GM may kill a brand besides Hummer

[AZCamaroFan]

They're not ditching Cadillac, Chevrolet or even Pontiac , i would think . Buick would be more iffy. I'm not sure how essential GMC really is.I actually just read yesterday that the Saturn Aura isn't selling well. They have a much improved lineup, but they don't sell as well as the others.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by azfan

I'm not sure how essential GMC really is.

It's important for people who can't spell Chevrolet...and for medium-duty truck lines that Chevy doesn't sell.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by stovt001

Not counting foreign market only brands (Holden, Opel, etc) GM should have 3 brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac,....and bear with me here...Buick. Chevrolet and Cadillac have the obvious reasons. Buick just has the most potential. The American population is aging, and given the growing popularity of Lexus those car buyers care more about style, luxury, and quality over performance. The Enclave is already an unquestioned success, and the next Lacrosse looks fantastic. Now if Pontiac dies, the G8 can transfer to Buick without the cheesy hood scoops and keep more of the original Holden styling. Call it the Invicta and market it as the family man's Camaro. The awesomeness would be uncontainable. Then to round it out, add a premium compact based off the Cruze. Maybe even add a coupe/convertible and call it the Riviera. GMC, Saturn, and Pontiac don't do anything but sell rebadged products from the other brands so they add no value. Saab has a great thing going for it, but the original formula of hatchback bodies, turbo 4 engines, and quirkiness is completely lost on GM. They need a different corporate culture to thrive. Hummer merged with Jeep could be sustainable in some form, though maybe under different ownership.

That is the best business advice GM can get on the Buick issue.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Honestly? I'd like to see Chevy/Cadillac/Pontiac

And I'd like them to be set up like Toyota/Lexus/Scion, and Ford/Lincoln/Mercury.
Universal/Luxury/tuner-sporty

None of GM's other bands seem to match as close as these three do, imo.
But bottom line? Chevrolet and Cadillac are absolutely MUST-STAYs.

[Inspector 17]

Originally Posted by theholycow

It's important for people who can't spell Chevrolet...and for medium-duty truck lines that Chevy doesn't sell.

I really think that if they got rid of GMC and carefully transitioned those GMC customers to Chevy, they would be fine. Outside of that, keep Cadillac and Saturn. Caddy gives them the luxury line and Saturn gives them a low-cost line to compete with the likes of Kia and Hyundai.

[fastball]

Chevrolet and Cadillac are the only true untouchables in the entire GM stable.

Any and all of the rest should be on the table for elimination/consolidation.

[Maddog78]

Kill 'em all except Chevy and Cadillac.

Drastic?

Yeah, hard times call for hard measures.
GM doesn't have enough cash to make it 1/2 way through next year.
They have got to do something major or they are gone.

[heaz]

drop
Daewoo-useless
buick-crap
and gmc- same as chevy

keep hummer b/c there is nothing else like it

[heaz]

and drop saturn b/c it is the same as pontaic

[1_2Many]

The world would be a better place without BUICK, DAEWOO and HUMMER.

[theholycow]

GMC and Chevy each sell enough pickup trucks to compete with any other pickup brand alone. If GMC was eliminated, would all the GMC buyers buy Chevy instead and Chevy sell twice as many pickups as anyone else?

That's not a rhetorical question, I'm really not sure why GM's trucks sell so much more (besides the fact that they KICK ASS) but I have to wonder if branding is part of it.

[cosmin haraga]

daewoo is an excelent design, with low fuel consumption engine.
they had huge sales from europe to japan, they fell in market shares due to a fall on korean markets and coruption in their top brass
it was a very cheap buy for gm, their factory were totaly new and the cars looked great google nubira 2 , now keep in mind this a 12000$ car, anything like it goes twice that in europe.
they are producing chevy aveo in daewoo factory: smaller, uglier and poor engine.
what nubira needs is an overhauled engine with 6 manual shifts and it's a killer

[The_Blur]

I still believe that Hummer is worth keeping, especially if GM eventually acquires Jeep. They can be combined under the Jeep name and offer combined platforms.

I also like the idea of keeping Buick. That company was part of the early GM, and it can build some uniquely styled cars with a lot of power. I'd like to see Cadillac and Buick have more exclusive cars that include the extremely prestigious buyers who like Maserati and the like.

Chevrolet must stay. I think that Pontiac can become a tuner brand with one or two very powerful cars. All cars in the Pontiac line should be performers when compared to the competition. That means that a G3 should crush a Fit, a G8 should do battle with the Challenger, and the G5 should be ahead of the Focus. I don't want buyers to see Pontiac as a safe company for family cars, although I understand that most buyers don't prioritize power in the same way that performance enthusiasts do. I like them to think of it as sporty and aggressive.

Daewoo is worthless. Sell it to someone else. If possible, give it one good car to raise its value, but slate that car for limited production and early cancellation so that the buyer won't get to keep that car.

GMC needs to be advertised as the other Chevy until every dealer who has a GMC dealership becomes a Chevy dealership. The day after that happens, announce that the GMC name is being sold. GM should make it clear that GMC trucks are merely rebadged Chevrolets.

GM can live without Saab. I like Saab, but it is unnecessary. I wouldn't mind seeing it acquired by someone who wants it more.

[BowtieGuy]

Saab is a great brand and is really strong in areas outside the U.S. They won't get rid of it. GM won't be axing any brands soon. It's too expensive. If anything they might sell one, and it will be Hummer.