C_Note
08-02-2006, 11:06 AM
So I was bored this morning and was thinking about the mess GM is in with their redundancy and overlapping between divisions. I went to the GM site and made a list of every make & model plus their price range (I did this in Excell so I hope I can get the formatting right without making it sloppy):
2-Door Coupes
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Chevy Monte Carlo 21,445-28,165
Pontiac G5 14,995-17,795
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
Saturn ION*3 Quad Coupe 13,750-20,360
4-Door Sedans
Buick LaCrosse 22,490-27,990
Buick Lucerne 25,990-34,990
Cadillac CTS 29,990-32,690
Cadillac STS 41,740-61,030
Cadillac DTS 41,990-50,490
Cadillac CTS-V 51,395
Cadillac STS-V 77,090
Chevy Aveo 9,995-13,925
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Chevy Malibu 17,640-24,395
Chevy Impala 21,445-28,465
Pontiac Vibe 16,990-20,665
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
Saab 9-2X 23,710-27,670
Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan 26,620-32,620
Saab 9-3 SportCombi 27,620-33,620
Saab 9-5 Sedan 34,820
Saab 9-5 SportCombi 35,820
Saturn ION*3 Sedan 12,750-16,050
Sport/Convertibles
Cadillac XLR Roadster 77,295
Cadillac XLR-V 100,000
Chevy Corvette 44,995-69,950
Pontiac Soltice 20,995-25,995
Pontiac Grand Prix 21,990-27,990
Pontiac GTO 33,290
Saab 9-3 Convertible 37,220-42,620
Saturn SKY 24,195
Pickup Trucks
Cadillac Escalade EXT 54,405
Chevy Colorado 15,960-27,670
Chevy Silverado Classic 16,740-39,230
Chevy Avalanche 32,665-42,905
Chevy SSR 39,890-43,090
GMC Canyon 15,390-28,165
GMC Sierra 16,715-39,650
Hummer H2 SUT 53,910-58,150
Sport Utility Vehicles
Buick Rendezvous 25,710-29,295
Buick Rainier 31,290-33,290
Cadillac SRX Crossover 36,990-44,990
Cadillac Escalade 54,920-57,465
Cadillac Escalade ESV 59,865
Chevy HHR 16,390-19,210
Chevy Equinox 21,990-25,620
Chevy Trailblazer 25,365-37,450
Chevy Tahoe 34,165-46,815
Chevy Suburban 37,165-48,455
GMC Envoy 26,790-33,330
GMC Envoy XL 28,090-34,615
GMC Yukon 34,870-43,735
GMC Envoy XL Denali 36,060-38,310
GMC Yukon XL 37,965-46,650
GMC Yukon Denali 48,165
GMC Yukon XL Denali 50,665
Hummer H3 29,500-32,730
Hummer H2 53,855-58,095
Hummer H1 Alpha NA
Pontiac Torrent 21,990-23,795
Saab 9-7X 39,240-41,240
Saturn VUE 17,990-23,645
Sport/Cargo Vans
Buick Terraza 27,195-31,310
Chevy Uplander 20,695-33,535
Chevy Express Cargo 22,445-27,310
Chevy Express Psngr 25,175-31,085
GMC Savana Cargo 22,445-27,310
GMC Savana Psngr 25,175-31,085
Pontiac SV6 24,990-28,490
Saturn RELAY 22,140-28,415
As you can see, there's quite a bit of overlap there. We've talked about this before but I thought I'd give it a bit more thought and obviously this is nothing more than talk because I'm in no position to make changes.
First I would want to redefine each brand. These monikers used to stand for something, and it's hard for me to sit in my chair 50 years later and define exactly for you what those values were, but I can tell you that they did. Do we want to compete with the import car market, which is a game of "keeping up with the Jones's" or do we want to shrug that off, start over from scratch, and make our own mark on the market. *I say "our" as a point of emphasis from the viewpoint of GM, not because I hold a specific preference of GM over any other make(s) out there, domestic or imported*
So where do we start? Lets lay out a basic idea of what we want from each division.
