We Won't See GM's Orphaned Brands Back Anytime Soon

Published on January 29, 2015 in News by Frédérick Boucher-Gaulin
Pontiac GTO

In a recent interview, General Motors' CEO Mary Barra announced that she wasn't missing the brands that GM killed during the 2008-2009 restructuring: Saturn, Saab, Hummer and Pontiac.

This is by no means an official announcement, but it probably means that we won't see a revival of the brands while Mary Barra is head of GM.

There is little doubt that putting the brands out of their misery was the only option at the time for the American giant (after all, Saturn was created to challenge the Japanese brands and failed miserably, the essence of Saab had been so distilled by GM that it was nothing more than a shell of its former self, Hummer was victim of its own thirsty SUV image and Pontiac... Pontiac still had its place, as far as I am concerned), but this news will probably be heartbreaking to the aficionados of the brands.

GM is however working very hard on keeping Saab/Hummer/Saturn/Pontiac owners in one of their vehicles: they are sending them information on new products and are even offering some substantial fidelity rebates.

We want your opinion: if you own one of the orphaned brand's vehicles, will you buy another GM when the time comes for a new vehicle?