This is what I was thinking as well. I see Chevy, Caddy, and Buick/GMC dealers staying separate. To combine them all would be just too damn many vehicles on one lot.

GMC has no cars, Buick has some SUV's but no trucks. You're just taking away Pontiac, which may help Buick sales?

 

Because 376K+ people paid more money to get essentially the same truck from a company that they probably would not of purchased from otherwise.

 

 

I think taking Pontiac away and adding better models will help greatly. I believe that is their plan.

 

The short answer is high profit sales with relatively little investment.

 

I doubt very many GMC buyers would have left GM entirely ... sure some would, but I think that's a pretty small number. I would guess most GMC buyers' shopping lists looked something like this

1. GMC
2. Chevy
3. Ford / Dodge
4. Toyota / Nissan
16. Vespa with a trailer
17. Honda

Ford still manages to sell more pickups than Chevy and GMC combined, so there's no reason Chevy can't go it alone. As to the higher price of a GMC vs. a Chevrolet truck, aside from the Denalis I don't see that much of a difference, maybe $200-300 on most models.

I understand that there's not a lot money invested in their product and that they're very profitable. But they're still a distraction, they still represent badge engineering, and they're almost all completely redundant products.

Overall I'd say GMC should go. GM would still likely keep 90% of their sales, maybe save 10% on the extra engineering and marketing GMC requires, and therefore come out basically even in the end. But it would allow them to get leaner and more focused faster.

 

Nice, subtle, South Park reference!

 

Yeah. You guys do realize the Underpants Gnomes are in fact on the GM Board, right?

 

You sure about that? I thought, at least for F150s, there were more Silverados and Sierras together than F150s. When you go for 2500's and HD's, I don't know.

 

FWIW, my father jumped from GMC to Ford XLT. He never considered a Chevy although he had several Chevy cars in the past. To me GMC trucks have always been better looking than their Chevy counterparts and more luxurious. While I love the looks of the 2000-2002 Silverados and Tahoes, I tend to prefer the GMCs for most of the other generations.

 

My mistake, you are correct, GM's twins do outsell the F-Series ... my mind must've been elsewhere today

 

I haven't checked this years totals on GMC but this is not true. Also I would say that 1/3 of GMC buyers would buy Chevy. The rest are lost.

 

Even if gas was $5 per gallon, GMC wouldn't be on the way out. It takes no more money to make a GMC than a Chevrolet. Yet the Jimmy sells for a higher price, and very few wind up in fleets or rentals. You could likely cut GMC's sales in half, and they would still clear a huge amount of money per vehicle.

Regal replaces the G6. The Lacrosse moves up towards Lucerne. Lucerne will either see it's lifespan increased substantially, or it will likely be replaced by a WM car from either Australia or Korea.

 

4 brands, but dont forget GM not too long ago did a major realignment of their franchies to group together Buick/GMC/Pontiac, so were really looking at a 3 channel dealership grouping. Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick/GMC. Take GMC out of the picture and those shops no longer have any trucks to sell.

 

The GM twins do not outsell the F series. The F series has been the best selling vehicle in the world per year for about a zillion years straight. The GM twins are very close behind though.