Remember when Buick announced that it would build a new crossover based on the
Saturn Vue, complete with a plug-in hybrid version? That was so two weeks ago.
Today on GM's Fastlane blog, Tom Stephens, GM's Vice Chairman of Product Development, revealed that the two vehicles have been canceled.
Turns out that turning a Saturn into a Buick takes more than just a pretty grille. When consumers and journalists were shown the vehicle at a recent preview, the reaction was so negative that the GM brass quickly convened and decided to kill it.
Stephens billed the move as a sign that the new GM moves quickly when it comes to making decisions. True, but making a quick decision to cancel a bad decision you made a few months ago isn't exactly a major accomplishment.
Stephens did reiterate that another small crossover, often dubbed the "baby Enclave, is still on track.
GM Fastlane: Reports From the Front
albook says:
01:40 PM, 08/19/09
Well I guess the fact that there is still another "baby Enclave" on the way does mean that this was likely a badge engineered Vue. That's bad.
redgeminipa says:
04:02 PM, 08/19/09
At least GM isn't as obvious, usually, as Ford when it comes to badge engineering! OMG ... where do I begin? The Milan, Fusion, MKZ triplets. The MKX and Edge twins. Holly balls! At least most of GM's badge engineering comes with new sheet metal. Ford seems to be the only one still stuck in the '80's as far as that goes. How many different sets of headlights and dashboards can you come up with for the same basic car under different names? GM is FAR from the only company that does badge engineering, and when they do, it typically takes a trained eye to spot them! Many of these people need to get a grip!
estreka says:
05:32 PM, 08/19/09
Where were these execs when the Aztek was going into production?
inlinesix says:
11:50 PM, 08/19/09
Huh, paying attention to consumers?
amazing
tryan says:
03:18 AM, 08/20/09
This is a great sign from the "new" GM. Execs that actually listen to customers instead of relying solely on statistics and data is a good thing!
Badge engineering makes sense from a cost perspective when you want to expand lineups, but as we've seen from a consumer perspective, it just makes it harder to distinguish between and justify the existence of different brands.
rsholland says:
06:13 AM, 08/20/09
Yes, good that they responded so quickly, but the real question is: Why did it take outsiders to tell GM that this car was a loser, when the "experts" at GM thought it was a winner?
Makes you wonder about the capability of those in charge....
grantman64 says:
06:43 AM, 08/20/09
This statement in your article really caught my attention:
"Stephens billed the move as a sign that the new GM moves quickly when it comes to making decisions. True, but making a quick decision to cancel a bad decision you made a few months ago isn't exactly a major accomplishment."
Sure, it'd be great if people could make the right decision every time, but last time I looked, that capability is beyond us. In fact, good leadership means making the best decisions you can, assessing their effectiveness, and dropping or reversing the decisions that didn't work.
The fact that GM listened to the negative feedback, realized that a Buick-badged Saturn SUV was a mistake, and reversed the old, bad decision, is a good sign! Old GM would've just pushed that turd out there and then made excuses for why it flopped in the marketplace.
BTW, that 2-mode hybrid powertrain will fit just fine in the new Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain :-)
iskch says:
07:57 AM, 08/20/09
"Baby Enclave" Hummm..... you mean a rebadge of the Equinox, Terrain & SRX TOM S.?
thejohnp says:
11:04 AM, 08/20/09
Now I want to see what it looked like.