buyacargetacheck

All this talk about selling or dropping brands I think is just talk to placate Congress and the press. The reality is that there are no buyers for Hummer or Saab or Saturn (or Volvo or Chrysler or Jeep). All the car companies are conserving cash because everyone is hurting. China is badly hurting because exports have dropped, and they are hoarding cash as their own car companies are contracting. The cash-rich oil countries in the Middle East and Russia are hurting because of collapsing oil prices. GM (and Ford and Chrysler) are likely to keep talking about ridding brands while cutting back production and capital investment. In the meantime, the economy will eventually finish off the Saturn, Saab, Hummer dealers without GM lifting a finger. The comments about Pontiac becoming niche are misleading too. The strategy won't change much as the only cars that will drop are the old, tired ones: G5, G6 (volume will be made up by Buick Regal), Torrent becomes Terrain. Big deal. The plan sounds radical, but it only amounts to letting the current cars play out their lifecycles on the hope that the economy will get better.

Along with the accompanying jingle, the best tagline Buick has ever had. Here's a later example...not the best Buick ever but you get the point. BTW, I miss the old Buick Power 6 logo -- it denoted that Buick V6s were special. Would be hard to take seriously now with everything GM Powertrain.

sounds like a total phaseout of Pontiac by 2012-13. no replacements for each of the current models once their lifecycles end. but GM can't say that now because they don't want to kill what's left of the demand -- all because of production, dealer, and (in the case of the Vibe) OEM commitments.

I know that wagons were on the decline in 2000, but this shows that there was roughly a $1,000 difference between Taurus sedans and wagons then. Passats showed a similar difference. I don't believe there was that much percentage difference in 1986 when Taurus wagons were fantastically popular. According to the CPI, $300 in 1970 would equal $1,642 today. A more attainable difference for the average guy needing a family wagon.

More proof that hanging out at message boards is not a waste of time:) I like LeSabre too.

I don't understand why the pricing of these crossovers are so much higher than the sedans they are based on or close in size to. It used to be that the wagon version of a sedan might be a few hundred more. But the Equinox is at least $3,000 more than the Malibu. The Edge is almost $6,000 more. How does the average family guy afford the average family wagon anymore? BTW, I also agree with the post about the old station wagons being roomier. Crossovers seem like a step back in that regard. The old A-bodies had terrific cargo carrying abilities while delivering decent gas mileage.

Corolla is a real word -- means the petals of a flower. It is derived from Corona (another Toyota nameplate) which is Latin for crown. "Crown" is also a long-time Toyota nameplate. "Camry" is the phonetic transcription for the Japnese word that means "crown." See a pattern here? Invicta is alright with me. Like naming a baby, at first the name might seem strange or incongruous. But then a personality emerges and the name and baby (or car) seem natural together. Personally, I thought "Enclave" was a stupid, presumptuous name. Now, I don't feel that way -- it's just a name that refers to the Buick version of a very good crossover.

Aside from the Insignia/Regal I'm not sure what Buick and Opel "sharing design" means. Opel's lineup consists mainly of hatchbacks with a smattering of wagons and vans (none applicable to North American Buicks) whereas Buick's lineup consists mostly of notchback sedans. OK, maybe the Antara/Vue becomes a Buick? Other than that, what is Motor Trend talking about? China? BTW, I hope Buick will still mean roomy comfort whatever design direction is taken.

As with the Grand Prix, it appears that production of the W Lacrosse has ended as of December 23rd without fanfare. On cursory glance I don't see any mention of this on the fan sites either. RIP. Looking forward to seeing the much improved/modern EpII version on the road soon... Production of the LaCrosse/Allure is set to end Dec. 23 as the result of the end of the car's production life. This was announced earlier in the year and will mean 400 fewer jobs in the plant. These jobs have already been taken care of through retirement incentives and buyouts, Mr. Lowe said. http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/news/business/article/116043

I warned about this sometime back. With SUV and pickup sales falling like they have there's probably nothing GM could have done within the last year or so to prevent this. Had they done with the Cobalt back in 2004 what they've done with the Malibu (competitive fuel economy, leading styling, continuing big ad campaign) things might be different. Although not the only reason for the loss in sales leadership, the continued investment in fuzzy brands and models at the expense of Chevrolet, no doubt, has not helped. GM must get its branding "house" in order or we may never see Chevy at the top again. http://freep.com/article/20081230/BUSINESS01/812300344/1014

Thanks. Never noticed the test drives section before. I'll check it out.

