August 2008 Sales: General Motors

[VenSeattle]

GM Reports 308,817 Deliveries in August

Up 31.3 Percent From July and the Highest Monthly Sales Total in 2008

Employee Discount For Everyone Extended

Sept 3rd - GM Media - Press Release

Link to Press Release

• Car retail sales increase driven by Chevrolet Malibu sales up 212 percent, Pontiac Vibe up 114 percent, Cadillac CTS up 87 percent, Corvette up 49 percent and Chevrolet Impala up 27 percent compared with last August
• Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook crossover retail sales up 29 percent
• 80,000 Chevrolet Silverado, Avalanche and GMC Sierra pickups sold, best month since August, 2007
• Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and GMC Yukon sales highest so far in 2008 with more than 22,000 deliveries
• August had largest total, retail and fleet deliveries so far in 2008
• Anticipated best monthly market share performance of 2008

DETROIT - General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 308,817 vehicles in August, making it GM's best monthly total, retail and fleet sales performance so far in 2008. The strong showing was spurred by GM's Employee Discount for Everyone sale in celebration of GM's Centennial later this month. In response to ongoing customer and dealer demand, the sale is being extended through September 30, 2008 and a number of 2009 models are being added due to dwindling 2008 inventories.

Compared with an exceptionally strong retail and fleet month last year, August total sales were down 20 percent. However, when compared with July, 2008, total sales were up 31 percent, retail sales were up 32 percent and fleet sales were up 29 percent. Last August's sales performance was influenced by significantly lower fuel prices and a 0 percent APR for 60 months offer on pickups.

Notably in August, Chevrolet Silverado, Avalanche and GMC Sierra had their strongest total sales month since last August, with more than 80,000 vehicles sold, as GM full-size pickups continue to build market share calendar-year-to-date. Silverado sales were up 69 percent, Avalanche was up 59 percent and Sierra sales increased 75 percent compared with July, 2008.

Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and GMC Yukon full-size utilities had their best performance of the year with total sales up 33 percent compared with July with more than 22,000 vehicles sold. Overall, GM August truck sales (excluding crossovers) declined 25.6 percent compared with a year ago.

"Our award-winning lineup of new products, combined with the GM Employee Discount for Everyone sale that started August 20th, helped drive additional showroom traffic and our dealers are giving us some very enthusiastic feedback. We had our best sales month so far in 2008. Today we're announcing the extension of the sale through September 30, and we've added 19 additional 2009 models to the eligible list of vehicles because our 2008 stock on dealer lots is rapidly disappearing," said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing.

"With the recent moderation in fuel prices, we're seeing some relaxation of pent-up demand in pickups and utilities. Our August sales of these segment-leading trucks and utilities has been the best in nearly a year and August marked the fourth consecutive month that truck sales as a percentage of GM and industry sales increased. We also saw double-digit retail increases in our crossovers compared with July," LaNeve added. "We saw great car retail performance in our launch products, including the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Pontiac Vibe and G8, and Saturn Astra, and continued strong retail demand for our fuel efficient Chevrolet Aveo and HHR."

Chevrolet retail car sales were up 18 percent, Pontiac retail car sales increased 11 percent and Cadillac retail car sales were up 10 percent compared with last August.

Cadillac CTS dominated the mid-car luxury category with retail sales increasing 87 percent compared with the same month a year ago.

Saturn Astra monthly sales of more than 1,900 vehicles were the best to date, and show a 28 percent increase compared with July 2008 (Astra was not available last August).

GM's popular midsized crossovers -- Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook -- together accounted for more than 14,600 vehicle sales in the month, with a retail sales increase of 29 percent compared with a year ago.

GM hybrid vehicles continue to gain in popularity in the marketplace with 530 hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe, 267 GMC Yukon and 1 Cadillac Escalade 2-mode SUVs delivered. There were 388 Chevrolet Malibu, 26 Saturn Aura and 417 Vue hybrids sold in August. For the month, a total of 1,629 hybrid vehicles were delivered, with 7,096 hybrids sold so far this year.

"Customers are responding to our six hybrid models - vehicles that provide industry-leading value, great fuel economy and the best warranty coverage of any full-line automaker," LaNeve added. "We're working hard to change perceptions and gain awareness of GM as the leader in advanced propulsion technology and fuel efficiency."

