As fuel efficiency begins to rank ever more supreme in the eyes of new car buyers all over the world, General Motors seems to lack the marketing and mind-share advantages furnished by a powerful and well-known efficiency brand. Meanwhile, competitors ramp up their efficiency labels: Mazda has SkyActiv and Ford pimps EcoBoost; BMW’s Efficient Dynamics is gaining steam while VW’s BlueMotion is setting up for a global rollout. As it stands, The General — and its various vehicle brands — need a notable, celebrated, and influential efficiency brand to deliver a focused message to consumers.
“But what about Ecotec?”, you might ask. Good question. Ecotec is a great engine family label. But does it go far enough? We’d posit that its reach is limited — partly due to GM’s lack of directly and aggressively marketing the engine brand — even though it has been around for the better part of the last ten years. And herein lie several significant questions:
- Should GM create a new efficiency brand or promote Ecotec?
- If a new brand is created, should it be focused on an engine line/family or on an overall efficiency message (ala EcoBoost compared to SkyActiv and EfficientDynamics)?
- How should the new efficiency/engine brand be applied? Should Chevy have a different efficiency brand than say Buick, Cadillac, or GMC? How about Opel/Vauxhall?
If nothing else, these questions make for an interesting dialogue, but let us briefly explore the topic more thoroughly. For starters, an engine brand like Ford’s EcoBoost line of three-, four-, and six-cylinder engines has come to prominence quickly among the general public and — of course — automotive enthusiasts. But should the efficiency message stop at the engine? As it stands, efficiency found in General Motors vehicles is much more than an engine effort: you’ve got grille louvres, mild-hybrid systems, extended-range electric vehicles, stop-start systems, regenerative braking, and low rolling resistance tires — all in varying capacities and applications — across the entire GM vehicles range. So something like the Eco line of Chevy vehicles, which themselves contain an Ecotec engine, is a whole-hearted approach to efficiency than say Ford’s EcoBoost engine-only brand. In that regard, should GM make a bigger effort to promote a new efficiency brand and — by association — technology?
And what about GM’s portfolio of brands? Efficiency in luxury vehicles, for instance, is becoming increasingly important and the only thing Buick has are mild-hybrid models (eAssist) that don’t strike us as being very well-known by the public, albeit being new to the market. Therefore, an emphasized marketing and promotion effort by way of either a new brand or increased publicity seems like a good recipe.
Then we have BMW, Cadillac‘s chief rival. The Ultimate Driving Machine’s EfficientDynamics represents a combination of technologies, including direct injected engines, auto start/stop, brake force regeneration, electric power steering, air vents, gear shift (up) indicators, and low-rolling resistance tires that work in tandem to enhance fuel economy. Meanwhile, Cadillac doesn’t have any efficiency brand — hybrid or otherwise — that shepherds the brand’s efficiency. The Escalade Hybrid doesn’t count.
Ultimately, The General needs to create efficiency brands with viable value propositions (efficiency technologies) and then promote them like crazy. Otherwise, EcoBoost, SkyActiv, BlueMotion, and EfficientDynamics, as well as others, will come to bear efficiency exclusivity in the minds of consumers… and GM will be excluded from attaining a mindshare advantage.
Agreed? Tell us in the comments.
Comments
The Tec Family. Ecotec Voltec Vortec Turbotec. AWD could be Tractiontec. 8 speed auto could be Shiftec or Transtec. Diesels would be torquetec. Flex fuel would be fueltec. Cd reduction would be Aerotec.
Too many names would create confusion and unlike the single Ecoboost make it difficult to advertise. With focus (!) on Ecoboost plus Ford in its marketing any Ford benefits not just a single model. Btw Chrysler just took ecodiesel.
Why not use the marketing money to help develop Voltec technology that can be put in all GM cars. If they did it right, the MPG numbers alone would bring buyers galore. And from what I gather about patents, GM might be the only company that could put those MPG numbers, and gas free driving, (ala Chevrolet Volt) out there.
