What brands should GM keep?

[RL...]

Just gathering opinions..

I would say Chevy, and Cadillac. That's it.

I feel oldsmobile, buick, pontiac, gmc, saturn and others are no longer relevant.

[On_Her_Face]

I say Corvette.

[browningboy7]

They have to close the Saturn division that was part of the deal. So they are already gone for all intensive purposes.

[EJ25RUN]

I say Corvette.
Good point. Corvette is sold as its own brand around the world.

To answer question....Im assuming this refers to G.M. brands in the U.S. market.

I say keep Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick, and Saturn

Chevy is G.M.'s bread and butter in a way.

Cadillac is G.M.'s best foot forward. It is real competition to the Germans.

Buick and Pontiac have good things going for them. Buick just took Lexus out for #1 on J.D. power's reliability study after Lexus held #1 for 14 consecutive years.

*Saturn. GM needs to keep Saturn...why? Because of what Saturn is currently being used as. A way for European developed Vauxhalls and Opels to make way in the U.S.

Remember the Astra is built in Europe just like the G8 is built in Austrailia.

On another note. I hope G.M. is smart enough to get the Opel Insignia on these shores asap. It just won European Car of the Year for 2009.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/04/02_opel_insignia_first_450-op.jpg

Oh, and compare Opel's Impera to our (boring) Volt.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/voltamperaversus_poll.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/opel-ampera_2010_580.jpg


Green cars need to have a level of excitement because they don't have performance working for them. That is one reason i like the tech but not the actual cars when it comes to Prius' and Insights.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

For the ones that need to go.

* We lost Oldsmobile in 2002.

* GMC should be incorportated into Chevy production or sold off to Isuzu to produce machines like the Kodiak.

* Saab is a company with great potential that isn't getting what it deserves from GM. It should be sold asap. Tata....buy Saab!

* Hummer isn't a brand that can be made profitable in the new buyers mindframe. The only thing i can think of is makign the lineup a G.M. Jeep but even then i'd rather it be sold to someone else.

[HypnoToad]

they need to get rid of GMC,and just sell chevy trucks.

i think pontiac is making good cars,i like how they look and perform,same goes to caddy.

[MR2DR]

Good point. Corvette is sold as its own brand around the world.

To answer question....Im assuming this refers to G.M. brands in the U.S. market.

I say keep Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick, and Opel

Chevy is G.M.'s bread and butter in a way.

Cadillac is G.M.'s best foot forward. It is real competition to the Germans.

Buick and Pontiac have good things going for them. Buick just took Lexus out for #1 on J.D. power's reliability study after Lexus held #1 for 14 consecutive years.

*Saturn. GM needs to keep Saturn...why? Because of what Saturn is currently being used as. A way for European developed Vauxhalls and Opels to make way in the U.S.

Remember the Astra is built in Europe just like the G8 is built in Austrailia.

On another note. I hope G.M. is smart enough to get the Opel Insignia on these shores asap. It just won European Car of the Year for 2009.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/04/02_opel_insignia_first_450-op.jpg

Oh, and compare Opel's Impera to our (boring) Volt.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/voltamperaversus_poll.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/opel-ampera_2010_580.jpg


Green cars need to have a level of excitement because they don't have performance working for them. That is one reason i like the tech but not the actual cars when it comes to Prius' and Insights.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

*We lost Oldsmobile in 2002.

* GMC should be incorportated into Chevy production or sold off to Isuzu to produce machines like the Kodiak.

* Saab is a company with great potential that isn't getting what it deserves from GM. It should be sold asap. Tata....buy Saab!

*Hummer isn't a brand that can be made protiable unless thet find a way to turn it into Jeep.

QFT

..that said, get rid of GMC

[RL...]

well chevy and caddy def need to stay. They are Gm's best effort at automobiles.

I don't see what pontiac/buick/saturn offer besides sub-par cars...although I do love the g8,

[HypnoToad]

well chevy and caddy def need to stay. They are Gm's best effort at automobiles.

I don't see what pontiac/buick/saturn offer besides sub-par cars...although I do love the g8,

the G6,G8 and sky are all great cars.

