I would do the following:

Chevy- Affordable cars and trucks with timeless America styling (without being too retro-ish)

Pontiac- Sporty sedans and coupes with more modern styling ( without being gaudy)

Caddy- Luxury cars and Suvs

Merge Saab, Buick ,and Saturn and rename them OPEL- Uniquely European styled cars and SUVs with a small price premium over equivalent Chevys

Merge GMC into Hummer- Make Hummer the GM version of Jeep with Suv's and trucks with a genuine 4x4 attitude with price ranges from $20,000- $60,000

 

Since many Pontiac dealers are also GMC dealers I think it would be a great combo to have sporty Pontiac Sedans, coupes ,and convertibles sold along side Hummers trucks and SUV's since both are more extreme versions of their Chevy counterparts.

This would give Pontiac/Hummer combo dealers a complete line of both cars and trucks that would reach a younger and more adventerous customer.

While GMC use to be the Caddy of trucks/suvs before Caddy started selling trucks and Suvs but now GMC is being lost in the middle by neither being as cheap as Chevys or being a luxurious status symbol like Cadds.

 

That's a pretty wide range of market.

Buick is basically the "old" Cadillac, American "soft" cars at it's finest, and SAAB, the new "yuppy" car. I can easily see Saturn become Opel though.

Not that it's a bad idea, just an intresting combination.

 

Since future Saabs will be sharing platforms with other GM vehicles anyway I dont think there would be room for Saab in the US market if the elegantly European styled Opel brand was available here (and built here as well).

 

I don't think SAAB will be folded into anything. They've got a pretty good hot streak going right now....recording the highest US sales in 16 years.


But I wouldn't mind Malibu looking more like Opel Vectra.

 

Merging saab, buick, and saturn would combine 3 different groups of customers. It would also kind of waterdown buicks image of entry-mid level luxury.

I like the idea of selling opel's as saturn's here.

 

OPEL USA would have a complete car/truck/suv line ranging from $15,000- $50,000

Even BMW and their 1 and 2 series will be going down market so Bmw will have a complete line of cars and suvs ranging from $20,000-$100,000 as well.

I dont think GM wants to waterdown Caddilac with a car cheaper than the current CTS and Buick (even with Tigers woods and the ressurected Dead Harley Earl) wont be able to attract younger buyers.

Even old people want to act young (or at least be a little more youthful), but kids do want to look like their grandma (and drive her car). Buicks days are numbered and no amount of advertising is going to be able to convince younger people otherwise (see:Oldmobile)

 

That would be a dumb move to buy SAAB then kill the Name. If they wanted to get rid of SAAB and Buick they should sell them, then just start importing Opels

 

Who would by Buick from GM? Who would want it?

Imagine all the lawsuits and breach of contracts from Buick dealers if GM killed off the brand like Olds but changing the name to Opel and revamping the product line would be alot easier and cheaper. (almost no Buick or Saturn dealers would be killed off but only changing their name and product line)

Gm still would use the Saab brand overseas where its more popular but Opel's designs and lower-price would outclass Saab with Opels elegant European designs in the US.

 

People arn't dumb, They arn't just going to buy a car b/c it has an Opel badge on it. 99% of Americans don't even know what Opel is, to them it would be like another Saturn. Would they just rebadge Buick to Opels and have a Opel Centery? Or let Buick get all old and crustly them Import all the Opels in one year?

 

The fact that most americans havent heard of Opel is a good thing since Buicks equals "Old Fart" and Saturn equals "small and cheap" in most peoples minds. While these perceptions arent entirely accurate it is hard to overcome these stigmas without pumping 100's of millions in marketing that might do nothing change their minds.

If GM wants to attract the youth to Buick and move Saturn more upscale then they would be better to merge the two brands and change the name to signify the creation an all-new car brand with a new look and a new target audience.

 

You can't just rebadge Saturns and Buicks as Opels and think they will sell. You would have to start up a Opel dealer Network in the US, then once it was sucessful, kill off Buick and Saturn like they did to Olds. VW turned it's image around over the last 15years, Buick can do it too.

 

Drop Saturn in a heatbeat--dealer have like a 140 day supply of cars? Yeah they are different but not better.

Shoot the idiot who though centre mounted IPs were a good idea

Stop whoring out the Trail Blazer platform (Isuzu has a version and Saabs getting one) Three versions is plenty

Look at droping Buick

I'd say get rid of GMC--but its kicking *** these days!

Sop rebadging Daewoos as Chevys--sorry a Bow tie grill does not make a Chevy.

I think a smaller GM could be a good thing.

Get the ad agency for Cadillac to do all GM

 

I never said rebadging current Buicks and Saturn as OPELs but start using OPEL designs on new Buicks and Saturns that will be produced around 2007/08 and by 2010/11 most all Saturns and Buick would be using similar OPEL designs and then merge the two together as one brand under the OPEL banner.

VW has always been an affordable youthful brand and Audi was always a luxury brand so VW Corp just improved their designs to target the customers they were already selling but their new designs expanded their customer base. I do think VW is going to get their A$$ handed to them with the $65,000 Phaeton since I dont think many will be willing to spend $65,000 for a car that looks like a larger Passat (the all-new 2005 Passat looks better and will be significantly cheaper) , but I do think the Toureg will be successful though.

It will be very difficult for GM to make Buick a youth brand and even more difficult to make Saturn and affordable luxury brand.

 

- Buick Doesn't need to become a Youth brand, just more youthful. Maybe importing Opels and just rebadging them as Opels would help/work (or build Opels in the US as Buicks) Buick needs to be low end-lux like Acura and Chrysler.

- GMC is the second best selling GM brand, and probably the second most profitable. They just need to make the trucks look different than Chevys.

- Saturn should build Diesels and hybrids and focus on fuel economy, safty and reliability.

- 305fan is right, Stop whoring out the Trail Blazer platform. By next year 6 SUV will have been built on this platform. 3 is enough. The H3 is being build on the Colorado platform, maybe some other SUVs could be too instead of the TB.

- A little overlap is ok, but every brand should have their niche.

- Sharing platforms is ok, but PLEASE make them look dramaticly different.
Tahoe/H2 & Impala/Monte = good
Colorado/Canyon & Venture/Montana = bad