Auto Industry News

Selected news facts from around the car industry…




Archive for the ‘Saturn’ Category

Fritz Henderson, GM’s COO, foresees the future of the car manufacturer relying on four car brands: Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick. The statement was done after a strategic review of the Hummer and Saab brands.

He further discloses that Pontiac will experience significant production cuts while the Saturn line will have a different loom. GM is also collaborating with the Swedish government to help the Saab brand. Around 75% of the Saab sales is in Europe so the plan will not be a US approach.

The company will push with its plans of heavily investing on the Buick brand in China. This move will have a positive effect on the brand in the United States.

The four core brands of the auto maker comprise 83% of its sales in the United States in 2008.

The plan of the GM group revolves around the price of oil being around $130-$160 per barrel. The company forecasts oil prices to be at the level of $53 per barrel in 2009. The low oil price will be a big challenge for their plug-in vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt.

(more…)