Seems to me that the LAST thing GM wants to do right now is imbue its internal combustion engines with the still problematic aura of the Volt. Also, since GM’s marketing approach is to put vehicle brands out front rather than “GM”, for a number of reasons, it has an inherent problem in applying a common label to the power supply. Perhaps GM should let its vehicle badging sell the technology. Corvetteco anybody?
Let’s list some of the Voltec problems:
Instant max torque at 0 RPMs
no shifting
reduced maintenance
All I’m talking about is a small battery version similar to Prius for all GM cars.
Sell to or leave all the extra mechanical parts used in automatic transmissions in China. Inexpensive models would have high MPG. More expensive plug-in models would offer gas free driving, or high performance. If all GM cars had this, they could get rid of the marketing department all together. Right now Ford or anyone else would have a tough time doing the gas free driving in a full performance car.
I was just about to say the same thing. The other manufacturers are selling their technologies as a part of ONE brand each. They aren’t shared across brands the way GM would have to. I shudder to think what a Cadillac would look like parked beside a Buick, or much worse, a Chevrolet with a Torquetec badge (a-la Main Wayne’s nomenclature) on its tail. The image of distance from “lesser” GM brands that Cadillac has managed to sustain thus far would surely be eroded. I agree with the current strategy. The less people see an XTS as a glorified LaCrosse (for example) the better it will be for all concerned.
why don’t we wait until that Twin-turbo V6 in that CTS and then will wait what GM calls it? I hope they have some kind of a name like Turbotec or at least something. But then again Toyota, Honda, and I guess Hyundai/Kia don’t have any either……
Honda: VTEC.
but then it isn’t widely used isn’t it?
Just on the SI Civic…
exactly…. yes all the honda vehicles have VTEC but it wasn’t labeled like how the Civic SI is….
@Vic That’s a choice by Honda not to promote the VTEC brand more frequently/prominently. If it were me, I’d plaster VTEC and its unique features/benefits all over Honda’s marketing material.
True but if you ask customers who drives CR-V or Accord are they gonna know it’s a VTEC?
Branding does promote familiarity with product when done right, and most times, it isn’t. It usually comes out of a board room and is the result of a bunch of suits that are so disconnected from product that it is set up for failure.
As for going the “tec” route, that will get old fast – and Ford’s past duraTEC engines come to mind when I think “tec”. IMO, GM doesn’t need fancy branding names – it is still trying to define who it is as a company – something that needs finished before embarking on giving everything a name. Also – technologies need to be exclusive and “trickle down” to hold value across vehicle lines. i.e. Cadillac technology/branding is okay to be used later on in a Chevy; it imparts a bonus or upgrade to the Chevy owner – however – it does NOT travel in both directions! Someone that wants a Cadillac does not want some “Thrifty” technology from an old Chevy. (Disregarding the supercharged V-series engine that was inspired by the ZR1 – different customers, different viewpoints there).
GM needs to keep focused on keeping brands separate (which is slowly happening) and maintaining focus on the customer base of said brand. Heck – Chevrolet used to be marketed as “Value”. Great example: The OEM ignition key to my 1966 C-10 pickup has the phrase “Your key to greater value”.
There is no reason tec can not start with Chevy. Chevy is not just economic transportion. It should be a world leader in performance economy and technology. It already leads in style.
Re Chevrolet “leads in style”: That’s debatable. In MY opinion the most stylish cars that GM currently makes are branded as Buicks.
@Richard I interpreted @MW’s “Chevy already leads in style” comment as applying to the mainstream non luxury segment of autos.
WELL said…
Engine names are only as marketable as the dealer has in stock or his salesperson has any knowledge about. Last year I was looking at the Lincoln SUV. I was interested in the Eco-boost engine. The salesman and the salesmanager tried to steer me away from that engine because they didn’t have one in stock (they had about 50 SUV’s). I finallly bought a 2012 SRX, even though I had to go to over 20 Cadillac dealers to order one. They were all trying to get rid of their 2011’s. Names? Whoever bought a Chevy because it had a “Power-glide” transmission. Maybe a Chrysler product because it had “Fluid Drive”….. but engine names only confuse the public-at-large.
Surely, the sales process is dealer- and inventory-dependent. But what if the engine/efficiency brand in question became so prominent that it became a major differentiator?
