GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Duh - just did the math. That's 84,000 a year capacity. 2005 sales might hit 68,000 or approx 80% of capacity. Like the Cheetos commercial - keep on buying 'em, we'll make more. Thats about the max for us Jake. We couldn't do that every month for a year. There has to be some room for error (parts shortages, major break downs, scrap units, etc.). None of that happens very often, but it does happen.They're working on increasing output for next year and one way to do that is to have us work more. For this reason, we're scheduled for two Saturdays a month through April '06 and probably more on the way. Thats the most allowed under our union contract, two Saturdays per month - unless there is some sort of unusual exent. Last time we had more than that was after the port strike had us shut down for a few days in '02.Realistic, is probably between 5,000 and 6,000 per month, but I'm not counting, just guessing based on our average daily output (1,050), and the average Corolla to Vibe ratio (between 3-1 and 4-1).Probably more info than anyone wants to know. I'm off to work to build 167 Vibes!!!

Assuming there is demand for the output, you'd think they would want to run the plant 7 days a week. I used to be a pharmacist and worked a lot of Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays. It was nice to have week days off as a lot of things you need to do has to be done Mon-Fri 9 to 5. As for the Union Contract - I assume that limits mandatory overtime, but seems like there would be a lot of eager beavers who would like that time and a half or perhaps double time for extra hours.

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Assuming there is demand for the output, you'd think they would want to run the plant 7 days a week. I used to be a pharmacist and worked a lot of Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays. It was nice to have week days off as a lot of things you need to do has to be done Mon-Fri 9 to 5. As for the Union Contract - I assume that limits mandatory overtime, but seems like there would be a lot of eager beavers who would like that time and a half or perhaps double time for extra hours. No can do - atleast without changing the contract. We work M-F 8 hours per shift. Mandatory o/t is limited to 2 hours per day and 2 Saturdays per month. But, if people want to work more and there is more work to be done, they're always welcome to stay beyond that, just can't be forced to. Besides, Mantenance needs time to keep all the equipment in working order. They are at their busiest when the line isn't running.

Quote, originally posted by IMakeVibes »No can do - atleast without changing the contract. We work M-F 8 hours per shift. Mandatory o/t is limited to 2 hours per day and 2 Saturdays per month. But, if people want to work more and there is more work to be done, they're always welcome to stay beyond that, just can't be forced to. Besides, Mantenance needs time to keep all the equipment in working order. They are at their busiest when the line isn't running. That's fair enough! When I was in a "management" position OT was not mandatory but it was expected and no OT pay to go with it.

best selling car in it's class and still weak AM support.

Quote, originally posted by mcgusto82 »best selling car in it's class and still weak AM support.AM support = ???

I also don't understand that AM support business. All these abreviations thrown out here on the Internet drive me nuts - like the rest of us have any idea of what they're talking about.In plain language, though, and after seeing photos of the new cars US automakers are bringing out right now, what in the world is the matter with United State automobile manufacturers? The only car General Motors is coming out with right now that interests me is the new Pontiac Solstice. General Motors hasn't come out with a car that really interested me since the 60s. I guess it doesn't matter, because it won't be long before all vehicles are manufactured in other countries.I'd hate being in the shoes of you young folks, because the good life for working people in the United States is about to be gone.

"aftermarket" = AM

Quote, originally posted by mcgusto82 »"aftermarket" = AMAhhh, that is the am which was being referred to!

