A slimmer GM ahead

The NYT reports on how GM's recently announced slimdown – reducing the number of brands to four – figures in the context of history. 

I have to admit that I am not surprised that GM is taking the knife to their portfolio. It SHOULD have been done in the 90's, when it was clear Honda and Toyota were here to stay. The portfolio will now be – Chevy, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. Chevy is the mainstream and still the volume leader for the company. Buick is the respectable brand that sells well overseas. Cadillac is the prestige brand. GMC is the one I am not sure I understand since a lot of its line is made up of Chevy trucks. But GMC has a loyal following so if they can make it work, more power to them. 

It's sad to see Pontiac phased out and most of all Saturn. But GM was never truly committed to Saturn. Saturn was about everything that GM was not, so it's hard to see that succeed without egg on the face of the rest of the company. The great news is that it worked. The bad news is it didn't spread. Maybe they will take lessons from that and apply it to the rest of the company.