[BKgen®]

well chevy and caddy def need to stay. They are Gm's best effort at automobiles.


Agreed 100%

Hopefully Cadillac will be around forever. They hold a special place in my heart.

[amped4life33]

hmm no more Saturn huh? Id like to pick up a little Skyy redline before that happens.

[RL...]

the G6,G8 and sky are all great cars.

the g6 is ok in my book, and the sky looks nice, although a bit too flashy for me, I don't know how great of a car it is tho

[JITB]

Good point. Corvette is sold as its own brand around the world.

To answer question....Im assuming this refers to G.M. brands in the U.S. market.

I say keep Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick, and Saturn

Chevy is G.M.'s bread and butter in a way.

Cadillac is G.M.'s best foot forward. It is real competition to the Germans.

Buick and Pontiac have good things going for them. Buick just took Lexus out for #1 on J.D. power's reliability study after Lexus held #1 for 14 consecutive years.

*Saturn. GM needs to keep Saturn...why? Because of what Saturn is currently being used as. A way for European developed Vauxhalls and Opels to make way in the U.S.

Remember the Astra is built in Europe just like the G8 is built in Austrailia.

On another note. I hope G.M. is smart enough to get the Opel Insignia on these shores asap. It just won European Car of the Year for 2009.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/04/02_opel_insignia_first_450-op.jpg

Oh, and compare Opel's Impera to our (boring) Volt.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/voltamperaversus_poll.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/opel-ampera_2010_580.jpg


Green cars need to have a level of excitement because they don't have performance working for them. That is one reason i like the tech but not the actual cars when it comes to Prius' and Insights.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

For the ones that need to go.

* We lost Oldsmobile in 2002.

* GMC should be incorportated into Chevy production or sold off to Isuzu to produce machines like the Kodiak.

* Saab is a company with great potential that isn't getting what it deserves from GM. It should be sold asap. Tata....buy Saab!

* Hummer isn't a brand that can be made profitable in the new buyers mindframe. The only thing i can think of is makign the lineup a G.M. Jeep but even then i'd rather it be sold to someone else.


i think the malibu was made from the insignia, or atleast the new one is gonna be.

but Saturn did turn completly into a Opel in the states, which was cool. But those cars didnt appeal to us. ive seen maybe 4 astras on the road.

[flak_monkey]

They should stop making all these ugly cars for the US market. We get the suck cars and the rest of the world gets awesome looking Opels and Holdens and such.

[cartune]

rename all gmc with chevy.get rid buick and oldsmobile,hummer, and keep cadillac,saturn,pontiac.sell zaab's stocks and other euro car they have. Yes the u.s. Always get the crapy version of cars.from euros to japanese,heck even american cars.look at the euro focus etc

[AnthonyF]

The saturn is a good car for new drivers and college students. They are cheap, reliable, dent free. :goodjob:

Def Chevy & Caddy. Pontiac has some good cars, just rebadge them to chevy's. lol.

-Ant.

[EJ25RUN]

i think the malibu was made from the insignia, or atleast the new one is gonna be.

but Saturn did turn completly into a Opel in the states, which was cool. But those cars didnt appeal to us. ive seen maybe 4 astras on the road.

The new Insignia sits on GM's Epsilon II platform.
I read the 2008 Malibu sits on the Epsilon (I) platform. But next Malibu will sit on the longer and wider Epsilon II.

That's true about Saturn. I don't know if it had to do with what they carried from their past but the Astra is a fully European market car. It's built in Belguim.

[VooDooXII]

Chevrolet - Everyman's car
Cadillac - Luxury Branch
Pontiac - Sport Division
Saturn - European semi-luxury brand

I don't know why GMC and Isuzu are still around...they should stick to heavy-industry fleet vehicles. I know Buick won't be going anywhere because their customer base is solid. I guess they could fill in whatever I mentioned for Saturn, but it just seems like a matter of taste...Saturn seems more "trendy" than Buick. They're like "American Volkswagens" though almost all of them are rebadged Opels. I like that about them, but Buick is going the same way aren't they? Problem with Saturn being that "semi-luxury" brand...well that's what Oldsmobile was trying to be and look want happened to them.

