Someone at the office has been parking a "Chevrolet Classic" on the company lot the past couple of days. It looks exactly like the previous model Malibu...right down to the "Malibu Wave" on the trunk lid. I did a search on the Chevy site for "Classic"...nothing turned up. The thing looks brand new. It is a special fleet model or something so GM can get rid of the remaining "old" Malibu inventory? Just curious if anyone knows.
They kept producing the 2003 Malibu, but it is a fleet-only car. It was done in order to keep the new 2004 Malibu out of fleet service.
I read that Chevy didn't want the new Malibu associated with banal, boring fleet service duties (rental car). They wanted the new Malibu to keep a fresh, hip appearance to a younger crowd. Doesn't make any sense to me. Seems a car company would want to sell as many units possible, period. I like the new Mailbu and would want to buy one, even if it's also in certain rental fleets.
Lots of fleet sales tend to be bad for resale value down the road, which can cause some people to avoid buying (or especially leasing) an otherwise suitable car.
Perhaps, but I recall the 1996 Buick Century/Olds Ciera, the 1998 Olds Achieva, and the 2000/2001 Chevy Lumina all being designated as available for fleet purchase only. It always seemed to me as GM using up excess parts of models reaching the end of their production runs.
Interesting...thanks all. I discovers that the person driving it is a out-of-town contractor...so is likely a airport rental.
Whatever happened to "just in time" production of parts? I thought GM/Ford/Chrysler were switching to this, and it was supposed to eliminate things like having warehouses full of taillights for cars that are no longer made.
"Sideshow Bob" wrote in
Joe Blow wrote in news:Xns9503E6F294FA1nullexampleorg@65.24.7.50:
They probably have virtually "just in time" production. If GM figures they'll make another 5000 Luminas, then it seems they'd only have to order another 5000 tailights. There are so many different parts for cars provided by outside vendors that GM probably has the process down pat. GM probably has a lot of planners and such to figure out things like that. Plus, GM needs a supply of parts to sell to customers as replacement parts. Replacement parts are a very profitable areana for car manufacturers and dealerships.
There's more to it than selling as many as possible. . .
Well take Olds for example....the car line is gone BUT they are required to maintain dealer parts/support for 10 years. So there will still be a stockpile of parts (ex.: tailights) for cars that are out of production. If you have been to swapmeets and met a vendor with NOS parts, he will normally find dealers that will sell all of the leftover parts for cars that they are not longer required to support. Most dealers that I have been to use a regionalized GM parts warehouse, such as Bob McGuire GM Parts in Bordontown NJ. Chances are if you are getting a part from a dealer on the upper east coast....it's coming from Bob McGuire. Only one time that I went there they did NOT have the part in stock, but had it in 48hrs
"> > Whatever happened to "just in time" production of parts? I thought
It's actually "Should Have in Time".
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