GM is walking away from its Saturn Vue and Pontiac Torrent Theta-based CUVs, bringing its Thetan, uh, Theta CUV levels to just the Equinox and the SRX. And the just released GMC Terrain. And the forthcoming Saab 9-4X. And now a clay model of a Buick Theta CUV has surfaced on CBS’s Early Show, along with rumors of a 2012 launch (and dual-mode hybrid version). Assuming the Saturn Vue is sold for a few more years by the Penske boyz, and the Suzuki XL7 soldiers on a bit longer, we’re looking at the prospect of seven versions of the same platform in one market. Re:invention or déjà vu?
Meanwhile, GMInsidenews reports that an Opel Zafira-based Buick is set to take on MPV duty in the Chinese market. It will be exclusive to China and will likely feature styling from the Buick Business Concept pictured below.
The Terrain is nice, but GM’s going to have to put tailfins on it if my congressman’s bill passes.
GM Inside News is controlled by Net Nazis.
They’re like turkeys, they’ll drown themselves at the trough unless someone pulls them away.
There will probably be little or no overlap between the VUE and this Buick.
The Cadillac’s platform is technically a theta-epsilon mix, and the Saab will be most closely related to it.
I’m given to understand that the Suzuki XL7 is already a gone pecan.
Why have two increasingly irrelevant luxury nameplates each skimming the bottom of the market at 1% share? GM should choose Buick or Cadillac and then expand the lineup of the resulting brand. Yes, customers of the nixed brand might get pissed but the status quo is not a sound strategy as the last 30 years of market share decline demonstrates. Lineup price range? $29K to Escalade. They don’t need to compete with 5-series and S-Classes to be successful. Just build a gizmo-laden, stylish, comfortable American alternative brand to compete at the heart of the entry-lux market. My choice would be Cadillac and then sell Buick to the Chinese.
The more things change …
Overlap with the SRX much?
When I called on GM, the Vue was a different platform than the Equinox. The Vue was a DAT platform used on the Vue/Captiva/Daewoo/Opel something or other and the Equinox was engineered out of the CREC and used on the Equinox/Torrent and XL7.
Yup, the XL7 is going out of production shortly. So, a mere six iterations of the platform.
Also, it’s hideous. It looks like some fucked up art deco locomotive.
Not accurate.
The SRX and Saab ride on a different version of the platform that’s more expensive thanks to more aluminum parts. Saab is also soon to ride off into the sunset so it shouldn’t be considered alongside the others.
Granted, a Buick version is stupid when you consider that the Terrain exists, but who knows if it will be on Theta or Theta-Epsilon. (the more expensive one)
This is the perfect example of why GM needs to go under.
Prior to Bankrupcy, GM had 6,000 approximate dealers selling crappy-build ident-a-cars that no one wanted, wheither they were Chevys, Jimmies, Buicks, Olds, Saturns, Saabs or Caddies.
Post bailout, what is GM doing? Launching multiple CUVs that share the same powertrains and components, get wretched gas mileage and can’t go over 50K without the owner ‘rebuilding’ the entire car.
For GM to survive, they have to be smaller, think smaller and react faster. Make ONE CUV, in a handful of options and then build a mess of them. Cut a deal with Telsa Motors (like with Toyota of Fremont) and split production costs to build their $40k, 200mi electric car.
Stupid Question, people: Now that Pres. Obama gave Telsa motors $450 million dollars to set up two factories in California to build e-cars…will the UAW force said workforce to join their union? Isn’t California a closed shop state?
I don’t get it. These things aren’t selling, so you’re going to revise the headlights… and? These are the ideas of a viable company? This is leadership?
It certainly looks like the last gasp measures of someone who is desperately flailing about without any leadership, ideas or resources for change. The “New” GM.
