Detroit News: GM may drop GMC and Pontiac
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Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Southeastern PA
+1 on pretty much all of that.
From what I remember I think that GMC does indeed stand for General Motors Co., but that it was initially Grablowski or Grabowski Motors Co., something like that. When GM purchased the company from the guy that started it(last name was the Grab something), they changed it to the current meaning. Its been a while since I looked into it though, so I could be off here.
From what I remember I think that GMC does indeed stand for General Motors Co., but that it was initially Grablowski or Grabowski Motors Co., something like that. When GM purchased the company from the guy that started it(last name was the Grab something), they changed it to the current meaning. Its been a while since I looked into it though, so I could be off here.
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From: Santa Clara, CA
But they'd been losing market share before shutting down Olds. I don't think you can say that the difference in sales between 2000 and 2005 is due to shutting down Olds, or that 2005 would have been the same as 2000 if they hadn't shut Olds.
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They are about to get the same result again.
Only this time the slide won't be stoppable.
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From: Arcadia, OK
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/23/r...ontiac-monday/
So, I wonder if I'll get a parting gift like I did when they killed Oldsmobile?
REPORT: General Motors to kill Pontiac on Monday
According to a report from InsideLine, General Motors could axe Pontiac as early as this Monday. Although IL isn't citing its source within GM, it did contact the General's PR man, Tom Wilkinson, who said, "There's nothing I can share with you at this time... Officially, nothing has changed with Pontiac's niche-brand status, until you hear differently." Not very clear, but not particularly positive either.
The line about Pontiac's "niche-brand status" has been floating around since last December, when GM began to focus on its four core brands – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC – while readying the rest (Saab, Saturn and Hummer) for execution or extradition.
Pontiac's focus has been ill-defined (at best) over the decade, with solid products like the G8 coming to market alongside other less-than-stellar offerings (cough, G3). There was talk of reigniting Pontiac's performance heritage or even refocusing the brand as a Scion competitor. Regardless of past plans or intentions, there was no doubt that Pontiac was in the cross-hairs, and come Monday, we might know it's final fate.
[Source: InsideLine]
According to a report from InsideLine, General Motors could axe Pontiac as early as this Monday. Although IL isn't citing its source within GM, it did contact the General's PR man, Tom Wilkinson, who said, "There's nothing I can share with you at this time... Officially, nothing has changed with Pontiac's niche-brand status, until you hear differently." Not very clear, but not particularly positive either.
The line about Pontiac's "niche-brand status" has been floating around since last December, when GM began to focus on its four core brands – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC – while readying the rest (Saab, Saturn and Hummer) for execution or extradition.
Pontiac's focus has been ill-defined (at best) over the decade, with solid products like the G8 coming to market alongside other less-than-stellar offerings (cough, G3). There was talk of reigniting Pontiac's performance heritage or even refocusing the brand as a Scion competitor. Regardless of past plans or intentions, there was no doubt that Pontiac was in the cross-hairs, and come Monday, we might know it's final fate.
[Source: InsideLine]
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: TX Med Ctr
+1 on pretty much all of that.
From what I remember I think that GMC does indeed stand for General Motors Co., but that it was initially Grablowski or Grabowski Motors Co., something like that. When GM purchased the company from the guy that started it(last name was the Grab something), they changed it to the current meaning. Its been a while since I looked into it though, so I could be off here.
From what I remember I think that GMC does indeed stand for General Motors Co., but that it was initially Grablowski or Grabowski Motors Co., something like that. When GM purchased the company from the guy that started it(last name was the Grab something), they changed it to the current meaning. Its been a while since I looked into it though, so I could be off here.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Kansas City, MO
When the Astra replaced the Ion, Saturn immediately lost many of the buyers that had built the brand. The Astra is a much better car, but it's also much more expensive.
People won't balk at a $24,000 entry level Buick - especially with LaCrosse bumping up-market.
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Spending $3-5 Billion to keep 100,000 loyal customers happy does not make sense anyway you cut it.
Furthermore, at some point GM has to stop trying to defend marketshare that they lost ten years ago, and start thinking about how to grow new marketshare. The vast majority of those bought Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs in the good old days are long gone now.
....
It really doesn't matter if it stands for "Grabowski" or nothing at all, because everyone thinks it stands for "General Motors". If the General Motors Corporation goes titsup, the GMC nameplate cannot survive.
Chevy is not going to be able to handle all of this product... It's going to be a logisitcal/dealer training nightmare.
Chevy is now supposed to take up small cars from Saturn, niche performance cars from Pontiac and luxury trucks from GMC?!?!? In addition to one of the industries BIGGEST line ups as it is?
Chevy is now supposed to take up small cars from Saturn, niche performance cars from Pontiac and luxury trucks from GMC?!?!? In addition to one of the industries BIGGEST line ups as it is?
And Chevy already sells small cars, performance cars, and luxury trucks. I think they just need to shift some branding around, not radically change their product line.
Last edited by flowmotion; Apr 24, 2009 at 02:49 PM.
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From: Arcadia, OK
Furthermore, at some point GM has to stop trying to defend marketshare that they lost ten years ago, and start thinking about how to grow new marketshare. The vast majority of those bought Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs in the good old days are long gone now.
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From: Santa Clara, CA
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From: Southeastern PA
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Because of CAFE, I have a hard time seeing GMC survive the decade. I think there is going to be a radical reduction in sales of pickups, SUV's, and crossovers, and our market will look more European by the end of the decade, with C class cars dominating sales. I'd like to see GM have Cadillac-Buick-GMC dealerships, especially if GMC eventually dies.
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From: The Golden State
Because of CAFE, I have a hard time seeing GMC survive the decade. I think there is going to be a radical reduction in sales of pickups, SUV's, and crossovers, and our market will look more European by the end of the decade, with C class cars dominating sales. I'd like to see GM have Cadillac-Buick-GMC dealerships, especially if GMC eventually dies.
Pontiac's death is going to leave a crater in the sales volume of BPG dealers. With SUVs & Crossovers still taking up at least half of all new vehicle sales, I don't see GMC going anywhere.
Buick has no ability to stand alone. Outside of the Enclave, nothing is a substantial seller. The new Lacrosse will likely sell as good as the Lucerne did (as well as taking it's place on the market), and the new Lucerne is likely to wind up being a Holden. The Regal I suspect will pull the volume the Saturn Aura did (not bad, but not G6 volume, either). Put Cadillac in the same showroom as the step up from Buick, and it makes sense. Both brands complement each other in a way Pontiac and Buick never did.
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