Some members of the GM Authority army have been wondering whether the (excellent) GM Mainstreet In Motion tour would return to a city near you this year. For the uninitiated, Mainstreet In Motion was a GM event that visited several major U.S. cities and brought over 70 vehicles from GM and its competitors for attendees to drive in a hassle-free environment, including the GMC Sierra HD, Buick Regal, Chevy Cruze, Camaro, Corvette, and Volt, along with competitive models like the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Camry, Acura TL, among others.
Unfortunately, GM has just confirmed that the tour was cancelled after its first year in 2011. So those of you hoping to get behind the wheel of a new GM car — or a model from a competitor — will have to visit a dealership to do so. In doing so, the experience may not be as simple as “present your license, sign here, and have fun.” Perhaps the return on investment for GM just didn’t pan out as expected…
Comments
STUPID…
I’m very disappointed. These were the only events were you got to actually have fun on a test drive. I could drive a Volt, Corvette and Regal and a CTS all within an hour.
If GM thinks your can just walk into your local GM dealer and get a decent test drive, they are woefully out of touch. I rarely find any dealer who will take you for much more than the obligatory four-right-turns-around-a-city-block “test” drive. And if you want to do a back-to-back comparison to the competition, forget it.
The last Main Street in Motion I attended had an extensive test course for the Chevy Volt that took us outside the gigantic parking lot test track, onto city streets, in traffic, up hills and on a flat-open straight away. I came away from that so impressed that I’ve been an advocate for the Volt ever since. While owning one for myself doesn’t make sense, I talk to many people who are interested but afraid to take the plunge. My positive opinion helps to change people’s hearts and minds about the Volt.
I also was trilled with the Corvette and even liked the LaCrosse, but not the Regal. I will definitely miss this event.
where did my comment go
NOOOOOOO!!!
Main Street in Motion was about as awesome as it could get. GM did something similar a few years back with “Auto Show in Motion.” It was the exact same concept, just with a different name. No other automotive events even came close to what Main Street had. It’s sad to see it go, but I’m sure the cost differential didn’t pay off. Plus, GM products didn’t always shine when stacked against the competition. The lines for the Camry, Accord, TL, Maxima were always WAY longer than the ones for the Malibu, Impala, LaCrosse, etc.
BTW, test drives at dealerships aren’t as easy as “here’s my license, let’s go” because dealers have to stay open and salespeople have to sell cars. If it were that simple, people would just come in, drive everything on the lot for as long as they wanted and leave. If GM is “woefully” out of touch with that, than so are all the other manufacturers as well. They want you to drive their cars to buy them, not for recreation.
Mikw — spot on. Have you seen the Chevy Test Drive Studio idea?
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2010/03/chevrolet-to-open-test-drive-studios-undealership/
The test drive problem, or lack there of, is pandemic. That’s why GM’s Main Street in Motion was so great – you actually got to DRIVE the cars. Even on slow days, when I go to a dealer, I rarely get them to deviate from the short test circuit that seems prescribed by the dealership. Much has to do where the dealership is located. *IF* the dealership is located adjacent to a freeway, they might let you get on and off the freeway as long as it’s not more than a mile. In LA, the surface streets are as fast as the freeways most of the time. So you really never get a decent test drive.
One Toyota dealer (it happens to be the first Toyota dealer in the US) allows you to rent the car for a day. It’s not free, but it’s not egregious either. If you are serious about a given model, I still think this is the best way to test a car. It gives you a chance to test out the car at night, see if you like the infotainment system, get a better feel for long-term seat comfort, etc.
GM should do the Chevy Test Drive Studio, but that sure doesn’t exist anywhere around Los Angeles, And the drives at the LA Auto Show, while slightly better than a dealership test drive, don’t cut it either. The lines to drive any car from any manufacturer on this program are very long. The best one I went to was in Ontario – a far cry from the LA Auto Show because it’s small and there are no world premieres. Chrysler & Toyota did a ride-and-drive in Ontario (about east from Los Angeles) and it was much more fun and the courses really allowed you to get a feel for the cars.
I got to do this back in 2004. It was such a blast. Something I still enjoy looking back on. Guess last year wasn’t successful because they didn’t advertise. I have not heard anything about them bringing it back since the cancelled it after 2004. I really hope they will try again. It is the most unique no pressure experience of driving new cars.
Yet another example of GM not addressing the needs & wants of it’s consumers. They just do not get it. This was NOT about a return on an investment, this was a forum where you go to a place & drive their cars & those of their competitors in one afternoon with absolutely ZERO pressure from a salesperson!!!! I still go to the auto shows in Boston & they even allow drives of certain cars now, but there are still long lines. GM REALLY needs to get their heads out of their asses & realize what the purpose of an event like this is. And that is, to drive the cars in many different situations to be able to make an informed decision & not feel like you are under any pressure to buy a car that may not fit your needs or wants at the end of the test drive!!!