What’s in the Works At Pontiac and Saab
With Chrysler building a much needed alliance with Fiat, attention now turns to General Motors, and what exactly the automaker will do with some its lackluster brands. Repeatedly, GM has pointed out their core brands as being Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. This leaves the fate of Pontiac and Saturn up for speculation, with Saab and Hummer expected to be sold.
Pontiac is a unique case as the automaker intends to keep the brand. However, the automaker has indicated that Pontiac will in some way become a “specialized” brand. Turing Pontiac into a performance oriented brand seems to already be underway, which has appeased Louisville Pontiac customers. Despite the cancellation of some Pontiac models such as the Pontiac G8 ST, one thing is for sure - the Pontiac Solstice isn’t going anywhere any time soon. With GM relying increasingly on Opel vehicles for their unique styling, the next generation G6 may also be a re-badged Opel. Based on recent Opel designs Chicopee Chevrolet dealers expect this will be a positive direction.
To remain competitive in the long-term, Pontiac will of course have to produce more than just Solstices and G6s. Waterbury Pontiac says that an ideal product would be a car that is small and fuel-efficient and would be needed simply to balance the lineup, and drive customers to dealerships. Pontiac Pittsburgh proposes that something that’s efficient and sporty that can take on the Mini Cooper is precisely what this supposed “specialty” brand really needs.
Saab is expected to get the shorter end of the stick, as usual. The Swedish government has already pledged vital money to the automaker to keep it afloat, but it makes sense that GM at this point would much rather sell Saab as it has always been a low-volume brand. Despite potentially being up for sale, the next vehicle coming down the pipeline at Saab is a crossover based on the new Cadillac SRX, but don’t expect it any sooner than the end of 2009. Saab is also reportedly working on the replacement for the archaic 9-5 sedan, the automakers flagship model.
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