GM has aggressively managed inventories to low levels. In August, only about 736,000 vehicles were in stock - the lowest August level since 1998 - down about 209,000 vehicles (22 percent) compared with last August. There were about 256,000 cars and 480,000 trucks (including crossovers) in inventory at the end of August.

Certified Used Vehicles

August 2008 sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, were 41,238 vehicles, down 8 percent from August 2007. Year-to-date sales are 339,375 vehicles, down 5 percent from the same period last year.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling certified brand, posted August sales of 35,168 vehicles, down 12 percent from a strong August 2007 sales performance. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 1,005 vehicles, down nearly 6 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 4,023 vehicles, up 27 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 791 vehicles, up 32 percent, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 251 vehicles, up 130 percent.

"The Cadillac, Saab and HUMMER programs posted robust sales increases in August, while GM Certified Used Vehicles continues to lead the certified pre-owned segment in sales," said LaNeve. "The launch this month of a new 12-month/12,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty on all Saturn Certified Pre-Owned and GM Certified Used Vehicles, effective September 13, will provide shoppers a range of peace-of-mind assurances as strong as those provided by any certified program in America."

GM North America Reports August, 2008 Production; Third-Quarter Production Forecast at 920,000 Vehicles; Initial Fourth Quarter Forecast is 875,000 Vehicles

In August, GM North America produced 341,000 vehicles (158,000 cars and 183,000 trucks). This is down 96,000 vehicles or 22 percent compared with August 2007 when the region produced 437,000 vehicles (152,000 cars and 285,000 trucks). (Production totals include joint venture production of 18,000 vehicles in August 2008 and 21,000 vehicles in August 2007.)

The GM North America third-quarter production forecast is at 920,000 vehicles (443,000 cars and 477,000 trucks) which is down about 10 percent compared with a year ago, due to production adjustments in response to market changes that will reduce the number of trucks produced by about 176,000 and increase the number of cars by about 76,000. GM North America built 1.020 million vehicles (367,000 cars and 653,000 trucks) in the third-quarter of 2007.

The initial GM North America fourth-quarter production forecast is 875,000 vehicles (436,000 cars and 439,000 trucks) which is down about 16 percent compared with a year ago. GM North America built 1.042 million vehicles (358,000 cars and 684,000 trucks) in the fourth-quarter of 2007.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

[Brougham-Holiday]

Ouch.

[A Horse With No Name]

Wow, Astra sales are SLOW

[Robert Hall]

Wow, Astra sales are SLOW

They don't seem to advertise it much.

[Tailfin61]

Enclave had a great month.

[smk4565]

GM can talk about how the CTS, Malibu and some crossovers were up, but Cadillac was down 20%, and GM as a whole was down 20%. There are far more weak models in the lineup than there are strong, and that leads to a perception problem and sales problem. The cars like the CTS and Malibu that were up, still get beat on volume by other cars in the segment, GM lacks a car like a Camry or 3-series that sells in massive volume.

I find it interesting that Infiniti is up 8%, because all the other luxury brands dropped. I just saw a commercial for the new FX, 390 hp V8 and 7 speed transmission, which seems better than the front drive SRX that is coming.

[Oracle of Delphi]

WOW, the Chevrolet Impala up 27 percent compared with last August.

And they said the W bodies were dead, the public disagrees.

[Robert Hall]

WOW, the Chevrolet Impala up 27 percent compared with last August.

And they said the W bodies were dead, the public disagrees.

I doubt if that's the public...probably Avis/etc buying more Impalas, since the previous W rental queen (Grand Prix) is now out of production...

Edited September 4, 2008 by moltar

[smk4565]

I doubt if that's the public...probably Avis/etc buying more Impalas, since the previous W rental queen (Grand Prix) is now out of production...

Agreed. The public isn't buying it, the Impala is around 55-60% fleet sale. Avis probably needed cars this month and got a nice deal.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I doubt if that's the public...probably Avis/etc buying more Impalas, since the previous W rental queen (Grand Prix) is now out of production...

Doesn't matter, at this point in time, GM wouldn't care if the Girl Scouts bought them to sell cookies.

[Robert Hall]

Doesn't matter, at this point in time, GM wouldn't care if the Girl Scouts bought them to sell cookies.

Hmmm....stale cars, stale cookies?

[BuddyP]

29% increase in fleet sales?! ... Huh.

[Satty]

They don't seem to advertise it much.

