[member12]

Seriously, killing or re-naming brands is not going to help much of anything.

Killing off redundant models will help clarify the focus of the brand and slowly help the image.

There is no reason for two of the same crossover, SUV, truck, or car at the same dealership. Pontiac, Buick, and GMC are now one brand. They don't need one crossover each and they certainly don't each need a compact car. They need fewer, better, more attractive models.

2 or 3 hot selling Buicks is better than 5 crappy, slow selling models. Pontiac, Buick, and GMC don't need more than 3 models each unless they are moving everything they can get on their lots.

Times are tough now, so GM needs to actually think ahead and stick with the plan for more than 2 weeks at a time. It's a slow process, but it needs to happen. Cars like the Torrent and the CSVs as well as the the Enclave/Acadia really puzzle me, and shows lack of focus.

CAN WE PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT SELLING HUMMER, GMC, OR SAAB...AND PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT KILLING PONTIAC OR BUICK.

GM doesn't follow their own plans...selling Hummer wouldn't bring in any capital since it's integrated in the GM lineup....Pontiac and Buick can be successful as long as people realize that there are twice the competition in those markets, so sales will never be like they were in 1985.

Once again, times are tough now, so sales will be slower. There is no magical car that will save anyone now until America starts spending more money again....which is the problem with high gas prices. It takes us 5-7 years to adjust.




I also want to point out that everyone on GMi always has their theory on what car will sell and what won't. Everyone has high hopes for the Volt, a new Astra, a new Cruze, or whatever.

Truth: gas prices shot up 100% in the last two years. Resale value on trucks and SUVs are in the tank, and people still owe money on them.
Because of this, sales are down across the board- by nearly every car company.
A new economy car that everyone predicts will "sell like hotcakes" because it gets 3 mpg better than the competition is not necesarily the best thing to offer. At best, it will sell well to people who happen to be in the market for a new car.

I'm sure the Volt will be much more for GM than the sum of it's sales- but I want to make sure everyone's expectations are where they should be: cars like that are a novelty. They are expensive.
Cars that are hot in the short term future are convetional gas cars that are affordable and fuel efficient...and from a reputable brand.
Honda and Toyota are reputable brands. Saturn and Ford are not...you have to earn that. The older Focus and Ion have left big stains on those brands that are going to take a while to clean up.

The rest of us are not trading in our gas guzzlers for one reason: They are no longer worth anything. Eventually, we'll move to smaller cars but we can't now even if we wanted to.

So, investing in small cars is a great idea....go for it, because that is likely the future. However, pulling plans ahead for a new Aveo or Cruz or Astra is not a good idea if it cost more to do so, because very few people can afford them at this point. Sales will not go up that much in the short term regardless of the product.


IT'S A TOUGH TIME TO BE A CAR GUY. It's a hyper competative market in the USA...and there is only so many new sales. We are a replacement car market, so someone's share of the pie is going to get smaller. GM needs to adjust and so does the labor unions, which also need to realize that you can't be a socialist in a capitalist world and survive. The gravy train will get smaller and smaller and smaller.