Rethink. Saturn—The Next GM Brand to be Jettisoned?
Maverick2020 submitted on 7/16/2008 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 11:05:34 AM
22 user comments | Category: Rumors | Source: | SOURCE: www.autonews.com
According to Automotive News .
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"Saturn will likely be the next brand to go -- its own independent dealer network makes it an attractive asset for an overseas buyer looking to gain a foothold in the United States, two bankers said.
"While the sale is good because they have too many brands and they need the capital, it's also bad because it empowers another competitor in the U.S. market," one banker said of a possible Saturn divestment in a saturated industry."
I'm one of those people who think ideally GM should have two brands: Chevrolet and Cadillac, which would make them a much more potent and focused automaker. Having two strong brands would solve GM's biggest remaining problem which is too many brands/duplicative models/dealers.
From a practical standpoint, however, it would be risky to shutter brands such as its Buick-Pontiac-GMC division, which accounts for nearly a million units of sales. So I don't see GM doing that unless they are really up against the wall.
But what about selling off Saturn? Even Bob Lutz suggested yesterday that the division was not performing well, even though Saturn arguably has its strongest line-up ever.
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