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Originally Posted by lbls1
Very informative; Thank you. This answered a few questions that I had concerning SS, Cruze and the Holden program. I still believe that timing was an enemy of GM when it came to the 'SS. I get it that there was a limit on the amount of exports to the US; However if the Holden G8 had proved to be popular and selling, it might have given Pontiac the needed shot in the arm (Pontiac's demise had other factors, however) It might have required more investment from GM, as the Camaro program was being developed, and Cadillac's CTS was a derivative of the Zeta platform. The CTS was a success as it handily outclassed its German rivals, sending them back to the drawing boards.
Cruze; I can see now how it was shelved. GM was eager to pursue the crossover market, which at this writing is still white hot. I can accept that as an answer because it was their business assessment at that time. I am doubtful as whether it was the best solution, but time could play that out. GM seemed to have resolved its company wide quality problems even from last decade, so it wasn't that Cruze was a bad product. Chevy made a smart product creation by focusing on the small car market and crossovers at the same time; The TrailBlazer.
However, it is hard to ignore that GM made some very deep cuts that caused several good ideas to fall to the waste side. The Holden cars had great engineering but suffered with identity issues as a result of neutral styling. Both the GTO and G8/SS could have been hits with the right styling and handling (like the 5th gen Camaro). The Cruze could have been handled as a rival to corolla and civic and the small Hyundai and Kia variants.
Perhaps if the crossover trend lasts longer then GM may actually come out ahead. We'll see.
Edit: Chevelle. A very successful past product of Chevrolet. I feel if the name is to return, it will have to have a definite objective and nothing short of excellent planning and handling of its image and sales. I am not too keen on re-using old name plates, but Chevelle signals a time of youth, happiness, great performance and appearance. Its name sake should represent those elements.
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I think this is part of GMs problem. They don't use their nameplates effectively especially when compared to Ford.
Ford gives us the Mach 1, the Bullit, Dark Horse, Cobra. Those names resonate with people.
GM gives us 1LT, LT1, G8, no offense, but ZL1, 1LE. Those names mean nothing outside a hardcore few. They built superior cars in the SS and the ZL1 and did a piss poor job of marketing them.
The G8 was a great car and looked pretty decent too. Throw in a few different visual cues and market it as a Chevelle and it might still be around. Invest a little more in the GTO and it might still be around too.
As a car enthusiast my hat's off to the team who created the 6th gen Camaro and the 7th gen Corvette.
As a business person I have zero respect for GMs management team.