NickF1011 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_ne...lans/index.html First, GM has approved for production the smaller midsize Epsilon II-platform sedan, based on the new-for-2009 Opel Insignia. Which step was that again in the GM Recovery Plan we outlined earlier? :rolleyes: The second new model approved for the Buick lineup is the Delta-platform Chevrolet Cruze/Opel Astra-based car, another model initially intended for Saturn. Word is that the Buick version, appearing in time for the 2012 model year, will share the Cruze's sheetmetal but with unique front and rear clips and with an upgraded interior. :eek5: What was the point of saving Buick again? This would all be so funny if it wasn't so sad. Edited July 20, 2009 by NickF1011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_ne...lans/index.html Which step was that again in the GM Recovery Plan we outlined earlier? :rolleyes: :eek5: What was the point of saving Buick again? This would all be so funny if it wasn't so sad. Well, the plans have changed since we last discussed them......I think it's now step 2. --- So now a rebadged Cruze that was intended for Saturn will now be a Buick? That sounds like it'll be successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I can't wait to see how many people line up to buy a C Segment Buick... And why didn't they think about importing Opels sooner? They could have avoided bankruptcy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I can't wait to see how many people line up to buy a C Segment Buick... And why didn't they think about importing Opels sooner? They could have avoided bankruptcy! They needed an organized, well-thought-out plan like we developed here for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Pity there's no Chapter 11 for idiocy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 This is what happens when you have rushed "quasi-bankrutpcy" for political expediency, as opposed to a regular bankruptcy that really clears out the deadwood and the old ways of thinking that brought the company to bankrutpcy in the first place. A Cruze clone for Buick? Why don't they just call it Skyhawk... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) A Cruze clone for Buick? Why don't they just call it Skyhawk... What a waste...everyone knows that the market is dying for a luxury "B" market car....introducing the (drum roll please) Cadillac Cimarron :hysterical: :hysterical: Edited July 20, 2009 by twintornados Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 Reading the positive commentary on this same article over on GMI, you would think they are about two entirely different articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) This is what happens when you have rushed "quasi-bankrutpcy" for political expediency, as opposed to a regular bankruptcy that really clears out the deadwood and the old ways of thinking that brought the company to bankrutpcy in the first place. Meh--if that would've happened, there'd be no GM to come out of bankruptcy. Short stay = tossed some ballast overboard, but the captain's still an idiot. Long stay = ship breaks up and smartest officer ends up in charge of the biggest lifeboat. Edited July 20, 2009 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 What a waste...everyone knows that the market is dying for a luxury "B" market car....introducing the (drum roll please) Cadillac Cimarron :hysterical: :hysterical: Not to nitpick, but the Cruze is a "C" car. Replacement for the Cobalt. Still, not exactly a huge market to be chasing after -- especially with a badge job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) Reading the positive commentary on this same article over on GMI, you would think they are about two entirely different articles. Entering GMI is like entering the evil parallel universe described in episodes of South Park. Edited July 20, 2009 by grbeck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Meh--if that would've happened, there'd be no GM to come out of bankruptcy. Short stay = tossed some ballast overboard, but the captain's still an idiot. Long stay = ship breaks up and smartest officer ends up in charge of the biggest lifeboat. And that would be a great loss in exactly what way...? Sorry, but I've come to believe that GM's hold over the U.S. auto industry has been a very bad thing, and having the company go away - even if reappears in much smaller, renamed form - would be a good thing in the long run. We need that psyschological "break" that a real bankruptcy would bring, however painful it would be in the short run. I truly don't care about GM anymore - and not because it has taken government money. The "new" GM is basically the same old company, and this article further proves it. I usually check out the newest vehicles from each of the oldline domestic manufacturers when they hit the dealership, and I have absolutely no interest in checking out the Equinox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 And that would be a great loss in exactly what way...? Less disruptive to the overall economy. That's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlaz1 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Im not going to fight the idea of a C car buick, as Mercury is getting the focus, but why is GM is doing rebadging left and right but then this duma$$ Lutz says he hates doing it and now the G8 is dead. I just dont understand why this company allows so many press statements that then contridict each other get out there. but anyway, i honestly dont care if buick gets a C car or not im just sick of hearing every car they are suppose to get is a sedan, they had a real winner i thought with the Rivera concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Im not going to fight the idea of a C car buick, as Mercury is getting the focus, but why is GM is doing rebadging left and right but then this duma$$ Lutz says he hates doing it and now the G8 is dead. I just dont understand why this company allows so many press statements that then contridict each other get out there. but anyway, i honestly dont care if buick gets a C car or not im just sick of hearing every car they are suppose to get is a sedan, they had a real winner i thought with the Rivera concept. It was Fritz who says he's against rebadging... