The car(s) that really GM a slow death was every Cavalier and every rebadged derivative since the 80s. Since they were generally purchased by young people, it alienated consumers at a critical point when Toyota and Honda were coddling their owners with reliable transportation. Civic drivers graduated up to Accords, then Acuras. The Cavalier created vocally angry people in large numbers who swore to never buy another GM vehicle. And for good reason. Then there was the tarted-up Cavalier, the Cimarron... this was beyond stupid and it really hurt Cadillac.

I'd also say that the last two generations of Monte Carlo and the previous generation Impala also were two more nails in GM's coffin. Those two cars contributed to the stigma of Chevy as a WT brand.

Then there were the GM minivans...

The Fiero. Or more accurately, the lack of an improved successor.

The SaaBlazer

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[www.autolife.umd.umich.edu]

"I did a design where you'd have a new roof and new pieces, but it would look new. It was more money than the budget would allow. And, Kaptur, he's the son of the guy that did the BOP thing, he said, "You know, I think we can put Chevrolet in the B Body, and I'll show you a drawing." And, I'll never forget, I looked at it, and I was not in charge then, Earl was down in Haiti, and I didn't know what to do, so I called him on the phone, and he's usually rough as hell, and he says, "Hello Bill, how are you?" He was half clobbered. He said, "I've got a little card in my pocket, and I pull it out every now and then to see who the hell I am." I'll never forget that, and that was a Sunday afternoon, and I called, he said, "Call Bud Goodman and Charlie Booth, the controller at Fisher, and tell them what you think about it." It was a rainy Sunday, and Booth said, "My God, you've saved hundreds of million dollars." I said, "Well, I'm modeling it."

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This is what happens when you let a bunch of old, uncreative people run a business into the ground.

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You guys actually found one of the better looking Aztec's. That one has (mostly) painted side cladding and larger alloy wheels.

All the ones on the road around here had what looked like 14" wheels with covers. I'd say 80% of the Aztec's ugliness was based on the wheels. The concept had a wide stance, with wheels that were sized properly for the wheel openings.

This is what I'm talking about.

Fugly:

[www.tcar-recovery.com]

Slightly Less Fugly Concept:

[www.carstyling.ru]

SEMA modded concept came too little, too late:

[www.autoweek.com]

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Lumina - The joke of the mid-sized segment. Couldn't compete with the Taurus, let alone Camry/Accord. Not a terrible car, but not too good either. Totally lost mid-sized car sales.

Lumina APV - An adventure in wackiness comparable to AMC's Pacer. Lost any hope at the minivan segment.

Cavalier - The zombie car. Killed in the mid-90s by something called a Corolla. Even an Escort was more cohesive than this assemblage of random parts. The Cavalier/Cobalt (excepting SS) has been junky since it launched in 1981 (?). Way to build small car loyalty, GM.

Monte Carlo - Image does count for something.

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I fail to see how the Saabaru is a greater representation of brand-fucking-up-age than the Trollblazer.

That is all.

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The Hummer is there because of what it says about GM's philosophy, which regardless of what it actually is, comes across as "we'll build whatever we want."

The Aveo is there because it represents the persistent but groundless idea that American factories cannot build small cars that Americans will buy.

Horseshit. I'll pay $30 to have jeans that were made in the US (they're out there), I'll pay $17,500 for a compact built in the US. Don't slap an American badge on a godawful little rattlebox from Korea. Daewoo tried that, Ford tried that, and GM tried that, all many years ago. Learn the lesson already.

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