I wonder if this has anything to do with the lower October saleshttp://www.fortwayne.com/mld/j...1.htmQuote »A shortage of rail cars has made it tougher for businesses to move products to their final destination and to bring in raw materials, a situation exacerbated by Hurricane Katrina.At General Motors’ Fort Wayne assembly plant, a higher number of trucks than usual are sitting in lots waiting to be transported to dealers across the nation....Meanwhile, at least one area auto dealership said it is seeing a delay in the number of cars being delivered.“They’ve been coming in a lot slower than we’d like to see them,” said Tim Haag, Pontiac-GMC new car manager at Don Ayres Pontiac-GMC in Fort Wayne.He said about 20 percent of the dealer’s models are coming in slower than usual. That includes the Pontiac Vibe and GMC Canyon, which are shipped from California and Louisiana, respectively. He added that Pontiac Vibes have been selling well this year but have been hard to replenish. The dealership recently received more Pontiac Vibes after a drought of about two months, Haag said.“When you don’t have something it seems like everyone wants one,” he said.Haag said the shortage is a little more “hurtful” late in the year as the dealership is expecting new 2006 models.

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »I wonder if this has anything to do with the lower October saleshttp://www.fortwayne.com/mld/j...1.htmRail and ship traffic has been increasing for years. There has been some talk about shortages of rail cars and delays in the system with all the traffic. I'm sure any major event that effects such a large area as the hurricanes did will have the ability to disrupt rail traffic. This has not affected Vibe production, and does not seem to have severely affected distribution, atleast not leaving the plant. We have bigger issues when an incoming train is delayed and parts do not arrive in time.

http://media.gm.com/servlet/Ga...21146November 2005 = 2276only the first three months of 2002 were lower.

247557=9173-vs4.jpg

Classic supply/demand economics. More of a given good will be bought at a lower price; and vice versa.

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »I wonder if this has anything to do with the lower October saleshttp://www.fortwayne.com/mld/j...1.htmwe got trucks all over the place. the rail cars do seem to be a problem, we just keep building them and they just keep parking them in the grass. the shipping company's (bendix last time I heard) lot is full and the over flow is GM's big grassy areas behind the plant. some of these trucks have been here a month or longer. trucks are shipping them out as fast as they can. I think the company was even hiring drivers.

Looks like Vibe sales rebounded this December, more than double Nov. sales! I'll let joatmon post the details , or, if you're impatient, here is thelink :http://media.gm.com/servlet/Ga...21738

Quote, originally posted by micbarric »Looks like Vibe sales rebounded this December, more than double Nov. sales! I'll let joatmon post the details , or, if you're impatient, here is thelink :http://media.gm.com/servlet/Ga...21738Not bad... about a 10% improvement year-to-year over 2004; especially given 2005 total sales dropped 4% and car sales dropped 7% compared to 2004.

Looks like there's a trend for a january slump. G6 @>15K, GP @> 11K are the only things keeping Pontiac in businessPontiac Torrid beat Vibe with 2961

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looks like i bought in the second best month on record for the vibe. May '04

I am surprised at the low sales figure for January 2006, considering how most of the country was warm with little snow.

January slump = 1) Holiday bills come due, so most consumers don't have cash or credit to go car shopping2) Expiration of end-of-year incentives 3) No new cash incentives to get buyers into the showrooms: Last time I looked, there was $0 rebate on the Vibe, and 1.9%/2.9%/3.9% financing for short-term loans. 4) Because of jealousy/idiocy/hypocrisy GM has absolutely no desire to make the (NUMMI Toyota-joint-venture) Vibe a sales success. As a result, GM isn't spending one thin DIME to advertise it!

GM is selling the Vibe at the planned sales volume. Therefore, they do not need to advertise more.

maybe a mix of that and the announcement of the caliber? but it seems the caliber was uber slow. Also pontiac's no marketing theory helps too.

just wait till the middle of the year and then it may or may not pick up in sales. i.e. model year end close out sales.bye bye '06s hello '07s

Can you say 'No cash-back, rebates, or finance-rate incentives'?

Quote, originally posted by kostby »Can you say 'No cash-back, rebates, or finance-rate incentives'?That's it. I just can't buy the Caliber argument, because the likelihood is that you don't lose 3,000 units of sales just because somebody introduces a new competitor that isn't the "Camry" of its segement-the Caliber certainly isn't.

maybe its because of no Advertisement of any kind for the Vibe. I think Pontiac wants to sell GM not Toyota.