I get advertisements from Saturn in the mail every week, sometimes two per week. Apparently as a Saturn "owner" (its been like 3 years since I traded it off) they think I deserve to be hounded with ads. I've driven the Astra and was underwhelmed.

[A Horse With No Name]

Hmmm....stale cars, stale cookies?

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Chris

[VenSeattle]

Just remember, the W-Impala will receive another refresh soon since it's sticking around a few more years...

[gmcbob]

I'm starting to see Enclaves popping up around Houston - especially down where I work in Sugar Land (suburb). I even saw a few Enclaves out in SF last weekend. For an SUV, I think it looks good - although the rear end has too much of an Asian look IMO, but whatever.

My wife and I went to San Francisco last weekend to visit some family and all I can say is; wow. GM cars are totally non-existent there (other than rental cars). I thought Houston was bad - hell, Houston looked great for GM compared to the Bay Area. If I saw a GM product, it was an Escalade or Tahoe (and not very many of them), or a truck or van that was being used commercially (although I did see a couple of Enclaves/Acadias/Outlooks believe it or not, and some of them didn't even have bar codes on them) . I saw a couple of new Cadillacs and a bunch of older late 90s/early 2000s Saturns, but hardly anything, and I mean nothing else new from GM, other than rentals of course. If it was new and privately owned, it was Japanese almost every single time. I would say GM has about 3% of the new car market in San Francisco. That's absolutely pathetic, considering the fact that California has a high concentration of tech savvy, visionary types that GM should be going after like gangbusters. I thought for sure I'd see a few Astras at least - but I didn't see a single one. It's funny, I thought I didn't see that many new GM cars here, but I guess compared to the Bay Area, GM isn't doing so bad in Houston.

I didn't see them in the same numbers as I did Japanese cars, but Ford seems to be doing okay there (especially the Edge). Of course by ok, I mean maybe 7% of the market or something.

I must say though that other than everyone owning a Toyota, SF is a pretty cool town.

Edited September 5, 2008 by gmcbob

[Oracle of Delphi]

Well California is on the Pacific Rim.

Pacific Rim link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Rim

[thegriffon]

They don't seem to advertise it much.

Supply is restricted—you're only getting Europe's excess capacity. They can't sell too many because of the production cost and its import status.

[pow]

I'm starting to see Enclaves popping up around Houston - especially down where I work in Sugar Land (suburb). I even saw a few Enclaves out in SF last weekend. For an SUV, I think it looks good - although the rear end has too much of an Asian look IMO, but whatever.

My wife and I went to San Francisco last weekend to visit some family and all I can say is; wow. GM cars are totally non-existent there (other than rental cars). I thought Houston was bad - hell, Houston looked great for GM compared to the Bay Area. If I saw a GM product, it was an Escalade or Tahoe (and not very many of them), or a truck or van that was being used commercially (although I did see a couple of Enclaves/Acadias/Outlooks believe it or not, and some of them didn't even have bar codes on them) . I saw a couple of new Cadillacs and a bunch of older late 90s/early 2000s Saturns, but hardly anything, and I mean nothing else new from GM, other than rentals of course. If it was new and privately owned, it was Japanese almost every single time. I would say GM has about 3% of the new car market in San Francisco. That's absolutely pathetic, considering the fact that California has a high concentration of tech savvy, visionary types that GM should be going after like gangbusters. I thought for sure I'd see a few Astras at least - but I didn't see a single one. It's funny, I thought I didn't see that many new GM cars here, but I guess compared to the Bay Area, GM isn't doing so bad in Houston.

I didn't see them in the same numbers as I did Japanese cars, but Ford seems to be doing okay there (especially the Edge). Of course by ok, I mean maybe 7% of the market or something.

I must say though that other than everyone owning a Toyota, SF is a pretty cool town.

Last time I went to SF, I did see quite a few Escape Hybrid Zipcars.

[pow]

GM hybrid vehicles continue to gain in popularity in the marketplace with 530 hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe, 267 GMC Yukon and 1 Cadillac Escalade 2-mode SUVs delivered. There were 388 Chevrolet Malibu, 26 Saturn Aura and 417 Vue hybrids sold in August. For the month, a total of 1,629 hybrid vehicles were delivered, with 7,096 hybrids sold so far this year.

The Escape Hybrid outsold all of GM's hybrids (both mild and full) combined.

