SAAB is a nightmare. GM has not made a profit on SAAB since... it bought the brand... 20+ years ago!

I don't buy the too ingrained comments. SAAB has always been quirky and GM has failed to avail SAAB of it's sins (profits). Sell it, I say, AND DRAW OPEL NEARER TO ITS ROOTS!

 

Saab and Pontiac should both go.

Buick should have gone, too, but now Enclave complicates matters.

Stupid brand management, all in all.

 

Im almost afraid to vote because I dont understand what GM is thinking by having all the different divisions or what their mission statements are. I totally agree with pruning it down to Chevy and Caddy. I would roll Hummer into the trucks and market it either under Chevy trucks the way Toyota sells both the FJ Crusier and 4Runner under the same brand Toyota.

Having said that, Pontiac has been suggested as American BMW. So what is Caddy. I never liked Caddy outside of the Cien concept and the previous gen CTS V. Everything that comes out of their tells me Caddys mission statement is Bling bling land yacht Limos. Even the Caddys version of the Vette is more expensive slower and and in my opinion not as good looking. If this continues(and sells) Im thankful that the Pontiac offers an option to be BMW like...

 

Well I am alittle surprised that only about 25% think things are okay as is. Thats telling, it indicates GM still hasn't pared down its products enough. I think the climax of this was the last introduction of the the minivans. I think three models came out at once. I remember reading a review of one in a mag that blasted it as basically dead on arrival. My Rainier is similar, pontiac grand am black plactic shifter in a truck with a $37,000 sticker. My wifes coworkers probably get in and think Buicks are junk, whats all this enclave talk about. But on the other hand two of them thought the Aura was an Acura. Thats a nice compliment for a car that cost $5,000 less.

They have shown lately that they can clean up cars nicely, I do like that they are introducing same models on different platforms in different model years. They had to learn some things between launching the Aura and then the Malibu. Same goes for the upcomign Traverse. The idea is actually kind of brilliant, intro your low volume models on a platform first before you intro the Chevy version and you only have to recall 50,000 units instead of 250,000.

I am still fearful of what happens post Lutz, will his time with Wagoneer straighten the CEO out or will the slide continue after Lutz leaves.

 

If brands like Volvo and Audi are profitable, Saab can be too.

IMO there's a big difference between a brand with a clear identity that just lacks products, and brands that don't really have any focus at all.

 

Here's what I would do, if I were GM:

Buick - Buick has potential. It just needs to improve it's products. It should be GM's version of Lexus.

Cadillac - Leave as-is.

Chevrolet - Leave as-is. A RWD Impala would be nice, but if they're going to keep it FWD, they have to do something special with it. Otherwise, it'll just be another bland full-size sedan.

Hummer - Beef up the off-road capabilities of their trucks. Even if most people won't take them off-road, I think buyers like to know that their truck is capable if they decided to go off the beaten path. It gives credibility to the trucks.

GMC - I'm torn. One part of me says to leave GMC as-is. Another parts says cut all passenger truck/SUV/crossover sales, and switch to commercial trucks only. Let Chevy handle passenger truck sales. I'm not sure which one to go with.

Pontiac - No trucks, crossovers, vans, etc. Maybe one entry-level FWD car. Everything else should be sporty RWD cars. Don't ditch Alpha. Maybe one fire-breathing V8 car.

Saab - Cut U.S. sales off completely, and only sell in Europe. Save some money. Porsche sells more cars here, for Christ's sake.

Saturn - Leave as-is. It's already light-years ahead of what it once was. Only improvement I can think of is to have a turbo Astra.

 

I think they should sell/kill Saab and Hummer, and they should change what they're doing with Pontiac. As has been mentioned before in other threads, Pontiac "loyalists" aren't actually buying the performance cars when they get built (GP GXP, GTO, Solstice GXP), no matter how great they are.

Pontiac should be realigned as a youth brand, along the lines of what Scion was supposed to be for Toyota. Low cost, fun cars for young people.

The rest of the brands are aligned pretty well, but GM needs to work on their execution in a couple of cases. LaCrosse, for instance, isn't competitive, and isn't doing anything good for Buick.

 

I don't think there are too many.

B-P-G is a good idea as long as they don't cross over into each other's territory so that together they can act as their own brand apart from Chevy.

Pontiac does still need some work...

