I have always wondered how the GM brands stack up among each other (that is in terms of price and quality)


I figure today it looks like this from lowest to highest (I may be wrong)


Saturn (economy)
Chevrolet
Pontiac
GMC
Buick
Hummer
Saab
Cadillac (Life, Liberty and the Pursuit)


Also, where would have Oldsmobile fit in. When I think of the Bonneville'* mechanical twins 88 Royale and LeSabre (for 1990), the Bonneville seems so superior in quality and features, which leads me to think that at one time in the 80'* and early 90'* Pontiac was more superior than Buick.

honestly i dont think you can compare a Deville to a Aura....

cars are built for demographics.....different cars for different demographics...

and i dont think there is a heirchy in the GM line....every car has a specific role and they are equal in what they do

When I was a kid, my father and uncles had a joke about GMC being built from leftover Buick, Olds and Pontiac parts. One uncle had an 80 Silverado that seemed to run for years without ever cracking the hood, the other had a 79 GMC that couldnt make it a week without a repair.

My 1990 Olds 88 was much more luxurious than my Bonneville'* and seemed to have more power (gearing?) than my Bonnevilles. However the Bonnys seem to handle better. Less floaty.

I always looked at it along the lines of sport and comfort. Except for GMC which was strictly trucks. Although I do know that each division also had their "Cadillacs" and their street rods over the years as if they were competing with each other too.

Chevy - base and lowest priced
Pontiac - a bit more styling but geared more for performance.
Buick - A bit more styling and comfort
Olds - even more styling and comfort
Caddliac - Top of the line

Saturn and Saab and those quasi GM divisions really don't count, but 5 years ago I'd say the line up was

Chevrolet
Pontiac
GMC
Buick
Oldsmobile
Cadillac

Heh, looks like Popatim and I agree.

and now they are moving Saturn upscale to fill the void that Oldsmobile left behind

I don't really feel that GMC belongs in that mix either, cause they only make trucks..
but as far as trucks go

Chevrolet
GMC
Cadillac

and as far as cars go I would say

Chevrolet
Saturn
Pontiac
Buick
Cadillac

( this is just my opinion of where they are at right now )

If u want my look...

Chevrolet, Base Value cars and Corvettes

Pontiac! Sporty and more uppity (wtf did I just say?)

Buick: Entry level Luxury

Cadillac: Top o' The Line Cars. And an Escalade

Saab.... WTF is a Saab?!?!?!

Saturn: Euro-american Cars and suvs

GMC: Upscale Trucks, suvs.

Meh....

I'd say...

Chevrolet: broad range demographic for generic cars and trucks (dd'* and work horses)

Saturn: More Euro and narrow demographic for economy cars and attractive cars

Pontiac: Sporty division focusing on a combination of economy and sports. Hasn't gone the full step to being a sports car, but isn't the most reliable or most economical DD.

Buick: Entry level luxury, and appealing to the older crowd (Tiger Woods, golf...think about it.) Recently started appealing to a more middle aged crowd for a more edgy sporty look, but imo these cars are entry level luxury with a fair amount of power.

Saab: something about jets??? Just kidding, but in reality these cars try to sell by the fact that they are more thoroughly engineered. I think this is a shot at the european crowd that would normally buy a Volvo or VW. These cars are sporty, and well built (I've driven a few of the good ones).

GMC: Trucks, trucks, trucks. The point of GMC is to test how many features they can possibly put on one truck or SUV. I think it'* an experiment funded by the government.

Cadillac: Heritage. For the person that wants class, and wants to stay in American autos. Also, if you love huge cars. (Lets just not mention the Catera)

I can't say I know a lot about this, though...this is just what I've gathered from my experience in the automotive industry and from advertising.

Now, in my opinion, GM needs to make the differences between the companies a lot more drastic. That is to say, Pontiac should sell RWD sports cars. A roadster, a coupe, a compact, a sedan, and a honkin GTO. Buick should stay as it is, Saturn should make edgy economy cars and stay much the same as it is, GMC should make high end pick ups, Chevy should stay the same, Saab should go for the European crowd, take a shot at people that would buy BMWs and Mercedes. Caddy needs to do the same but with a more American twist. This is more of what I want than what would actually help GM, though. What would likely happen if GM did what I want is that the companies that went too far off of what they're already doing would lose most of their customer base and go under. Oh well.

Pontiac has a sports car...

yeah, pontiac has a sports car...when it was producing the GTO and the Firebird - T/A..we own...sport gran gran grocery getter

Otherwise, I would basically say...i'll go along with Crash'* theory. Thats perfect.