Edited September 5, 2008 by empowah

[thegriffon]

How many 2008 Lambdas do they have left, and is that why they sold so many? That is a lot of Acadias and Enclaves (Outlook was actually down). I never thought I'd see the day they'd sell more than 6,000 Enclaves a month. And 5,800+ LaCrosses? Hey Ford, can you say pwned?

[gmcbob]

Last time I went to SF, I did see quite a few Escape Hybrid Zipcars.

I actually saw a lot of Escape Hybrid taxi cabs in SF.

Incidentally, my wife had to go to on a business trip this week to Ohio (yes, lots of airplanes for her this week) and she rented an Edge - she said she really liked it a lot. She's definitely favors import cars too for the most part.

About the W body Impala - I haven't driven one since 2001 when I rented one in California, but if I drove a new 2008 V6 Impala back to back with a 2008 V6 Camry, would I like the Camry better? I have this sneaking suspicion that I would find the Camry a little more modern and sharp feeling (simply based on what I know about the two platforms and about the engines and transmissions on paper). Does that same feeling resonate with Joe Blow who doesn't care about how much power his V6 has - he just wants a buggy to get to work in?

[gmcbob]

Well California is on the Pacific Rim.

Pacific Rim link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Rim

As insane as this may sound, while I was there I would periodically freak myself out about being in a catastrophic earthquake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire

[regfootball]

Just remember, the W-Impala will receive another refresh soon since it's sticking around a few more years...

i hope it gets a nice new interior. to be honest, the exterior shape of the impala is one of the nicest, cleanest, crispest sedan shapes on the road and it could easily soldier on for a few more years with a new front beak.

[CARBIZ]

i hope it gets a nice new interior. to be honest, the exterior shape of the impala is one of the nicest, cleanest, crispest sedan shapes on the road and it could easily soldier on for a few more years with a new front beak.

+1

[Oracle of Delphi]

As insane as this may sound, while I was there I would periodically freak myself out about being in a catastrophic earthquake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire

Well if you were to die, just remember I put the FUN in FUNERAL.

[Lamar]

About the W body Impala - I haven't driven one since 2001 when I rented one in California, but if I drove a new 2008 V6 Impala back to back with a 2008 V6 Camry, would I like the Camry better?

As someone who's done it before... no.

I even drove the Camry SE V6 and still preferred the more engaging feel of the Impala LTZ.

[A Horse With No Name]

+1

Add my +1 also.

This is going to sound profoundly stupid coming from a guy who loves small cars but the Impala design is really starting to grow on me.

Hope it continues to sell well for a few more years.

Chris

[Robert Hall]

WSJ article...

Unpopular Models Slow Down GM

Depressing numbers---less than 2k G8s and Astras last month. And 55k Silverados? I thought the truck segment was dead. 30k Impalas? That's a lot of rental cars..

[A Horse With No Name]

Wow, Saab is on its ass...

Chris

[Oracle of Delphi]

Oh, say it ain't so, not the G8! Lordy, Lordy, whats we going to do?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Wow, Astra sales are SLOW

Because it's half-baked.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

WOW, the Chevrolet Impala up 27 percent compared with last August.

And they said the W bodies were dead, the public disagrees.

I must say, I have a rental Impala right now and I'm fairly impressed with the car!

A friend of mine just got a new Altima and the Impala (to me) is as good as the Altima.

The supposedly improved interior of the Altima still sucks IMO.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

A few months ago, General Motors Corp. flooded the prime-time airwaves with commercials introducing the G8, a big, powerful sedan that is supposed to re-energize GM's Pontiac brand.

ORLY? Because I didn't see one ad.

GM has problems on many fronts, including high gasoline prices, falling truck sales and billions in losses. The G8 illustrates one problem that's often overlooked: The auto maker's lineup contains many vehicles that deliver barely any bang for the buck.

LOL, obviously someone who has NEVER set foot in the car. And obviously someone who doesn't know the purpose of the car which is not to sell in Camry volumes, but rather to enthusiasts.

Consider the Saab 9-5 sedan. GM promotes its Swedish brand's smaller 9-3 sedan, but the midsize 9-5 gets little exposure and as a result draws little interest from shoppers -- or even dealers. At Saab of Troy, in suburban Detroit, a few 9-5s are in stock but none are in the showroom, where customers typically spend their time browsing. In August, GM sold just 198 9-5s nationwide.

Exactly... Why Saab needs both a 9-5 and a 9-3 in the Epsilon bracket beats the hell out of me. Why Chevrolet needs both the Malibu and the Impala in the Epsilon bracket beats the hell out of me too.