Almost forgot. I saw an uncamo'd red 2010 Camaro travelling eastbound on I-10 near Phoenix on Sunday 12/28. Unfortunately, I was going the other way. Looks good though.

I spent this past week driving 2,800 miles with my family in a rented Aura XE 3.5 with about 25,000 miles on the clock. I chose it over a Camry SE to support the home team. Of course, for GM, it matters little which car I picked. It felt good though. What a good looking car, especially in silver sitting atop those bright spoked aluminum wheels! Details inside and out look well thought out and a bit upscale too. Many features that I've had on cars costing twice as much such as interior LED lighting and oil life monitor are included. Although fit and finish is very good overall, the double compartment center console felt on the verge of breaking. No doubt this was partly because of rental car duty, but the design also feels chintzy. The door bezel covers were also loose but this was only apparent when you tapped on them. Most glaring was the where the right rear door trim rubbed on the interior body trim when you opened and closed the door. This caused a subtle "whoosh" sound when the door was opened and closed. I was disappointed that the doors, in general, do not have more of a "thunk" feel when closed. The front doors, in particular, feel slightly like the old loose GM doors. On the road this car is solid with nary a rattle. And quiet. The OEM tires felt overinflated and were causing a surprisingly harsh ride. Once the tires were inflated properly the ride was much better. As with all low profile tires you really feel an unbalanced tire especially once you get some miles on them. This car was no exception. Though the ride motion is pretty good you feel every bump, a characteristic that I don't prefer but one that is probably in line with the market GM is going after. Handling is terrific. I never once felt insecure taking a corner fast. The brake linings on the car I drove were nearing the end. Even so, braking was very good. GM has done such a nice job with sound deadening that the Hankook tires and wind noise are the biggest source of unwanted noise. GM has also done well with the materials that you touch. The leather-wrapped steering wheel, for example, with audio, cruise and trip computer controls rivals BMW. All of the controls without exception are among the most precise. Taller drivers will not like getting in and out. The roofline is low and designed for style. I'm not particularly tall, but I felt like I was going to bang my head getting in the driver's seat every time. Luckily the seat adjusts every which way (front and rear bottom cushion, recline, fore/aft). Not until towards the end of my trip did I discover the lumbar adjustment. It's strangely located on the left side of the seat back. Although the seats weren't uncomfortable I didn't find them particularly comfortable either. The bottom cushions are bolstered too much so that you can't "spread out." (I really hope all this talk about Buicks becoming Opels is just talk:) My kids did not complain about rear seat space and the trunk is huge. The Aura's throttle response reminds me of Mercedes-Benz's (or at least how they used to be). You really dip into it before you feel velocity. Perhaps it's because it weighs over 3500 pounds but only has 219 hp on tap. Still, I never felt like I didn't have enough power. Though the transmission was typical GM (very smooth) it had an alarming habit of slamming on highway acceleration 4-3 downshifts and 3-4 upshifts. Might have been just this example and not indicative of all 4-speed 3.5 Auras. Fuel economy was excellent at 31 mpg. This was mostly highway driving at the speed limit which varied between 65 and 80 mph where I was. Overall, I liked this car. Personally, I'd prefer a Buick version with less bolstering, easier ingress/egress, and a less intrusive ride. Speaking of Buick, one former Regal GS driver remarked to me that the Aura reminded him of the LaCrosse from a distance. A former Saturn SL owner who rode with me said it was much nicer than his Saturn which "was a piece of junk." With comments as diverse as this I wonder what most people think of Saturn. Or do they at all? What separates an Aura buyer from a Malibu or G6 buyer? GM has the car part down pat. If there's any failing here it's because of brand image fuzziness.

Nobody but a figurative handful of fanboys and car geek historians thinks of Pontiac this way in 2008. The world has moved on and it isn't waiting for GM to get its s__t together. Lutz tried his best to resurrect this old image, and his efforts failed. There apparently won't be a third act. Your description of Chevy, btw, is bizarrely Sloanian and delusional. Chevrolet has more of a performance image today than Pontiac has. The return on investment for limited run performance vehicles badged as Chevrolets is higher and less of a risk for GM: that's why Chevy keeps getting better Corvettes, the new Camaro, turbo Cobalts/HHRs, etc. Pontiac gets something else: the hook.