Droid800 has it right…the SRX and the Equinox are not on the same platform, as if that even mattered. VW/Audi does it, Toyota/Lexus does it, Honda/Acuara does it, Nissan/Infinity does it. What’s the issue? It’s how you do it that matters. Based on the initial reviews, anyone who thinks there is any similarity in driving, content and overall design between an Equinox and the new SRX is so blinded by GM hate, I would suggest they’re losing touch with reality.
CPTG:
Excuse me, but what part of the story have you missed on GM and cars? Cruze, Aveo, Spark/Beat, Volt, LaCrosse, CTS wagon/coupe, etc. ??? It’s simply not factual to contend GM is somehow ignoring cars. Your statement on the powertrains and the rest is also simply not factual.
Second info bit, as if it mattered here, small CUVs are the single biggest growth segment around the globe. If it was such a suckers play, we’d see others fleeing..alas…we don’t.
The Equinox seems like a nice redesign, why not let it sell before adding competitive “siblings” that will likely cannibalize sales make the platform less profitable?
Methinks these knuckleheads want CH7…
The new CAFE rules are going to make CUVs ever more important.
The minimal increase in truck mileage, combined with the big increase for cars means that anything larger than the current Fusion, or having a 6 cylinder engine is going to get “truckified”.
The V8 Camaro and Mustang of 2015 are going to be the Nomad and the Ranchero to get around CAFE rules.
You heard it here first.
So what if GM wants each of its brands to have a crossover SUV? Any brand needs one!
And so what if they’re platform-shared? I doubt that Porsche Cayenne owners care one whit that their 100K blingmobile shares the same bones as a VW Touraeg, or an Audi Q7.
And, frankly, if you look at the styling of the GM CUVs, you’ll find that they don’t look at all alike…can we say the same of the VW/Audi/Porsche CUV?
Does it matter that the Honda CR-V and the Acura RDX are restyled versions of the same platform? Did it matter that the Honda Ridgeline, Hnnda Pilot, and Acura MDX were all based on the Honda Odyssey platform at one time?
Does it matter that the Audi Q5 and the VW Tiguan are on the same platform?
Does it matter that the Lexus RX is based on a Camry?
Leave Britney alone, guys.
prthug :
June 27th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Droid800 has it right…the SRX and the Equinox are not on the same platform, as if that even mattered. VW/Audi does it, Toyota/Lexus does it, Honda/Acuara does it, Nissan/Infinity does it.
Actually, the only Nissan / Infiniti SUV / CUV with a shared platform is the QX56, which is based on the Titan truck. The G37 and the Nissan 370Z also platform-share, but otherwise, Nissan’s sedans and CUVs are all on a FWD platform, while Infiniti’s are all on a separate RWD platform.
Interesting that if platform-sharing with a cheaper brand is bad, bad, bad and wrong, Lexus and Acura don’t get crap about it…the RS and RX are both based on the Camry platform, the GX is a gussied-up 4Runner, the RDX is a restyled and gusssied-up CR-V, the TSX is the euro-version Accord, and the TL is based on our Accord.
getacargetacheck – you are absolutely right. I would kill Caddy, move the CTS to Buick. The rest of Cadillac’s line needs to be killed, which if GM won’t, the market will.
I don’t see the problem as being the platform sharing…the problem is in house brands directly competing with one another.
The examples you (all) have mentioned: Porsche/VW, Audi/VW, Nissan/Infinity, Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus etc. They all do one thing different from GM, they make the models different. They limit overlap. A Base model Cayenne is head and shoulders better than a maxed out VW. I am sure it is the same with the other brands. I am also sure a maxed out Terrain, XL7 and Equinox will not differ that much (except in price) from the Buick.
“Matt51 :
June 28th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
getacargetacheck – you are absolutely right. I would kill Caddy, move the CTS to Buick. The rest of Cadillac’s line needs to be killed, which if GM won’t, the market will.
“
LOL, close you guys almost got it.
NA Buick should have gone away with the “old” GM, now NA Cadillac should share the same lineup just rebadged with China Buick.