General Motors
GM vehicles will lose the company logo
General Motors Co. will begin removing its "Mark of Excellence" logo from its products, leaving just the GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac or Buick logos on the vehicles. GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan says phasing out the GM logo -- which is generally placed on the lower section of the door panel -- will be more difficult on some models than on others. On vehicles where a specific indentation is made in the sheet metal for the logo, phasing it out will take longer. On models such as the Camaro or Equinox, removal is easier, and will begin immediately, Rhadigan says.
--Associated Press
Honda
Honda tops 2008's most-stolen cars
Hondas are hot cars -- in more ways than one. The National Insurance Crime Bureau's "Hot Wheels" study examined data reported to the National Crime Information Center and found Hondas were the top two most-stolen vehicle models for 2008. The top ten:
1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup
5. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup
6. 2000 Dodge Caravan
7. 1996 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8. 1994 Acura Integra
9. 1999 Ford Taurus
10. 2002 Ford Explorer
--NWautos staff
8 Comments
By DwightD on September 6, 2009 8:19 AM
Weird. Finally, GM is starting to make some excellent cars (Malibu, for example), and now they want they want to remove their Mark of Excellence logo?
By Really on September 6, 2009 8:59 AM
Getting ready to sell brands off when the bailout money is all spent up !
By iamme on September 6, 2009 12:50 PM
GM is to remove a logo signifying the excellent quality of the cars they build?? Yeah right, that logo should have been removed many, many, years ago!! (Clue: that's why they are in the toilet, you know asking for bailout $$ and all that)
By Sam on September 6, 2009 11:10 PM
Very simple marketing. If the GM logo is thought to add value to the car, it goes on. When it's thought to subtract value from the car, it comes back off.
By Pleasant Puget Sound on September 7, 2009 4:30 PM
Good for GM for finally getting rid of that stupid "Mark Of Excelence". That was always a bad and bitter joke to the people who previously bought GM's cr@ppy cars in the past.
And good for the Obama Administration for bailing out GM, protecting hundreds of thousands of jobs, and FINALLY forcing GM to make the substantive changes that they should have made years or decades ago! Government DOES do it better!
By Kenny on September 8, 2009 9:30 AM
Most of the badges on cars are unsightly anyway. It is a cleaner look without it.
As for the quality, GM is living with the reputation from its past. Most of their cars are very reliable. I have several brand makes. While perhaps their best cars are a notch or two under Toyota or Honda, the costs of repair is usually cheaper. Toss up in my opinion, as I own my cars longer than most people would.
GM had too many brands. Killing off the nameplates is a necessary thing. The UAW is to blame for some of their money woes too. Can anyone say job banks?!! How many other companies pay people to not do anything?
By kt on September 9, 2009 10:39 AM
I thought it was kind of a sharp touch.....
By agm 86b on September 17, 2009 10:33 PM
What they didn't tell you is that it will be replaced with a mug of Uncle Sam in a top hat. Or, maybe a hammer and sickle. There is still some debate at the White House which one best represents the Obama administration.