[Prince Valiant]

http://www.theautochannel.com/N/news/2005/01/03/313289.1-lg.jpg

Particulars:
Layout: Front-engine, FWD, 4 door, 5 passenger wagon.
Engine: 2.2 DOHC (140hp/150ft-lbs) or optional 2.4 DOHC (170hp/170ft-lbs)
Trans: 5speed manual/4 speed auto.
Curb weight: 3300lbs

Three thoughts come to mind with #3 being almost a combo of 1 and 2, and all plausible:
:
#1: Blatant rip-off of the PT cruiser (designed by the same guy, lol, one-trick-pony)...and an uglier one at that. Comes at a time where PT cruiser sales have slowed tremendously and have pretty much hit market saturation, so the HHR will sell like crap.

#2: HHR will sell like hot-cakes to all the GM-brand-loyal-ist who were responsible for buying tons of J-bodies all these years :goof:. FINALLY they'll have their PT cruiser that they can buy and customize without guilt because IT'S MADE BY GM!!! It'll be hot sales for a few years then fade away. Despite it being a good seller, it'll be considered unimaginative by the car press who will give a huge "ho-hum" that it'll probably deserve as it is so "2000" when we first saw the PT. But, when initial sales do slow, they'll buy a couple more years out of it when a s/c'd 2.0 comes out two years after release.

#3: Most people who loved the PT cruiser weren't car guys anyways....they were women who wanted something cute, or guys who wanted something different...so the HHR will just be so woe-fully late and have missed the boom. It'll cut into the PT-cruiser sales somewhat, as many cruiser buyers are repeat buyers to begin with anyways. It'll sell badly.

Obviously we can guess how it'll perform, handle, etc....like a small minivan might be expected to do. Who cares?

[Crawlin]

as a chevy dealer.... it's a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY.

it will sell like crap. and the salesmen will now have to deal with people saying, "well the PT cruiser is much quieter inside". it's one of those things that GM is always late to the party with. ALWAYS!! What market is this vehicle focused on? Small SUV market? ****, that's what the Equinox is for. Minivan market? That's what the Uplander is for. Small station wagon you say? That's the Malibu Maxx. They have no point in making this vehicle. Total waste of resources(again...think SSR) that could have been put towards another f-body, or atleast improving the rest of the vehicle lineup alot more. and you are right, PT sales have slowed, and guess what else the chevy salesmen have to deal with then... people that MIGHT actually be in that market segment(whatever it is) have to compete with GM having some $750 rebate on them compared to a PT cruiser that might have like $2000. Brand loyalty, while it may still exist, being in the business you don't see a TON of. Maybe 10% people you talk to will say "I ONLY BUY GM".

[SMS 1]

What else do we have to look forward to in GM's quest backward to the begining of the alphabet? They should have learned a lesson with the SSR it would appear not however.

When are the corporate assholes at "General Mishaps" going to wake up and fire everyone on thier special project team? They need to get the pot smokin granola eatin last week hippies out of there and insert some bewb loving beer drinkin gearheads and try to re-capture even a small part of what used to make Chevy's great.

How about we start with a supercharged RWD Monte Carlo SS LS2?

[Cryptic]

I can say that people that wanted a PT cruiser but would never buy dodge would prolly go for it, just becuase their die hard chevy

[animal]

It kinda looks like a mix of the PT and the durango imho.

I bet they'll sell alot of them in san francisco :sgay

All they need to do is paint them pink.

[jbiscuit]

weak. Looks just like the PT Cruiser :chair: :loser

[Syclone0044]

"PT Cruiser" would never have crossed my mind. It looks a lot more like a Hyundai "Santa Fe" or whatever that model is. Where does GM come up with this crap? It seems like most new GM stuff is either blase` or embarassing. Look at some of the other manufacturers and they don't have this problem (well, maybe an exception on Dodge, their styling is from some other planet most of the time.. ;)). When Ford came out with the 05 retro Mustang I dont think I heard anyone say "What in the world is this?" Everyone saw the appeal was obvious and knew it was a good idea. I have heard people excited about them from car guys to average coworkers. GM has a late history of having some really obnoxious bombs like the Aztek and the SSR.

[WhiteZCamaro]

eewwww!!!!! :sgay

[Al]

In a moment of bad dyslexia, I read "Ben HHR" (Ben Hur).

Yes, it looks like a cross between a PT Loser and a Durango.


When will the GM board figure out that it will be better off building a next gen F-bod?

Hell, they just ended Astro production. The only mid-sized van of its type. They said sales were slumpping, but did they ever realize that people were holding on to their stros for the long haul? Think about it, how many do you see on your way to work? Also, how many have you seen with 250k + miles? They are still very popular, but they saturated the market with a one-of-a-kind car that refuses to break down (except for ball joints).