Peter DeLorenzo's rant today confirmed thoughts that we've been having for the last week: the media's dog-piling on GM because it's an easy target. In fact, if we wanted to, we could blog all day and into the night and report only on stories that involve GM's woes. The fact is, many of the major players in the industry are having a tough time right now. Is GM in a hole? Yes. Are they doing some things right? Definitely.
-Davey G. Johnson

We're not as big on the G6 or the GTO as DeLorenzo is, but both cars are a step in the right direction. Enough for Pontiac? No, but they're working toward something. We're not as sure of Buick's prospects, as they're staring down the barrel of the Accord and Camry. DeLorenzo believes in the LaCrosse; we're not so sure about it. The only Chevrolet we would buy is the Corvette. We'd go for a Civic, Mazda 3 or Focus before we'd be seen in a Cobalt, although we'd go Cobalt over Neon. Chevy trucks are ass-ugly across the board. Thank God for GMC. We adore the new Saab SportCombi wagon, but given their ownership, "The State of Independence" campaign rings more than a little false to us. Emphasize the Saab difference, but don't lie to us, GM. We'd also take the 9-2X over a WRX, though the GM-corporate SUV is about the most un-Saab thing we can think of.

We don't believe that GM needs to kill off brands, but they do need to whittle down and refine redundant models. Does Buick need an SUV? Are the GM Minivans good enough? If not, why bother using them to dilute so many brands? Whither the Torrent? Why did they insist on making all Chevrolet trucks resemble the homely Avalanche? For all of the good we've seen come out of GM in the last couple of years, there's still much to be done. Sigma-Lite needs to happen yesterday now that Zeta's toast in the US. Chevrolet's styling isn't cutting it. Buicks need a reputation for quality and refinement. Pontiac's model range should be culled. Saturn should ditch the Ion and Relay, go with the Aura, Sky and Vue until such time there's a viable Minivan available. The Ion should be restyled and re-named, using the lessons learned from the Cobalt. Essentially, GM needs to cut the dreck out of every brand. They'll still have enough solid models to begin rebuilding the range. That means some tough decision making for Wagoner and Co. GM now has interesting cars in practically every segment but Minivans. Some just need minor tweaks to be class leaders. We hesitate to say that they're "almost there", but with some serious decision-making over the next couple of years, they could be.

Autoexremist Rant: May 4 [Autoextremist As ever, Peter'll make you buy it after this week, so go now]

Related:
Emotions in Motion: GM Takes its Show on the Road [Internal]

Contact information for this author is not available.