FUTURE_OF_GM

Absolutely!

+1.... But this raises the question; why couldn't GM just farm out production of 1 or 2 specialty Pontiacs to some agency such as ASC? That would be a way to keep the division alive and relevant in the eyes of those who care, and give GM more units and volume for profit. Win/Win.

Ya know... It'd be nice if GM had some sort of DIVISION for products like this that cater to specific niches like the one you describe. Oh, wait, nevermind As far as the Panel SS, I have yet to even see one on a dealer lot. GM needs to realize that it must promote it's products if it intends to sell them. And unless it realizes that, we'll be waiving bye-bye to more and more of the corporation/empire as time goes on.

"Surrender your cloth and collar priest There's no need for your beliefs in war This is a place for heathens Into that darkness fires illuminate Grotesquely swollen by the heat Lead us to the brink of extinction The time has come for you now to finish it I have come for you my child And the gift I bring is murder Godless warheads wait to breath Set their sights on history Distant silhouettes of the dead Blacken face screams through the ashes What has man become? A funeral pyre... Now that judgement's near... Prepare to die! Need to suffer lust for power mindless hunger... Never win! Final six is here... The cycle ends! Mankind owes his pain to hell As he brings the end upon himself" SLAYER (Final Six) Just thought I would add one of my favorite Slayer songs to lighten the mood a bit...

LOL, Thanks man!

Typical HYPOCRITICAL politician.

Ding, ding... We have a winner!!!

So, you're gonna come into his topic and act like that. How boutcha get the hell out and not worry about his purchasing decisions.

Gee... I only said this TWO YEARS AGO! This is the way Hummer should've been going all along. Like I said: Americans DO NOT want smaller cars, they want MORE EFFICIENT cars. Therefore, as I said, the company that unlocks the formula for that will OWN the market in the future.

Oh, shut the f*ck up... Just HAD to say something negative, right? And some bull$h! subjective crap to beat all.

Now GM.... SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW THAT YOU'VE SUPPOSEDLY GOTTEN YOURSELF DOWN TO A NUMBER OF BRANDS YOU CAN ACTUALLY MARKET! Oh wait... I forgot... It's not that you don't have the resources to market, it's just that, as a corporation, you're too stupid to sell cars. Chalk this accomplishment up to another milestone that NO ONE will hear about or know about. You know, like the Malibu being COTY and GM not using that in advertising until a month before the new COTY was announced.

So let me break this down... GMNA decides to sell GME (Saab & Opel) to Fiat, seceding most of their European market. GMNA then decides that their *YELL* GLOBAL BRAND! *YELL* Chevrolet, which has grown by leaps and bounds in Europe can no longer exist there in favor of a division that isn't even established anywhere outside of Britain and as EVERYONE across the globe knows, has basically been a badge for 20 years. GMNA has NOW decided to package GM Latin America in with GME for the FREE taking by Fiat... Un-f@#kin-believable.... Can the people running this company be ANY more stupid?!?! Seriously? I'm not even joking... Are they REALLY that stupid? GM is TOAST within 3 years IMO. No Opel... (which means no small cars -- I know a deal will likely be inked to share technology, but that doesn't mean everything will go smoothly -- remember the "technology sharing" deal between GM & Fiat or GM and Subaru?) No european presence... No global operations and now, with GM latin america gone, NO small trucks... And here's the best part, GMNA does NO development work.

Some people think that GM is considering the offer, but that the PR department doesn't have official word yet. And that statement above is status quo. That said, I doubt that GM would be smart enough or care enough to sell Pontiac.

LMAO... americans will never learn the error of their ways... As for the import auto dealers (most of which BUILT their import empires with money made by Detroit and most of which still keep a Detroit brand as "a fall back" I say they go f*ck themselves.... (Thanks Camino, for that )

So... The future is to be driven by fuel economy regs... The Camaro scores better in that respect, yet it is still a "nod to the past" while the less appealing (the authors are apologizing for the fuel economy shortcomings of the Genesis in the same breath -- too bad Detroit never gets the luxury of the media defending their shortcomings) Genesis wins the comparison? Typical... Hyundai will now be elevated above Detroit (as per the plan)

