I’m not sure having multiple brands selling the same platform is such a bad idea. People are trying to argue that they shouldn’t do it and should just concentrate on building better cars, but the real design challenge comes from building the platform, not the body you then slap on that platform.
And lets face it, someone who might not buy a Pontiac Soltice might buy a Saturn Sky. GM didn’t invest much creating the Sky from the platform they already have, and there’s a sale they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
And lets face it, GM isn’t the only one to multi-brand.
Toyota->Lexus->Scion
Nissan->Infinity
Audi->VW
Honda->Acura
Sure, GM has the most:
Chevrolet->GMC->Pontiac->Buick->Cadillac->Saturn and the bastard step children Saab and Hummer.
But, look on the roads, people are driving all of those brands. And if the platforms under the skin are shared there wasn’t THAT much R&D that went into creating the spinoffs. Besides that, looking at the brands they have left I can see a place in their lineup for each of them. Olds was the one that didn’t really have it’s own image, and now it’s gone.
Basically, I think they just need better platforms. But to do that they have to trim costs, and being stuck 3k+ in the hole on each car because of unions costs isn’t a good place to start from.