Auto Message Boards Discuss Future of Oldsmobile

The petitions to bring back Oldsmobile are growing. It has been one of the top searches on BrandlandUSA. We wanted to bring to our readers’ attention a few of the sites that are beginning to catch on to the value of Oldsmobile to General Motors. They are listed below.

In fact, looking back on the decision, General Motors shareholders should be really ticked off about how much the company has done to destroy generations of consumer goodwill and stockholder value. It’s time General Motors got back to being General Motors again. The company needs Cadillac. Buick. Pontiac. Chevrolet. Oldsmobile. Maybe Saturn. Certainly GMC. Not Hummer.

A few mentions on the message boards.

Read our posts on the issue.

Author

  • Garland Pollard

    J. Garland Pollard IV is editor/publisher of BrandlandUSA. Since 2006, the website BrandlandUSA.com has chronicled the history and business of America’s great brands.

11 Comments

  1. Today…..GM needs 3 brands like they have. ” Back in the day “, yea, the General got away with 5 brands. Today, no. There are too many car brands, too many models, on a global scale now. GM dropped Olds, Pontiac, Saturn. Those 3 brands due to fault of their own and GM, for destroying them. Saturn…was a Roger Smith dream come true that should’ve never been. Oldsmobile, … GM finished the brand off by alienating American traditional Olds older buyers looking for younger Acura, Lexus, Infinite buyers. Actually, the response by Olds in the end, being Aurora, Intrigue, Alero, was a great shot in a short period of time for those buyers. Just not enough time to come to fruition due to the Generals problems. Today to me, 2021, looking at the late 1990’s early 2000’s Olds Auroras, Intrigues, Alero’s, …they would really sell very well NOW. They were car designs that were 20 yrs ahead of their time. Look at Cadillac now for 2021. Looks like Oldsmobile of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. I have always liked Olds and Buick. Preferred Olds. The three divisions I wish were here today would be Chevy, Olds, and Cadillac. Buick, very nice, luxury, well built. But so was Olds. Olds was always a ” poor mans Cadillac “. GM experimental division mainly for Cadillac. Not much difference except design looks, in Olds & Buick. They were sister divisions that used same platforms along with Cadillac. Chevy and Pontiac were sister divisions using the same platforms. Pontiac and Buick should’ve been closed. Buick was too much like Cadillac, Olds was a tad step down in design from Buick but was basically a Cadillac w/o being a Cadillac. So, Chevy, Olds, Cadillac should be the 3 div remaining. Get rid of all the SUVS, keep a couple, place more emphasis on Aurora styled car vehicles, place more emphasis on American old style luxury, forget trying to copy all the Asian and European styling. Ford should do the same thing with the Ford, Lincoln, even consider bringing Mercury back. If you want to move to electric, thats fine. Its just propulsion, not outward looks. Give America what was American. If you price good, with good quality….they will come.

  2. They should bring back an assume model of the cutlass supreme! looked back on the intrigue concept and compared to what they actually came out with the concept car was a beauty! (why they changed it when the car was in production ???)

  3. It is time for new car.
    My 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora has nearly 300,000 miles. The body is in great shape.
    It has developed an overheating problem diagnosed as a head gasket problem. If it weren’t so old I would have it repaired.
    Since Government Motors dropped Oldsmobile I will not get another Government Motors Vehicle

    1. Thats amazing that it lasted so long…300K…like a volvo or honda..

      i totally agree..olds was a classic

  4. GM is very short-sighted. They just assume that when they cut brands like Olds, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, then the buyers that were loyal to those brands will just flock like sheep to another GM brand. Wrong. Too many are leaving for Toyota and Nissan. As unhappy as I am with the remaining brands, when I need another car I may stick with GM or I may look to German cars. If they want my business, build an Olds 88 and I’ll be back for sure.

  5. The government’s Auto Task Force even has forced Pontiac out of production. This adds to the brands that General Motors is losing money by not capitalizing on.

    If that survey were done today, I suspect Pontiac would surpass Oldsmobile in demand to return, however, I think GM should re-evaluate Oldsmobile and even Hummer. Each could serve as potent sub-brands at Chevy and GMC dealers respectfully.

