Buick to be made exclusively in China

Ponitac, Saturn, Hummer, Saab to join Oldsmobile in extinct list.

Hopefully, with two car division they should be competitive as anybody else.

The CTS Coupe is a huge blow, I was really looking forward to that, it’s the easiest way to expand Caddy’s lineup and its highest selling vehicle.

The 9-5 can’t be redesigned soon enough, this delay is bad for Saab, as the 9-3 is only okay, and the 9-5 is totally outperformed and outdesigned in every category.

The Cruze might save Chevy, but pushing it back isn’t going to help much. Really doesn’t make sense since the Daewoo version is being released in Korea as we speak.

“Although the timing of several vehicle programs will be revised, key product and technology programs remain on track. GM has a robust pipeline of competitive new vehicles over the next two years. In GM’s largest markets, U.S., China and Europe, 22 new vehicles will be launched in 2009, and 19 in 2010. In the U.S. alone, GM will launch 15 new vehicles through year-end 2010, 14 of which will be fuel-efficient cars or crossovers, including the Cadillac CTS wagon and SRX crossover, Chevrolet Camaro Coupe and Equinox crossover in 2009, and Saab 9-4x crossover, Chevrolet Cruze small car in 2010. Spending levels for the extended range electric Chevrolet Volt and other fuel-economy improvement initiatives to meet increasingly aggressive global fuel economy standards have been increased.”

None of the listed programs have been delayed, and there is no mention of the CTS coupe or 9-5 anywhere in the release. GM mentions the listed vehicles specifically to counter such reports. As Rob says, the Cruze was always going to be a 2011 MY car in the USA. Delays to development projects will have no effect on the Cruze because it is a finished program. Sales of the Daewoo Lacetti-badged versions have already begun, exports of Chevrolet-badged models begin early next year, and Russian production follows later in 2009.

The CTS coupe won’t be a high-volume product, so delaying its launch costs can happen without too much of a problem.

Saabs are selling pretty poorly right now. Especially the current hoary 9-5. But for most of their history, they’ve gotten along just fine with only 2 models. So once the 9-7x dies, they’ll be back to a pretty standard lineup. The only times Saab’s US line were more than 2 models were 1967-73 and 2005-09. But since the 9-4x and new 9-5 are replacing very, very low-volume models, it makes some sense that they’ll be delaying these, too.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And if GM can burn through less cash now, we’ll actually get to see these cars.

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2008/07/chevy_cruze_is.html

I don’t see the 9-5 or 9-4x making much of a difference, noone buys saabs anyways… but delaying Cruze and CTS will only hurt GM more.