I guess we can only conjecture what this might mean from a performance car standpoint (GTO and a new Firebird if a new Camaro comes along) This was taken from the Car Connection:
GM's sales and marketing chief Mark LaNeve said Thursday he is trying to make the struggling Pontiac and Buick brands more like MINI and Porsche.
What's that?
LaNeve doesn't want dealers to get nervous thinking he is going to take Buick and Pontiac down to one model like MINI. But what he does aim to do is focus the two brands like MINI and Porsche by limiting them in the future to maybe four models apiece. "In a few years, MINI will have three or four models and that's where Porsche is now. Nobody doesn't understand what those brands are about," says LaNeve. Dealers shouldn't be too worried, he says, because over 80 percent of GMC and Pontiac dealers are dualed now, and 50 percent of Buick dealerships are teamed with GMC-Pontiac stores. That will go above 90 percent over the next few years.
"We aren't going to grow market share with Buick and Pontiac, but we can increase profitability by focusing each on a smaller number of models that truly reflect the brand images we are creating, and that frees us up to channel engineering resources to Cadillac and Chevrolet where we think we can grow share. GMC, Buick, and Pontiac will be treated as one product portfolio going forward without the costly overlaps the brands have now.
"We'd never approve the Buick Rainier going now," said LaNeve, addressing the International Motor Press Association in New York. He added that Cadillac and Chevrolet need to be able to better compete against Toyota and Lexus. "If we have $900 million to spend on four barely differentiated models or on two segment breaking models we will choose the two models - that's where we are going."
"We think our eight brands are an asset we can leverage, but we have to manage it better," said LaNeve. "What I am talking about is Marketing 101, but we have to keep learning it over and over again." -Jim Burt
GM's sales and marketing chief Mark LaNeve said Thursday he is trying to make the struggling Pontiac and Buick brands more like MINI and Porsche.
What's that?
LaNeve doesn't want dealers to get nervous thinking he is going to take Buick and Pontiac down to one model like MINI. But what he does aim to do is focus the two brands like MINI and Porsche by limiting them in the future to maybe four models apiece. "In a few years, MINI will have three or four models and that's where Porsche is now. Nobody doesn't understand what those brands are about," says LaNeve. Dealers shouldn't be too worried, he says, because over 80 percent of GMC and Pontiac dealers are dualed now, and 50 percent of Buick dealerships are teamed with GMC-Pontiac stores. That will go above 90 percent over the next few years.
"We aren't going to grow market share with Buick and Pontiac, but we can increase profitability by focusing each on a smaller number of models that truly reflect the brand images we are creating, and that frees us up to channel engineering resources to Cadillac and Chevrolet where we think we can grow share. GMC, Buick, and Pontiac will be treated as one product portfolio going forward without the costly overlaps the brands have now.
"We'd never approve the Buick Rainier going now," said LaNeve, addressing the International Motor Press Association in New York. He added that Cadillac and Chevrolet need to be able to better compete against Toyota and Lexus. "If we have $900 million to spend on four barely differentiated models or on two segment breaking models we will choose the two models - that's where we are going."
"We think our eight brands are an asset we can leverage, but we have to manage it better," said LaNeve. "What I am talking about is Marketing 101, but we have to keep learning it over and over again." -Jim Burt