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I just don't understand GM's product decisions.... Posted by MI-Roger [Email] (#882) [Profile/Gallery] (more from MI-Roger) on Tue, 14 Feb 2006 09:08:46 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I have worked for the company for over 30 years, so my comment is born from continued frustration, not a "fly-by-night GM basher" who are becoming increasingly common.
Just last week I realized that GM had finally gotten rid of the "badge engineering" that had been a huge detriment in the market place. Sure, there were still re-badged pick-up trucks and SUV's, but the side by side existence of Chevy and GMC had never seemed to bother anyone.
The Cadillac SUV's had finally become separate vehicles (drive train and body), and the crop of mid-sized SUV's were being significanlty culled to render "badge engineering" effectively dead there with the next (soon) model change. Mini Van models were being dropped like flies to eliminate the copy cat syndrome there too.
I could not think of a single car model where effectively the same vehicle was being sold by more than one GM brand. Although the Pontiac Soltice and soon to be released Saturn Sky would change that, but they are niche vehicles with limited sales.
Then along comes today's announcement! GM has been building a Pontiac version of the Chevy Cobalt (called the Pontiac Pursuit) for the Canadian market only, but the GM model line-up in Canada has always been slightly different than the US line-up and Dealership franchises arranged differently too. GM will now kill the Pursuit name (how much advertising dollars will go down the tube in Canada because of that!), call it a G5 (duh!!) and sell it in the US next to the cobalt. So much for the demise of badge engineering.
But wait! It gets worse! The Chevy Cobalt SS has been equipped with a supercharged engine for a couple of years now. I just heard that GM will eliminate the supercharged engine and replace it with a turbo-charged engine. Guess from where? Since the 2.0 litre Chevy and 2.0 litre Saab engines share common ancestry, I have to assume the Cobalt SS is being equipped with a Saab engine!
God, I hope I am wrong! The future appears very bleak for this company, and if there is a light at the end of the tunnel it is probably the headlamp of an oncoming train.
God save US all. Yes, as much as many people would like to see a failure of GM, claiming some type of poetic justice, the ramifications throughout the entire US economy will be very painful, and possibly affecting the global economy.
posted by 198.208.15...
_______________________________________ Saabs owned: 2008 9-5 Aero Sedan, sold at 227K miles 2006 9-3SC 2.0T - Wife's daily driver 2000 Viggen Convertible - Sold May, 2022 1964 Quantum IV Formula Car - Retirement project 2000 9-5lpt Sedan, sold at 318K miles
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