Yeah, GM is very quiet right now.

April Pontiac Vibe sales were down 37.1 percent.3,934 vs 6,499 a year earlier.For the calendar year, they're down 35.9 percent, 13,156 vs. 20,535 a year ago.Hmmm. 'No advertising and No incentives' will only help justify GM's ultimate decision to kill the Vibe entirely at the end of 2007 rather than attempt to promote an economical, versatile small car that wasn't invented by GM.The GM NIH Syndrome: "Not Invented Here, so we want nothing to do with it, and we'll shoot ourselves in the foot to prove our point!"Link to full GM release of April sales results --> http://media.gm.com/servlet/Ga...25435

Quote, originally posted by kostby »Hmmm. 'No advertising and No incentives' will only help justify GM's ultimate decision to kill the Vibe entirely at the end of 2007 rather than attempt to promote an economical, versatile small car that wasn't invented by GM.An '08 Vibe is in the plans as of now, but anything is possible between now and 18 months from now.

Quote, originally posted by kostby »... rather than attempt to promote an economical, versatile small car that wasn't invented by GM.The interesting thing too is that the Vibe was GM's idea - they approached Toyota with the concept.

I think it's kind of a combination of everything. I would have never even concidered the Vibe if I wouldn't have got it as a Rental car last year and had a chance to drive it. I mean, they are rarely if at all advertised, and even the people who are looking to buy a pontiac find things like the G6, GTO, Grand Prix, and Grand-am to be a bit more "known". I think if GM plans on keeping the Vibe around, theyneed to get the word out about it. The Vibe is a kind of car that unless you sit in it and drive it, you don't know what you are missing.But this is all my little 2cents worth (or less if you ask some people).

The reason for no incentives is widely known that GM is stockpiling for if/when Delphi goes out on strike.

Quote, originally posted by "media.gm.com" »General Motors dealers in the United States sold 345,157 new cars and trucks in May, down 16 percent compared to year-ago levels, reflecting continued strategic reductions in incentives and daily rentals, which were down 28 percent."strategic"

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Quote, originally posted by Vibr8tr »I mean, they are rarely if at all advertised Here, at least, there has in the last couple of weeks been an (gasp!) actual advertisement for the Vibe, touting it as "the most fuel-efficient vehicle GM makes (or in its class; I can't remember)", so perhaps steady 3+/gallon prices are finally forcing them to market it. Sadly, it seems, those same prices are not forcing people to purchase Vibes, however.

I can only share my experience as a new (new to me) owner of a Vibe. That for the last 3 months my search for the RIGHT car for us finally brought us back around to a Vibe. I looked at it early then looked at all the others. We were within days of buying a Scion XA and saw a Matrix on the lot. We liked it but remebered that I liked the style of the Vibe much better. I think all the advertising for the Honda Fit, Yaris, XA, XB, VW's played a big part in us looking elsewhere.

I know you posted this a while ago... I just stumbled across it."18 months from now" my foot... if the '08s are supposed to be in the showroom in late summer of '07 -- and Corolla/Matrix/Vibe were introduced very early in '02 for the '03 model year -- then they ought to have the darned things pretty much figured out by now, n'est-ce pas?I've got $20 says there won't be no redesign. I hope I'm wrong, though.I just sold my '04 a month ago and am piling on to my "blue" GM Card. I guess I'll buy one more Vibe, even if they stop making them. Good car.-Mathias

june 2006 - 4669(compared to 17,074 G6's and 10,755 GP's, 30,716 Impala's, 58,791 SIlverado's)

Vibe sales were down 36.2% from June 2005 (GM Employee Pricing for every life form in the galaxy) and 33.9% year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2005.Intentional Neglect just doesn't sell many cars at GM dealerships, no matter how good the cars are!EDIT #1: And yet, June has the highest Vibe sales for any month this year.Link to full June GM vehicle sales detail --> http://media.gm.com/servlet/Ga...27076EDIT #2: Toyota the car manufacturing division of Consumers Reports apparently lumps Matrix sales in with Corolla and had outstanding gains for the same period. Sales of "North American produced Corolla's", including the 4-door cars produced in the same facility as the Vibe, and the Matrices, produced in Canada, were up 17.9 percent. Overall Corolla sales were up 38.9 percent over a year ago.Link to full Toyota/Lexus vehicle sales detail --> http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-...EDATE=IMHO GM is looking for a business reason to discontinue the Vibe, 'due to declining sales.'

