By this time, you may have heard that GM is resurrecting the Theta II-based Saturn Vue as the Chevy Captiva. And you may have also heard that the Captiva will only be available for fleet purchase to companies such as rental car and taxi firms. Needless to say, GM’s rather unusual move initially had us perplexed… but we believe we may have discovered the true reason for the decision.
It’s no secret that practically all automakers make it a goal for their vehicles to have as high a resale value as possible. And it’s also no secret that fleet sales (usually) usually decrease those ever-important resale values.
So could it be that — instead of offering up heaps of Equinoxes to fleets — Chevy would instead offer a model not available for public purchase, thereby circumventing the decreased resale value conundrum? And could that model be the Saturn Vue newly-born (for the U.S.) Chevy Captiva? We think so.
What do you think? Talk to us in the comments below!
Comments
I’ve been saying GM should do this for years though I think they could have used the Oldsmobile or Pontiac brand names so that Chevrolet isn’t dragged down thru fleet sales. It would be easy to make minor changes to older platforms right before Chevrolet is done with it then continue having it run down the same production line. They could even give Chevy dealers the fleet franchise contract.
This allows GM to maximize a platform (like the Impala) without dragging down the names of the Chevrolet models (Impala). Imagine the additional income on a platform if they could run it 4 more years.
Its a good idea. Right now prices of fleet Equinoxs and the like are holding very close to retail prices, even with 20,000 + clicks on them. Though when the product cools down (which it inevitably will) you may see resale value plummet. Some of the things GM is doing to counteract this is not allowing fleet companies to order stripped vehicles (an example is Malibu’s without onstar, or Escalades without nav). And it is allowing these vehicles to hold a higher resale value. But inevitably when you flood a market with a particular vehicle, its value will drop.
So to me this is a good move. The ONLY thing that could cause it to backfire is if the quality of these vehicles is poor. Because they will find their way into retail consumers hands at some point. And a shoddy product would really hurt our new found reputation.
My local GM dealer (in Bayamon, Puerto Rico) sells the Chevy Captiva to any retail buyer, not just for fleets. If someone is interested, I can post the dealer’s webpage here. The problem will be shipping the Captiva to the mainland. I have seen it up close, and it is smaller than the Equinox.