Buick - I love Buicks and find comfort in their quality for the dollar, so lets call this 'entry-level luxury'.
Cadillac - Luxury. Period.
Chevy - I would make this the starting point. Not necessarilly the bottom of the food chain, but more like the front man. Drop the trucks, get down to the basics.
GMC - This is the workin' man's brand. Good, strong, dependable trucks and SUVs for hauling stuff/families.
Hummer - The Cadillac of trucks/SUVs
Pontiac - RWD mature sports cars; something of a little more quality than what you'll get from that Chevy
Saab - Eh... to me, Saab says culture (artsy-fartsy, if you prefer), a soccer mom with no kids
Saturn - Hmm...
To be honest, there has to be a little overlapping. You can't deny a Pontiac guy his 6 cylinder daily driver just because Chevy already has one, but we could establish each brand to offer a little something special to set them apart for those that don't care one way or another. So lets start tearing them apart and putting it all back together.
Chevy offers the Cobalt in both 2 and 4 doors, so we don't really need the Malibu or or Monte Carlo. As much as I hate to cut those names, they're just not selling. And why would they? They're certainly not the Malibu or Monte of yesterday, so let it go already. Cobalts run 13.5-21k, and the Imapala runs 21.5-28.5 so I would keep that around to pick up where the Cobalt leaves off. I would make the Impala a 6cyl commuter, maybe an inline for a little something extra between stoplights, and I hate to downplay the Impala but it goes back to branding and there needs to be a 6cyl transitional model. The question is, what do we do with the Corvette? We can't eliminate an American icon, so we'll leave it be for the time being. Drop the Colorado, Silverado, Avalance, Equinox, Trailblazer, Tahoe, Suburban, Uplander, and Express from the Chevy lineup. The revisioned Chevy will not be one of trucks, SUVs, or vans. Simplicity. The Aveo is just ugly as sin.
Buick has only a few limited models, but even within themselves are a little redundant. What real differences are there between the LaCrosse and Lucerne or the Rendezvous and Rainier? So lets drop the LaCrosse and keep the Lucerne. This picks up just about where the Imapala leaves off, at 26-36k. I would keep these 6 cylinders (maybe the 3.8) and add in some creature comforts not available on the Impala. This is a car for a guy who just finished college and landed his first good job, or maybe someone who wants a nice family car. Dropping the Rendezvous would leave the Rainier at 32-33k and Terraza at 27-31k.
Cadillac has a lot of repetition in their ranks. So much so that it actually becomes confusing. Lets eliminate that confusion by dropping the CTS, DTS, CTS-V, XLR Roadster, and XLR-V. Cadillac is not a name typically synonomous with sporty performance so lets just stick with the STS & STS-V, your big 8 cylinder luxury car. This is the model to trump everything out there on the GM lots when it comes to frills.
When I think of GMC, I picture a Golden Retriever with his head out the passenger window as Dad (in flannel) heads out to the stream with a sunset in the background. That's what it should be, the heart of America. Like a rock (I know that's Chevy thing, but it fits here). We don't need 3 different versions of 1 SUV or multiple fascias or any of that. We eliminated all the trucks, SUVs, and vans in the Chevy lineup and this is where they end up.
Hummer should be, as stated, the Cadillac of trucks. There are currently 3 models of SUVs and 1 truck. Though they look vastly different than the other 3 models of GM SUVs, they're essentially the same platform so it wouldn't take a whole lot for these to be the high-end versions.
Pontiac is pretty much going to be the beef on this burger. I noted that there should still be a little overlapping (minimal), which would apply here. To open up I would eliminate the G5 but keep the G6 because it's offered in both 2 and 4 doors. I'd expect this to be built on the same platform as the Impala, even though the prices vary (17.5-30k on the G6 vs. 21.5-28.5k on the Impala) so maybe the G6 could be offered Supercharged or with leather, or something. The Vibe doesn't really fit the mold I've built for Pontiac, but could be done on the Cobalt platform since it's already there as Pontiac's entry-level car.
