Comments on: Lutz: It’s better to have fewer brands and models and market the hell out of them http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them Auto News, Car Reviews, Live Auto Show Coverage Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bobmarley http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-621440 Bobmarley Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:55:21 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-621440 All they should have is Chevy and Cadillac. All they should have is Chevy and Cadillac.

]]> By: Bobmarley http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-621442 Bobmarley Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:45:48 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-621442 lol!<br>in other words let the free market decide aka the consumers aka capitalism. All this BS about the government needing to spend trillions to save the economy is idiotic! SOCIALISM SUCKS!!!! lol!
in other words let the free market decide aka the consumers aka capitalism. All this BS about the government needing to spend trillions to save the economy is idiotic! SOCIALISM SUCKS!!!!

]]> By: rawbux http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-621441 rawbux Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:32:04 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-621441 The problem is NOT how many brands, it's the Government needs to leave all the American car companies alone and get the hell outta there way because they don't have a fricken clue about cars. Government is telling them to invest in building certain cars that people want ot buy but, the problem with that is that most people don't want to buy the cars the government says they want to buy. Car companies need to build what Americans want to buy NOT what the government says they want them to buy. How would you like it if you owned a company and the stupid government came in and said you have to do research and build this whole new deal from the ground up and spend your OWN money doing it!! If you want expierment with something from a company you should have to pay them to build it!! Most people don't want so called green vehicles. I sell cars and 90+% of the people car less about so called green vehicles. The whole global warming thing is a big scam just for the government to get more control over the people and businesses and I can;'t believe we are falling for this crap!!! WE all have our heads in the sand, and when your head is in the sand guess where your ass is!!! The problem is NOT how many brands, it's the Government needs to leave all the American car companies alone and get the hell outta there way because they don't have a fricken clue about cars. Government is telling them to invest in building certain cars that people want ot buy but, the problem with that is that most people don't want to buy the cars the government says they want to buy. Car companies need to build what Americans want to buy NOT what the government says they want them to buy. How would you like it if you owned a company and the stupid government came in and said you have to do research and build this whole new deal from the ground up and spend your OWN money doing it!! If you want expierment with something from a company you should have to pay them to build it!! Most people don't want so called green vehicles. I sell cars and 90+% of the people car less about so called green vehicles. The whole global warming thing is a big scam just for the government to get more control over the people and businesses and I can;'t believe we are falling for this crap!!! WE all have our heads in the sand, and when your head is in the sand guess where your ass is!!!

]]> By: Bobmarley http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-614777 Bobmarley Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:55:21 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-614777 All they should have is Chevy and Cadillac. All they should have is Chevy and Cadillac.

]]> By: Bobmarley http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-614783 Bobmarley Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:45:48 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-614783 lol!<br>in other words let the free market decide aka the consumers aka capitalism. All this BS about the government needing to spend trillions to save the economy is idiotic! SOCIALISM SUCKS!!!! lol!
in other words let the free market decide aka the consumers aka capitalism. All this BS about the government needing to spend trillions to save the economy is idiotic! SOCIALISM SUCKS!!!!

]]> By: rawbux http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-614782 rawbux Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:32:04 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-614782 The problem is NOT how many brands, it's the Government needs to leave all the American car companies alone and get the hell outta there way because they don't have a fricken clue about cars. Government is telling them to invest in building certain cars that people want ot buy but, the problem with that is that most people don't want to buy the cars the government says they want to buy. Car companies need to build what Americans want to buy NOT what the government says they want them to buy. How would you like it if you owned a company and the stupid government came in and said you have to do research and build this whole new deal from the ground up and spend your OWN money doing it!! If you want expierment with something from a company you should have to pay them to build it!! Most people don't want so called green vehicles. I sell cars and 90+% of the people car less about so called green vehicles. The whole global warming thing is a big scam just for the government to get more control over the people and businesses and I can;'t believe we are falling for this crap!!! WE all have our heads in the sand, and when your head is in the sand guess where your ass is!!! The problem is NOT how many brands, it's the Government needs to leave all the American car companies alone and get the hell outta there way because they don't have a fricken clue about cars. Government is telling them to invest in building certain cars that people want ot buy but, the problem with that is that most people don't want to buy the cars the government says they want to buy. Car companies need to build what Americans want to buy NOT what the government says they want them to buy. How would you like it if you owned a company and the stupid government came in and said you have to do research and build this whole new deal from the ground up and spend your OWN money doing it!! If you want expierment with something from a company you should have to pay them to build it!! Most people don't want so called green vehicles. I sell cars and 90+% of the people car less about so called green vehicles. The whole global warming thing is a big scam just for the government to get more control over the people and businesses and I can;'t believe we are falling for this crap!!! WE all have our heads in the sand, and when your head is in the sand guess where your ass is!!!

