Hummer, it is one vehicle you can recognize from a distance; whereas with many other brands, it is hard to distinguish them when sitting behind them in traffic (cars/trucks and SUVs).
You don't think Saturn was a niche marketing success. Hell there are only 450 Saturn Retailers, yet the VUE has outsold the Pontiac Torrent and Chevy Equinox for the past six months.
Yes, I agree, Saturn has to turn around, but the new products such as the Sky, Aura, Outlook and the new VUE look damn good.
The biggest problem GM faces now, other than those outdated union contracts (to be exact...Job Bank), is to make people realize they have improved quality tremendously in the past few years. This is hard, people purchase a product, have great luck with it, and it is hard to drag them away from that product. (Heck, I will only purchase Toshiba TVs and DVDs due to never having a problem with one under 10 years old.)
Design of a car is rough, what someone likes, others love. I hate the 300M Chryslers, but it appears I'm in the minority. I will say that GM does seem to take the conservative approach in design, except for Vettes, Hummers and Cadillacs and the new Saturns arriving later this year.
Buick is a rough one, since for many years this was marketed at the older market, yet at one time they produced one of the best muscle cars made (Grand National). They can't seem to find their particular market, and that is what killed Oldsmobile.
I believe GM can pull out of this in the next year...IF, there is no extended strike next year. GM, as well as Ford and Chrysler, have to negotiate a contract that will abolish the Job Banks across the US and Canada. Failure to do that will result in all three of those companies going out of business. Last year, GM paid 800 million to workers who are not working.
I have a bad feeling though, the Union will strike and cause the company to file for bankruptcy, and that will be the end of everything GM makes. (Just my opinion, Wagner and I don't discuss these topics over lunch
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Will GM turn around? I hope so, not only for my own good, but for the good of the US and my kids. People don't seem to understand what would happen if GM went under. It would be a large shock to the economy, and felt everywhere. Not only GM employees out of work, but suppliers, car dealerships, and the people who support those locations such as restaurants, stores, etc. (If GM went out of business, Detroit would be bankrupt a day later, and the state of MI would be close; course the state will raise taxes on all others.)