Pontiac used to be a better up scale car vs the Chevy. It was the next step in the GM ladder.

The Sunbird you drove was a Cavalier with more standard features. But the key is itr should have cost more. They were not selling so many times the better equiped Pontiac sold for less then the more popular Chevy, MY GTP was less than an Impala SS.

GMC is a higher content truck it is to be more upscale. GMC unless the dealer is dealing usally cost more. But other wise it is the same truck. Same platform, Same drivetrain, same body till this last generation.

GM would offer some things like the Syclone or other odd model that had a few things Chevy did not offer but they were top end trucks only.

I have always been a GMC owner and could have saved money buying a Chevy but I liked the GMC grill more and paied for it.

IF GMC died Monday the buyrs would just go to Chevy or Caddy.

Buick could be like Lexus or other near luxury car if done right. As of yet they have not done that.

Buick has product coming so you can't judge it by todays showroom.

The lucern is already on it's way out. and Caddy has no need for the Lecrosse as they are working on a RWD Alpha platform. Caddy is RWD from here our not FWD.


Nor does Caddy need the Enclave as it already has two new crossovers coming in the next year.

The Saab WRX was gone when GM sold their share in Subaru.

 

*sigh*

Pontiac, Buick, and GMC aren't going anywhere. All three brands sell enough cars for their market share and there's no reason to go through the hassle of shutting down that many dealerships.

Saab, Saturn, and Hummer, that's a no-brainer. Saab and Hummer will be sold or spun off, and Saturn will die from lack of new product like it should have three years ago. The Sky should have been a sub-model of Corvette or some kind of Buick to go head-to-head with the Chrysler Crossfire.

Or we could all just be very wrong and nothing will happen. GM and the others will get the loans they need and everything will be fine in two years.

 

I am not sure what the Opel counter parts are, But the saturn line you mention is as follows.

Astra= Cobalt
Aura= Malibu
Vue= Equinox
Sky= Solstice
The only cars I am aware of Opel/Holden under American badging would be the Catera, CTS, GTO, G8, and 2011 PPV Caprice.

 

Just to offer clarification, the CTS is not completely Opel/Holden. The Sigma platform, that is the under pinings, are of Opel/Holden origin, but the body and interior are American.

The others, Catera, GTO, G8 & Caprice are for the most part imported verbatim and rebadged with a few cosmetic changes.

 

The Opel Astra is the old Delta Cobalt and is already gone in Europe. The Saturn we got was at the end of it's life. Note the new Astra will be here as the Buick Excelle.

The Opel Insiginia was to have been the new Aura. It is the 2009 Car of the year in Europe and will be here as the Buick Regal in the near future.

The Vue was the old Nox and was going to be short term anyway.

The Sky was shared with Pontiac and Opel as the Opel GT.

For the most Saturn had become just a rebadges and retuned Opel. Buick is now taking this as will be sold in Europe as Opel and in the States and China as Buick. This will save cost and all cars will be more Euro like and not just some faked American car with black out trim claiming to be Euro. Reviews of the first Regal have been great! A 325 HP AWD version is coming.

As for what you list on the RWD becareful don't mix them up. They may be similar but the truth is they are different platforms.

The Catera, GTO and other Holdens were termed a V body at GM. They may share some similar traits with the G8 and present Holdens but they are not the same thing.

The new cars in 2007 and later are Zeta. These are not the same car as the V body. The G8 present Holden and Vauxhaul line are on this platform. As of now no Opel is based on it. In fact there are no RWD Opels right now.

Zeta is the new platform that replace the V body. IT was a platform built at Holden and GM North America at the same time. It is truly a world plat form. It is built in Canada, Austrailia and China [from kits]. No one has stated yet but the Police and new Chevy SS could be built in Canada by GM on the same line as the Camaro.

The CTS is a Sigma and is only used by Cadillac in the CTS and STS at present.

Each of the V body, Zeta and Sigma platforms all have very big differances and limitations.

Each of these platforms may have some similarities such as engines and trannys but Zeta is the newest and can do things like being expandable that the other two can not do. Also look for the all new Alpha platform soon that will bring us a whole new line of RWD and AWD smaller Vehicles.

The fact is GM world wide will finally become the world automaker it once said it would become. Many of the same models sold here and elsewhere will be much the same. Only minor tuning and engine changes to adapt to some markets.

The new Chevy Cruze is a great example of what we will see of one car sold world wide and can be built anywhere.

In Europe Chevy will replace Opel at the entry level and Opel will move up market. Chevy now will be sold world wide and each of the new models will reflect that.

Saab at this point is expected to die since there are no buyers.

 

I am aware the Astra will be taken over by Buick. And I am also aware the differences in the rwd Zeta, Sigma and and older V-bodys.

My wife bought a SAAB 9.3, and has nothing but troubles with it, and she is so top heavy in it, she can't get rid of it because it took a real price drop over the past two years. I won't miss them at all. I was surprised with this being the first car on the epsilon platform, and the great power and handling these little cars have that they would be such a bad car. Infact, walking around my HHR, I see alot of SAAB in it. From the ecotec itself, lighted switches and int fit and finish to even the 215-55-16 tire size.
So I hope only the good stuff from the SAAB made it into my HHR.

 

The funny thing is many people walk around their Saab and think too much GM made it into ther car.

To be honest the last couple years of Saab really were not Saabs. Even before GM bought the them the platform they shared with Lancia was GM based.

Saab became more of a tuner adding their own set ups to GM powertrains and such. But even thier Haldex AWD system was the same as the one Opel and Cadillac is using.

GM tried to keep the odd placment of the Key in the console and some other DNA markers but for the most the traditional Saab fans did not buy it.

Saab was a company that had a fan base that like to be different or odd that turned off other buyers. When the car start to be made to appeal to the large buyer base it was still considered a Saab by many that would not buy and then was rejected by many of the traditional buyers because they felt it became too mainstream.

That is a shame as they had some very good product coming. But I feel as with the new Opels not becoming Buick and the G8 returning as two Chevys any of the good product will be adapted to one of the remaining companies.

GM has shown it will not waste any of the good they have near completed.

GM really lost the traditional Saab people when they rebadged a Subaru and Trailblazer. Both very good cars but not Saab.