Saab's entire market is pretty much wrapped up in the 4-Door Sedan genre, but all 3 models are vastly similar. I'd nix the 9-2X and both versions of the 9-5, which just leaves the 9-3 including it's convertible.
Saturn... The ION appears to be nothing more than a plastic Cobalt and the SKY is a Solstice (which gets preference for a hot-roddish 'vert), so if we can the two of those it just leaves the VUE and RELAY.
Now where does that leave us?
2-Door Coupes
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
4-Door Sedans
Buick Lucerne 25,990-34,990
Cadillac STS 41,740-61,030
Cadillac STS-V 77,090
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Chevy Impala 21,445-28,465
Pontiac Vibe 16,990-20,665
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan 26,620-32,620
Saab 9-3 SportCombi 27,620-33,620
Sport/Convertibles
Chevy Corvette 44,995-69,950
Pontiac Soltice 20,995-25,995
Pontiac Grand Prix 21,990-27,990
Pontiac GTO 33,290
Saab 9-3 Convertible 37,220-42,620
Pickup Trucks
Cadillac Escalade EXT 54,405
Chevy SSR 39,890-43,090
GMC Canyon 15,390-28,165
GMC Sierra 16,715-39,650
Hummer H2 SUT 53,910-58,150
Sport Utility Vehicles
Buick Rainier 31,290-33,290
Cadillac SRX Crossover 36,990-44,990
Cadillac Escalade 54,920-57,465
Cadillac Escalade ESV 59,865
Chevy HHR 16,390-19,210
GMC Envoy 26,790-33,330
GMC Envoy XL 28,090-34,615
GMC Yukon 34,870-43,735
GMC Envoy XL Denali 36,060-38,310
GMC Yukon XL 37,965-46,650
GMC Yukon Denali 48,165
GMC Yukon XL Denali 50,665
Hummer H3 29,500-32,730
Hummer H2 53,855-58,095
Hummer H1 Alpha NA
Pontiac Torrent 21,990-23,795
Saab 9-7X 39,240-41,240
Saturn VUE 17,990-23,645
Sport/Cargo Vans
Buick Terraza 27,195-31,310
GMC Savana Cargo 22,445-27,310
GMC Savana Psngr 25,175-31,085
Pontiac SV6 24,990-28,490
Saturn RELAY 22,140-28,415
Well that still leaves about 45 models spread across the lots which is more than is really needed by just one parent company (we still have FMC & DC competing for domestic dollars too, remember). Lets skim things down a little further. Remember, we're trying to re-identify ourselves in this process. I hate to turn customers away by not offering their desired car, but we're doing this also to eliminate costs and return those savings to the customer.
Vibe - Do we want to keep this around, or let Toyota have it with the Matrix? With the new Caliber and Jeep Compass, that creates too much competition (there's also the Focus, Civic, etc). Lets cut our losses here and focus on the larger scale.
Camaro - If this becomes a reality, what would you think about dropping it from the Chevy lineup and rebadging it as a Firebird? This would keep with the hot rod theme we're trying to build for Pontiac, and we wouldn't have to worry about competing for dollars with the Vette.
GTO/Grand Prix - Where do these fit in? Word is the GTO is dead anyway so lets remove it from our list. What about the GP?
SSR/HHR - What would you guys think about beefing these up some and also rebadging as Pontiacs? I know Pontiac has never really had much of a truck market, but who says they can't? These could be the new-age Typhoon/Syclone.
