Does HSV understand its Market?

[nailit]

Take your blinkers off Davo!!!! . . .

Yes they are persuing their current wishes (read greed) . . . but this bloody thread is about trying to decide if their wishes are in tune with the market!!!!!

and only time will tell . . . roll on April 2012!!! . . and lets see if the stock has moved or diminished . . . or if they have responded to that "Stock Pressure" problem that is already hurting "dealer margins" . . "dealer floorplans" . . and OUR BLOODY RESALE VALUES!!!!!

. . . . and only the HSV or potential HSV customer is affected by, or in a position to - move away!!!

[planetdavo]

So thats a solid NO to u ever buying a HSV and the experience that goes with it

So Monaro buyers didn't spend HSV amounts of money, or display HSV buyer levels of passion and expectation?
Ok then...

[planetdavo]

Take your blinkers off Davo!!!! . . .

Yes they are persuing their current wishes (read greed) . . . but this bloody thread is about trying to decide if their wishes are in tune with the market!!!!!

. . . . and only the HSV or potential HSV customer is affected by, or in a position to - move away!!!

No blinkers, just the ability to see the whole picture.
Think you and others have already answered what you posted above.
You no longer represent the 85th percentile HSV buyer, and HSV aren't a tiny enough company to satisfy the whims of the 15% minority.
See you in another brand.

[VYBerlinaV8]

Take your blinkers off Davo!!!! . . .

Yes they are persuing their current wishes (read greed) . . . but this bloody thread is about trying to decide if their wishes are in tune with the market!!!!!

and only time will tell . . . roll on April 2012!!! . . and lets see if the stock has moved or diminished . . . or if they have responded to that "Stock Pressure" problem that is already hurting "dealer margins" . . "dealer floorplans" . . and OUR BLOODY RESALE VALUES!!!!!

. . . . and only the HSV or potential HSV customer is affected by, or in a position to - move away!!!

Second hand car values will continue to decline. Look at the US, for example. Second hand cars there are worth nothing.

[Plenty]

Hooray, finally someone has said it. We have an e2 clubsport with the optional "sport" suspension and on average australian roads it is fxxxg shocking. On a recent trip to Bunderberg it crashed and banged and skipped about like it was on bungee straps. On mirror smooth roads it's brilliant but we don't have many of them. Maybe hsv should design em for australia. And what about the engine failures, the rattles and no glovebox light. Very dissapointing.

Why would you option the Sportier suspension if you have no need for it on our roads?
Sounds like you optioned something on a whim, without actually thinking if you needed it!

[planetdavo]

Second hand car values will continue to decline. Look at the US, for example. Second hand cars there are worth nothing.

Bingo!
The main killer of the Aus second hand market is the size of the new car market.
We sell so many new cars in Aus that we have a glut of used cars, leading to lower trade-in values.
There's the main answer, combined with the market steering away from used V8 cars in general. Doesn't really matter what you do. To many people they simply cost too much to run, so people wont touch them. If people wont touch them, the dealers don't want them. If a dealer doesn't want a car, they offer a painfully low trade-in value...

[rgmast]

So Monaro buyers didn't spend HSV amounts of money, or display HSV buyer levels of passion and expectation?
Ok then...

Im sorry I must of misunderstood u or you missed out the GTO or Coupe 4 bit to the end of your sentence.

So its a solid NO you have not bought a HSV.

So in your thinking anyone who has spent in your terms HSV money on a car knows the ins and outs of HSV

[nailit]

Second hand car values will continue to decline. Look at the US, for example. Second hand cars there are worth nothing.

You are 100% correct . . but the US Industry has changed it Marketing to accomodate this issue . . .which incidently is an issue that was bought about (or accellerated) by greed!!!! . . . see the picture . . . greed!

Recent data has seen many US market segments improving in resale . . albeit slowly!!