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlaz1 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 It was Fritz who says he's against rebadging... Fritz/Lutz whatever. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I just don't see why you axe Pontiac and then launch a compact Buick........ GM's head honchos are starting to look like the protagonists of so many Jimmy Buffett songs.... They're acting like trust fund babies, or Jethro Bodine--just skating through this mess oblivious to the havoc they're leaving behind them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSFan00 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I think the old GM actually was a better company than this iteration. The PTFOA oversight nor time in bankruptcy has not increased their executive competence. As I predicted the underlying focus is becoming to aid their political owners; According to a Des Moines Register report, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wants Congress to use "climate change" legislation to mandate that auto manufacturers fit all new cars to run on a blend of 85 percent ethanol. "We own the automobile companies," Harkin said earlier this week. "Why not? I think that will be an easy one." I've yet to hear one story on what will be done to improve profit/product on government SUV/Truck lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) I just don't see why you axe Pontiac and then launch a compact Buick........ GM's head honchos are starting to look like the protagonists of so many Jimmy Buffett songs.... They're acting like trust fund babies, or Jethro Bodine--just skating through this mess oblivious to the havoc they're leaving behind them. Without changing company philosophy and management, the whole thing is a white wash and I'm pretty sure they'll be back again in 2-5 years with cap in hand begging for more funds Edited July 20, 2009 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlaz1 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Without changing company philosophy and management, the whole thing is a white washand I'm pretty sure they'll be back again in 2-5 years with cap in hand begging for more funds This was just posted on Autoblog, it proves my point from before that there are too many chiefs trying to run things and make comments to the media. they need to all get in a room and coordinate what they are telling the public. Looks like there could be too many cooks in the Buick PR kitchen, and the soup is looking worried. For the new GM to get on its feet, Buick has to find its feet. To do that, Buick has created a number of ad campaigns meant to showcase its new product and bring new, younger buyers to the brand. One of the commercials in the campaign is called "Photo Shoot," and according to a report, the recently empowered VP of marketing, Bob Lutz, isn't particularly pleased with the spot. Both Lutz and GM CEO Fritz Henderson don't believe the commercial positions Buick as a luxury brand that competes with Lexus. They have told GM's ad agency, Leo Burnett, that it needs to do better. However -- and here's where it gets convoluted -- the ad was created by an independent shop that Leo Burnett was told to hire to do the work. Mark LaNeve, GM's head of marketing, allegedly instructed Burnett to hire Gary Topolewski, a former creative director at Burnett who worked with LaNeve on Cadillac's Break Through ad campaign, and who now runs another ad agency. The other character in the middle of all of this is Buick VP Susan Docherty, who defended the commercial. She said it fulfills its role of promoting a revamped Buick brand, adding that she looks "forward to working with Bob and sharing spots two through six with him." Follow the jump to watch the commercial, and you can decide if it makes you put the word "Buick" in the same sentence with "Lexus." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Fritz/Lutz whatever. lol They all look alike... :shades: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 The other character in the middle of all of this is Buick VP Susan Docherty, who defended the commercial. She said it fulfills its role of promoting a revamped Buick brand. Follow the jump to watch the commercial, and you can decide if it makes you put the word "Buick" in the same sentence with "Lexus." I wouldn't have ever put Buick in the same class as Lexus (and that commercial certainly didn't do it, either), but I do have to agree with her that it definitely puts Buick in a different light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 It was Fritz who says he's against rebadging... and yet here he is, the man in charge and he is still doing it. perhaps he wasn't the right guy after all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) They all look alike... :shades: not really, Lutz drives around in a LTZ packaged car and Fritz gets to drive a FRTZ trim level with the FRTZ trim having more bad body cladding than the LTZ of course this so inspiring that Ford is going to launch a new trimlevel for the Taurus called the MLY Edited July 22, 2009 by J-150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 GM went through bankruptcy & lost all of one senior decision maker. Now if Robert Wagoner was solely responsible for GM's mess......... that would make sense. Instead (insert a gigantic Roger Daltry scream) meet the new boss! Same as the old boss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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