Pontiac, Buick & Saturn = One Amazing Brand!

[JoeT]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

Have you all lost your minds? How could anyone in their right minds justify killing this? These automobiles have passion in design.. not your cookie cutter designs..

You wouldn't be killing them at all. Just rebadging them. The Enclave is already rebadged as the GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Traverse and Saturn Outlook in North America, so it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Originally Posted by Sal Collaziano

Here's another guy who thinks we've found the fountain of youth and old people aren't going to be around any longer.. Sure, kill Buick and send all the older people to Lexus. Cadillac doesn't build cars for older people anymore. That's what Buick is for (the domestic Lexus).

Old people in Australia buy Holden too and it also sells cars for the young, middle ages and every person in between. It's the product that sells, not the badge.
What is an old peoples car anyway? One with a tissue-box holder in the front and the back, a crochet cover on the dash and an AM-only radio tuned into the golden oldies?

[jgill16]

Hmm! A decline in sales for Buick and Saturn, Their not selling like they use too. I guess old people are going to Lexus.LOL I know for a fact my grandpa 73 year old and never saw an interest in Buick and said the cadillac's design is still Prestige.

[Aprime]

First of, jgill, lrn2English, please.
Second of, I'm honestly not too warm with the idea.

I have NO PROBLEM whatsoever with Pontiac and Buick becoming one (the thought hadn't even crossed my mind before, but now that I think about it, it does make sense, provided you give some of the questionable vehicles to either GMC or Chevy (Vibe)), as long as the badge is Buick, simply because Pontiac would be marketing suicide in its current state - several products have proven in the past that it's not indeed 'the product, stupid', at least when your product lineup is inconsistent and what you used to do for over two decades was pure ***** - so Buick's the only safe way, IMO - I don't know how it'd 'pass' in Canada/Mexico though.

As easy as it's seems from an Australian point of view, it's not.

For brand equity reasons, GMC cannot go, but you didn't include it into the mix.

For sales reasons and simply because Saturn attracts a whole different market than its GM stalemates, it cannot go either. GM's future with the import kiddies goes through Saturn, provided they pull the right strings, and the Astra and Corsa are part of that. You have to understand them to say that, and I believe I'm in a position to make that assessment.

I hope this is actually what will occur if one other brand's going.

[Bravada]

Actually, everybody and their grandma would be fine if not for Saturn. BPG can have a non-overlapping lineup nicely complementing bargain-basement offerings from Chevrolet (if its "upscale" ambitions can be curtailed), only Saturn basically strides into somebodys territory wherever it goes.

I once said that Saturn should've been turned into "GM Saturn" sales channel, keeping the different sales/service experience but offering all the goodies, perhaps with one or two "Saturn specials" for people who still appreciate plastic panels and other sensible stuff "car guys" cannot bear. Then slowly convert all dealerships into "Saturn" stores, while also getting rid of underperforming ones stuck in the past.

[eaton53]

Why bother with the rebadges?

Just sell Buick, Opel and Holden in the former Buick, Pontiac & GMC stores and send Saturn to the scrap heap.

[kenman923]

So what would we have? A Pontiac Aura? The VUE would make for the return of the Torrent.

[tgagneguam]

The topic of these threads could be better worded: Rearranging the deck chairs of a sinking ship while the uninspired Captain and his crew remain firmly in charge.

[rlchv70]

I think you can do the same thing without cutting brands (including GMC). Just sell all of them in the same showroom, and cut any overlapping product. Corporate-wise, they would all be merged in the same brand umbrella. It would be like Toyota selling Scions in the same showrooms. Or Chevy and Geo. Or BMW and Mini.

[vam29]

It might work well in Australia, but any solution in NA without Buick and its new image including the "mind blogging" Invicta/LaCrosse would not be successful and only speed -up GM's downward spiral. The key to success is simply: Chev-Pont-Buick-Cad. Drop GMC, Saturn and sell Hummer and Saab and use the proceeds to finance the reorganization. Add Opel to Buick where it traditionally belongs. Then watch GM surge ahead. Everything else is damaging and a waste of precious time.

[WishIhadatruck]

Originally Posted by plane

...the key here is that between the four or five lesser nameplates,
you build a single cohesive non-overlapping full-line of vehicles.

And your dealers need to consolidate if they want a full range of product.
Overall you haven't lost any brands.
Overall, you haven't lost sales because all you've done is cut out the duplication.

plane, I was thinking the exact same thing. People get all worried about changing the name of a car and losing brand equity but many people seem to think it would be fine to cut an entire brand. That is far worse, many people are brand loyal rather than company loyal. Cutting brands is sure to eliminate market share but overlap is wasteful as well so your idea makes sense. I think this would help encourage dealer consolidation like you said. Otherwise they won't get a full line up.

[skylark68]

Don't kill Buick or Pontiac. Saturn is a big money pit so let it go unless it is trimmed to being an Opel rebadge - i.e. no huge CUV in its lineup.

Keep the idea of the Buick GMC Pontiac sales outlet. Trim Buick and Pontiac to about 3 models each (Pontiac - G8 series, RWD G6 series, and Solstice; Buick - Park Avenue, LaCrosse/Invicta, and Enclave) and push advertising big time. I think sales will improve for each division.

[I-Love-Pontiac]

I dont think that would go well seeing as ALL of those brands currently suck. Adding a bunch of suck together doesn't make one good brand.

[CharlotteFirebird]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

Have you all lost your minds?

How could anyone in their right minds justify killing this? These automobiles have passion in design.. not your cookie cutter designs..

I agree. Those are too good to cut.

[peckwell]

The comment about "rearranging the deck chairs" nails it - GM's issue is not one of distribution, it's one of CASH - they can't effectively market all of the different products to the masses because they do not have the cash to DO so.

If you lump all 4 brands into one dealership, you still have to promote each line individually, pay for exposure, and attempt to cut through the incredible amount of marketing that bombards us all on a daily basis. GM cannot afford any of this, and it can't afford to shut one down, either (looking at the Olds shutdown as an example).

The solution, ultimately, will be decided in bankruptcy court (based on where GM is headed) when their hands are "free" to make big changes without the consideration of the dealer community. They can prune GMC, Hummer, and either Pontiac or Saturn, and re-emerge in a far stronger position.

I hate that statement - "GM" and "bankrupt" in the same sentence, just as I would hate to lose Pontiac, specifically. But the market decides who survives, and until GM repairs the hull and fixes the rudder, that bit of realism looks more and more likely.

[CharlotteFirebird]

Originally Posted by Patate

My 2 cents.

Chevy dealers
Cadillac dealers
Pontiac-Saturn-Buick-GMC dealers

Yes, that's what needs to happen. Also:

1. Cut/sell Hummer
2. Add Saab to Cadillac
3. Cut number of models