What's the objective behind the marketing ploy responsible for 8 different versions of the same SUV? We don't need a Tahoe, Yukon, Yukon Denali, Escalade, and Escalade ESV all at the same time. We've eliminated the Tahoe from the Chevy line-up so lets do a little cleaning here. For a small SUV lets start things out with the GMC Envoy at 26.5-33.5k, and drop the XL & Denali lines (which would probably lower the prices to 26-28k). This is a basic SUV used to haul kids around, or whatever. For a little more (31-33k) you can get a Buick Rainier which would offer a little more luxury and maybe the Saab 9-7X as the higher-end. Actually, lets use the Saturn VUE as the entry SUV and eliminate the Envoy (it's looks are too similar to the Yukon, anyway). Mid-sized SUVs would go from the Yukon (again, dropping XL & Denali lines, but maybe keeping the Denali fascia) to the Escalade. The larger sized would just be a single model, but name it something other than a Yukon XL to avoid confusion. Hummers in these cases could stand as high-end models in each class, or just as specialty vehicles for each class as something different.
The Saturn Relay is ugly and the Buick Terraza and Pontiac SV6 appear to be the same vehicle, so we could look at eliminating mini/sport vans from the GM line-up and let DC compete in that market with their Town & Country aganist the Honda/Toyota minivans (all 3 top competitors).
So in the end we're left with soemthing like this, and I can even see a few more modifications to be made, but it's a great starting point:
2-Door Coupes
Chevy Cobalt < Pontiac G6
4-Door Sedans
Chevy Cobalt < Pontiac G6/Chevy Impala < Buick Lucerne/Saab 9-3 < Cadillac STS
Sport/Convertibles
Pontiac Solstice/Pontiac Grand Prix < Saab 9-3 Convertible < Chevy Corvette
Pickup Trucks
GMC Canyon < GMC Sierra < Cadillac Escalade EXT < Hummer H2 SUT
Chevy SSR (specialty vehicle)
Sport Utility Vehicles
Saturn VUE < Buick Rainier < Hummer H3 < Saab 9-7X
GMC Yukon < Cadillac Escalade < Hummer H2
GMC Yukon XL
Hummer Alpha (specialty vehicle)
Chevy HHR (specialty vehicle)
Sport/Cargo Vans
GMC Savana
Now the arguement could be made to cancel the whole Saturn program since it may not make sense to carry a brand for just 1 model. Maybe the VUE could get a make-over and rebadge as something else. Closing down the Saturn plants would cut jobs and that hurts, but it would lower operational costs.
What do y'all think?
2-Door Coupes
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Chevy Monte Carlo 21,445-28,165
Pontiac G5 14,995-17,795
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
Saturn ION*3 Quad Coupe 13,750-20,360
4-Door Sedans
Buick LaCrosse 22,490-27,990
Buick Lucerne 25,990-34,990
Cadillac CTS 29,990-32,690
Cadillac STS 41,740-61,030
Cadillac DTS 41,990-50,490
Cadillac CTS-V 51,395
Cadillac STS-V 77,090
Chevy Aveo 9,995-13,925
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Chevy Malibu 17,640-24,395
Chevy Impala 21,445-28,465
Pontiac Vibe 16,990-20,665
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
Saab 9-2X 23,710-27,670
Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan 26,620-32,620
Saab 9-3 SportCombi 27,620-33,620
Saab 9-5 Sedan 34,820
Saab 9-5 SportCombi 35,820
Saturn ION*3 Sedan 12,750-16,050
Sport/Convertibles
Cadillac XLR Roadster 77,295
Cadillac XLR-V 100,000
Chevy Corvette 44,995-69,950
Pontiac Soltice 20,995-25,995
Pontiac Grand Prix 21,990-27,990
Pontiac GTO 33,290
Saab 9-3 Convertible 37,220-42,620
Saturn SKY 24,195
Pickup Trucks
Cadillac Escalade EXT 54,405
Chevy Colorado 15,960-27,670
Chevy Silverado Classic 16,740-39,230
Chevy Avalanche 32,665-42,905
Chevy SSR 39,890-43,090
GMC Canyon 15,390-28,165
GMC Sierra 16,715-39,650
Hummer H2 SUT 53,910-58,150
Sport Utility Vehicles