Think, for instance, about the 2.0 turbo four in the Regal GS. The engine is the most powerful and refined four cyl on the market… What if it were part of a well-known brand? Let’s use Ecotec for the sake of simplicity.
If Ecotec were more widely promoted, it could become known and respected among the general public. And that could yield a shopper to visit a Chevy (or whatever GM brand) first before going to that of a competitor.
I’m not a proponent of using a GM-wide engine brand across all of the automaker’s brands but am rather using Ecotec as an example.
20 Cadillac dealers to find one that would order you a vehicle. That’s hard to believe.
Yes, it does seem hard to believe, but here’s some of the hard-core facts. In July, 2011, I called every Cadillac dealer within 100 miles of New York City…Long Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Westchester, and a lot in New Jersey. No one would even give me a price for a 2012, I expalained that I wouldn’t hold their feet to the fire as far as an absolute price went, I just wanted a close estimate and if they would order me one. The only dealer that acted like a business was Gold Coast in Oakhust, N.J….105 miles away from Brooklyn. They gave me the price, without hesitation, and were willing to take my order over the phone. I drove there the next day (July of 2011), ordered the car, and took delivery on September 26, 2011. They even said that it was the first 2012 that they had sold!.And to the dealers who would like to know who I contacted, and received a negative reply, I still have the e-mails. Oh yes, I contacted GM after I picked up my car to let them know how really bad some of their dealerships are.
Ken –
Thank you for your dogged pursuit of the SRX you wanted – instead of giving up and buying from a competitor – which it seems I hear enough folks do when they run into adversity from a dealership. Thank you for contacting GM about it also – GM needs to know when their vendors alienate customers in the way you describe. People forget that dealerships are locally owned franchises, and even though they have the company name on the building, they are NOT owned, nor controlled by the manufacturer.
Remember Saturn and how many followers that brand had based on a decent car, but more than that – an excellent dealership experience? I believe GM set out to build a customer-based product with Saturn and had an excellent start: Of course, it was followed up by a second round of mediocre vehicles and didn’t offer much improvement with the third wave of rebadged product either. It didn’t hit Saturn as hard, though – folks loved their dealership experience so many returned and bought product.
Years ago, I was a summer intern at a company that was so small that many of us had multiple jobs: I also mowed grass and drove our delivery / parts truck. Lexus was a new brand and one of our customer companies wanted us to buy a Lexus transmission for tear-down and inspection. I went to the dealership to pick up the trans, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt (as I was mowing grass that day, lol), and I was driving an old beat up F350 econoline van. One thing that I will remember until my dying day is how a seemingly “punk” kid in dirty clothes was treated at that dealership:
I could’ve been dressed in my Sunday finest towing a big bag of money behind me, for all they cared. I was treated with genuine respect and courtesy from the moment I walked in the building and was offered refreshments twice in the 20 minutes I waited for the parts to be gathered and loaded. Crazy, isn’t it? I will NOT ever buy a Lexus, as I am a die-hard U.S. fan (don’t poop where you sleep, ay?) – but I know that if I ever did buy a new Lexus, I would be treated with the kind of respect a considerable purchase demands.
I wouldn’t expect the same treatment from a Chevrolet dealership (but much better than the experiences friends and family have had), however, I would expect a *Cadillac* dealership quite accommodating to my wishes. Maybe your experience is a regional problem (?). I do know that our local Cadillac dealership also is a GMC dealer; when I recently purchased a new work truck, I was treated fantastically and never have had anything but a great experience dealing with them.
Anyway – sorry to ramble – I do that as I get older. 🙂 Just wanted to thank you for supporting an American brand, even though most didn’t seem to want your business.
Thanks for yor response. I too am a diehard “Made in America” fan. While Toyota, Honda, Kia, etc., may be great cars, and they may be made here, it’s important for everyone to remember that the NET PROFITS of thse cars and trucks go back to another country. The only reason that these cars are made here is that they produce a larger profit for their parent companies, not because these “foreign” countries are so eager to help us out economically.