  6. No brand is safe now and GM is indeed is in a mess. All the brands are damaged. Right now a car(CTS) truck and and suv are holding up Cadillac. It should not be this way. All of them lost sight of what their mission was in GM. You cannot have multiple platforms which cost you money and give every car to every division. That is competing against yourself. GM did not get in this mess overnight. This was 20 plus years of bad management, poor marketing, poor decisions and GM being insulated and isolated. It is also due to GM feeling since they were big and powerful, they could dictate to the public what we should buy. This is not so as they have found out.

    With that out of the way, I could name many things that went wrong besides poor interiors and styling, this is the GM I would think would work in todays market. Using what has happened, I will set GM up to that specification. I will use the GM of the 1960’s and past successful days as a model when the brands were semi independent and had fewer models. They made more with less. GM must globalize. There must be platform sharing across the world.

    Chevrolet will not get every car and every platform. Let me make that clear up front. It does not matter what they are doing at GM Middle East or at Holden.
    Buick will do a complete 360 in image. It will be a risky gamble.
    Oldsmobile will return.
    Pontiac will live with fewer models.
    This new GM will cover every segment of the market and this GM will reach the different types of buyers with fewer models.

    This GM will have:

    A beginning entry level mainstream” American” brand: Chevrolet
    A perfomance brand with an emphasis on affordable performance: Pontiac
    A “American” styled brand with an emphasis on technology and “American” styled luxury” Oldsmobile
    A entry to midlevel import fighter luxury brand: Buick
    A full on ultra luxury brand: Cadillac
    A luxury/ commercial truck brand: GMC

    The dealerships will be interchangable. There will be no stand alone Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac or GMC dealers. They will be housed at Chevrolet or next to a Cadillac showroom or together. No dealerships will be added. The metro areas will have fewer dealerships. Some will be consolidated. The rural dealerships will have the brands housed in the same dealer.

    This automatically cuts down on the number of dealers.
    The platforms will be Epsilon( fwd)
    Alpha/Zeta( rwd)
    trucks
    Lambda( fwd and awd)
    Theta
    Delta

    Each platform can be lengthened, stretched, shortened or modified to ride according to market segment tastes.

    Each division will be marketed as they were in the past as a company owned by GM until the GM name can be rebuilt from its tarnished image. The Saturn approach will be used here. The dealership agreements will not be set up like Saturn. In order to get or maintain a GM franchise, certain criteria must be met.

    On to the divisions:

    Chevrolet: Mainstream and affordable entry level cars. The sports cars lead into Pontiac.

    Malibu( fwd sedan)
    Impala( fwd) ( large sedan)( no bench seat)
    Cruze
    Equinox
    Volt
    Beat/Spark
    Aveo(total overall make over)
    Silverado
    Tahoe
    Suburban
    Zafira
    Corvette
    Camaro
    Traverse

    Some of Saturn’s models will end up at Chevrolet. The Chervolet dealers and everyone involved will be reeducated to a higher standard. No more thinking we are a bottom feeder and sell cheap cars. The dealerships must be given the same respect as a Buick dealer with less on the inside.

    Pontiac:
    Bonneville: rwd upper/premium midsized( will fill all the mission of all the old B and H bodies)
    Firebird/Trans Am: More features and options that Camaro and different styling.
    Grand Prix: rwd midsized coupe. Think BMW 6 Series and the old Grand Prix from the 1960’s and 1970’s. A GTO trim level can be spun off Grand Prix.

    No bench seats or cheap interiors. The beginning of the use of higher materials. Think of it as a cheap BMW like Bob Lutz said. If you cannot afford a performance Cadillac, this is the way to go.

    Oldsmobile:
    98: rwd or fwd. Will fill the mission of all the old C Bodies( 98, Deville, Park Avenue) with a contemporary twist. GM’s only traditional fullsized luxury sedan.
    Toronado: fullsized personal luxury coupe. Exactly what it was in 1966 and 1992.
    Cutlass/Ciera: The front wheel drive coupe. The only GM convertible other than sports cars will be here.