Yet auto analysts say slow sellers are a bigger drag on profit that GM acknowledges.

So the truth lies in outsiders looking in? The same analysts that predicted a GM bankruptcy 2 years ago? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure Mr. Laneve has a handle on things.

GM has trimmed some models, too. It folded its entire Oldsmobile division several years ago. And in the last few years, it has reduced the number of nameplates offered by its Buick, Pontiac and GMC brands, which are usually housed together at dealers, to 16 from 30. Nevertheless, 20 or more of the 60 models GM offers in the U.S. often generate sales of less than 2,000 vehicles a month.

Okay...

1) I remember hearing the media BEG GM to cut itself to death when the corporation sold 80 models... What's next? Cut it to 40, then to 20, then to 10?

2) A lot of these models ARE NOT VOLUME MODELS!!!!!

Does the author bring up Lexus or Scion in comparison to Toyota sales? Of course not.

But many are mainstream cars such as the Saturn Astra hatchback and Pontiac Solstice roadster that don't command premium pricing.

Astra is an import and was never supposed to sell in quantities that the author 'would like' (I hate it when people don't know what they're talking about, yet publish bullsh*t anyway) and the Solstice certainly isn't "MAINSTREAM"

Besides, the Sky moves less volume than the Solstice last time I checked.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

GM's trouble with slow-selling models is closely related to another problem: weak brands. Pontiac, Buick, Saturn and Saab are such small players in the U.S. market that whole swaths of car shoppers don't even consider them. Each of those four brands was outsold in the U.S. market in August by Kia Motors Corp., the Korean maker that specializes in low-priced cars.

Are we really going to go into this?

Are we really going to trash GM in comparison to a franchise that sells cars below $10,000 and offers a buy one, get one free deal?

This is just another smear campaign

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Oh, say it ain't so, not the G8! Lordy, Lordy, whats we going to do?

Hmm... Looks like the Astra is sucking just as bad.

What's the excuse for it? I mean, the G8 is a large V8 powered car from a "damaged, dead brand walking" with little to no budget in a market with $4/gallon gas.

The Astra... Well... Really can't make excuses for poor European engineering and design.

(I know you will ignore this, but it's not important that YOU read it )

[A Horse With No Name]

I must say, I have a rental Impala right now and I'm fairly impressed with the car!

A friend of mine just got a new Altima and the Impala (to me) is as good as the Altima.

The supposedly improved interior of the Altima still sucks IMO.

Comparing The Impala to the Altima is a little like comparing miss California to Oprah. Lots of people here enjoy Nissan products, but IMHO they mostly just plan suck.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Hmm... Looks like the Astra is sucking just as bad.

What's the excuse for it? I mean, the G8 is a large V8 powered car from a "damaged, dead brand walking" with little to no budget in a market with $4/gallon gas.

The Astra... Well... Really can't make excuses for poor European engineering and design.

(I know you will ignore this, but it's not important that YOU read it )

Or poor merchandising and product placement. The Astra is a great car, as is the G8.

But the G8 being slow does not bode well for the upcoming Camaro.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Besides, the Sky moves less volume than the Solstice last time I checked.

Sky actually is outselling Solstice IIRC. I am one of about 7 people in North America that seems to prefer the Pontiac of the two.

Although my neighbors down the street just bought a bright red Solstice and love it.

Chris

[ZL-1]

Exactly... Why Saab needs both a 9-5 and a 9-3 in the Epsilon bracket beats the hell out of me.

I think those rumours of the NG 9-3 going on DeltaII (isn't it calle Global Cmpact Architecture or some other fancy name now?) will prove to be true. That might also eliminate the need for the 9-1, unless Saab wants a Gamma-based small car, and alow Saab to bring back the 9-3 hatches which would be perfect for the traditional Saab-o-phile.

[smk4565]

I said a year ago the G8 would be a bust, and it is. Every mistake with the GTO was repeated.

Astra is not nicer or faster or better handling than a Golf/Rabbit or Mini or Civic, etc plus Saturn has less brand image than Honda or VW, so no wonder it doesn't sell.

Saab shouldn't exist anymore.

[regfootball]

Wow, Saab is on its ass...

Chris

saab needs to be repositioned between VW and Honda XL (Acura) with better pricing and this, coming from salesmen I have talked to.....if they took the GM card they would increase sales a bunch.