Something I've been kicking around: What if an entity invests in Opel and buys Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer and Saab... Part of the Opel agreement could be a continued supply of engineering and platforms. Those resources could be used here as Saturns with an already established dealer network. The entity could then turn around and group Saab, Hummer and Pontiac into the remaining Hummer dealers. Saab could develop it's own products (a line of very specialized and technical entries -- with outside investment), Pontiac could be paired down to 3 models; a hotter version of the Vibe (provided by Toyota) _OR_ a hot rodded G6 that matches the performance of much more expensive cars, the Solstice (tooling could be acquired and set up somewhere) and a continued agreement with GM on the G8 and possibly it's variants. Hummer could license technology from GM as well. (for an H3, H3T and HX line) You could even throw Oldsmobile into the mix if said buyer had enough resources. Oldsmobile would be to Saturn as Acura is to Honda or Audi is to VW. Your dealership structure would then become 1) Saturn/Oldsmobile (volume focused) and 2) Pontiac/Hummer/Saab (margin focused - specialty) Saab would not compete with Olds. Saab would be a more rigid and focused niche automaker (like it was always supposed to be) Pontiac would eventually grow into a small uber performance line (like GM envisioned) and Hummer would be a quasi Land Rover competitor (Like it should be) The key would be good management. The volume divisions (Olds and Saturn) would need a lot of $$$. The niche divisions could get by with less investment, but they would have to be tightly focused and provide an ownership experience like no other. A few years down the road, Saturn and Oldsmobile could be 100% integrated with Opel making up a growing global footprint. Pontiac could consolidate the G6, G8 and Solstice onto Alpha and GM could benefit from it. Saab could sustain itself with a bit of input from Opel and Hummer could maybe be consolidated to one GM platform. The only loser would be Buick as the new Saturn/Oldsmobile might displace it's models. But then again, why can't Buick be teamed with Cadillac to offer a softer flavor of luxury? Buick = Lexus while Cadillac = BMW/MB.

That's a change from EVERYTHING I've heard... We'll see.

Can you not read? I haven't blamed the government for anything. In fact, everything I've posted around here has included a CAREFUL DISCLAIMER about my true opinion so the Obama NAZI doesn't close the thread. Are you so DUMB as to think that will not be the case? Are you so IGNORANT as to see that a LARGE part of Zeta being cancelled was GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND INTERVENTION from 2 years ago? Do you REALLY think that LARGE RWD V8s will be ALLOWED by a liberal government in the future? Do me a favor... Next time you want to reply to me in an insulting manner, step back... think about it... THEN SHUT THE F**K UP. I don't care who you are, admin or not. I'm getting really tired of your smart assed attacks. If you don't like my opinion, then don't read it.

I'll take your bet and see you "the banning of classic cars" or "the banning of classic american cars because they're less efficient than TRUE classics" (Good thing I'll have lots of guns by then)

1) I'm sure he's like most idiots in america and thinks that his car isn't damaging the environment as bad as a domestic because it's a Toyota. 2) Geitner is just like an government bureaucrat; what's good for you DOESN'T apply to him. Al Gore has traveled the world creating panic for years now, yet he flies personal jets and drives SUVs. (What's funny is that people are still dumb enough to believe in him)

I wouldn't go that far... I think my generation of Focus made HUGE steps in a positive direction with small car buyers. However Ford, in it's ignorance, decided to let the car rot. So now we have the current lackluster model. {tin foil hat} Maybe that was the plan all along... To avert global warfare over fossil fuels. By 2025 we should all be driving electric cars and farting glitter {/tin foil hat}

Listen guys, I didn't say sh*t about who owns what. I simply posted my opinion on the Corolla. No need to police the thread for people who have "the wrong mindset" (READ: are different than you) I'm sure I would've shared almost the same disdain for the G5 (Almost because the badge DOES count for something ) But what really irks me about the Corolla is the perception that it enjoys. I mean, if it were a Mazda 3 (new face aside) or a VW or even a Civic, I think the good perception would be earned.

Ya think? I mean, the Cobalt is only... what? 4 years old now? Even still, It isn't really markedly better. (and trust me, unless it's a Cobalt SS, I am NO Cobalt fan)

Yes, but.... Given that Toyota is apparently the second coming of god (and to maybe have some personal confimration/closure on this whole Toyota is god deal) I was willing to give it a fighting chance. But hell, I couldn't find ONE GOOD THING. I mean, my Focus is basic, simple transportation. But damn, at least it has personality. I haven't remotely liked them since the `93 -`97 model, and even then I prefer the Prizm (except for a few functional aspects). I'm not so sure about that... My hatred of the GF's Cavi has been well documented here. But I wouldn't hesitate to throw her 2002 Cavi up against this new Corolla for an unbiased person. Obviously, the Corolla is a nicer car (because it's not 7 years old) but overall they share the same tasteless, bland, hard plastic characteristics.

Oh well... Apparently everyone wants Chevrolet to offer EVERY DAMN MODEL GM SELLS, so whatever.