I want SAAB to stick around for obvious reasons, hahaha...but I mean Ford has Volvo so it seem like GM should have their token Swedish brand. Yea that isn't reason enough for them to hold on to SAAB especially since their stock is doing worse than Hummer. I think SAAB has lots of potential to build unconventional and affordable luxury cars. I equate them to Audi, almost. All of their cars are a little long-in-tooth, but I feel like with the right leadership, they can recapture the charm they had 15 - 20 years ago.

The only reason Hummer would stay around is because of the name and the conspicuous consumers that are after it. It's just a boxy Tahoe. There's nothing special or cool about them anymore.

All of GM's vehicles have been drastically improving. It's too bad that this didn't happen earlier. Any "good" vehicles (Oldsmobile Intrigue/Aurora, Pontiac GTO, etc.) seemed to go unnoticed because of brand reputation.

There are some really nice cars coming from almost every company under GM. I'm sure Cadillac isn't going anywhere. Same goes for Chevrolet. I'd hate to see Pontiac disappear especially since they brought over the G8. Same goes for Saturn because I like that they're bringing over Opel's models.

Ahh who knows...whatever it takes to make a car interesting and desirable makes it less appealing to the masses and therefore isn't cost-effective. That's why car enthusiasts are ultimately screwed, hahaha.

[antiv6]

Most brands have their place for car types, But they can definitely loose hummer, gmc, and Saturn.

[BanginJimmy]

Dump all but 1 or 2 models of Hummer, that will drastically reduce production costs.
Dump all but the heavy industrial lines of GMC, they are simply rebadged Chevy's anyways.
Keep Saturn, as said before, they have a market among younger middle class workers. Lines like the Vue appeal highly to that market that have to drag around 2 or so rugrats.
Pontiac needs to keep a couple of their vehicles and dump others. Make them sort of Chevy's performance division (outside of the vette).

[HypnoToad]

i mean idk why people think GM cant make good cars.

i mean look at the new cobalt SS it is so much of a bargin it isnt even funny,why it doesnt sell great is beyond me...

the new camaro will be out soon,so u will have

Cobalt SS - very quick bargin sports coupe(
Camaro - a good priced entry sports car(420HP 6sp for 31k,not to shabby)
G8 GXP - good priced sports sedan
Corvette - the flagship sports car
CTS V - the high end rival of european sport sedans


thats deff a pretty good lineup to me,and before GM started tanking they had a RWD impala in the works built off the Camaro platform...which would have been sick.

[RL...]

i mean idk why people think GM cant make good cars.

i mean look at the new cobalt SS it is so much of a bargin it isnt even funny,why it doesnt sell great is beyond me...

the new camaro will be out soon,so u will have

Cobalt SS - very quick bargin sports coupe(
Camaro - a good priced entry sports car(420HP 6sp for 31k,not to shabby)
G8 GXP - good priced sports sedan
Corvette - the flagship sports car
CTS V - the high end rival of european sport sedans


thats deff a pretty good lineup to me,and before GM started tanking they had a RWD impala in the works built off the Camaro platform...which would have been sick.

It's not that gm doesn't have good cars, it's that gm has too many bad cars....lol

the new vettes, malibus, impalas, silverados, tahos, g8, cts,sts, escalade are all great

[BanginJimmy]

GM got a horrid name back in the 80's and have never fully recovered. Then you have the japs and euros make some really nice cars and there you have it. To make things worse they have such a huge overhead they cannot sell cars for as cheap as they should be able to.

GM pays about $70 per man hour per vehicle produced and I have heard estimates from 50 to 70 man hours per vehicle. Honda pays about $40 per man hour and estimates range from 40 to 55 man hours per vehicle because of the amount of automation in their plants. If you look at the high estimate for each you are looking at an average additional overhead of $1050 per vehicle for a GM. That adds up VERY quickly, and that number increases when you think of the number of vehicles sitting on lots.

