Wow! There are a lot of Buick haters around here! Why kill Buick? Just because you guys don't want one? Let's talk business...
Buick sells. Period. Their customer base is basically recession proof. So is Cadillac and Mercedes. They are not going anywhere while GM can milk them. Buick sells cars that make a profit. Pontiac and Saturn can not say the same thing. I am even looking at a V8 Lucerne right now, but back on point...
GM has had stupid short sighted management for a LONG, LONG time. I don't even have to mention the greedy UAW and their hand in killing the US auto market, do I? That has already been brought up.
Government regulation doesn't help either. We have tighter regs than any other country in the world. Believe it, and look it up if you don't. All that aside, GM could really move forward in today's auto market if they would get off of their butts and give the public what they want to buy. I am tired of crappy generic looking cars that are all the same! Here is what I want (and I have the money to back it up) and what I think they should do.
Cadillac and Buick are making money, plenty of it! Leave them alone. From a business point of view you don't mess with success. Their most successful model ever was the
Buick LeSabre, which of course GM cut because they are stupid. Funny, now the
Buick LeSabre with the old 3800 is the best selling car in China right now! Please GM, just leave Buick and Cadillac alone...
Pontiac is being killed by more stupid GM execs. A cool looking car that pontiac had? The Grand Am GT. It had a body kit and hood scoops. Spoiler and nice wheels and sporty dash and interior. Don't you guys remember how many girls used to buy those? Replaced by what? The stupid, no styling G5? What a joke! Guess what happened? Mustang V6 sales went up! Next, we have the GTO. An AWESOME car, underneath. On the outside another unidentifiable blob with wheels. What gives? That car under with the Grand Am GT body on the outside would be in my drive way right now if they had made it. For you world travelers, you should see what this car looks like over in Dubai. They call it a Lumina SS and it is hot! Same V8, 6 speed, Holden chassis and the rest, just with a killer body and styling. Not our stupid blob styling in the US. THEY KILLED THE FIREBIRD. How stupid is that? So what that the Camaro and Firebird were being outsold 2 to 1 by the mustang? The point is that those customers went to the mustang, not some other blob GM car. So now why does anyone wonder why Pontiac is about to get the chop? The execs in charge killed it, that's why. Pontiac had harsh styling, performance and power. Now all that is gone and replaced with blobs.
Oldsmobile? STUPID STUPID STUPID GM EXECS AGAIN!! Here is Oldsmobile's track record for GM; first OHV V8 for GM in 1949, first tri power setup in the 50's(J-2) and first front wheel drive for GM in the 66 Toronado. They even took Buick's little 215 aluminum V8 and from 61-63 they made better heads and a turbo option for their F85! First diesel for the US market in 78. You can argue that it wasn't good, but they designed it and built it without the rest of GM. By 82 the engine was great but the reputation it earned early on killed it. First EFI system for GM in 1975. They built an Olds 350 with multiport EFI that ran from 1975-1980 in the Cadillac Seville. and also built the EFI system that Cadillac ran on their 500 from 75 on. Olds pioneered small car power with the QUAD 4 engine that became the new standard for 4 cylinder performance. The last Oldsmobile project before the Stupid idiots at GM merged all divisions into GM powertrain (with the chevy slugs taking the lead) was the AURORA V8 platform for Indy racing that became the Northstar platform. All of these achievments and GM decides that chevy is the standard for all others to be measured by. I am not the only person who will NEVER buy a chevy because of this chevy led GM mis-management. Bring Olds back; they fit as upper class to a chevy with Pontiac-like performance and Buick-like comfort. You can cut about 10 chevy models and redo them Oldsmobile style and make them sell. I would buy one!
Saturn was about to be (and should be) the Opel platform sold in the US. They need to do this because Opel is a good car. I have a place in Bulgaria and family there (in-laws) and I can attest to this. GM needs to buck up, play the stupid EPA games like VW and Mercedes do, and introduce the turbo diesel Opels from europe here. Just do it. I will buy one if you do, GM! I promise!
Please kill Chevy trucks and keep GMC if you must consolidate. You don't have to, though, as both are making profit. Profit is the reason for business decisions. If you make two that are the same with different styling, but they both sell, then why not keep them? How many of us here like our Olds Cutlass styling better than the Monte Carlo? I do, and many people who know they are the same buy the GMC (like me) because I like the way the grille looks better, so why not?
Hummer is a dead dog, so sell it off. Saab has been killed by GM, so bury it too.
These are my opinions, too, but I am business oriented, so what do you think?