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2,126 Posts
First off, I don't even know how large this company is, I can't understand the debt that they have accumulated, or issues that they see and I don't, but my suggestion is as followed.
Chevy needs to cut down on the redundancy. The Malibu and Impala are almost the same size, and thats all well and fine, but GM should really look into a Malibu XL. Come 2010, I expect to see a Cruze for sale, and I hope that it is unbelievably better than the Cobalt, Corolla, Elantra, and Civic. GM needs this, and it can't be procrastinated. The Aveo is going to be a major player and needs to be top notch in the coming years, the Honda Fit was just introduced, and that should at least be the benchmark, better yet, I want GM to surpass that benchmark and run the Fit into the ground. The HHR is an excellent idea, although I would like it to take a more modern direction, or perhaps see another version in a different brand. The Trailblazer needs to be discontinued, as does the Yukon (regular and XL versions). I also believe that the Equinox and Colorado should be SUV-Pickup twins as the S-10 and Blazer of long ago were. This should cut down on cost and a Colorado shouldn't need to be body-on-frame based.
That leaves the:
Aveo
Cruze
Volt
Malibu (with an extended version)
HHR
Colorado
Equinox
Traverse
Tahoe
Silverado
Corvette.
Next up, Pontiac. I believe that Pontiac is essential to GM because of its strong heritage, and its loyal customer base. While the brand may have been referred to as “damaged” it still continues to sell more vehicles than Buick and Saturn, even excluding fleet sales. Had Pontiac been given the extensive and quality makeover that Saturn had received, it would be top notch. As the new CAFE scores become more and more strict, a fully RWD brand just isn’t going to cut it for Pontiac. Also add in the fact that its development dollars that GM just doesn’t have to spend, and won’t have to spend for several years. Pontiac needs a Cruze variant, but its not going to be as simple as slapping a different grill on the Cobalt, they need to make changes. One of the things that Pontiac should incorporate is the dash covering on the G8, I believe its rubber, and its modern and relatively inexpensive. This would create a lineup of:
Corsa (Opel product)
Astra-(Formerly Saturn Astra and based on Chevy Cruze, with Pontiac styling) - Also replaces the Vibe
Grand Prix (G6) FWD, with Saab XWD offered
Bonneville (Formerly G8) Stays RWD
Buick is another very important brand in the GM stable. The brand is priceless in China, and to close down the American brand in North America would be interesting to say the least. This brand also has a good amount of heritage that should be drawn on, this is GM’s Acura, or Lexus. The Pontiac-Buick dealerships operate out of two arms, Pontiac handles smaller, sporty cars, while Buick handles more traditional, luxurious vehicles. Buick wouldn’t get a sedan on Delta II, it is redundant and isn’t necessary. We aren’t in ’82 anymore and the market share is going to go down a lot faster than it will go up. This leaves Buick with an envisioned lineup of:
Invicta: Similar wheelbase to Malibu XL.
LeSabre: Sedan built on Theta platform, available AWD.
Rendezvous: Pontiac Torrent/GMC Terrain-with Enclave styling cues.
Enclave: The other Lambda Crossover (1 of 2)
And last, but not least, Cadillac. The probability of Cadillac disappearing is about the same as Chevy disappearing, well actually if one goes, they all go. This brand is GM’s flagship, and a few variants of the CTS aren’t going to push GM that far. While the current CTS has turned more than a few heads, Cadillac really doesn’t have much else going for it. The Escalade isn’t the answer, another crossover isn’t the answer, a smaller car and a flagship are. This would predictably give Cadillac a lineup like:
BTS/BTC/BRX: 3-Series Sized for 1 Series money, ok, bad example. This car rides on a shortened Sigma-Zeta hybrid platform and benchmarks the G37 and the 3 Series.
CTS/CTS/CTW/CRX:5 Series car for 3 series money. Regular wheelbase Sigma-zeta platform.
DTS/DTC: 7 Series car for 5 series money. XL Zeta and packed with creature comforts, this is GM’s other flagship car, the original being the Corvette.
ETS(Escalade Touring SUV) On Lambda, all blinged out.
(DTC takes place of XLR, for less money)
The brands that I felt weren’t or weren’t going to cut it in the future consisted of:
Hummer
Saturn
GMC
Saab (Possibly)
Hummer is nearly worthless, hopefully some fool will buy it, but GM will most likely shut it down. Saturn is simply the money pit that GM doesn’t need. It is rumored that Alfa Romeo is returning to the U.S. in 2010, which means that they will need dealerships. I believe that GM could sell Saturn dealerships, as well as the Saturn brand to Alfa Romeo at a reasonable cost, so that A/R can jumpstart its automobiles in North America, and GM can offload Saturn and its dealerships. GMC could handle commercial trucks, or be sold off as well. And Saab may or may not be worth it to GM. If it were to stay, I would pair it with Cadillac as the FWD side of luxury. It would be a pairing similar to the Nissan-Infiniti relationship.
