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Riiiight. Sure. That's why Toyota is number one now and GM is looking at number three behind VW. VW! That's why Toyota's market cap makes GM's look like a rounding error. That's why Toyota brand handily outsells Chevrolet now (of course, it's not because GM is busy shuffling around dead brands, right?). Lexus outsells Cadillac. Yeah, you're right. Toyota doesn't know what it's doing.

Simple. GM loses money. Pontiac is contributing to those losses with its immense rebate needs. Pontiac needs huge rebates because its image is jacked. Has been for a very long time. Would require huge sums of money to resurrect it but no non-badge engineered product of its own to back up the image. Oh, and btw, no prospects for growth. Game over. Done. Buick in the US is in the same camp as far as I'm concerned. GM would likely make more money on every unit restyling the new LaCrosse and Enclave and badging them as Cadillacs. Certain GMCs were profitable before the last gas price crisis, but how's the future look for trucks now? Looks like little potential for growth. Might as well nix GMC and count on retaining, say 25%, of former GMC owners as new Chevy owners. The loss in revenue versus the cost savings in not having to spend money on clips and badges and dealer support and advertising support makes it a wash. BUT, Chevrolet trucks gets a clearer image in the process without its twin running all over town messing it up. The Toyota model has won: Chevy and Cadillac is the future for GM.

You're only half right.

What year was your Maxima and did you buy it new?

GM and Cadillac fans are doing themselves no favors by perpetuating this myth. "Standard of the World" was an advertising line. Cadillac since the late 60s-early 70s has been focused on sales, not making some kind of standard. The hard business reality today is that the luxury nameplates of volume manufacturers have to increase their economies of scale by using the bones of their more basic models. I think that's a big reason why it's becoming apparent that automakers don't need any more than a couple of brands because the differentiation process becomes impossible.

No doubt the '82 Cimarron with its pushrod 4-cyl would do 0-60 in something like 15 sec. The real difference between the Cimarron and, say, a Cressida or 810 was the refinement in the engine, transmission (auto 4-spd OD or in some yrs 5-spd manual in the Cressida's case), handling and interior. The interiors of both cars were plush. Back to the Cimarron, its biggest reason for "failure" was its price.

From the mid to late-70s Mercedes and Cadillac had already begun switching places in the aspirational sense. Mercedes was the thing to drive in Beverly Hills. Remember the 450SL? Remember television from that time period? The very rich characters all drove Mercedes (e.g., Hart to Hart) while only gangsters were seen in Cadillacs (usually very large black Fleetwoods). The Eagles' Hotel California (1976), "Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, She's got the Mercedes Benz." The hot rich girl is driving a Mercedes not a Cadillac.

Not if you were a Toyota and Datsun fan. It was a glorious time filled with Turbo Zs and twin cam Supras. Toyota's superiority shined through when their 2.8 liter multi-port fuel-injected twin cam straight six made as much power as the Z28's much larger V8. Plus, no rattles. It was more expensive though. Too bad there were import quotas in effect at the time. I mean, who other than a kool-aid drinking Cadillac buyer would choose a Cimarron over a Cressida or 810 Maxima?

The sales figures GM supplies reflect what the dealers are buying not actual retail demand. That's why even though G8 sales have been fairly steady there are too many of them sitting on dealer lots too long. For example, Pontiac had a 283 day supply (60 days is considered healthy) at the end of 2008. It's probably worse now. http://www.leftlanenews.com/slow-sales-thr...g8s-future.html

Hey, who knows? Maybe the 2.7 will last a lot longer than you think it will.

Yep. Now Pontiac can put away the BMW costume and be true to herself. "You can't hide what's inside." --SpongeBob Squarepants

Tacky is just what this market needs to stand out. Next up: big hair!!! I can't wait!!!

Looks terrible (and derivative). There's only one Firebird that would be a smash hit even in these times. 20,000 sales guaranteed. Zeta Trans Am based on the Gen 2 1977-78 styling, screaming chicken on the hood (serious!), an LS3 bored and stroked out to 400 cubic inches, 400 or TA6.6 badges. Black and gold paint. Shiny gold and silver honeycomb wheels. T-tops. Lots of stripes. My generation, which is entering their peak earning years, lusted for this car when children... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1978_Trans-Am.jpg

You're being facetious, but I happen to agree. Except, ditch the GM name and use Chevrolet instead.

I agree with the overall theme: bankruptcy could have a positive outcome for GM and Chrysler. The key is setting expectations and eliminating uncertainty about warranties, brands, dealers, etc. http://adage.com/article?article_id=134959

You are right that GE was more of a conglomerate in the early 80s than GM is today. But the concept is still the same with "brands" as it is business units. GE showed us that sometimes you have to sacrifice revenue for profits and long-term growth. In GM's case it does not make sense to keep Pontiac's 2% market share if it costs the company money to keep it.

True. It's also true that market share ≠ profits.

Would your version of isolationism include slashing the military down to a truly "defensive" role? Eliminating the vast majority of the 700+ installations we have around the world? Would you recommend abandoning the Carter Doctrine? Since we import 3/4 of our crude oil what are some of the ways we could prepare our citizens for a life without personal automobiles?

On what basis do you say the Enclave has done wonders for Buick's image? I just don't hear people talking about it one way or another at all.

Should be in Cadillac showrooms today as an LTS. Unfortunately, too little too late for Buick.

General Electric in the early 1980s "shrunk itself to prosperity" by shedding businesses that were losers or that were not #1,2, or 3 in their markets. Once they were realistically retrenched they were able to grow again. GM's business plan is broken and has been for a very long time. Their internal politics and culture would not allow them to change. Victims of their own success. None of this is news: John Z DeLorean, Ross Perot and Elmer Johnson all warned about this decades ago.

Traditional Cadillac values: isolation, comfort, style at an upper-middle class price point without the snob appeal of BMW and Mercedes might actually make a comeback in the New Great Depression as road budgets get slashed. If the dollar loses its reserve currency status it will be even worse. From what I've read about Michigan (and Detroit in particular) it's no wonder cushy cars still sell well there. The roads are an absolute wreck. It's maybe marginally better here in LA where there are roads (so I've heard) that haven't been repaved in 40 years. How these wannabees with their low profile tire/wheel packages stand the choppy ride I don't know.

Opels as Buicks is a silly dream that won't happen. Buick itself will have a hard time surviving Cadillac's financial need to move downmarket where the sales (and hopefully profits) are in the New Great Depression. That's if Cadillac survives. GM doesn't have the luxury of making China-specific marketing moves without regard to its overall financial strength in NA just to protect its position in China any longer.

Clearly Opel is a basket case. No wonder: it operates primarily in a high cost, high competition market among better players. You know a company/business is in trouble when they believe the way to survival is moving upmarket. IT NEVER WORKS. Opel doesn't have a ghost of a chance without help from the German government and German investors. Prediction: Opel will become the first German government-controlled automaker since VEB Sachsenring.

This is a major reason why people have always chosen Cadillacs: it's spelled C O M F O R T. Cadillacs must first be comfortable. That's why an extended Ep II would make an excellent Cadillac. An excellent alternative to a Lexus ES. Rear wheel drive is simply irrelevant to Cadillac's traditional mission which Lexus has taken to new levels. If Cadillac survives (and we cannot assume that) a New Great Depression lineup should look like this: LTS EpII sedan CTS sedan and coupe, maybe nix the wagon since Cadillac will never succeed in Europe SRX Escalade (GMT900 or Lambda) BTW, CTS and Sigma should be sacrificed if not profitable. Comfort, bling, profits.