And so, we’re back to the Catera? Though Opel styling is far from the current Cadillac theme, it would be nice to see a toned-down application for people looking for a less aggressive caddy. It’ll be interesting to see how/if they pull this off.

Why can Toyota pull of badge engineering with Lexus (on many models) but whenever American car companies do it, everybody moans and complains?

Holy Crow!! The Catera all over again? Come on, GM. Cadillac has its own unique style right now. Don’t blow it by badge engineering Cadillac with another car design.

But GM plans on selling this in Europe as a Cadillac then that makes sense. Reading some of them European car reviews, the CTS is considered to big and bulky by Euro standards. And the Europeans wouldn’t go for the DTS.

Go for it Cadillac. But…just try to keep that carin Europe.

I do not believe it is fair to compare this Opel to the Opel brought over as the Catera. We’re talking about an entirely new and world-class platform in comparison. And, truly if Cadillac were to bring this car over, it would hardly be badge engineered as that simply wouldn’t work given the Opel’s horizontal taillights verses the vertical found on modern Cadillacs.

If you think about it, it makes much more sense that this vehicle be brought over as a Buick. Further, this ENTIRE article and, quite frankly, a lot of what LLN posts, is PURE speculation with little to no factual basis. Until you see it published from GM Corp, just laugh about it as if you read it in the Inquirer.

………… wasn’t this a Buick the day before yesterday?

Madcapp,
because toyota does it for only one model! GM spreads one car throughout all of their brands!! its totally not the same! For toyota, its more of a price option where some people want a luxury version of one car, or a cheaper version. GM is the real BADGE ENGINEERING B!TCH!

Besides, it looks like the new Buick, and nothing like the new Cadillac. If they make it look like anything else, they’re ruining it.

Yes, and it will probably be a Pontiac tomorrow. Of course not one of these comments is put out by GM. They are all rumors.

I do believe that GM is trying to find a fit for this car. It was car of the year and a great vehicle. Does not look like a Caddy though. I think they should make it the Malibu replacement (Malibu is on smaller old Epsilon I architecture) or perhaps even an Impala replacement but it is a bit too close to the current Malibu for that.

Side note GM just told the government they do not need the $2 billion for March. Restructuring is going better than expected and they have deferred some programs from January/March. They currently have liquidity. They will still need money later but at this time they are ok.

Idea- Bring back Oldsmobile, and call it the Intrigue!!!!!

This was designed to be in the USA. The Catera was adjusted from the Omega/Monaro to be in the USA after the fact. A Catera burned up (literally) on me, this Insignia won’t, plus it’s FWD, not the same. I’d rather see it as a Buick because I want one myself, and Cadillac will want a premium for it.

I think it would make a great Geo.

wont happen…

Jakek66,

Exactly What i was thinkiing, i dont know really anyway why oldsmobile was axed instead of saturn. I think this car could come back as an oldsmobile I would like for it to be the new aurora.

Yes, the Catera. And while we’re at it, why not the Cimarron, too?

Yes GM that is a great idea make it a Caddy I cant wait

Please please please PLEASE don’t do it. Cadillac has come so far! The Catera is still out and about causing all kinds of trouble for Caddy dealers and other service shops.

datboy -

I think Oldsmobile should be instead of Buick and Saturn, think about it! This as the Intrigue (or Cutlass Supreme?), the 2010 LaCrosse would become the Aurora, the Astra would be the Alero (or Cutlass?) Lucerne the 88, Enclave the Bravada. This would be perfect!!!!

STOP with the Catera BS people!!! That was a RWD car with all international parts that had nothing in common with GM’s here!!! They’re unreliable due to the rarity and complexity of the car and mechanics who don’t understand them. This is based on the Malibu and G6 related FWD cars with engines and mechanicals shared with US models already!!!! COMPLETELY DIFFERENT situation as the Catera, closer to the Cimarron but with a good car.

Here’s a thought…why not make it the replacement for the Pontiac G6?

I think Pontiac is the best fit. Just sell it as AWD only and biggest V6 only. Keep the volume low with a premium price and well contented. Keep it out of the rental lots!!

Can’t happen carstuff. They need the volume to make it profitable. Look at the G8, they don’t sell enough of them to make them a viable car fo rthe future. They need the high volume that a FWD and smaller V-6 brings to make it a winner for GM, otherwise they are stuck in the rut they find themselves in with the G8.

