I don't know how many of you will agree with me on this, but when Oldsmobile folded, I was upset due to the history of Olds and not the current "cookie cutter" automobiles they were selling. As I was looking thru the sales ads Sunday, it dawned on me that maybe closing Olds wasn't such a bad idea. I saw ads for the Trailblazer, Envoy, Envoy Denali, Saab 9-3X, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender, and used Bravadas. Seven nameplates; One truck. I believe that GM should take their entire "family" of automobiles and sell them as one. In other words, each GM dealer would stock all models of a shortened list. There is no need for a Denali when there's an Escalade, so ax that model. Why sell the G6 when you can sell the Cobalt? It's like GM is competing with itself. I feel if they could focus more on product development with fewer models, then, they would have a better product as opposed to seeing how many cars/trucks can be rebadged and sold...... Imagine if the list was shortened to just 20 models total instead of the plethora of models that are available now.

Discuss.

 

Market share baby.

 

They should bring Oldsmobile back and kill Saturn....

 

I was reading somewhere on cnn finacial website that if gm doesn't make a huge tunaround with in the next couple of months they are gonna have to declaire bankrupcy. But I got a feeling the government will step in before that happens.

 

I think you mean the Saab 9-5. And the G6 is twin to the Malibu, I thought? Not the Cobalt?

Anyhow... I get what you are saying and yes I do agree that it seems overkill to reuse the same platform with so many different nameplates unless the cost for doing so is much less than I'd expect and/or the profits are much higher.

 

Yea i dont see the need for so many name brands of the same car/truck

 

I've gotta say that right now GMC seems to be the most pointless brand out there. They really offer nothing that Chevy doesn't except for a different name and commercials that focus more on commercial grade 'toughness' even though anyone with half a brain knows they're identical "grade" to Chevy.

 

I don't think the Govt will stop them from declaring bankruptcy. Honestly if it comes to that, it might take that to wake some people up. I expect the Govt would help out in getting them back on their feet /AFTER/ a bankruptcy filing.

 

I think GM could save itself by implementing The Return to Greatness.





(sarcasm, in case anyone takes me seriously)

 

How GM can save itself?

Make great product that blows everything else in the segment away. The results will trickle down to sales of other models that arent segment busting.

 

Actually this subject has been debated numerous times on this board and in fact GM is making great strides in reducing product overlap...and has plans to do more.

 

Cobalt=Ion=Pursuit?=Delta platform. The G6 and 9-5 are Epsilon but not fully compatible parts-wise. Kind of funny actually. GM does realize the product overlap issue and its coming under control. Hell, from the late 90's until recently, half of Chevy and Pontiac's lineup consisted of W-bodies. Over the next few years things will be under control and product lines on their way to what they SHOULD be if things keep going the way that they are. Its not so much the platform-whoring but differentiation. The Trailblazer (GMT-360?) platform is the most pathetic attempt to build multiple SUV's off of probably ever. The only thing different is the badges and minor changes on the exterior.

So far the most pointless division in NA is Buick, not GMC as the division is one of the most profitable if not #1. Buick needs some exciting cars. A RWD coupe or sedan would do it wonders. Actually a Grand National is what Buick needs. People would come running to Buick showrooms.

 

Actually, the 9-5 is a sport sedan. He is referring to the 9-7x.

The GMT360 platform does have heavy proliferation, but...

1) Envoy Denali is still an Envoy (like an Eddie Bauer Explorer is still an Explorer). Just a top of the line version.
2) Bravada is dead.
3) Isuzu Ascender is so low volume and unseen that it barely counts. Still bugs me, though (btw, they now have the "I350" and "I280", which are Colorado twins).

Current GMT360 lineup is:

Trailblazer
Envoy
Rainier
Saab 9-7x
Isuzu Ascender (if we must count it).

Believe it or not, there is significant differentiation among the 4 main names, including completely unique interiors, and generally unique sheetmetal/styling. They aren't rebadges like the current minivans are. The Isuzu, though, is primarily Envoy based (IIRC), with an Isuzu grille and other minor differences. I don't think its interior is as nice as the Envoy's either.

As for Olds, I liked them too. Also in the believe it or not category, they weren't really cookie cutter cars when Olds died. The Alero was fairly well differentiated from the Grand Am, and the Intrigue was way different than the Impala/Grand Prix/Regal (as they all were/are from each other). The Aurora was quite unique, though versions of the stout G-body were also used as the basis for the LeSabre and Bonneville and some of the Cadillacs (previous Deville/DTS and STS). Most would never know that, as they were completely different from each other (no sheetmetal or anything shared but the basic underpinnings). The Silhouette was basically a cookie cutter though.

What killed Olds was that for a decade or two they HAD been cookie cutter cars, and the brand kept eroding. By the time good $$ had been spent on the new lineup (Alero/Intrigue/Aurora/Bravada), the grim reaper was looming... Just when I was liking the lineup...



Every time I see a first gen Aurora (and the second gen to a lesser extent) I still think it is a really unique, good looking sedan. Oh well...

 

GMC brand allows non-Chevrolet dealers a truck line. Not pointless whatsoever.

As has been noted in this thread, there are those that will not consider some GM brands but will consider others. I think the future plan is PBG < Pontiac-Buick-GMC as one dealer network, and Caddy and Chevrolet as individual single brand stand alone dealers.. You can read preference between Pontiac f-bodies and Chevrolet f-bodies on this very forum...

Selling every brand out of a single point in a major metro area would be difficult to say the least. Ever seen a group of GM brand stores within walking distance of each other? A Chevy store across from a Caddy, etc., isn't an issue. You couldn't have dealers selling the same products in close proximity. You'd be putting someone out of business that invested a big financial chunk ... being skewered.

 

Within each GM brand there are a few great cars/trucks/suvs but each brand as a whole is rather mediocre. I think this is why GM started to use the 'GM' logo on almost all their cars knowing that in the future dealers will most likely be selling multiple brands instead of just one.

This way GM doesnt have to go through the legal mess and huge expense of killing off a brand (aka OLDS), but can keep all the existing brands alive with only a few models.

So you will see a few Buick mid-upscale sedans and crossover sold alongside a few sporty Pointiacs cars and crossovers that will be sold along a few GMC SUV's and trucks. This way each brand will be reduced to only a few but unique vehicles so they can concentrate their marketing/advertising budget on those models to help generate sales by making each brand smaller.

The more the car/truck meets the needs and desires of a particular customer the more money that customer will be willing to spend. The marketplace has changed and the industry suffers from sever pandemic of global over production.

The recipe for future profitability is to have more defined products that are better tailored to the needs of a particular customer since the one-size-fits-all approach is becoming commoditized by the Koreans and most likely the Chinese within the next 10 years.