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From: bhs@siemens.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Pontiac Fiero
Message-ID: <25300009@siemens.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Feb-85 20:51:00 EST
Article-I.D.: siemens.25300009
Posted: Sat Feb 16 20:51:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 19-Feb-85 08:26:50 EST
References: <283@edsel.UUCP>
Lines: 32
Nf-ID: #R:edsel:-28300:siemens:25300009:000:1831
Nf-From: siemens!bhs    Feb 16 20:51:00 1985



Ladies and Gentlemen:

Some minor clarification: the Fiero was pushed through the exceptionally rigid
and reluctant GM burocracy by a few enterprising engineers and managers, who
could only win project approval by targeting the car as a high- mileage
commuter car. It's purported target market was going to be the person who
carried no more than his/her attache case, and perhaps a co-worker, to the
office and back. Thus, the project engineers were not allowed to develop too
many parts, in fact, in an effort to keep development costs low, many of the
mechanicals had to adopted from existant GM cars. In order to keep costs lower,
the rather revolutionary bosy construction was chosen (it is light and parts
are cheap to replace). In order to achieve the high mileage for the designated
target market, the little four cylinder was ordered installed.
Well. The car has outsold GMs expectations, and now the top management is
slowly permitting the project engineers to do what they really wanted to do all
along: beef the car up. Hence the six cylinder this year, which was originally
to be joined by a better suspension. But then the bean counters got into the
game again, and said that sales were still so strong that the better suspension
(with associated costs) was not justified, just yet. But you should see the
real Fiero take shape in the next (1986) model year, because that is when the
true Fiero suspension is slated for introduction.
From the marketing point of view, I guess GM played it's cards right. First,
the market was the people who wanted to be the first on the block with it, then
there were the people who just loved it's looks, and now slowly they are
getting serious about the car. Of course, Toyota's MR2 contributed to the
improvements planned.

Bernard H. Schwab
Siemens RTL, Princeton NJ
siemens!bhs