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Re: Saturn and Pontiac are the losers... Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:19:10 In Reply to: Re: Saturn and Pontiac are the losers..., CWilson, Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:47:16 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I do tend to agree, but by the same token I don't think it's possible for one manufacturer to support seven full-line brands without them stepping on each other's toes. There just aren't that many market segments.
Making Pontiac the performance division seems good initially, but calling (for example) the Cobalt SS a Pontiac effectively yanks the halo off that car. Having a hi-po version of a given car gives credibility to the lo-po versions, so pulling all those SSs off Chevy's lot could hurt Chevy's bread & butter sales. Folks come in to buy an SS and leave with an LT, you know?
I'm happy to see Pontiac sell two or three really good cars, possibly growing and shrinking as times demand. A certain amount of limited edition can do a company good, and calling those cars Pontiacs is okay with me. Hang on to the G8 and the Solstice, and throw that TRD supercharger on the Vibe and you've got something.
I do completely agree that the SRX should have been a Saab... it NEVER fit into Cadillac's lineup - it was way too utilitarian, and not ostentatious enough. Sad that GM put all that development money into that unique platform and pulled the plug entirely after, what, five years? I had one as a loaner a month ago while the CTS was in for a recall - a brand new '09 SRX-4 with 300 miles on the clock. It was REALLY a pleasant drive - not something I would want every day, but exactly the sort of thing the average Saab buyer would (IMHO). In fact, I'd go so far as to say it would be absolutely worth a facelift and a Saab badge to give the thing a few more years of life. Called by another name and sold somewhere else, it might very well bring some buyers into the Saab fold.
posted by 65.78.132...
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