Should General Motors Axe Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Hummer, and Saab?

Yup.

I totally agree with this article. GM only needs Cadillac, Chevrolet and Saturn. Think about it: Who would miss the other brands if GM made those 3 the best possible.

Will they do it? Not likely anytime soon IMO.

At 25, I decided to take a chance and lease an 07 DTS. For me, it's the 'anti-cool' cool car if you get my drift. It's not as refined as the imports but you get some cool technology for a lower price. Would I consider a Buick? No. The reason is simple. If you are buying a GM luxury car, then wouldn't you want their best? I do. I get some admiring glances (not that I care either way) and some ugly ones from older people (maybe their faces are frozen like that LOL) in Buicks, Lincolns, etc.

Imagine Lexus coming out with a 'luxurious' brand that bridged an unnecessary gap between Toyota and itself.
This is why Buick shouldn't exist.

Old GM thinking was this... You start with a Chevrolet, then buy a Pontiac. After you come up in the world, you move on to an Oldsmobile, and later a Buick, and finally you get a Cadillac.

New age thinking... I either want a basic car, a luxury brand or an import/sporty brand. I refuse to climb long ladders and I'll get the best no matter what, no compromises (sounds funny I know, but GM makes great cars)

So there you have it GM... Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Saturn.

What would GM rather do? Have 2 outstanding, world class marques- or seven mediocre brands that do nothing to advance the cause of automotive excellence? Reminds me of that story about the seven plain jane sisters whose parents couldn't find them a suitor despite tarting them up and loudly proclaiming their many talents.
GM= brilliant engineers let down for 50 years running, by third-rate managers, fourth rate designers and fith rate dealerships.
At last count, GM employed 14,300 MBAs- twice more than Toyota, Nissan and Honda combined.
I guess that's what it takes to nurture 7 lousy brands instead of 2 superlative ones. Cadillac (only recently) and the Corvette represent the only two bright sparks in a morass of auto-inferiority. Even the Corvette despite its outstanding engineering, continues with a Rubbermaid interior.
Will there come a day when GM (or any US car maker) can claim taglines as these distinct makers do:
1. The ultimate driving machine;
2. Engineered like no other car in the world;
3. There is no substitute;
4. Vorsprung durch technik.
5. The relentless pursuit of perfection;
- and actually have meaning to the taglines, instead of the long standing, recently deceased comfort line (that apparently appeared on every piece of their stationary)- 'the world's largest car manufacturer'?
Now GM doesn't even have that.
Set a low target and you'll achieve lower than that.

Yea they should, although getting rid of GMC would be a bit risky just because it's GMC, even though Chevy far outsells them. But, yea everything else are the same vehicles with different faces and it's just a waste of money.

Honesty, GMC doesn't sell anything special. Chevy should produce their own version of the Acadia and GM should shutter GMC. If Chevy makes their own version of the Acadia, then GMC has no vehicle in its lineup that Chevy doesnt have.

Brands that should stay:

-All but GMC.
-Saturn - awesome (as of recently)
-Cadillac - awesome (so long as the 2008 CTS is the new path of the brand)
-Pontiac - has its own niche, sporty yet not too expensive
-Chevy - GM's base brand, be around forever
-Buick - Step below Cadillac. Luxury without the same price.

Hummer needs to copy jeep. EVERYONE loves jeep. There's something so sporty and sexy about them. Hummer needs to create something that looks more like a jeep. Also, the H2 needs to go. Its a hideous monstrosity. If hummer doesnt go the route of jeep, they should just produce military vehicles.

I completely agree. These brands only confuse the consumer. If you say the words "I drive a Buick" to anybody under 60, they will cringe. Some of these brands have been tainted.

Keep Cadillac, Chevrolet, Saturn. EXCELLENT THINKING! I do believe (most wont agree) that Hummer should also remain because there will ALWAYS be "Hard-core" off road enthusiasts out there and this is their brand...

I don't care what the business case proves -- I want Buick to survive and continue to offer a large RWD drive sedan with a Cadillac Northstar engine. I want GMC trucks to survive only because I hate the Chevy bowtie logo and CMC trucks have always had a nicer grille. If GM can conjure up a new logo for the Chevolet, I don't care what they do with Pontiac. Pontiac has had some real bad styling gimmicks with funny-looking wheels and wheel covers, not to mention ugly grilles. Chevrolet has not been perfect either: I don't like the look of the new 2008 Chevrolet Malibou dashboard with the weird curves.

I just want 1995e34 to know that not only do I consider the Chev logo to be ugly and obsolete but I don't like obstructing the grille with a wide horizontal piece on which that logo is prominently displayed.

i dont know
i have seen a lot of the pontiac 6 convertibles in southern california lately. Might be a reason to keep it.

Keep Pontiac as a "compition" for BMW
Buick should leave the US but remain as a brand in China
Chevy should become entry level car brand
GMC should only be trucks
Saturn should be the mid range, camary/accord fighter
and Cadi should be the Cadilac of cars

Saab really doesnt have anything, i dont really consider it part of the GM family. Its cars look drastically different than the rest. Maybe it should almost act like its own company. and Hummer should just go away.

Sorry, Pontiac isnt competition for BMW. Never. Cadillac on the other hand......Especially the 2008 CTS....watch out 3-series, C-class, Lexus-IS.

The shame is that GM has the resources to create seven strong divisions aimed at specific groups, but they don't have the will. Instead this is what GM has created:

Chevrolet: Rubbish for white trash
Pontiac: All mouth and no trousers rubbish for white trash
Saturn: An interesting beginning in a direction to compete with Eurocars when it was initally meant to compete with the Japanese. Who sells more cars in the US? Europe or Asia?
Cadillac: They can't figure out whether they want to be American or Euroluxury, so they're neither.
Buick: A middle-class car line for the aged with only two cars. Who'd have thought that 20 years ago?
Saab: It was an interesting buy; potentially brilliant. Unfortunately, since, GM has fired all the engineers and many others (after rollout of the currrent 9-3) in Trollhattan and essentially de-Saabified Saab. They'll be building Vauxhalls in Trollhattan very soon.
GMC: see Chevrolet
Hummer: Big station wagons for narcissistic twits with teeny willies or a serious case of penis envy.

As a Detroiter, it hurts me to say that, after watching GM screw up for 30+ years, they won't learn. Their brilliance in marketing and following industry leaders quickly enough kept them on top in the 50s, 60s and 70s. It isn't enough any more. Keep them all, GM. Though you're firing into the dark, blindfolded, the more bullets you fire the more likely you are to hit a target.

I dont know about the U.S but chevy is doing fine here in M.E. They offer nice cars for cheap prices. I think GM should get rid of GMC, because all their line up competes with chevrolet. Not to mention the chevy is even better and cheaper ( tahoe vs yukon ). Other than that, cadillac is behind but they are coming back soon with some promising products. Hummer is just g@y.
Saab is pointless, it would compete is we were in the 1990s. Buick is doing well in china. Pontiac is also pointless, we get all of their lineup here as chevrolet, so get rid of it.

wow how many of you even have a cue ?