]]> By: egmCarTech http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-614779 egmCarTech Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:48:57 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-614779 good catch dodgeyaussie... thanks for the correction good catch dodgeyaussie… thanks for the correction

]]> By: Dodgeyaussie http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-614778 Dodgeyaussie Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:55:55 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-614778 Proof read much?<br><br>GM’s new restructuring plan puts Saab and Saturn under review and calls for reducing the number of nameplates from 48 to 50 by and cutting a total of 1,750 dealers by 2012 Proof read much?

GM’s new restructuring plan puts Saab and Saturn under review and calls for reducing the number of nameplates from 48 to 50 by and cutting a total of 1,750 dealers by 2012

]]> By: Justin6477 http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-614780 Justin6477 Sun, 14 Dec 2008 07:24:02 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-614780 Axe pontiac as a brand and retool it as the high end peformance version of the Chevrolet cars, much like a BMW's M badging. Just make sure to completely drop chevy from the name when they make the switch or else some absurd named car like a Chevrolet Pontiac Maliby will be born. Give pontiacs somewhat unique cars to the other brands, the Solstice should be reborn as a baby 'vette and the G8 ST needs to be the El Camino again and the regular G8 can be the Chevelle (granted the Malibu is supposed to be the Chevelle successor and the name began as the luxury trime Chevelle).<br><br> I personally believe that pulling an image change on Saturn is easier than any of the other brands considering the stigmas and cultural statuses they hold.... so they should be kept and marketed as the niche brand with new and trendy things to test the market.<br><br> Cadillac should absorb Buick... or at least the Enclave and to compensate for lacking a near luxury brand, Chevrolets should have a higher trim level on flagship models to bridge the gap. Saab should be sold and if necessary throw in Hummer to sweeten the deal... or vice versa.<br><br>Not sure what to do with GMC though, a part of me thinks they should become a strictly industrial brand.... although phasing out the higher trims of the Silverado and dropping the avalanch altogether from the Chevy lineup and making GMC the defacto truck arm also seems good.<br><br> However they go about it, GM needs to cut the fat and kill badge engineering. Axe pontiac as a brand and retool it as the high end peformance version of the Chevrolet cars, much like a BMW's M badging. Just make sure to completely drop chevy from the name when they make the switch or else some absurd named car like a Chevrolet Pontiac Maliby will be born. Give pontiacs somewhat unique cars to the other brands, the Solstice should be reborn as a baby 'vette and the G8 ST needs to be the El Camino again and the regular G8 can be the Chevelle (granted the Malibu is supposed to be the Chevelle successor and the name began as the luxury trime Chevelle).

I personally believe that pulling an image change on Saturn is easier than any of the other brands considering the stigmas and cultural statuses they hold…. so they should be kept and marketed as the niche brand with new and trendy things to test the market.

Cadillac should absorb Buick… or at least the Enclave and to compensate for lacking a near luxury brand, Chevrolets should have a higher trim level on flagship models to bridge the gap. Saab should be sold and if necessary throw in Hummer to sweeten the deal… or vice versa.

Not sure what to do with GMC though, a part of me thinks they should become a strictly industrial brand…. although phasing out the higher trims of the Silverado and dropping the avalanch altogether from the Chevy lineup and making GMC the defacto truck arm also seems good.

However they go about it, GM needs to cut the fat and kill badge engineering.

]]> By: zermatt http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/12/13/lutz-its-better-to-have-fewer-brands-and-models-and-market-the-hell-out-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-614781 zermatt Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:01:48 +0000 http://www.egmcartech.com/?p=28977#comment-614781 GM is fighting for survival and it is nice to see Bob Lutz taking a position that will be out of step with what many GM fans believe. GM is selling about the same number of cars as Toyota, but with a quarter of the dealers and less than half the number of brands.<br><br>Bob is right in saying that a leaner GM would be able to devote attention to the remaining brands and models. Keeping the best and brightest engineers and designers will put GM in the best position to become competitive again.<br><br>Limiting the brands to Chevy and Cadillac is the way to go. Maybe add Pontiac as a mid level product line, but not Buick with the geriatric following that brings buyer longevity into question. <br><br>Enough talking about what to do and it is time to execute the plan. GM is fighting for survival and it is nice to see Bob Lutz taking a position that will be out of step with what many GM fans believe. GM is selling about the same number of cars as Toyota, but with a quarter of the dealers and less than half the number of brands.

Bob is right in saying that a leaner GM would be able to devote attention to the remaining brands and models. Keeping the best and brightest engineers and designers will put GM in the best position to become competitive again.

Limiting the brands to Chevy and Cadillac is the way to go. Maybe add Pontiac as a mid level product line, but not Buick with the geriatric following that brings buyer longevity into question.

Enough talking about what to do and it is time to execute the plan.

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