[regfootball]

Or poor merchandising and product placement. The Astra is a great car, as is the G8.

But the G8 being slow does not bode well for the upcoming Camaro.

Chris

g8 and astra are competitive for the most part, they just don't get much in terms of marketing. they seem to get pretty good reviews for the most part.

basically where GM seems like it may go or needs to go

chevy- premier value brand (volume) trucks, small cars, mid size, value priced cars, crossovers, vans, etc.

i would get the dealer network to merge Chevy with BPG. then pontiacs have 3-5 models, rwd all of that. Buick the same. Basically Buick and Pontiac become higher priced support to round out the Chevy line. GMC becomes luxury versions of the chevy trucks and crossovers.

Cadillac is its own dog, but may be combined with either Saturn / Saab / Hummer / Chevy BPG where they can make a difference.

Saturn is left to its own devices. It may coexist separately with ChevyBPG where needed. I would experiment with Saturn and Saab together and see if that can do anything for Saab.

If GM can't revive hummer in a new direction then i am ok with them being sold. Saab I think just needs a new philosophy, positioning, and pricing and NA business model. Let's see how the next 9-5 and 9-4x pan out before we pass judgement.

I would change the Saturn logo to be Opel logo. Screw it, if they are going to sell Opels then make the badge the same. Basically Opel=Saturn mostly. Saturn and Chevy may badge engineer a couple things.

At this point Buick and Pontiac if to continue should evolve into step up products from Chevy that can coexist in that showroom. For example, no G3 or G5 unless there is a substantive difference. For example, the Pontiac should have the unique turbo and unique interior. The g6 should be alpha RWD. G8 would be RWD. The park avenue would anchor the buick lineup as a luxury alternative to the G8. Likewise there would be an alpha buick. I would consider one front drive buick sedan product (lucerne equivalent). I would still be skeptical as to whether there is benefit to any buick or pontiac that is a compact. I would give buick a 2 door hardtop convertible. Pontiac, the roadster. Pontiac a couple of coupes maybe. Chevy IMO does not need a coupe of any sort. as far as crossovers in the chevy BPG combo, it may be tough.

After this Saturn is clear to evolve as Opel does. Then, if Saturn fails, cut the cord....but at least you still need to sell opels so......

ultimately with GM now we have GME and GMDAT which will seem to turn out most of the world product. GMAU and GMNA will be the ones with the most noncompliant world order markets.

AU i can see acquiescing to the other world models with the exception of the commodore and ute being popular there.

GMNA will continue to crank out trucks but really most of NA's product mix will have to mirror the world offerings sooner rather than later. Its why the Aura decision vs. the Insignia is such a head scratcher, even if Aura sales are up now.

IMO it may make sense for GM to consider moving Caddy's HQ and major base to Europe if they really are serious about taking the brand worldwide. Get caddy out of detroit where it is subject to poisonous business culture.

Edited September 12, 2008 by regfootball

[Satty]

Well we know the G8 isn't losing retail sales to the Chrysler LX cars.

[ZL-1]

Astra is not nicer or faster or better handling than a Golf/Rabbit or Mini or Civic, etc

Mini?

Where on Earth does the Mini belong in the same segment as the Golf, the Civic and the Astra?

[regfootball]

because the mini is more expensive?

i've read reviews saying the astra handles better than the mini, depends on the mini you get

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I think those rumours of the NG 9-3 going on DeltaII (isn't it calle Global Cmpact Architecture or some other fancy name now?) will prove to be true. That might also eliminate the need for the 9-1, unless Saab wants a Gamma-based small car, and alow Saab to bring back the 9-3 hatches which would be perfect for the traditional Saab-o-phile.

That seems to make the most sense. However, TCC is reporting that the Saab Delta unveiled at Paris will be the 9-1.

Of course, we all know how 'the name game' changes.

[ZL-1]

because the mini is more expensive?

I'd never cross shop those two. In fact, I didn't when I bought my Mini and I seriously doubt other people do that...

That seems to make the most sense. However, TCC is reporting that the Saab Delta unveiled at Paris will be the 9-1.

Of course, we all know how 'the name game' changes.

It does change. I admit I'm curious about where GM is taking Saab...

Edited September 12, 2008 by ZL-1

[the_yellow_dart]

What were the big losers?

[rivieraranch]

What were Buick's sales overall, and by model?