Which GM Brand(s) Do You Think Should Get The Chop?

[osv_alero]

My order;
1. Hummer - It doesn't present a good image for GM and will be tanking more as prices stay high.
2. Saturn - No real direction, lowest # of dealers to pay off
3. Pontiac - Too many are fleet now days. Even with great products people just are not willing to put money down to take it home.
4. GMC - Redundant, though it does make GM money even in tough times.
5. Buick - With China as back bone to product, there really is no need to get rid of it. They do need to spend more energy on making sure both China and the US sell the same products.

Outside of US
They should change Daweoo to Chevrolet. This will help the name become strong world wide. The world is getting smaller by the day. GM should realize people in the US want the same thing as people in Europe, China, etc. By having the same brands world wide, GM can build on the name.

[Family Man]

So, it's this:

vs


or

this...


vs


You know what's going to be the demise of GM? Nostalgia.

Keep Chevy to keep Chevy buyers happy.
Keep GMC to keep GMC drivers happy.
Need performance? Gotta keep Pontiac.
Let's fight the Germans/Euro brands - keep Saturn
Need affordable luxury, well gotta keep Buick
Gotta keep SAAB, because it's GM's go to compete with Audi
Gotta keep Cadillac because it's gotta compete with BMW, MB

Folks, Audi competes with BMW and MB just fine. Why do we need two brands just for that?

Toyota, Mazda, Honda and to an extent, Ford, are doing just fine with the few brands they have. Look at the mess Chrysler is in, all while trying to balance Jeep, Dodge (again - both sell SUVs), Chrysler and Plymouth (at one time but now gone). Chrysler, it its attempt to increase sales, rebadge everything now.

GM needs to look way forward and adjust quickly. It no longer dominates the market and can no longer afford to keep a brand to cater to one market. If this is what many people here think, then I strongly believe that GM will no longer exist as we know it in 20 years. GM needs to change with the times, and the only divisions that should exist are:

Chevy: your Toyota fighter consisting Beats, Cobalts, HHRs, Malibus, Equinox, Traverse, Silverado, Camaro and Corvette
Pontiac: Soltice/Sky, Astra, G8
Cadillac: CTS, STS, Escalade

Sell all brands under one roof. It works for everybody else, so why not GM? Sure, it might piss of some people, and the idea is radical, but the US buying perception is no longer it once was.

For those who drive a GMC but won't drive a Chevy, I ask why not, and what will you buy - a Tundra? Surely a Chevy drives just the same as a GMC. GMC trucks should not have any special engines than Chevy - this costs money. Sure, Chevy could butch up their truck with a special "Denali" package if that's what people want.

If GM doesn't make some drastic cuts (and I know what I'm saying will NEVER happen) soon, GM will be in serious trouble.

[Rocket 88]

Originally Posted by D C

Frankly, you do NOT get ride of GMC in a logical scenario.

Yes, they're all rebadges. But look at the sales. Why are that many people buying a rebadged Silverado instead of buying the Silverado? Why are they buying an Acadia over an Outlook? A Canyon over a Colorado? There is a perceived difference between GMC and those other brands. And being re-badges, their cost delta is low relative to their counterparts. If they can command a higher transaction price that justifies the increase in production cost, it's a net win for the company.

Kill GMC and those GMC buyers would NOT go to other brands, just like Olds buyers opted by & large for non-GM brands.

Yes and No.

GMC should continue to sell only real TRUCKS but needs to get out of some products. Meaning, while it makes sense for there to be a GMC Sierra at BPG dealership it makes no sense for there also to be a GMC Arcadia since they sell the Buick Enclave.

BPG need to collectively be premium products (over Chevrolet) but there should be no duplication within themselves.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Family Man

So, it's this:

vs


or

this...


vs


You know what's going to be the demise of GM? Nostalgia.

Keep Chevy to keep Chevy buyers happy.
Keep GMC to keep GMC drivers happy.
Need performance? Gotta keep Pontiac.
Let's fight the Germans/Euro brands - keep Saturn
Need affordable luxury, well gotta keep Buick
Gotta keep SAAB, because it's GM's go to compete with Audi
Gotta keep Cadillac because it's gotta compete with BMW, MB

Folks, Audi competes with BMW and MB just fine. Why do we need two brands just for that?

Toyota, Mazda, Honda and to an extent, Ford, are doing just fine with the few brands they have. Look at the mess Chrysler is in, all while trying to balance Jeep, Dodge (again - both sell SUVs), Chrysler and Plymouth (at one time but now gone). Chrysler, it its attempt to increase sales, rebadge everything now.

GM needs to look way forward and adjust quickly. It no longer dominates the market and can no longer afford to keep a brand to cater to one market. If this is what many people here think, then I strongly believe that GM will no longer exist as we know it in 20 years. GM needs to change with the times, and the only divisions that should exist are:

Chevy: your Toyota fighter consisting Beats, Cobalts, HHRs, Malibus, Equinox, Traverse, Silverado, Camaro and Corvette
Pontiac: Soltice/Sky, Astra, G8
Cadillac: CTS, STS, Escalade

Sell all brands under one roof. It works for everybody else, so why not GM? Sure, it might piss of some people, and the idea is radical, but the US buying perception is no longer it once was.

For those who drive a GMC but won't drive a Chevy, I ask why not, and what will you buy - a Tundra? Surely a Chevy drives just the same as a GMC. GMC trucks should not have any special engines than Chevy - this costs money. Sure, Chevy could butch up their truck with a special "Denali" package if that's what people want.

