General Motors Corp. does not require the plethora of models in its current portfolio in order to be successful, but rather one or two great cars “we can get behind,” a top executive says.
Speaking to reporters following GM’s latest restructuring announcement Tuesday, GM President and Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson says the auto maker needs to “target its resources right.”
“It’s…not about doing five or six different cars,” he says. “It’s about doing one or two cars and doing them well.”
As part of its sweeping cost-cutting initiatives, GM says it will reduce light-truck capacity and increase output of small cars and cross/utility vehicles. Among these will be a bevy of fuel-efficient models that will include:
- The next-generation Chevrolet Equinox CUV to arrive in dealerships next May, equipped with a new 4-cyl. mill offering the best fuel economy in its class.
- The next-generation Cadillac SRX CUV, to launch globally in second-quarter 2009.
- The Cadillac CTS Sports Wagon to launch next spring.
- The production version of the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept, in summer 2009.
- The production version of the Buick Invicta concept, to arrive in the U.S. next spring.
- The all-new Saab 9-4X, “aimed right at the heart of the 5-seat CUV segment,” with a fall-2009 introduction.
The CTS wagon should be a hit among consumers, as it combines fuel efficiency and utility, says IRN Inc. consulting-firm President and CEO Kim Korth. “I think GM believes the station wagon could be resurrected and can be used by people who had an SUV but didn’t go off-road or tow.”
Ken Failla, new-car sales manager for Dan Gooley Cadillac in St. Clair Shores, MI, agrees. “With the way the gas prices have increased, people are looking for cars with utility, and a wagon-type vehicle allows them more cargo space and can still be a luxury vehicle.”
The planned CTS Coupe also is “extremely impressive,” he says. “It’s going to be a homerun. We’re not going to be able to get enough of those.”
Among dealers privy to the new-product plan prior to GM’s announcement is Tom Sheehan, owner and president of Sheehan Pontiac Buick GMC Saab of Lighthouse, FL, one of the top-20 Buick, Pontiac, GMC stores in the U.S.
“I’m beyond excited,” he says. “I can’t think of an adjective that would justify the impact the Invicta is going to make for Buick dealers in North America.”
Sheehan says the new model will become the new flagship for the brand and likely will be named the Lacrosse, although he prefers Invicta.
“I know from my sources the production car will be 95%-98% similar to the concept (shown at this year’s Beijing auto show). It will have as much ‘wow’ appeal as the Enclave did to the fullsize-crossover segment.”
“The (Invicta) is just exquisite, from interior to exterior, execution of design and styling, and choice of componentry (and) materials used on interior,” Sheehan says. “It’s actually a little step up from the Enclave in that regard.”
Saab dealers are encouraged that GM is going ahead with the all-new Saab 9-4X.
“The sport wagon is going to do very well for us,” says Tony Malouf, general manager of Michigan-based Saab of Troy, the brand’s volume-leader in North America for seven years running.
Meanwhile, Wagoner’s leadership gets kudos from Irma Elder, CEO of the Elder Automotive Group to which Saab of Troy belongs.
“Wagoner is doing a superb job with the cards he’s been dealt,” she says, rejecting criticism that Saab has no place in GM’s lineup. “We are a worldwide company. Saab belongs in GM.”
Adds Malouf: “GM needs the safety engineering that Saab brings to the table.”
– with Christie Schweinsberg and Eric Mayne
