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Despite strong profits, GM still fighting flat market share

Looking at the progress General Motors has made since it entered bankruptcy, it's easy to forget that the company still has a long way to go before it's the juggernaut it once was. A recent report from Reuters points out that, while GM is making money, it isn't making any gains in terms of US market share. Quite the opposite, really. Consider this factoid: In 1963, nearly half of the cars sold in the United States were from Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC or Pontiac. Now, the company's US market share is stagnant at 17.9 percent. That same number is half of just Chevy's 1963 market share. This is all despite GM going on a binge replacing or updating its models. "Market share increases are not instantaneous," Mark Reuss told Reuters at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. "We've got a lot of baggage. Don't underestimate what people though of us, or these brands, through these hardships and 30 years." The reasons for the stagnant market share are numerous. Reuters points out that retooling of factories and a focus on limiting incentives are both good things for profit, but not necessarily for market share. There's also the troubling turnover of the brand's marketing department. These issues don't change the fact that Chevrolet has lost 1.4 percent of its market share in two years, and that Cadillac - arguably GM's most improved brand overall - has lost 1.2 percent in the same period. Part of that can be blamed on GM's avoidance of fleet sales in favor of more profitable customer sales. "Our focus has really been on retail and that's where we've got the growth," said Alan Batey, GM's interim global marketing boss. "We want to grow GM and that means growing market share and profits, but it's not at all costs," Reuss said. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: paul bica - Flickr CC 2.0 Earnings/Financials Buick Cadillac GM GMC sales profits

Lego's 18.5-inch Ghostbusters Ecto-1 will make you feel like bustin'

If there's something strange in your neighborhood, Lego has something to help you take care of those non-terminal repeating phantasms or class-five full-roaming vapors. This week, it announced a supremely detailed version of the Ecto-1, the iconic 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance from the 1984 film classic, Ghostbusters. The set is comprised of a whopping 2,352 Lego pieces and when completed, will measure 18.5 inches long. It's one of the more accurate Lego vehicles the company has created, and features a steering box connecting the steering wheel to the front wheels, hinged doors and an opening hood with replica V8 engine inside. Like the movie car, it's packed with ghost-fighting gadgetry. There's a rotating ghost-sniffer activated by the wheels, a gunner seat that deploys from one of the rear doors, and a roof rack stacked with loads of spirit-trapping gear. Lego says it's even got some easter eggs that will be discovered as the kit is assembled. Lego says that two automotive pieces were developed specifically for the Ecto-1: a 6x14 curved windscreen and a five-module steering wheel. These should translate well to other vehicles in the future or for custom builds. Notably, this kit was designed by the Michael Psiaki, who created Lego's James Bond Aston Martin DB5 kit. The set is released as a tie-in with the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie. It was supposed to be released this summer but was delayed until (as of now) June 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the Ecto-1 kit, it will hit shelves Nov. 15 just in time for holiday shopping.

Cadillac files to trademark Vistiq, Lumistiq, and Escalade IQL

Cadillac's been tapping various European patent offices to reserve names for its coming battery-electric model lineup. Remember, Cadillac plans to be an EV-only brand by 2030, it's trimmed-down dealer network expected to sell a range wherein all or most models end with "iq," as in Lyriq and Celestiq, that pronunciation being "ik," not "eek." In July of last year, brand attorney's filed to reserve the names "Cadillac Symboliq" and "Symboliq" in Switzerland. CarBuzz found three more applications in the category of "Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles," one in the UK for the name Vistiq, another in Austria for the name Lumistiq, the last in an unknown country for the name Escalade IQL.   Yes, those first two names make us think of X-Men before they make us think of cars. But assuming the names ever get applied to product, we expect those products will be cars, and we also expect those cars will be of the crossover variety since safe money says CUVs will still be more popular than sedans and wagons in 2030.  Since the Escalade name effectively acts as its own brand, it appears the moniker will be grandfathered into the EV naming structure by turning "IQ" into a kind of trim. Our money is on the IQL version being a long-wheelbase variant of a battery-electric Escalade. The Ultium-powered version of the big-boy SUV is due here by 2025 at the latest and will be sold alongside the traditional, ICE-powered Escalade until the V8 Escalade goes away.    The switch to electric is Cadillac's moon shot; there isn't much else for the brand to try for winning back its bygone glory and acclaim. By the time Vistiq and Symboliq get here, though, we could all be drinking the IQ Kool-Aid and climbing on board if the Lyriq (pictured) and Celestiq, both expected around 2023, prove impossible to resist.  Related Video: