The Money article said that they will probably start shutting down the
smaller marks, specifically Buick. Buick, like Oldsmobile before it, is
viewed by many as a tired brand here in the US. They suggested that GM would
probably go with five major brands- Chevy as their mainstream, Caddy as the
luxury, GMC as their commercial line, Pontiac as the performance group and
Saturn as the economy line. Hummer, Saab and Opel/Vauxhall/Holden (OVH for
simplification) were really not discussed.

If they are going to kill another mark, I would think they would elimnate
OVH or sharply reorganize the OVH low- and mid-tier brands in favor of
Chevy. It would be a logical move on their part as OVH are "local" brands,
each being (mostly) limited to one of GM's geographical markets. Chevy is
currently found in three of GM's six markets- The EU, North & South America.
Chevy and OVH have very similar reach of products though the low- and
mid-tier levels, with OVH having some higher end products that would be
Buick or Caddy in the US. Holden already has product overlap with Chevy and
Pontiac in the US. By merging OVH's low- and mid-tier levels with Chevy it
would establish two things- a single international brand in all six markets
and a simplified product offering. The OVH top-tier brands could become the
equivalent of Caddy of Europe. I now many view the OVH brands with some
scorn overthere, but with some serious work, the marks could be revitalized
much like Caddy was here in the US.

Saab is a bit of red-haired step child in GM and I honestly do not know what
they will do with it. GM currently aim it as a competitor of Volvo and Audi
here in the States. It is their only European mark in this hemisphere. In
fact, Saab is GM's only European brand that has worldwide brand recognition
in all six of its markets, which I see as a plus for the brand as an ongoing
product. It is a rather American POV, but GM is still a US company.

Also, according to an AP wire report this morning, the UAW and GM have
reached a tentative agreement to restructure healthcare cost. The Union will
be picking up about 25% more of the costs associated with its members, their
families and retirees.

Jeremy