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »june 2006 - 4669(compared to 17,074 G6's and 10,755 GP's, 30,716 Impala's, 58,791 SIlverado's)9,500 HHR's - twice as many as Vibe. There is only so much of a market for this niche.

Today I finally noticed this part of the GM media announcements "DETROIT - General Motors' dealers in the United States sold ..." so these numbers don't include Canada sales. I had been looking at these numbers to indicate how many Vibes ever. I guess there's more Vibes out there than I had previously thought.edit 8/5http://media.gm.com/servlet/Ga...27722July Vibe US sales 6060

I guess Joatmon lost interest in monthly updates?Once again, a 34mpg EPA Highway Estimate (tied with Chevy Aveo, Aveo5, and Pontiac G6) with no incentives and no advertising means that Vibe sales that are down 45% from same month year-ago numbers. 3651 Sep '06 vs 6379 Sep '05September year-to-date numbers are down 30.3%l:38,004 '06 to date, vs 54,517 '05 to date.If GM was DESPERATELY TRYING to kill off the Vibe because of poor sales, they couldn't do a better job!Full GM September 2006 sales are posted here -->http://media.gm.com/servlet/Ga...29391

Quote, originally posted by kostby »I guess Joatmon lost interest in monthly updates?no, buy lately it has been a lot of trouble to type. Can anyone find a source for Canadian Vibe sales figures?

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Looks like it's the 2nd lowest year.... not good for the Vibe. Maybe that's why they cut the GT, cuase it just wasn't selling like they wanted.

I'm surprised to see the decreased sales. I've been seeing more Vibes than ever in S.E. Virginia. Only one with mods, though. Seems like mostly middle aged crowd. The Vibe has so much to offer and is such a well rounded car, I don't understand why Pontiac doesn't do anything to promote it.

All those northern people can't get their AWD Vibes either

well, the vibe had it's good run. maybe we need to accept the reality that GM just doesn't love us Vibe owners. (ex-owner my case)

The basic economic law of supply and demand has not been repealed. Fewer goods will be demanded at a higher price. At the present prices I'd be looking seriously at the alternative of a 2007 Honda CRV if I were in the market to trade. For the past few years I was trading cars every 3 years but my nearly 4 year old 2003 Vibe is just getting ready to turn 24,000 miles so I think I will hold tight for awhile. My 3 year old 2004 T&C is at 17,500. That T&C has a 7 year 70,000 mile powertrain warranty. The new ones don't. Otherwise I might trade it. Just put in a new concrete driveway that cost almost as much as a new car.

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It's another of my ongoing rants, but it's just a damn shame that GM won't spend one red cent to advertise our cars! In a year that saw summer gas prices well above $3.00 a gallon in most areas of the United States, sales of Vibes, among THE MOST FUEL EFFICIENT 5-door vehicle made by GM, are the lowest since the introductory year??? Come on, GM, wake the heck up!In 2006, NUMMI manufactured 58,344 Pontiac Vibes, but GM only managed to sell 45,221. Of course, the number SOLD includes 05's, 06's and '07's, so it doesn't DIRECTLY translate to 13,203 Vibes slowly fading away on dealer lots, but it's probably close.The TMMC factory built 78,939 Matrix', over 20,000 more than Vibes.And look at the total number of north American Corollas produced: 199,534 for NUMMI and 161,555 for TMMC, for a total over 360,000. Don't tell me there's not a market!Link to full Toyota North American production report--> http://www.autospectator.com/m...=7427