If GM doesn't make some drastic cuts (and I know what I'm saying will NEVER happen) soon, GM will be in serious trouble.

I'll take the Sierra in both cases.
If GMC is shut down, I'll go with a Silverado, but I won't like it as much as a Sierra.
The cars drive the same, they look the same, but they sure don't feel the same to me. GMC's always felt better, more upscale than their Chevy counterparts.

What do I think of when I see this?



Work truck.

What do I think of when I see this?



Luxury SUV with all the capabilities of a work truck.

[Caleb02]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

Kill Chevy? You have to be kidding. Chevy, Saturn and Cadillac. What more do you need? I give it 10 years.

Kill GMC for sure. Save millions on advertising and making GMC badges to fit the Chevy trucks they are. Stupid. Never understood why GMC was around when they had no unique product AT ALL and they were simply gussied up Chevy's. Caddy a Porsche fighter? Caddy is aimed at BMW, Porsches market is way too small to justify re-targeting Cadillac. I know you're going to come back and say you were being sarcastic, you have to.

my reason for killing chevy is simple. lets look at all other car companies like,
Toyota: They have a mass market division named after them
Ford: They have a mass market division named after them
Honda: They have a mass market division named after them
Nissan: They have a mass market division named after them
Renault: They have a mass market division named after them
Fiat: They have a mass market division named after them

So if they all have one why doesn't GM have GMC as its mass market name and just kill chevy?
I am not joking.

[usa1]

I voted for:

Hummer: Completely out of tune with future gas realities. Horrible PR for GM.
Buick: All the blue hair people are dying. One decent rebadge (Enclave) does not make for a division.
Saturn: Complete overlap with Chevrolet and Pontiac. Tons of new models and still poor sales.

I would have added SAAB, but they were not on the list.

Mark

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Caleb02

my reason for killing chevy is simple. lets look at all other car companies like,
Toyota: They have a mass market division named after them
Ford: They have a mass market division named after them
Honda: They have a mass market division named after them
Nissan: They have a mass market division named after them
Renault: They have a mass market division named after them
Fiat: They have a mass market division named after them

So if they all have one why doesn't GM have GMC as its mass market name and just kill chevy?
I am not joking.

If we're going to do this, then GMC should only produce the trucks. You can't take away Chevy completely when you DO have good sellers like the Impala and Malibu.

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by Family Man

So, it's this:



vs

That Chevy IP is from the 'work truck' and LT trims, which is also available in the GMC. That GMC IP is from the higher trim level, which is also available in the Chevy (LTZ trim). I don't get your comparison. It's not like the plain-Jane IP is the only one available in the Chevy and/or the fancy one is the standard GMC IP because that's not the case at all. GMC is redundant. GMC should be the huge commercial trucks only. These 'Passenger Trucks' should all be Chevy's.

[GTOken]

Originally Posted by D C

Kill GMC and those GMC buyers would NOT go to other brands, just like Olds buyers opted by & large for non-GM brands.

That is me. If I can't buy a new Pontiac or GMC I probably would look to Ford or Dodge.

[camaro_freak]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Because maybe people like their styling better?
I don't think I'm stupid for preferring an Envoy over a Trailblazer. I don't think I'm stupid for wanting the Sonoma over the S-10. GMCs just look and feel better than Chevys.

You don't think all that time money and effort to differinate GMC could have been put to better use in any number of other more important vehicles?

GM has to start making some tough decisions and rebadged vehicles should not be in the picture.

If anything, GM could keep the Denali line and offer that as an upscale version of the Chevy truck.

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by GTOken

That is me. If I can't buy a new Pontiac or GMC I probably would look to Ford or Dodge.

Okaybuhbye! Do any of us honestly think GM cares? They are thinking big picture/future of The Company, they're thinking with their ledger sheet. We, on the other hand, are thinking with our hearts..."Gee, I lost my virginity in a Pontiac.." or "My first car was a Buick..." we aren't thinking about what is best for GM and not only the profitability of the Company, but the survivability as well. It's hard to hear, and it sucks, but that's the reality. Take your heart out of the equation and think what will help GM the most to keep and/or hurt the least to lose.

[Caleb02]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

I honestly love how some people have been saying the same thing over and over, but yet others are completely ignoring them.
GMC is SELLING. Get that into your heads. They're GM's 2nd best selling division. Why do you think they sell so many Sierras every year when people could just get a Silverado? Bottom line: People like the upscale feel. The Chevys will always feel like work trucks, even the LTZ models. The Sierras feel like upscale, luxury trucks that can still tow/haul. Since they're just Chevy rebadges, they don't even need to do R&D on them, it's like free money coming in just by slapping a GMC badge on the truck.
Face it, GMC HAS to offer something that Chevy just can't. Otherwise, nobody would buy their vehicles.

gmc sales are down over 50%

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

GMCs just look and feel better than Chevys.

That's funny because they ARE Chevy's! They aren't built any differently, 99% of the parts interchange. Badge engineering at it's finest.

[jdlover7]

only keep hummer if they make th H4

[AMERICA 123]

Well, I have a better idea.

Lets just ban Toyota product from the USA for unacceptable labor practises - in Japan.

More Skeletons in the Closet for "Friendly" Toyota

We can get the rest later.

Now, lets run a poll on which threads - like this one, are meant to divert attention from the most significant Automotive news item of the Year - concerning Toyotas labor practises.