Should GM Follow Ford And Drop Sedans, Or Should It Wait And Reap The Spoils?

I believe that Lincoln will continue to have cars - and Luxury cars still sell in China fairly well. In other 3rd world countries - Ford will need to still address the entry level - and at least some small cars will be needed in China too.

GM has an advantage in that the platforms it has for its Cars are now relatively new - the FORD TAURUS is ancient. ANd they already have the tooling and factories to produce those Platforms - upon which they also produce several Crossovers. THAT allows them to adjust their production for sales swings from cars to crossovers easier than FORD can - so at least today - they can continue to produce cars. Also note - their cars do sell better in China too.

I would suspect - however - that the offerings will be reduced -
Frankly - It makes sense to make a Malibu - with an "l" version to replace the Impala as an example.

TomM--as usual--is ignorant of the facts. Both of Ford's major FWD/AWD platforms can easily produce sedans and crossovers. Moreover, GM's platforms are NOT radically newer. Like Ford, they have done incremental changes.

I don't know how well the Chevy Cruz sells. I would suspect they can easily take the hatchback version and raise it up a few inches and make a competitor to the new Ford Focus Active. I suspect the Malibu is not long for this world. Bare in mind its competing against Accord, Camry and the new Altima as well as the Optima and Sonata and another VW Passat.

R.I.P. Sedan

With FCA and Ford out GM likely will pick up sales for those buy American crowd. The Asian brands likely gain their share. It seemed like Focus and Fusion would live on, but now who knows. I would not rule out Ford ending up with a electric or hybrid sedan in a few years. I don't see Lincoln building shared platform sedans much longer, standalone volume to low to be profitable.

GM is planning to drop a list of sedans as well. XTS, Impala, Malibu, CTS? Buicks have a much better standing in China however.

This reminds me of the day AT&T stopped selling long-distance calling to consumers. Could Ford be an acquisition target soon?

The Cruze is dying on the vine. The Malibu is zero to no profit. The Impala isn't a big seller. The Regal has been a poor seller. The Lacrosse is not flying out of the dealers. The ATS has ben cancelled. So, yes, GM should drop or drastically prune sedans.

Perhaps Buick should have the "Malibu" role.

As for a Ford take over, i'd predict that a merger is much more likely. FCA will be a take over. GM will merge.

I'm thinking "synergies", perhaps Hyundai or Tata.

It would not surprise me if Ford is trimming itself and is looking for a merger partner. Hyundai? Geely?

Ford has not "dropped sedans" :-/