What I would like to see is the same issues NOT applying to the Australian Market . . . especially in the HSV specialty segment . . . as it will hurt the brand and the buyer

[Jag530G]

Personally I think this has been a very mature minded thread (as rare as rocking horse sh1t on LS1) there is no need to drag it down PD state your views but there is no need to get personal.

back on topic. Maybe Im in la la land but what are peoples thoughts on marketing a car on a full build type theme. ie start with your shell, then start ticking boxes not just for m6 or a6 but engine type l98 to ls3 to lsa etc, also your suspension package, trans package, brake package, etc. therefore you have a package that will suit the hardcore hsv fan is tick upgrrade everthing, to the budget concious buying a hsv but with out the true hardcore performance. It wasnt long ago that you couldnt buy a M6 senator now having the option to option it to have the manual has potentially opened up to a broader market

The problem with what you want is that the car is built by Holden. HSV basically do limited bolt ons. The lack of flexibilty at Holden is most notoriously exhibited in the manufacturing process of the W427. Holden had to build them with a wet-sump LS3 as it had no capacity to build the car with a dry-sump LS7. The cars were shipped off to HSV who had to rip the LS3 out and replace it with the LS7 and dry sump. This is a big part of the reason behind the cost premium of the W427 over a GTS.

If your idea for tick-a-box options were limited to basic bolt ons such as wheels, springs, dampers, seats, seat trim, exhaust, CAI, I think you have a hope, but not if it means ripping out Engines or Gearboxs, the W427 experience rules that out at any sensible cost.

Cheers, Matthew

[Jag530G]

Second hand car values will continue to decline. Look at the US, for example. Second hand cars there are worth nothing.

From reading The Truth About Cars website www.ttac.com I am under the distict impression that used car values are rather stupidly high relative to new car prices at the moment because of the GFC, only in the last few months have new car sales started to show some signs of life and the cash for clunkers programme of a few years ago stripped away a fair chunk of the used car supply.

Cheers, Matthew

[SilverVH]

No blinkers, just the ability to see the whole picture.
Think you and others have already answered what you posted above.
You no longer represent the 85th percentile HSV buyer, and HSV aren't a tiny enough company to satisfy the whims of the 15% minority.
See you in another brand.

So 85% of HSV buyers are only after essientially a bodykitted Commodore?

If that is the case then as I previously said in regards to HSV's heritige, their direction has changed and HSV no longer stands for what it was. I'm not saying this is a bad or good thing, its just how it is.

This does not mean the demand for what HSV used to be is no longer there, just from a profitibility point of view, more revenue can be generated by essientally having a kitted Calais. If Holden/HSV choose to tap into the other segment of buyers is a totally different story. If it wasn't for the brand recognition, HSV wouldn't have anything with their latest offerings. It is the heritige of what HSV has been built on that has allowed it to come this far, is it really wise for HSV to sway from that heritige?

HDT offers a car that is so much more, but they lack the brand name and popularity that HSV has. If the HDT VE Group A replica was released under the HSV name and was HSV branded, I wonder what the response from the public would be? Same with Walkinshaw Performance, if HSV released something like this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VE-GTS-WA...item1e69360772, I wonder how it would fare, even if it was all optional and not a limited build, it would be interesting to see the response in the marketplace.

[macca33]

So Monaro buyers didn't spend HSV amounts of money, or display HSV buyer levels of passion and expectation?
Ok then...

No, they displayed Monaro type passion and spent Monaro type money - or they would've spent HSV money and purchased a GTO / GTS Coupe.

Honestly, Davo, try as you might, you cannot justify EVERY thing your beloved employer, or HSV does - THAT would be immature and short-sighted..

I think we all agree that HSV is actively targeting a market - those latest advertisements with the four sportspersons / celebrities are a clear example of their target audience. Some, however, want a little bit more substance than a pepped up Suzuki ad and a car that is almost as exciting as said Suzuki.

[seedyrom]

It's a pity about the restrictions on signature size.
That exchange is so worthy

PD have you actually ever BOUGHT a brand new HSV?

I have not bought a HSV, but I spent HSV money buying a new car called Monaro...

So thats a solid NO to u ever buying a HSV and the experience that goes with it

So Monaro buyers didn't spend HSV amounts of money, or display HSV buyer levels of passion and expectation?
Ok then...

[kayman]

silvervh... i think you make a very good point about hsv. hdt and walkinshaw are the new hsv... as enthusiasts you would think we would be leaning more towards those kind of cars than hsvs latest offerings.


GT-I9100

[Toddler78]

I was thinking about this thread this morning driving to work, trying to look at it from both sides, maybe HSV doesnt honour its heritage anymore because there no longer is a need for it. ie these hyped up cars came about because of the Group A homologulation rules, so the average (well to do) punter could go out and buy in effect a road registered race car. Now I know Group has long been gone and dead and in comparison to HSV starting it it had pretty much run its course, HSV no longer really have a race heritage, try as they might (HRT)