Buick Rendezvous 25,710-29,295
Buick Rainier 31,290-33,290
Cadillac SRX Crossover 36,990-44,990
Cadillac Escalade 54,920-57,465
Cadillac Escalade ESV 59,865
Chevy HHR 16,390-19,210
Chevy Equinox 21,990-25,620
Chevy Trailblazer 25,365-37,450
Chevy Tahoe 34,165-46,815
Chevy Suburban 37,165-48,455
GMC Envoy 26,790-33,330
GMC Envoy XL 28,090-34,615
GMC Yukon 34,870-43,735
GMC Envoy XL Denali 36,060-38,310
GMC Yukon XL 37,965-46,650
GMC Yukon Denali 48,165
GMC Yukon XL Denali 50,665
Hummer H3 29,500-32,730
Hummer H2 53,855-58,095
Hummer H1 Alpha NA
Pontiac Torrent 21,990-23,795
Saab 9-7X 39,240-41,240
Saturn VUE 17,990-23,645
Sport/Cargo Vans
Buick Terraza 27,195-31,310
Chevy Uplander 20,695-33,535
Chevy Express Cargo 22,445-27,310
Chevy Express Psngr 25,175-31,085
GMC Savana Cargo 22,445-27,310
GMC Savana Psngr 25,175-31,085
Pontiac SV6 24,990-28,490
Saturn RELAY 22,140-28,415
As you can see, there's quite a bit of overlap there. We've talked about this before but I thought I'd give it a bit more thought and obviously this is nothing more than talk because I'm in no position to make changes.
First I would want to redefine each brand. These monikers used to stand for something, and it's hard for me to sit in my chair 50 years later and define exactly for you what those values were, but I can tell you that they did. Do we want to compete with the import car market, which is a game of "keeping up with the Jones's" or do we want to shrug that off, start over from scratch, and make our own mark on the market. *I say "our" as a point of emphasis from the viewpoint of GM, not because I hold a specific preference of GM over any other make(s) out there, domestic or imported*
So where do we start? Lets lay out a basic idea of what we want from each division.
Buick - I love Buicks and find comfort in their quality for the dollar, so lets call this 'entry-level luxury'.
Cadillac - Luxury. Period.
Chevy - I would make this the starting point. Not necessarilly the bottom of the food chain, but more like the front man. Drop the trucks, get down to the basics.
GMC - This is the workin' man's brand. Good, strong, dependable trucks and SUVs for hauling stuff/families.
Hummer - The Cadillac of trucks/SUVs
Pontiac - RWD mature sports cars; something of a little more quality than what you'll get from that Chevy
Saab - Eh... to me, Saab says culture (artsy-fartsy, if you prefer), a soccer mom with no kids
Saturn - Hmm...
To be honest, there has to be a little overlapping. You can't deny a Pontiac guy his 6 cylinder daily driver just because Chevy already has one, but we could establish each brand to offer a little something special to set them apart for those that don't care one way or another. So lets start tearing them apart and putting it all back together.
Chevy offers the Cobalt in both 2 and 4 doors, so we don't really need the Malibu or or Monte Carlo. As much as I hate to cut those names, they're just not selling. And why would they? They're certainly not the Malibu or Monte of yesterday, so let it go already. Cobalts run 13.5-21k, and the Imapala runs 21.5-28.5 so I would keep that around to pick up where the Cobalt leaves off. I would make the Impala a 6cyl commuter, maybe an inline for a little something extra between stoplights, and I hate to downplay the Impala but it goes back to branding and there needs to be a 6cyl transitional model. The question is, what do we do with the Corvette? We can't eliminate an American icon, so we'll leave it be for the time being. Drop the Colorado, Silverado, Avalance, Equinox, Trailblazer, Tahoe, Suburban, Uplander, and Express from the Chevy lineup. The revisioned Chevy will not be one of trucks, SUVs, or vans. Simplicity. The Aveo is just ugly as sin.
