Camino LS6

With less architectures, less models, and more focus. You know, the things that they have talked about but never put into practice. I'd rather see 2 good Buicks and 3 good Pontiacs than a full lineup of compromise/ badge cars. They know how to do this, but have lacked the will and good sense to get the job done. This logical solution has yet to be tried in any meaningful way. Conversely, killing brands has been tried .... and has failed.

And Scion? And potentially, Prius? The fact is as those companies grow, they are adding brands to better tailor their product to the local market. Looked at in such a light, asking GM to give an established version of this approach away at the same time begins to look quite nonsensical. There simply is no template available for the successful contraction of an automaker like GM - because there are no automakers like GM. To adopt the braying of the analysts might well be suicide.

So does Hummer and Saab. And Jaguar, and Land Rover... part of the sale would have to involve a supplier role for GM in the sale of any brand.

Oh? Then explain the need for Infiniti, Lexus, and Acura. And, Can you give me an example where a company has eliminated brands in favor of a global homogeny and shown benefit from it?

Can't agree on Saturn, with it's stand-alone dealership network. It would be the first one on the block after Hummer were it up to me.

'Biz, this enthusiast puts his money where his mouth is. Every new car I have purchased has been either a Chevy or a Pontiac, 4 of them so far this decade, with numerous others purchased because I signed-off on them. But even that is beside the point. Your hypothetical German tourist won't be buying a car while on "holiday", will he? He'll get his new Opel, or Benz, or BMW, or VW when he gets home. I don't see any great advantage to having a "global" brand - period. Far more logical, in my view, is the Holden approach. One car (Commodore) is sold variously around the world as a Holden, Pontiac, Vauxhall, Chevrolet, and Buick - according to the local population's buying habits and loyalties. This is a far more sensible approach than trying to "launch" an unfamiliar brand in the name of making it "global". People aren't the same everywhere, so a "one-brand-fits-all" strategy runs counter to human nature in my opinion.

Hmmm. If BMW bought Pontiac and Holden...

This morning's frost was the heaviest I've ever seen. It was actually thick on the hood of the truck. And, it made the blacktop of the driveway actually slippery. If you haven't already, expand those pics to max size and check out the crazy patterns. It almost looks like a satellite image of mountain ranges.

Really? Are you sure that they aren't talking about the hearings? Today was the date that they were to have submitted their written plans with the hearing to follow later.

Actually, only Chevrolet really qualifies as a global brand in my view. And, I just can't see any part of the world accepting Buick beyond China. In fact, it is largely rejected here as a musty old brand that only bluehairs buy. Something has to be interesting within the GM portfolio going forward, and the picture you paint doesn't offer that. I think the whole notion of global brands is an over-rated goal anyway.

...except that Pontiac outsells Buick exponentially.

It's funny how these auctions run, just a handful of low bids but almost 900 views, 34 watchers, and the offer of a Mustang convertible so far. You just never know how things will end up.

I was "shortly taken" once while already on the phone and had no choice in the matter. Otherwise, yeah, it's a bit too weird for me. But my damn phones invariably ring while I'm in there, annoys me no end! Some things you should be able to do in peace.

I hope the personal part works out for you, Longtooth.

:AH-HA_wink: Sedans suck!

I really hope I'm not a soothsayer, because I don't like what I see.

IIRC, GM is set to give congress their plan tomorrow. Can't say I have a good feeling about what might be in it, but we shall see. EDIT: Has anyone else noticed that the usual GM posters have been absent from the web recently? Makes me think that word must have come down from on high that no internet posting would be allowed. Rather ominous, huh?

Very cool phantom idea! If I could build phantoms for a living , I would be a happy man! Yes, Buick had a wagon for every year of A body production. Some of Buick's Sportwagons are quite the cool ride.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-RARE-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

The sweeping generalities and assumption behind the premise presented in the original post leave this "case against GM" wholly suspect at best.

True that.

After some discussion, it has been decided that a special section for these posts is not warranted at this time. We don't want to clutter the site with too many forums, and right now, this type of post works just fine in the Lounge. The idea could be re-visited at some future time if the need arises, or some other approach might be adopted. Thanks for the suggestion though, that kind of participation keeps C&G going and it is much appreciated.

I wonder how many miles are really on my wagon. It shows 54k, which has to be at least 154k, but could be 254k. I'm going to guess at the 154k number as it is just too clean for it to be 100k more than that. I suppose that it could be 54k original, but the odds of that aren't high.

More idiocy from the most worthless organization on the planet.