The Auto Writer

Over the past month, General Motors has been actively distancing itself from its old self, having emerged from federal orchestrated bankruptcy leaner, lighter and much more tightly focused. That’s good news for a company that also wears the tag, Government Motors, thanks to more than fifty billion dollars in taxpayer money being expended to prop up the “almost” No. 1 automaker. Some people think that I want GM to fail – on the contrary, I want my money back!

PR Forces Gone Wild

Thanks to a flurry of activity on GM’s PR people over the past several weeks, what GM will look like in about three years hence is becoming clearer. There are still some loose ends to be tied and final decisions made, but based on what I’ve read with a little conjecture thrown in, the following is how I expect GM to look like in August 2012:

Cadillac – Lincoln may be narrowing the sales gap, but Cadillac is looking to do battle with Audi, Mercedes and BMW instead of worrying about what the Ford Motor Company is doing. If GM is successful, Cadillac will retain its top American luxury brand position, while offering a compelling reason for German luxury car buyers to make the switch. Cadillac will complete the CTS line in 2010 by offering a coupe to go along with the wagon and sedan, selling V-Series models of each. DTS & STS will be ditched in favor of one larger model, dubbed XTS. A smaller, 3-Series fighter, code-named the ATS will become the Baby Caddy while the SRX will remain the entry level crossover. Expect the Escalade to die, replaced by a Buick Enclave type crossover. The Cadillac Converj concept will become a reality within a year of the Volt’s launch.

Buick – Just three models fill out the Buick fleet, in the North American market that is. The Lucerne will go away while the LaCrosse and Enclave will live on. A smaller Traverse based crossover will join the line up and be offered as a PHEV too. Look for the Regal’s return, slotted below the LaCrosse with at least one more model, a Chevy Aveo based crossover being added. Look for some sort of Voltec vehicle to join Buick as soon as possible.

Chevrolet – When you make up 60% of GM’s US sales, then a lot of love should come your way. The Impala is tired looking and needing a makeover, but all we know is that the next generation Malibu will hit the streets in 2012. Look for an updated Corvette around that time with several newer, smaller models joining the line up including the Spark, Beat and maybe something similar to the Toyota iQ. I expect that GM will delay the release of its next generation trucks and SUVs, choosing to pour all of its resources into hybrid and electric technology, ala the Volt. The Chevy Cruze will quickly become the brand’s best seller by 2012 and the Camaro rag top will be really hot!

GMC – What will become of GMC? The same plan for Chevy Trucks will be used to fortify GMC. However, I expect that GM may try to bring in one or two truly unique or specially equipped models to help distinguish GMC. After all, when paired with Buick, GMC has a premium image that it wants to maintain. Now could be a good time to differentiate GMC and Chevrolet by tweaking both lines enough to help GM capture an additional slice of the truck market.

Time Is Of The Essence

Of course, the next few months will determine if GM’s plans have a chance of succeeding. The automaker must win back lost customers, go after younger buyers and must NEVER borrow another dollar from the federal government again or otherwise risk the wrath of a segment of the American populace (me included) who would rather pull the plug than pay out one more dime!

See Also — Ford 2010: Arriving Sooner Than You Think!