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Old 09-01-2010, 06:58 PM   #28
LOWDOWN
Downright Upright
 
Drives: Daily
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Cruisin'...
Posts: 4,145
Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3 View Post
Answer me this:

How do you figure that it would have been a better business decision for GM to keep Pontiac than Buick? The way I see it, they sold more Buicks with more profit on each of them. That leads to a much higher total brand profit, even when you take away some from their Chinese operations.

I'd love to have a strong Pontiac brand still around. That said, I accept the logic in killing it instead of Buick. If the majority of the sales are for fleet, the brand has no identity anymore, nothing too substantial in the product pipeline, and minimal profit (if any) ... why keep it?
You're making THREE key points, here, based on WHAT?

1) Have you got published proof of the Buick profits/unit vs. Pontiac? Taking into account the monies they MUST pay the Chinese as a MAJORITY stakeholder?

2) Majority of Pontiac's collective sales were NOT fleet... That's an "urban legend".

3) Pontiac's lack of product development and identity were WHO'S FAULT? Susan Docherty? Or GM's management board?!

4) Since you keep harping on Buick's success elsewhere, was Pontiac EVER CONSIDERED in "other markets"? And if not, why not? WITH FACTS, please, NOT conjecture...

Sadly...very sadly, just as they did to Olds' 300,000 owners circa 2000, and Pontiac's 300,000 owners circa 2008, Buick is the only non-Chev show in town for "regular" folks. And that was, again, whose fault?
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