I don't get it..? GM and other car makers are hurting. Laying off 100's or 1000's of employees; closing plants; asking for government bailouts....

Why is it that so many folks on this site that have ordered HHR's, not counting those NOT on this site, cannot get them delivered.???

Seems to me that the auto makers would be haulin' butt to fill these orders, to get the capital that they claim they need, to stay afloat. There should be
piles of new, efficient models (like the HHR) waiting on the dealer's lots.

Unless I am missing something, what's wrong with this picture.

Cajun

 

It took 20 years for American auto makers to achieve parity with the Japanese brands. Too little, too late. And during those decades, the Japanese were building new, high-efficiency factories in the USA and paying people half of what a UAW union member earns. And don't even talk about UAW unemployment benefits.....

No mysteries here.

 

I ordered my 09 SS Oct 3rd,, Built Oct 21,, Supposed to be here Nov 3,, My order seems to have progressed well thus far..

 

What he said. Needless to say lose the Union and GM and other Auto Compaines would be much better off.

 

Don't know that I'd quite consider US has achieved parity with Japanese. I think they just about did and then shipped their manufacturing over to Mexico and the quality has suffered. Having bought my first new Honda and my first new Chevy this year, I notice a huge difference in the two. The plastic trim pieces on the Chevy don't fit together making it look like a poorly built "snap-tite" model we used to get when we were kids.

JIm

 

Customer orders always take longer because they are built in the order they are received. You have to keep in mind that an order is an order, whether it's for a customer or a regular dealer inventory order. GM doesn't just send random cars to dealerships, either. The dealer submits their inventory orders to GM and then the cars are built and shipped.

As for the unions, they really don't cost GM that much. It's the health care costs that have really taken the core of the apple. Toyota and Honda just don't have the same costs yet--but they soon will. Retirees eat up a lot of health care. That's why my Dad now has to pay for his own after age 65, which will actually wind up falling on medicare. Toyota's oldest plant in the US is just starting to churn out retirees, and they're costs are about to go waaay up as a result.

 

All good, solid points......BUT

That still does not explain why there are not more 2009 GM economy models
at the dealerships.......

My local dealer, one of the largest and oldest in the area, still does not have any 2009 HHR's to speak of..

Cajun

 

Maybe....just maybe.....GM wishes to sell the "gobs" of 2008 inventory still on dealer lots.

For example, and not that there is a reasonable reason for buying but, the dealers here in AZ have 15 ZR1 (2009) Corvettes that they can't sell (remember, this is limited production). There are currently 2700 2008 Corvettes sitting on the dealer lots as well. Production across the entire spectrum is slowing or stopping in entirety.

You probably can watch for another wave of rebates or price reductions of some sort.

Just a guess, on my part.

 

There are no Vettes at my local chevy dealer's lot. Just SUV's as far as the eye can see.

 

Can you imagine how pissed some of those guys/gals who plunked $50,000 over MSRP for a ZR1 would be if they heard that? I didn't realize they'd started deliveries yet. 2700 '08s doesn't sound like a lot when spread out over the dealer network, though. Not as much as 20,000 Suburbans...

The local Chevy dealer here has a passle of Aveos, Cobalts, and HHRs, but he won't deal so nobody ever goes there. I don't know how they stay in business.