So there you have it, if I was handed the keys to the Ren-Cen and given permission to do what I believed would set this company on the right track, this is what I would do. What say you?
Chevy needs to cut down on the redundancy. The Malibu and Impala are almost the same size, and thats all well and fine, but GM should really look into a Malibu XL. Come 2010, I expect to see a Cruze for sale, and I hope that it is unbelievably better than the Cobalt, Corolla, Elantra, and Civic. GM needs this, and it can't be procrastinated. The Aveo is going to be a major player and needs to be top notch in the coming years, the Honda Fit was just introduced, and that should at least be the benchmark, better yet, I want GM to surpass that benchmark and run the Fit into the ground. The HHR is an excellent idea, although I would like it to take a more modern direction, or perhaps see another version in a different brand. The Trailblazer needs to be discontinued, as does the Yukon (regular and XL versions). I also believe that the Equinox and Colorado should be SUV-Pickup twins as the S-10 and Blazer of long ago were. This should cut down on cost and a Colorado shouldn't need to be body-on-frame based.
That leaves the:
Aveo
Cruze
Volt
Malibu (with an extended version)
HHR
Colorado
Equinox
Traverse
Tahoe
Silverado
Corvette.
Next up, Pontiac. I believe that Pontiac is essential to GM because of its strong heritage, and its loyal customer base. While the brand may have been referred to as “damaged” it still continues to sell more vehicles than Buick and Saturn, even excluding fleet sales. Had Pontiac been given the extensive and quality makeover that Saturn had received, it would be top notch. As the new CAFE scores become more and more strict, a fully RWD brand just isn’t going to cut it for Pontiac. Also add in the fact that its development dollars that GM just doesn’t have to spend, and won’t have to spend for several years. Pontiac needs a Cruze variant, but its not going to be as simple as slapping a different grill on the Cobalt, they need to make changes. One of the things that Pontiac should incorporate is the dash covering on the G8, I believe its rubber, and its modern and relatively inexpensive. This would create a lineup of:
Corsa (Opel product)
Astra-(Formerly Saturn Astra and based on Chevy Cruze, with Pontiac styling) - Also replaces the Vibe
Grand Prix (G6) FWD, with Saab XWD offered
Bonneville (Formerly G8) Stays RWD
Buick is another very important brand in the GM stable. The brand is priceless in China, and to close down the American brand in North America would be interesting to say the least. This brand also has a good amount of heritage that should be drawn on, this is GM’s Acura, or Lexus. The Pontiac-Buick dealerships operate out of two arms, Pontiac handles smaller, sporty cars, while Buick handles more traditional, luxurious vehicles. Buick wouldn’t get a sedan on Delta II, it is redundant and isn’t necessary. We aren’t in ’82 anymore and the market share is going to go down a lot faster than it will go up. This leaves Buick with an envisioned lineup of:
Invicta: Similar wheelbase to Malibu XL.
LeSabre: Sedan built on Theta platform, available AWD.
Rendezvous: Pontiac Torrent/GMC Terrain-with Enclave styling cues.
Enclave: The other Lambda Crossover (1 of 2)
And last, but not least, Cadillac. The probability of Cadillac disappearing is about the same as Chevy disappearing, well actually if one goes, they all go. This brand is GM’s flagship, and a few variants of the CTS aren’t going to push GM that far. While the current CTS has turned more than a few heads, Cadillac really doesn’t have much else going for it. The Escalade isn’t the answer, another crossover isn’t the answer, a smaller car and a flagship are. This would predictably give Cadillac a lineup like:
BTS/BTC/BRX: 3-Series Sized for 1 Series money, ok, bad example. This car rides on a shortened Sigma-Zeta hybrid platform and benchmarks the G37 and the 3 Series.
CTS/CTS/CTW/CRX:5 Series car for 3 series money. Regular wheelbase Sigma-zeta platform.
DTS/DTC: 7 Series car for 5 series money. XL Zeta and packed with creature comforts, this is GM’s other flagship car, the original being the Corvette.
ETS(Escalade Touring SUV) On Lambda, all blinged out.
(DTC takes place of XLR, for less money)
The brands that I felt weren’t or weren’t going to cut it in the future consisted of:
Hummer
Saturn
GMC
Saab (Possibly)
Hummer is nearly worthless, hopefully some fool will buy it, but GM will most likely shut it down. Saturn is simply the money pit that GM doesn’t need. It is rumored that Alfa Romeo is returning to the U.S. in 2010, which means that they will need dealerships. I believe that GM could sell Saturn dealerships, as well as the Saturn brand to Alfa Romeo at a reasonable cost, so that A/R can jumpstart its automobiles in North America, and GM can offload Saturn and its dealerships. GMC could handle commercial trucks, or be sold off as well. And Saab may or may not be worth it to GM. If it were to stay, I would pair it with Cadillac as the FWD side of luxury. It would be a pairing similar to the Nissan-Infiniti relationship.
So there you have it, if I was handed the keys to the Ren-Cen and given permission to do what I believed would set this company on the right track, this is what I would do. What say you?