Money was not spent on the Vibe and it'll be dead soon???? It's new for 2009 and one of their better sellers.

It's very strange reading the comments of a handful of Pontiac "fans" here who I have the feeling were born long after Pontiac's peak and who seem to be more in love with the idea of the mythical Pontiac as a performance car rather than what Pontiac really is and has been for a very long time. Here are the cold hard facts: sales: 1978 896,980 (Pontiac's best year ever) 2001 533,402 2002 516,832 2003 475,615 2004 474,179 2005 437,806 2006 410,229 2007 358,022 2008 275,000 (???) See a long 30 year pattern here? I was around in 1978, and I can tell you that that best-ever sales number was due in large part to the very popular "luxury" Grand Prix, the wheezy-shadow-of-its-former-self-but-still-very-sexy Trans Am/Firebird, and The Price Is Right's prize queen the Sunbird. Aside from some hot F-cars and some Buick turbo 3.8-equipped offerings there really wasn't anything very special that another GM brand didn't also have or "hot" until the latest GTO came about. And without the mediocre but very good selling Grand Am Pontiac would not have been able to keep the sales numbers as high as it did all those years. Still, they declined anyway. The market has spoken. Jeez even Michael Knight, Jim Rockford and Burt Reynolds don't drive Pontiacs anymore.

The reason GM is talking about moving Pontiac to one model is because industry sales have fallen 30% almost overnight ON TOP OF a situation where GM already does not have pricing power. In order to move Pontiacs, GM has to discount the hell out of them which means they make no profit. As a result the best selling Pontiac, the G6, ends up eroding the pricing of the Malibu which GM is spending a ton of dough on to advertise. Self-defeating. The winds are changing folks. The 1960s are over. Don't be surprised when GM finally reveals that the one surviving Pontiac is not the V-8 powered G8 after all but the fuel-efficient best-selling (after the G6) Vibe. Compare the Vibe and G8 sales figures, then look at the incentives being offered on both. Think about it.

This is good news for millions of workers during the holidays, but it's just a stopgap. Consider this: There are many parallels between the American economy in 2007-2008 and the Japanese economy in 1990-1991. Both were facing massive asset deflation pressures, a housing crash, large banking failures, widespread lack of confidence in the financial system and a hope that 0% short term interest rates would remedy the economy. Domestic Japanese auto sales declined for most of the 1990s and are still down over 30% from the 1990 peak (source: Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association): 1987 6,018,399 1988 6,721,004 1989 7,256,673 1990 7,777,493 1991 7,524,759 1992 6,959,073 1993 6,467,279 1994 6,526,696 1995 6,865,034 1996 7,077,745 1997 6,725,026 1998 5,879,425 1999 5,861,216 2000 5,963,042 2001 5,906,471 2002 5,792,093 2003 5,828,178 2004 5,853,382 2005 5,852,068 2006 5,739,506 2007: 5,353,645 2008: 5,110,000 (estimated) 2009: 4,860,000 (projected) A 30% decline from our peak of around 17M light vehicle sales puts sales in and around the 12M range for years to come. At that level (or less) just how many car factories and manufacturers can make money and survive?

Right, prior to GM offering "compacts" each GM brand usually had only one or two basic wheelbases. There is valid precedent here. Drop the "G8" name and just call it "Pontiac 3.6" or "Pontiac 6.0" or "Pontiac 6.2." As I've written elsewhere this could work for Buick too. I strongly disagree, however, with expanding the Pontiac line with wagons and Utes. The Magnum has proven that even an aggressively styled wagon marketed as a hatchback will not be successful in the US. And the Commodore wagon, to make matters worse, looks like a wagon. And the Ute is doomed to failure. US buyers long ago gave the final verdict on the El Camino and Ranchero. Even the fuel efficient Rampage and VW Truck didn't last. Too many compromises for too much money. Plus it blurs Pontiac's image, which is frail as it is already.