I think it could be a winner for GM and a winner for Pontiac. The styling would fit in nicely as a Pontiac and offer the cool features as options. It would remind me of the days when Pontiac offered unique options such as the heads-up display. I really think the Insignia could put Pontiac back on the map.

We all thought this rebadging crap was over, right?

Don’t sell it as a Cadillac. Already have the CTS which is selling great, so why worry about people concerned about the snow? There’s an AWD CTS for that, and many other GM FWD vehicles for that. Don’t rebadge this as a Pontiac- doesn’t fit into the preferences you’ve set for Pontiac. Instead, why not consider NOT selling it in the states? We have the Malibu which is a great car- I like the styling much more than this anyways. That’s personal preference, but whatever the case both cars are related, although I’m quite possibly wrong on that.

Instead, just keep Pontiac the way it is now, minus the G3 and G5. Just let it be with the Solstice, a large performance sedan like the G8 and a coupe/convertible “family car”. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the current G6 which is showing it’s age, but the Insignia doesn’t come in a convertible form. Maybe the saloon form, with a convertible and coupe?

I think this is exactly what GM needs to do. All the 3 of the Big 3 need to start taking cars from the Europeon counterparts. GM needs to bring Opel, Vauxhall, and Holden (From Austrailia) to the states. The G8 seems like a great car and that has been sold as a Holden Commedore for 8 years or so in Austrailia. The GTO was also a rebadged Holden and that car did well also.
Ford is bringing the Fiesta to the states. That car has been sold in Europe for a very long time.

This is the right track for the American makers. Americans see them as brand new cars and it is cheap for them to design and manufacture because they already exist.

Seems like a win win for everyone.

Take the $2bill and bring this car and a tweaked Astra and you might sell some cars.

they wouldnt be totally off base selling this as a caddy ONLY if they decided to offer it soley as an AWD model. As far as oldmobile… GOOD ridance it was gotten rid of. Are you guys blind. minus 1 or 2 decent models olds didnt offer anything that buick didnt already offer and buick just had a bigger following at the time

It looks nothing like a Caddy, and for the only GM division with a true design identity this is a non-starter. The Insignia looks great, but will look best as a Buick. How is competing with the CTS for the mid-size niche better than competing with the Lacrosse? At least the Lacrosse looks like a bigger and more luxurious Insignia, plus the Insignia is already badged as a Buick in China. They’d be stupid to make it a Caddy. GM design, for one, won’t stand for it.

As for Mr. Tornado, the GTO flopped, the G8 is not selling well, and neither is the CURRENT Astra being sold as a Saturn. The car has to be right. The Fiesta will do well b/c it is small and stylish and fuel efficient. But it was by no means cheap to do. The reason it’s so much later to market than the European version is because of all the changes that needed to be done to it to pass Federal safety regulations.

I am not surprised. I am waiting for Cobalt into Cadillac reincarnation, or rebirth of Cimarron!

@ muttonchops – I would agree that the GTO wasn’t a great seller for GM but it did have a good following. Better of corse when they upped the engine half way through. As for the G8. I don’t think that any GM is selling that well but I do think the G8 is doing well “for GM.” The Astra isn’t selling because it is being badged as a Saturn. Saturns don’t sell well. Compare the Sky and Solstice. The Sky is a much better looking vehicle and is less expensive IMO but the Solstice still sells more because of the Pontiac badge. Saturn just needs to go away and badge the 3 decent ( i say this with a grain of salt) models, Astra, Sky, and Aura, and badge them GM. Replace the G3 with Astra, the Solstics with Sky, and the ****TY G6 with Aura. Then Saturn can cease it’s exisitence and they can get rid of overlap.

That is something I think is the biggest fault of the American companies. The fact that they find it necessary to make 2 or 3 identical cars but sell them through 2 or 3 different companies. Just doesn’t make any sense to me.

not sure why the comparisons with Catera, not in the same league.

Don’t forget.. the Catera was just an Opel Commodore.. the new version of which is now sold in the US as the Pontiac G8. So why wouldn’t GM bring the Opel Insignia to replace the Pontiac G6? It could be a lower-priced alternative to the similar LaCrosse in Buick/GMC/Pontiac dealerships. Vibe, Solstice, G6 and G8 would suffice to keep the Pontiac brand alive, and they all have a similar youthful flair that is lacking in the Buick and Chevy lineups.