[Kaiser]

Back in the 80's, the 90's...I mean, if you look at a 95 Pontiac Grand Am...it's a terrible hunk of crap. It hasn't aged well. Sitting next to a 95 Acura Integra, or even an 89 CRX, the Pontiac looks SIGNIFICANTLY older than the Honda will. The engines were disgustingly bad back then, let alone now when they weep oil from every crack and crevice and parts are impossible to find for them. They have a pretty serious recent history of delivering absolutely NOTHING worth buying, but people kept loyally buying the cars anyways because it was the big General that could do no wrong. You're talking about the time period when an absolutely epic percentage of cars sold worldwide were sold by a company under the flag of GM.

Nothing can last forever, especially not something that has debased it's very foundation by abuse and misuse. For a solid two decades GM was nothing but a way for the people who worked for it to make gobs of money. They honestly thought that after the 70's, they had won and would stay on top forever. A few, and I repeat a FEW design teams came up with innovative ideas that honestly would have been interesting cars but as a rule of thumb, higher ups in GM quashed those ideas, or at the least stifled them because of the cost of development and production. Some of the cars that made it through (though not unscathed) were things like the Fiero, the Aurora, the...the...right, I can't think of any more but I'm sure there's a few that slipped through. If you need proof, look at how long the C4 Corvette was in production ESSENTIALLY unchanged. Then take a good look at the changes that DID happen to it as it aged, it got...more bland...worse, mostly. They've settled themselves with this and have spent the past 7-8 years working to drag themselves out of it, but quite possibly have done so simply far too late to save what we know as GM. The best thing that GM can do right now is to simply break out ALL of it's brands, sell production facilities to the brands, and allow each brand to negotiate contracts with workers, or to simply hire new workers, since the current contracts are with GM. This means that the non-profitable companies now flying solo will not only have a chance, but be ramrodded into making changes to become profitable, no longer able to duck underneath the big GM tarp when rainy days come. It's a tough way to do it, and it won't happen because of the political backlash from the UAW against the politicians in Washington. The terrifying thought for all of this is the fact that the United Auto Workers Union, who were instrumental in dragging all three of the American car megacorps down...will now have a massive say in how this whole thing gets handled and restructured by the government. A relatively small group of people who were being overpaid in an industry producing inferior quality products will now have a loud voice over how the rest of us will see our tax dollars being used to help safeguard their jobs. Europe, on the other hand, is going through something totally different, and their governments are widely starting to see that government spending hasn't fixed their economic problems, and instead is now a massive burden of state debt that their economies can't rise up out of. You don't need to be a fortune teller to see what the way down this road leads to.

[HypnoToad]

idk why everyone says the 80s chevy are crap,my camaro runs like brand new and still looks pretty modern(being it was the last redesign,1991)

it gets 30mpg on the highway,handles nice and is decently quick(even with a auto)

[VooDooXII]

Hey, if anything...American cars will run badly longer than any cars will run at all.

[hondachik]

Dump em all.




edit: Keep Cadillac

[RL...]

idk why everyone says the 80s chevy are crap,my camaro runs like brand new and still looks pretty modern(being it was the last redesign,1991)

it gets 30mpg on the highway,handles nice and is decently quick(even with a auto)

everyone knows 3rd gen camaros weren't good cars

[HypnoToad]

everyone knows 3rd gen camaros weren't good cars

and why is that?

im very curious

[FasTech]

everyone knows 3rd gen camaros weren't good cars


Alittle work can change that easily. Its a good base for a project. No better nor worse than your Maxima.

[Humphrizzle]

none

[neverenough]

am I the only person here that realizes that Oldsmobiles havent been made for YEARS?

And IMO, Saturn, Chevy, Cadillac.

I say Saturn because their new line of cars are all AMAZINGLY well put together, and considering the past history for the marque I would venture to say that there is a VERY bright future for them. Plus the Sky is just a bad ass little car.

Or just Corvette : )

[Total_Blender]

GM should be:

Chevy - family sedans and all trucks
Caddy - tier 1 luxury to compete with the Europeans
Buick - European re-badges/ tier 2 near luxury
Pontiac - sporty cars/entry level econoboxes + youth oriented marketing (like Scion is to Toyota)