GM selling chief Ewanick: "We'll concentrate on Cruze all year long"

Joel Ewanik was recently named General Motors' world selling chief, therefore we have a tendency to sat down with him and Buick selling honcho Roger McCormack at the Detroit Auto Show to seek out out how they attempt to get additional attention for GM's brands.


  - For each men, the priority is to induce folks in seats since GM seems to comprehend that it cannot simply place confidence in folks to trust its selling. "We're creating nice automobiles – the Cruze was the primary car in its section to induce 5 stars beneath the new NHTSA standards," Ewanick said, "we got to get folks in sitting within the cars." For Buick, McCormack said moreover that his whole can concentrate on "Activities to induce folks in cars, sitting in cars, experiencing cars."


  - On the topic of settling Cadillac's advertising, Ewanick said, "With Cadillac we're making an attempt to make some dissonance, putting them in ski resorts to remind those that Cadillac may be a nice whole for his or her snow activities with the all-wheel-drive sports wagon and CTS, SRX and Escalade." To that finish, the whole has done deals with the Northstar ski resort in Lake Tahoe and they are doing one with Vail, in Colorado.


  - The scope of the "Chevy Runs Deep" campaign is being broadened from its historical associations to current environmental and community efforts. "I wished to try to to wind farms and solar panels, one thing attractive," said Ewanick. however once talking to folks within the field he selected additional community-minded efforts. "Most colleges are not insulated, and if we have a tendency to weatherized them properly they might save on heating." A month ago Chevrolet released a poster touting the initiatives: get a Chevrolet and also the company can invest in programs that "over successive few years" can cut back carbon emissions by eight million metric tons.


  - The Volt is that the brand's best halo car: "People responsive to the Volt are additional possible to shop for into a Chevrolet – it's selling the Cruze, the Malibu and significant duty pickups as a result of the engineering sells the whole." Speaking of the Cruze, expect to examine lots of it this year. "We do not have lots of huge launches for the year, therefore the messages can concentrate on Cruze, month in, month out, all year long."


  - Both McCormack and Ewanick described Buick as "more approachable luxury." When asked if that meant Buick was now not gunning for Lexus, McCormack said "Lexus remains significantly a key competitor, moreover as Acura, Infiniti, Audi in some instances and Volkswagen in some instances." The key to that seems to be not in actual head-to-head competition (a la the CTS), however finding some in-between house to occupy. "What we have a tendency to do fine is play in luxury mainstream," McCormack said, "positioned betweeen luxury and compact luxury, higher than mainstream compact. we have a tendency to bake in all the posh, amenities and craftsmanship, deliver all things the patron values however the patron appears like they got a decent deal."


  - If that is the Buick formula, "the same formula as on the LaCrosse," the purpose now could be to unfold it over a wider vary of vehicles just like the Regal and Verano – which also will cut back the common age of the Buick buyer. "Look, the age is that the age, however it is a reflection of the segments. we have a tendency to started with the Lucerne, LaCrosse and Enclave, all of these compete in segments that may get an older shopper."


As for Buick's ad frontman, "Kevin Bacon is that the Buick spokesperson," Ewanick said, "and we do not see that changing."

Posted in: Cadillac,Car News,General Motor,Joel Ewanik