- No SUVs.
- An entry level 2-door vehicle with more performance available that isn't so obviously a Cobalt.
- GXP is fine to have across the board, but ONLY if the performance backs what the name is supposed to be.
- A true flagship car that brings people to the dealerships. This car isn't just for Pontiac, it's for the entire B-P-G "brand" to get recognition.

 

I personally do not understand the point of GM having SAAB.

Just my .02.

 

Saab - Whatever the justification was for buying it, it's bought. It's so integrated into GM now, that you can't simply sell it. And killing it makes no sense. GM just needs to put it's nose to the grindstone and make something out of it.

Saturn - I sure miss Olds. Anyway, GM has sure poured a buttload of cash into this division, and we're seeing the results. I think that GM is on the right path of making Saturn the NA Opel. It'd be nice if GM could make some profit from it though.

Pontiac - Man oh man. Listen guys, the days of the GTO, Grand Prix, Firebird and Ram Air 400's are over. I wish it wasn't so, but to deny it would not be realistic.
I don't want to see Pontiac die, but it needs to refocus itself, with just two, maybe three products. Solstice, keep it, I guess. But the Sky sure stole it's thunder. The G6? As Malibu production ramps up, and Saturn gets it's version of the GTC coupe, perhaps the handwriting is on the wall for it. You know what I'd like Pontiac to get? A really nicely executed Mini Cooper competitor. With an available turbo. Put alot of focus on this and make it the core brand product. Flame away, but I'm not kidding.
I'd also like to see a higher performance version of the E -Flex Volt at the Pontiac store. There you are 3 products. No more.

Buick - I sure miss Olds. Same dealio here. 2 or 3 products. No more. The Enclave stays for now 'cause it's selling. But I'd drop it in a minute if it wasn't. No sense having two Lambdas in one showroom. Buick needs one EXEPTIONAL sedan. Hope the Lacrosse replacement is it.

 

Agree with downsizing Ponitac. Would pefer a RSX/Scion FWD though Acura killed the RSX so what does that say about whether its worth it? Oh and the G5 is not it! It could use some decent rims reskined more agressivly as a hatch. Maybe a tighter suspension than the cobalt. Hoping the G8 stays and an Alpha 3 series full line. Keep the Solstice just cause I think it looks better than the Sky. Those would be my fantasy pics.

Caddies smallest car is the CTC coupe concept. Caddies cars are just big heavy and for a lack of a better term almost Lincoln like. Its always been that way unless something changes. Lutz mentioned that GM cars might "need to go in the other direction" refering to size when responding to a "Why havent you build the Velite concept?" Now if Pontiac dies, does Caddy retain its large size? Do you leave the pillow ride to Buick and make Caddy the US BMW type brand making it smaller? I dont get it. What will it mean to buy a Caddy? GM doesnt always do a good job building a brand name. For instance, the Chevy means nothing. It could be a truck Vette, or Camaro, Malibu but it could also mean the Aveo which is crap. What it should mean is longevity, Durability and well engineered vehicles. In contrast GMC, Hummer and Caddy(even if I dont understand the direction) have clear mission statements.

Oh and BTW, you COULD sell SAAB but who would buy it? Didnt Saab have to do with refining the 4cyl? Saab uses GM platforms so who would by a division that you would have to rely on the company you bought it from for platforms. Not only that, suppose you bought it from GM and you used them for the platforms. What incentive would GM have who you just bought it from to not make extend Saturn on the same platform into your market to now become your competition? Who wouldnt want a deal like that :P

 

Because nobody in Europe will buy a Cadillac or Buick.

 

Killing everything outside of Chevy and Cadillac would be a nightmare, but I agree somethings got to go.

Beyond the obvious problems with killing more brands, even if they axed Pontiac and Saab, or Saturn and Buick, or whatever, you've still got two "mid market" brands which still have direct competition above and below.

Seems to me in any case you have to hold models back from Chevrolet and lose some sales, or raise Cadillac's price point, if not both! If you don't I don't see where you can build any distinction brands. Who buys a Buick when Cadillac has more content for only slightly more money, and Pontiac has essentially the same content with a more stylish package.

 

I think Cadillac becomes a more serious Euro player once the 2.9L diesel comes on line and they offer a smaller than CTS RWD.

 

GM does not have too many divisions. Multiple divisions are a STRENGTH in the fragmenting market

But it does appear that GM does not have the knowledge or talent to successfully utilize all of their divisions.

(Yes, I have become pretty anti-GM because I fear they are on the brink of more ignorant decisions)