GM to Shrink to 4 Brands

[qwikz28]

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/12/official-gm-shrinking-to-four-brands-pontiac-to-four-models/

Cliff Notes:

Chevy GMC Buick Caddy stay. the rest get sold or closed

[LS1Hawk]

Ah, so it looks like Pontiac won't get the axe for now. But I can't understand how GMC is getting product and marketing focus? It seemed they were the most obvious choice for the chopping block.

[WildBillyT]

Ah, so it looks like Pontiac won't get the axe for now. But I can't understand how GMC is getting product and marketing focus? It seemed they were the most obvious choice for the chopping block.

I guess GMC's truck business/engine sharing deal is better than some of the others? And I'm not talking pickup trucks.

[Fast92RS]

I thought buick would be one to go but I guess not. I would like to see GMC get more of the market share as well for comercial trucks. I see alot more ford comercial trucks on the road than GMC.

[qwikz28]

Chevy remains the everybody car

GMC retains the rebadged truck/suv and commercial truck brand. GMC is very profitable and makes plenty of sense to keep around.

buick is getting awesome new cars here and is making a ton of money overseas. the new lacrosse makes me very confident

pontiac will be a niche brand which makes me SUPER happy if they make it specifically sporty cars such as the G8, solstice, with the vibe helping CAFE ratings. i hope the G5 gets axed eventually though. i'd like to see more rebadged holdens in Pontiac's lineup though.

[LS1Hawk]

pontiac will be a niche brand which makes me SUPER happy if they make it specifically sporty cars such as the G8, solstice, with the vibe helping CAFE ratings. i hope the G5 gets axed eventually though. i'd like to see more rebadged holdens in Pontiac's lineup though.

I think Lutz labeling it a "niche brand" points to Pontiac not getting canned, or at least surviving past the 2014 death everyone was previously claiming. I agree, the G5 needs to go. I'm surprised with the G6 being Pontiac's current bread-and-butter car that the G5 is surviving and not the G6. IMO, they should both get the axe. To make Pontiac a very nice niche brand, it needs a high-performance sport coupe.

[BonzoHansen]

Here is what I want: G8 = Regal, G8 GXP (or whatever they call it) = Grand National. :)

[BigAls87Z28]

Regal will be the Opel Insigna in 2011.

[miketa95]

Why aren't they keeping the G6? that's a nice car, completely different unlike the G5. i'd rather have a colbolt.

[sweetbmxrider]

makes sense to me.

[BigAls87Z28]

The G6 was supposed to turn into a malibu re badge as was the whole brand was supposed to.

[miketa95]

eh. I liked the G6. every version of it looked cool. And that panoramic roof was awesome. I think it was much more appealing to younger buyers than any other car they have. the G5 is more of a "I neeed a car, I don't want one, I guess I'll get this it's cheap and gets good gas mileage." whereas the G6 had an option for a v6 and was more sporty and just had better proportions and all.

[sweetbmxrider]

the new g6 with that spoiler that belongs in a ricer's closet is atrocious.

[miketa95]

oh yeah i forgot about that one. That one excluded.

[BurninrubberGT]

pontiac is here for the long haul, out of every division, their #'s dropped the least last year

plus lutz already said it will be their niche brand

and no one wants to buy saab, hummer, or saturn...

[qwikz28]

Regal will be the Opel Insigna in 2011.

won't that directly compete with the new lacrosse?

[shane27]

NOW THEIR THINKING :clap:

[BonzoHansen]

It looks like the way they are structuring it they could have a whole Buick line and special pmd models, so entirely killing the brand.

[redbanditZ28]

So does this mean rich people won't be able to buy new Hummers?

So this means Saturn is gone too huh?

[BigAls87Z28]

eh. I liked the G6. every version of it looked cool. And that panoramic roof was awesome. I think it was much more appealing to younger buyers than any other car they have. the G5 is more of a "I neeed a car, I don't want one, I guess I'll get this it's cheap and gets good gas mileage." whereas the G6 had an option for a v6 and was more sporty and just had better proportions and all.

G6 is a midsized sedan, G5 is their entry level coupe. Dealers complained that they dont have an entry level car. So GM gave them a G6 SE model that was a stripper model.
They wanted more, so they got the G5 with a 2.2 or 2.4 options (no supercharger/turbocharged cars)
They wanted more
So they got the G3.
G5 is just Pontiac's entry car, thats all. But a rebadge none the less.


pontiac is here for the long haul, out of every division, their #'s dropped the least last year

plus lutz already said it will be their niche brand

and no one wants to buy saab, hummer, or saturn...

G6's sales are fleet to replace the Grand Prix's that were going in. G5 as well. Compare Pontiac's sales numbers to 5 years ago...Pontiac is a dead brand.

won't that directly compete with the new lacrosse?

Insigna is real small, 189 inches long
LaX is 200. So think Insigna like a 3 series sedan, and the LaX like Chrysler 300 size.
Both built off Epsilon 2, one gets the SWB, the other the LWB. "Regal" will probably get a 2.4 DI motor base like whats in the new Nox making 180-200hp, a turbo 2.0DI motor for the mid making 260, with maybe a third motor for America. Insigna will be Buick's sporty sedan, and hopefully gets the AWD unit as well. It could replace the G6 in the PBG dealership space.

So does this mean rich people won't be able to buy new Hummers?

So this means Saturn is gone too huh?

Hummer has been on the auction block for a while.
Saturn is being rerestructured. Buick will be Opel's outlet for America, at least for the upper end cars. Saturn still has tons of potential but GM doent know wtf to do with it.

Saab and Hummer are up for grabs right now.

[qwikz28]

any word if bmw is still interested in saab?

[BigAls87Z28]

Right now, no one wants Saab, no one wants Hummer.

[miketa95]

if Pontiac is going to be a niche brand, why would they keep the simple re badge and not the more sporty g6? It just doesn't make sense to me...

[Mike]

kill the h2 and h3, make the h1 a GMC HUMMER

kill sierra, yukon, and all other rebadged chevys, sell a line of fleet trucks and keep the h1 around to get security and millitary contracting

[qwikz28]

i see a pattern here. everyone that is crying about the demise of Pontiac is a firebird owner. stop crying guys :lol:

[Mike]

eh, im not crying. its just bodywork anyway

[Mike]

i see a pattern here. everyone that is crying about the demise of Pontiac is a firebird owner. stop crying guys :lol:

and most of them bought used, and didnt support the company they are crying about being killed off

[qwikz28]

eh, im not crying. its just bodywork anyway

i didn't mean everyone with a firebird is crying, but everyone that is crying is firebird owners. some people understand...