Those are precisely the dealers who might be better off NOT selling new cars and just concentrating on parts and service. Used car margins too are usually better than new car margins. I recently read about a rural Chrysler dealer who says he could go either way with Chrysler staying in business because he does better with used cars, service and parts anyway. I guess the sticking point, though, would be giving up exclusive parts sales of, say, Pontiacs (or Chevys, whatever) while at the same time expanding your parts offerings to include makes you've never sold before. Goodwrench is probably GM's most underused, underappreciated name brand. I can remember when Goodwrench commercials/advertisements were as common as the car ones.

1. Enter bankruptcy to renegotiate labor, bondholders and dealer contracts. Have the bankruptcy judge and the President announce publicly, periodically and loudly that 5 GM brands will survive and that all warranty claims will be backed by the full faith and credit of the US Government. As evidenced by CNW Research and Merrill Lynch car buyers will buy a car from a bankrupt carmaker if the government stands behind the warranty: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1229459599...hs&ru=yahoo 2. Sell or discontinue Saab, Saturn and Hummer. Liquidate unprofitable plants and other assets not core. 3. Combine Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac and Buick dealers in major metros and wherever else the market will allow. 4. Start a new franchise called "Goodwrench" that offers certified used cars of all brands as well as service for all makes and models. Offer this franchise to new car GM dealers whose stores are no longer needed first. 5. Cull Pontiac and Buick down to one quintessential product each that defines both brands very clearly. For Pontiac it's the G8 sedan (no Utes or wagons) renamed just "Pontiac 3.6" (or 6.0 or 6.2). Buick gets one cushy traditional full-sized sedan built on Zeta called "Buick Super" (for the V- or "Buick Special" (for the V-6). Pontiac and Buick will aim for 20,000 sales of each car both of which would either be built in the Camaro factory or in Oz. Buick continues in China with as many models as Chinese buyers will accept as Buicks. 6. GMC stops selling light duty trucks and focuses entirely on the medium truck business. Chevy stops selling medium duty. 7. Cadillac gets an EpII sedan to replace the LaCrosse and a Lambda to replace the Enclave. Both vehicles target Lexus for comfort buyers while the CTS targets BMW sport buyers. No DTS luxo barge - that's Buick's mission. 8. All vehicles are engineered on a 4-5 year cycle update. 9. All new vehicles will aim for class-leading fuel-economy for at least halfway through the model lifecycle. 10. A culture of profits first, entitlement last, NIH not tolerated.

I have wondered the same thing. The "Goodwrench" name is just there ready to be used. Goodwrench franchises could offer service for all makes as well as "certified" used cars. Perfect for these times. A bankruptcy restructuring could make it happen.

I think this could work. Pontiac = a fast, good-looking, substantially-sized, sports sedan. Drop the "G8" name and just call it "Pontiac 3.6" and "Pontiac 6.0" and "Pontiac 6.2" Sorry, but the whole Ute thing just seems like a bust for the American market. Maybe it makes sense to do the same with Buick by building a traditional full sized sedan (restyled Park Ave with portholes and lots-o-chrome) as its only focused offering. The make and model of the one car in the US is "Buick" (maybe "Buick Super" for the V-8 and "Buick Special" for the V-6). China can keep building a full-line of whatever their market accepts as Buicks. Cadillac gets an EpII sedan and a Lambda to replace the LaCrosse and Enclave. Cadillac then competes with Lexus for comfort buyers and BMW for sport buyers. No DTS luxo boat - that's Buick's job. GMC should focus on medium-duty trucks only and Chevy should stop selling those. Bite the bullet and spend a Billion on buying out Saturn dealers if GM can't sell it. Ditto for Saab and Hummer. Merge Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick and GMC dealers in major metros and wherever else the market will allow. GM needs money: Enter bankruptcy and have both the bankruptcy judge and Bush/Obama make clear by very loud and frequent public statements that all five brands will survive and that the Full Faith and Credit of the US Government will stand behind any warranty claims of existing and former GM brands. GM gets lean and focused with Chevy and Cadillac to take on Toyota while preserving its heritage.

Very interesting. Are you saying that GM gave Buick franchises where none existed before just so that every Pontiac-GMC dealer could carry Buicks too?

Your town sounds like mine: Mercedes and BMW have the newest, nicest facilities. Toyota has a very nice one too including a 3-story parking garage for its inventory. Meanwhile GM plays musical chairs...