should GM-H be worried?

[bathurst77]

Has the launch of the new Commy been a disaster? I dont mean is the car good or bad, I mean the media and public launch.

Add this to Holdens other issues, is the Big red in trouble?
TO quote another "Please Consider..."

1) Besides the Die hard Holden fans who naturally think its amazing and the die hard ford fans"Its crap mate", the average punter are either indifferent to teh design or think it looks a lot like the current magna/camry/BA.
Compare this to when the VT came out everyone drooled over it. It made the EL look 20 years old (well..i guess it was nearly). This is the design that has to carry commy through nearly a decade. it should be "WOW!"
Its not, not to the average punter.. its "yeh OK"

2) THE furore about fuel consumption. Holden arent talking, the media are all over it. Even radio stations like sydney's ABC who normally ignore cars are playing it. Before its released, its already labled a "Gas Guzzler"

3) NO full sized spare tyre. The last few month has been ful of the media serving it up to car makers who dont have full spares "not suitable to Australia, these people dont understand Australian conditions" now "Australias own do it" Drive.com got stuck into them for it already. plus the cost of a set of tyres for VE vs VZ.

4) No aircond on base model. agian "australias own" is not for australian conditions. I guess a light weight spare and no aircond will enable them to shave a litel off the fuel econo sticker, and give it cheap price sticker, but who would buy one like that? So the price/fuel sticker is meaningless.

5) Drive.com.au which normally gushes over anything with a holden badge were luke warm at best. Reminding people that the commodore has had more recalls then any other aussie car, saying that the base model looked cheap, that holden seemed to be embarrassed by it, that "holden seem to be in another world", that Holdne has misled us on tyres, and most of the issues I have mentioned here.

6) and now a strike means they cant even build them! Not their fault but still its gotta hurt

7 the fiasco with the Ute ad.

8) the problem with the new barina's crash test.

9) the poor media over the Daiwoo based little cars.

The launch of an all new Commodore that has to last about 10 years, should be Holdens triumph moment when they win all the awards, when everyone loves them, when everyone is excited. Instead they seem to be on the defensive "its only a couple of beers more" -which had ABC callers lining up to make jokes about imported hand made belgian bocks.
I think there must be some sleepless nights for the General's Generals.