    Toronado and Cutlass will offer bucket seats as an option. If you make Cutlass rwd, it would be GM’s only midsized rear drive mainstream sedan. If you make it fwd or rwd, it would be GM’s only midsized coupe.
    A Custom Cruiser wagon is a possibility as well derived from Holden.

    This brand will be the only GM brand with bench seats and the use of the next level of higher grade materials and features. This division is GM’s test bed for new technologies. It will be the one with the “traditional” American things like digital gauges and bench seats and velour fabrics and more. They will soak up the Lincoln Town Car buyers and Grand Marquis buyers as Ford is leaving the segment. They will also take Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon buyers as well. Toronado and 98 will share instrumentation panels like they did in the 1970’s. I will not make the assumption Buick and hard line traditional Cadillac buyers will flock to Oldsmobile.

    Buick: Entry to midlevel import fighter. Returning to its roots as the up scale professionals car. Buick China will influence not dictate the American Buick.

    Insignia/Regal: Lexus ES fighter/Acura TL
    LaCrosse: As big as a Buick will get at a 197 inches. Acura RL Infiniti G35 clientele
    Saturn VUE/Opel Antara: Becomes Buick Rendevous. Loaded. Lead in to Enclave
    Holden Calais: A loaded rwd Buick aimed at the Lexus GS and Infiniti M Class.
    Astra: Entry level Buick for the budget conscious luxury buyer.

    No Buicks will have bench seats, be over a 197 inches, have less content, or come in multiple trim levels. They will come loaded with options that can be added.

    The tag line: Isn’t it time you consider “Buick”

    Cadillac: Ultra Luxury Brand. No excuses, no cuts, all out standard of the world luxury

    FTS: Rolls Royce Bentley Fighter at a cheaper price
    DTS: BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S Class and Audi A8 fighter
    CTS: BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class fighter
    STS/ETC: two and four door ultra luxury cars. Low volume. Think the big coupe at Mercedes and the four passenger Chinese SLS
    BTS: BMW 3 Series fighter
    SRX: Cadillacs crossover.
    Escalade: Range Rover and other upper crust SUV’s.
    Converj: the luxury Volt

    The CTS will have variations: coupe, sedan, and wagon.

    GMC: Luxury truck brand and commercial trucks. They will have to be brought up to a notch below Buick in terms of luxury and way ahead Chevrolet. Can be sold any any dealer except Chevrolet.

    The way it is set up now:

    fewer cars
    Chevrolet leads into Oldsmobile
    Pontiac leads into Cadillac: performance
    Buick: aimed directly at the heart of the luxury car market and connects with GMC.

    You have every segment covered by a fewer cars.

    Oldsmobile and Chevrolet will play up the “American” brand angle.
    Pontiac will play up the ” stylish affordable” performance.
    Buick as I stated is: ” Isn’t It Time You Considered Buick”. The Buick emblem will float with a black back ground. It will compare itself to the imports and leave many asking: “Was that a Buick?”
    Cadillac will go back to Cadillac Style that it used before but emphasis will be on the new definition of luxury.

    The end result is GM as Ford is Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Toyota is Scion, Toyota and Lexus.

    It will be like when you go to the supermarket and you know Kellogg’s cereal brands You know each Kellogg’s cereal caters to a certain segment. There are variations on that brand. You know General Mills also has different cereal brands too. They compete against Kellogg’s. The brands inside the company complement each other.


  7. Oldsmobile should come back! They could make a 442 and drop in a modified LS V8 into it. Maybe 4 valves per cylinder, 4-speed automatic transmission with select shift for a true muscle car feeling, and dual true exhaust with dual cats and muflers. They could also make the the engine either 350, 400 or 455 cubic inches (5.7, 6.6 or 7.4 liters) like the old carbeurated rocket V8 engines and call them the LS Rocket engines. For a modern touch, they could give the engine active fuel management and flex fuel capability. Running a car on ethanol can increase a car’s performance and lifespan greatly.

  8. Oldsmobile, the idea of bringing probably the greatest American car name back sounds great. If Oldsmobile did come back now,you would end up with a car that would look like just about everything else on the road. Modern vehicle car design now is so incredibly boring, that unless the Olds was brought back as a awesome Cutlass supercar, similar to the Dodge Viper, bringing back the Olds would be pointless.

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