Buick has only a few limited models, but even within themselves are a little redundant. What real differences are there between the LaCrosse and Lucerne or the Rendezvous and Rainier? So lets drop the LaCrosse and keep the Lucerne. This picks up just about where the Imapala leaves off, at 26-36k. I would keep these 6 cylinders (maybe the 3.8) and add in some creature comforts not available on the Impala. This is a car for a guy who just finished college and landed his first good job, or maybe someone who wants a nice family car. Dropping the Rendezvous would leave the Rainier at 32-33k and Terraza at 27-31k.
Cadillac has a lot of repetition in their ranks. So much so that it actually becomes confusing. Lets eliminate that confusion by dropping the CTS, DTS, CTS-V, XLR Roadster, and XLR-V. Cadillac is not a name typically synonomous with sporty performance so lets just stick with the STS & STS-V, your big 8 cylinder luxury car. This is the model to trump everything out there on the GM lots when it comes to frills.
When I think of GMC, I picture a Golden Retriever with his head out the passenger window as Dad (in flannel) heads out to the stream with a sunset in the background. That's what it should be, the heart of America. Like a rock (I know that's Chevy thing, but it fits here). We don't need 3 different versions of 1 SUV or multiple fascias or any of that. We eliminated all the trucks, SUVs, and vans in the Chevy lineup and this is where they end up.
Hummer should be, as stated, the Cadillac of trucks. There are currently 3 models of SUVs and 1 truck. Though they look vastly different than the other 3 models of GM SUVs, they're essentially the same platform so it wouldn't take a whole lot for these to be the high-end versions.
Pontiac is pretty much going to be the beef on this burger. I noted that there should still be a little overlapping (minimal), which would apply here. To open up I would eliminate the G5 but keep the G6 because it's offered in both 2 and 4 doors. I'd expect this to be built on the same platform as the Impala, even though the prices vary (17.5-30k on the G6 vs. 21.5-28.5k on the Impala) so maybe the G6 could be offered Supercharged or with leather, or something. The Vibe doesn't really fit the mold I've built for Pontiac, but could be done on the Cobalt platform since it's already there as Pontiac's entry-level car.
Saab's entire market is pretty much wrapped up in the 4-Door Sedan genre, but all 3 models are vastly similar. I'd nix the 9-2X and both versions of the 9-5, which just leaves the 9-3 including it's convertible.
Saturn... The ION appears to be nothing more than a plastic Cobalt and the SKY is a Solstice (which gets preference for a hot-roddish 'vert), so if we can the two of those it just leaves the VUE and RELAY.
Now where does that leave us?
2-Door Coupes
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
4-Door Sedans
Buick Lucerne 25,990-34,990
Cadillac STS 41,740-61,030
Cadillac STS-V 77,090
Chevy Cobalt 13,590-21,110
Chevy Impala 21,445-28,465
Pontiac Vibe 16,990-20,665
Pontiac G6 17,645-29,150
Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan 26,620-32,620
Saab 9-3 SportCombi 27,620-33,620
Sport/Convertibles
Chevy Corvette 44,995-69,950
Pontiac Soltice 20,995-25,995
Pontiac Grand Prix 21,990-27,990
Pontiac GTO 33,290
Saab 9-3 Convertible 37,220-42,620
Pickup Trucks
Cadillac Escalade EXT 54,405
Chevy SSR 39,890-43,090
GMC Canyon 15,390-28,165
GMC Sierra 16,715-39,650
Hummer H2 SUT 53,910-58,150
Sport Utility Vehicles
Buick Rainier 31,290-33,290
Cadillac SRX Crossover 36,990-44,990
Cadillac Escalade 54,920-57,465
Cadillac Escalade ESV 59,865
Chevy HHR 16,390-19,210
GMC Envoy 26,790-33,330
GMC Envoy XL 28,090-34,615
GMC Yukon 34,870-43,735
GMC Envoy XL Denali 36,060-38,310
GMC Yukon XL 37,965-46,650
GMC Yukon Denali 48,165
GMC Yukon XL Denali 50,665
Hummer H3 29,500-32,730
Hummer H2 53,855-58,095
Hummer H1 Alpha NA
Pontiac Torrent 21,990-23,795
Saab 9-7X 39,240-41,240
Saturn VUE 17,990-23,645
Sport/Cargo Vans
Buick Terraza 27,195-31,310
GMC Savana Cargo 22,445-27,310
GMC Savana Psngr 25,175-31,085
Pontiac SV6 24,990-28,490
Saturn RELAY 22,140-28,415
Well that still leaves about 45 models spread across the lots which is more than is really needed by just one parent company (we still have FMC & DC competing for domestic dollars too, remember). Lets skim things down a little further. Remember, we're trying to re-identify ourselves in this process. I hate to turn customers away by not offering their desired car, but we're doing this also to eliminate costs and return those savings to the customer.