One of the Cadillac dealers on Long Island made the comment to me when I inquired about the price of a 2012, “Well, if the price is so important to you, maybe you should be looking at something you can better afford”, or words of this type. Can you imagine saying something like this to a customer who you don’t even know? You can imagine that I had any further dealings with them!.
Well, I like GM cars, I have always had exceptional driving experiences with them and will probably get the next few cars from them (I’m 73, so I probably will be buying only a few more cars to drive, then it’s someone else’s turn to drive.)
How about a nod to the past, “2.0L Turbo-Jet”
Just do what ford is doing, it’s the easiest way of understanding and it’s, well, efficient
I hope Ford makes it clear that staying gas free in their products will most likely require staying in the far right lane on most freeways. 😎
I wouldn’t mind them keeping the name ecotec it is sorta catchy??? but i do now they need some sorta hybrid, at least in the cruze and malibu. and why not use the nomenclature from there performance engines like LS_ and the LFX maybe LE_?
Cadillac should bring back the northstar moniker back into play for its performance engine line which will play with the “35i” and “S” models from BMW and audi…….but the engines should only be exclusive to Cadillac…..and also the “northstar system” which would include the mrc shocks, brembo brakes, and other tech that would make the car more appealing…….and also would be a good name to combat with BMW efficiency dynamics name plate
The Northstar name needs to come back to Cadillac, itll do wonders for marketing and image.
I like the name Ecotec. GM should continue to promote this great name!!
But I think Ford, with its EcoBoost, made à mistake… For me, this “name” seems to be an engine family not efficient… The “Boost” part of the name refers to a thing that consume a lot of energy !!!
I dont think this is a big deal, yes having a simple and strong marketing message for their efficiency will help marginally boost showroom traffic, but i dont think its necessary at this point, and in fact might even be countereffective. Consider this, lets GM builds a cruze that does 60 mpg, everyone is talking about it and it has the ecoboost label that is strongly marketed. Everyone is talking about ecoboost. But, what if their was no ecoboost, people would still talk about the car right, what term are they going to use, chevy or cruze, what would you rather have the people talk about, Chevy/cruze or ecoboost. Arguably, it could be either won. Customers will buy the car whose epa sticker has the highest number, not the one with the strongest label.
My point is that I dont think a one strong name brand for its efficient engines is great for all of GM, GM is much bigger than Ford, VW, and BMW, so I think a simplified message just for chevy is fine, but only for chevy. And i think the eAssist is perfect for Buick, its popularity is limited because Buick has only existed for 3 years with the arrival of the 2009 lacrosse.
As for Cadillac, I dont think they should focus on efficiency at all, in marketing and otherwise, thats not to say their cars should not be competitive mpg wise, but if any cadillac is a market leader in mpg, i think there is a problem. Now some might point at BMW and its efficient focus, but you have to realize BMWs hand is being forced, if they didnt have to worry about efficieny, they wouldnt, and they also dont have to worry about establishing a reputation like Caddy does. CAFE and volume issues are forcing BMW to follow their path, GM does not have those issues. Caddy should worry about best in class hp, torque, and 0-60 times, mpg should be at the bottom of the list.
Eco-boost that is a ford thing. Let’s call it TURBOTEC.
I agree that “It’s no big deal”
but my favorite is VORTEC, it means somthing, it’s practical, it has history.
I too like VORTECH, But I have one Too how about POWERTECH?
I think Ecotec should be kept but not as the line of economical engines. Given the engine’s past and current models, I think the Ecotec should be marketed as GM’s performance 4 cylinder family, as it was heavily marketed as between 2002 and 2009. For economical engines, I think a new brand should be created. There’s no denying that the Ecotec was pushed, especially early on, as GM’s new performance line of engines when it replaced both the slow and underpowered OHV 2200 and the unrefined DOHC Quad 4. There was the Cavalier drag racing program, the GM Performance Parts 2.2L supercharger kit, the 2.0L LSJ which was hailed as the small block for a new generation of enthusiasts, and the LNF which was the first of GM’s turbocharged direct injection missiles. GM even released performance build books on the engines, and the same basic engine block is still with us today in cars like the Regal and Verano.
I really think GM should come up with one since right now Honda is gonna call it’s engine lineup “Earth Dream”