Plus, GM could then keep the existing G6 coupe and hardtop convertible to sell alongside the Insignia sedan.. that is, until the Insignia coupe and convertible arrive.

“General Motors has HISTORICALLY used its Saturn brand to sell vehicles from its German Opel division, …”: Come on LLN, you have got to be kidding. I had to laugh when I read this line. The decision for Saturn to be a North American outlet for Opel products was made this decade; not only is that not “historic” (”recent” would be a better description), but it was also misguided and haphazardly executed. Opels used to be sold through Buick dealerships from 1958 to 1975; now that would qualify as a “historic” practice by GM.

This car should not be a Cadillac. It’s styling fits in better with Buick’s new design direction. I don’t quite understand all the unnecessary drama over giving Buick this car along with the 2010 LaCrosse. The Insignia is a smaller car (around 191 inches long, if I remember correctly) on a shorter version of the Eps II platform (around 108 inches). The 2010 LaCrosse is a larger car (around 197 inches long) on a longer version of the Eps II platform (around 112 inches). I think there is room in Buick’s lineup for both vehicles. Everyone keeps acting like they are the exact same car when they clearly are not the same at all. Throw in a well executed Delta based compact sedan and Buick will have a nice three tier premium sedan lineup. The Opel/B-P-G alignment is the best arrangement and it shouldn’t be compromised by sending a product to either Cadillac or Chevrolet. Cadillac also shouldn’t be diluted with a car that is clearly not in line with the brand’s current “Art & Science” design direction.

If GM wants to give Cadillac an Epsilon product, then it should give the brand a distinct compact series (sedan, coupe, and wagon) built on an AWD version of the SWB Eps II platform with the brand’s established “Art & Science” styling intact. This series would be much shorter and smaller than the Insignia to better slot below the CTS in Cadillac’s lineup, although the Cadillac compact series would share the same wheelbase as the Insignia. Since I still believe GM will eventually cancel development of the Alpha platform (no matter how big a mistake that would be); this plan would be the next best way to give Cadillac a sub-CTS product or series.

Not like Catera, more like Cimmaron! Don’t do it GM.

Would’ve been a nice Saturn. Maybe replace the G6 with this…

Okay Bob, I’ll help again…pssst – just b/twn you and I – don’t tell Rick. Tell him it came to you in a dream while stuck in an elevator at the Ren Cen – somebody forgot to pay the power bill or that’s where Rick got $2B…hmmm… So here it is…your product lineup for the next 1-2yrs at a 12-15% market share;-)

THE NEW GM North America:-)

(1) New Buick, Pontiac & GMC franchise:

BUICK (2): LaCrosse (new Epsilon II platform), Enclave (fwd/awd Lambda platform). Trim Levels (except Hybrids): (Base, CX, CXL)

PONTIAC (4): G8 (Holden Commodore/HSV – Zeta platform), Insignia Sedan/Touring, Sedan/Touring AWD & Sedan/Touring Diesel (Opel Insignia – Epsilon II platform), Vibe, Vibe AWD (Toyota E140 platform) Solstice (Kappa platform), Trim Levels (except Hybrids): (Base, GT except Solstice, G8 GXP)

GMC (5): Acadia (fwd/awd Lambda platform), GMT355 (Canyon), GMT900 platform – Full-Size Trucks (Sierra 1500, Sierra 1500 Hybrid, 2500HD, 3500HD & Denali), Vans (Savana 1500, 2500HD & 3500HD) and SUV (Yukon, XL, Hybrid & Denali). Trim Levels (except Vans, Denali & Hybrids): (WT, SL, SLE, SLT)

(2) New Chevrolet & Cadillac franchise:

CADILLAC (3): CTS & V (Sigma II platform), SRX (new fwd/awd Theta premium platform), Escalade & Escalade Hybrid (GMT 900 platform).