Vibe - Do we want to keep this around, or let Toyota have it with the Matrix? With the new Caliber and Jeep Compass, that creates too much competition (there's also the Focus, Civic, etc). Lets cut our losses here and focus on the larger scale.
Camaro - If this becomes a reality, what would you think about dropping it from the Chevy lineup and rebadging it as a Firebird? This would keep with the hot rod theme we're trying to build for Pontiac, and we wouldn't have to worry about competing for dollars with the Vette.
GTO/Grand Prix - Where do these fit in? Word is the GTO is dead anyway so lets remove it from our list. What about the GP?
SSR/HHR - What would you guys think about beefing these up some and also rebadging as Pontiacs? I know Pontiac has never really had much of a truck market, but who says they can't? These could be the new-age Typhoon/Syclone.
What's the objective behind the marketing ploy responsible for 8 different versions of the same SUV? We don't need a Tahoe, Yukon, Yukon Denali, Escalade, and Escalade ESV all at the same time. We've eliminated the Tahoe from the Chevy line-up so lets do a little cleaning here. For a small SUV lets start things out with the GMC Envoy at 26.5-33.5k, and drop the XL & Denali lines (which would probably lower the prices to 26-28k). This is a basic SUV used to haul kids around, or whatever. For a little more (31-33k) you can get a Buick Rainier which would offer a little more luxury and maybe the Saab 9-7X as the higher-end. Actually, lets use the Saturn VUE as the entry SUV and eliminate the Envoy (it's looks are too similar to the Yukon, anyway). Mid-sized SUVs would go from the Yukon (again, dropping XL & Denali lines, but maybe keeping the Denali fascia) to the Escalade. The larger sized would just be a single model, but name it something other than a Yukon XL to avoid confusion. Hummers in these cases could stand as high-end models in each class, or just as specialty vehicles for each class as something different.
The Saturn Relay is ugly and the Buick Terraza and Pontiac SV6 appear to be the same vehicle, so we could look at eliminating mini/sport vans from the GM line-up and let DC compete in that market with their Town & Country aganist the Honda/Toyota minivans (all 3 top competitors).
So in the end we're left with soemthing like this, and I can even see a few more modifications to be made, but it's a great starting point:
2-Door Coupes
Chevy Cobalt < Pontiac G6
4-Door Sedans
Chevy Cobalt < Pontiac G6/Chevy Impala < Buick Lucerne/Saab 9-3 < Cadillac STS
Sport/Convertibles
Pontiac Solstice/Pontiac Grand Prix < Saab 9-3 Convertible < Chevy Corvette
Pickup Trucks
GMC Canyon < GMC Sierra < Cadillac Escalade EXT < Hummer H2 SUT
Chevy SSR (specialty vehicle)
Sport Utility Vehicles
Saturn VUE < Buick Rainier < Hummer H3 < Saab 9-7X
GMC Yukon < Cadillac Escalade < Hummer H2
GMC Yukon XL
Hummer Alpha (specialty vehicle)
Chevy HHR (specialty vehicle)
Sport/Cargo Vans
GMC Savana
Now the arguement could be made to cancel the whole Saturn program since it may not make sense to carry a brand for just 1 model. Maybe the VUE could get a make-over and rebadge as something else. Closing down the Saturn plants would cut jobs and that hurts, but it would lower operational costs.
What do y'all think?