CHEVROLET (7): Traverse ( fwd/awd Lambda platform), Equinox (new fwd/awd Theta platform), HHR (Delta platform), Aveo (Gamma platform), Cobalt (Delta platform), Malibu & Malibu Hybrid (Epsilon platform), Camaro (Zeta paltform), Corvette (second Y-platform). Trim Levels (except Hybrid & Corvette): (LS, LT, LTZ & SS)

CHEVROLET Mid/Full-Size Trucks, Vans & Full-Size Suv’s (6): GMT355 (Colorado)*, GMT900 platform – Trucks (Silverado 1500, Hybrid, 2500HD, 3500HD), Avalanche & Avalanche Hybrid, Vans (Express 1500, 2500HD, 3500HD) and SUV’s (Tahoe, Tahoe Hybrid, Suburban & Suburban Hybrid). Trim Levels (except Vans, Hybrids & Colorado): (WT, LS, LT & LTZ) [*- Z85, Z71 & Sport]
.

DB9

PS. Is it true that the top floors of the Ren resonate with…;-)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06d33K1ei6I

“At least the Lacrosse looks like a bigger and more luxurious Insignia, plus the Insignia is already badged as a Buick in China. ”

No, Insignia is not sold in China. LaCrosse is and is identical to the one we are getting

Actually, muttonchops is right – the Insignia is sold under the Buick name in China, as a ‘Regal’. It doesn’t look too bad, although as anaemic and overpriced as it is, I’d never get one.

This is NOT a good idea. Cadillac was in the process of returning back to the ’standard’ it once was , but with this new idea of front-wheel-drive, it’s nothing but a big dissapointment. They went from CTS-V to Fleetwood overnight, and then I bet they’ll want to charge $40,000-$58,000 for their new enhanced Saturn. GM is going to have to do better than that if they want to live for another 10 years.

BRING BACK ZETA! BRING BACK 5.0L ‘HIGH FEATURE’ V8!

It is your duty, GM. Otherwise, Americans will just buy JAPANESE!

Bad planning. Don’t bring it to the states as a badge-engineered Cadillac, Buick or Pontiac. General Motors’ badge engineering a Euro, Australian or Asian car is rarely successful.

Since they’re dumping Saab, Hummer, Saturn and whittling away at Pontiac, GM should bring most of the Opel range to the USA and sell them as Opels. Since Americans are shying away from American cars, they can advertising them as German. Use the word Opel in the same sentences as Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and the general public who aren’t old enough to remember when Opels were sold through Buick dealerships will compare them to other German brands.

But call them Opels; don’t give them a silly name like Ford did when they imported the German Ford Sierra – Merkur. When taking down the Saturn dealership signs, slap up an Opel sign. *wham* … instant dealership network. They won’t have to change alot of things because the Saturn Sky / Opel GT, Saturn Vue / Opel Antara & Saturn Astra / Opel Astra are already sold here. The salesman can even replace the badges themselves on unsold Saturns.

As long as they will ship the Insignia here they might as well federalize the Corsa & Meriva and there’s a full line to sell.

dont worry, if gm really has the balls to introduce a basically good car, they FOR SURE will find a way to ruin it… family tradtion, you know?

The Opel Insignia is a good looking and well performing car, but I find it hard to tie it to the Cadillac brand. Naturally GM will ruin the Insignia in the process of re-badging it and turning it into a Cadillac, but why doesn’t GM come up with something on their own?

why they dont? because they lost the will to try…

Call it the Cadillac Nottafuggincattera

Just call it an Opel Insignia, for pete’s sakes! That’s what it is and it will develop its own image. Can’t be bad.

Sorry, you are right.

Now how is China Buick going to market this new Regal and the new LaCrosse that comes out in a couple months? The LaCrosse will be slightly bigger and more “stylish”.

I would actually be willing to consider, in spite of it being a Buick. HOWEVER, it must drive like an Opel and not a traditional Buick. No Hemmoroidal Suspension. We want German tautness in our handling. Also, the wagon and hatch versions would also be welcomed additons.

They will dilute the brand; plus they will be foreign made anyways

TornadoGTI- You seem to know a lot more about the recent Pontiacs than I do and I may be wrong, but I recall that most people who bought a GTO were not new to Pontiac. The only reason for the following it has now is because of a few thousand die hard GTO fans. The G8 has attracted new customers to Pontiac, but I think it’s odd interior configuration push most fresh buyers away.

Last week, I drove an Insignia from Munich to Frankfurt to the North Sea to Berlin and back to Munich with many stops in-between. The car was a pleasure to drive and very comfortable. My only complaint is that the front pillars are too wide and tend to impair vision on tight turns. I would really like to see it offered in North America but I would hope to see it as a higher end Saturn rather than a low-end Cadillac.