General Motor's "commercial grade" truck unit may be losing two of its planned products, leaving some to contemplate the future of the nameplate in general. It's too early to consider GMC dead, but with the apparent cancellation of the next-generation Acadia CUV as well as the planned unibody truck inspired by the Denali XT Concept, GMC dealers are likely left wondering what, beyond the new GMC Terrain, they are supposed to be selling in the next few years. We're not all that sad to see the Acadia go as the Chevy Traverse is a better looking overall package and it makes more sense to offer the CUV as a Chevrolet anyway. What's more, with most GMC dealers also offering Buick vehicles, they'll still have the Enclave to offer potential customers.
Current rumors also predict an end to the Saturn Outlook, the slowest seller of the original Lambda-based trio, which would leave the Enclave and the Traverse as the two remaining GM crossovers. There still seems to be a good chance that Chevrolet will get an SUT based off the platform as well, so nothing too important seems to have been lost with this decision.
[Source: GM Inside News]
Paris Preview: Officially Official, Honda's new hybrid is the Insight!
Mazda Kiyora city car concept, MX-5 facelift head to Paris
Leaked: Official updated Mazda MX-5 image
Reader Spy: Chevy Volt caught on set of Transformers 2
Spy Shot: Production interior of Chevy Volt (maybe)
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged
By the Numbers - August 2008: New Digs Edition
In the Autoblog Garage: KITT Shelby GT500 KR
First Drive: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Nissan Murano
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Torrent @ Jun 30th 2008 1:07PM
Lambda SUT? Like this?
http://www.gminsidenews.com/naias/revitalization/saturnria/images/saturn/large_switch.jpg
These SUT's are best left on paper.
Dasupersprint @ Jun 30th 2008 1:08PM
Anyways what's the point of the whole GMC brand?
jamie @ Jun 30th 2008 1:27PM
Chevrolet dealers sell Chevy trucks.
Buick/Pontiac/GMC dealers sell GMC trucks.
Redundant? Yes. But they both make money.
Everybody happy?
PJ @ Jun 30th 2008 2:20PM
"Redundant? Yes. But they both make money."
Except they don't:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/07/news/companies/gm/index.htm
GM needs to go lean to survive; minimizing the proliferation of models with a shrinking market just makes sense.
Noe @ Jun 30th 2008 1:10PM
well at least people wont be complaining anymore about there being 4 lambdas, but soon after they'll find something else to complain about GM.
Gargamello @ Jun 30th 2008 1:13PM
Aw so sad! Does this mean no more of that cheesy 1980's GMC logo bearing down on me in my rear view mirror as some disgruntled construction worker tries to run me over as he's late to work?
My heart nearly breaks with sadness over the imminent demise of Detroit's redneck framer label.
TJ @ Jun 30th 2008 1:28PM
wow. You are a first rate idiot.
dea911 @ Jun 30th 2008 11:39PM
how funny. in my neck of the woods im getting mowed down by GMC's as well. except they are filled by soccer moms on cell phones toting 1 child, and 2 bags of groceries, yet they need that SUV with custom 22's!!!
Gargamello @ Jul 1st 2008 2:20AM
Aw TJ you're just mad cuz you know I nailed you on the nose, my friend, lol. Its ok just drive slower, ol boy.
brandon @ Jun 30th 2008 1:15PM
Really? the Acadia is probably the only GM car I have ever seen on the road (other than A-Team vans). As a matter of fact, I see the Acadia everywhere, seems like they can't keep it on the lots where I live in CA.
VP @ Jun 30th 2008 1:21PM
I agree with you. I see so many Acadia's everyday it's not even funny. Whenever i see a Lambda, 90% of the time it's an Acadia. If not it's an Enclave. The outlook is the one i never see out on the roads.
Ferg @ Jun 30th 2008 1:15PM
I'm going to have to disagree with the comment of the traverse looking better than the Acadia. The Traverse looks like an equinox.
To prevent arguments... this is just my opinion.
luv2bngya @ Jul 7th 2008 8:36AM
I have to agree that the acadia is far better looking than the traverse. The traverse seems too much like an after thought and hodge-podge of cues from current and past chevys. The acadia is one of the better looking SUV's(oxymoron) on the road today, IMO. The traverse is now the ugliest of the 4 siblings.
On a separate note, phasing out GMC would finally give GM the recognition it deserves for selling the most trucks in the USA since GMC and Chevy have been counted separately rather than telling the truth by combining the numbers and outselling Ford's F-150 every year.
Everett @ Jun 30th 2008 2:23PM
The Acadia is far better looking than the Traverse...the new Malibu styling is lost on it. The Traverse should have just been called the "Brand Engineering Isn't Over, Yet"; they shouldn't be trying to milk the Lambda platform so much, since all of their iterations combined barely surpass sales of the Ford Edge - these guys never learn.
Build a good product (like the Acadia) and work on promoting it.
Ligor @ Jun 30th 2008 4:15PM
I agree
no way does the Traverse look as good as the Acadia
the traverse is just slightly better thatn the Saturn, but fall way short of the Acadia and the buick version
the writer of this needs to have his eyes checked
Gargamello @ Jun 30th 2008 1:20PM
Yes really. I haven't seen an Acadia on the road in at least 6 months. The lot at the one GMC dealership here is full of row after row of them.
The only gmc vehicles I see are old and rusty pickups. Perhaps that speaks to the longevity of the rustbuckets. Or maybe it's that the only people who are forced to drive these gas hogs during the current fuel crisis are those who have to use them to work. Everyone else is riding around in their small car? Which is probably Japanese or Korean?
Andrew L @ Jun 30th 2008 2:52PM
I have to agree, I never see any Acadia's in my area, the only one I have seen was where I was working they were giving it away at a golf tournament. And I have seen 2 Outlooks and 1 Enclave in the past 3 weeks.
To be Honest, I hate seeing a brand go away with all the history they hold like Oldsmobile and Mercury
but GMC to me has always been a Chevy truck with a different grill and it is not like they are more heavy duty cause they are not they have the same power plants as their Chevy cousins. Ford is able to sell a ton of F-Series trucks under one badge. perhaps if GM would wake up and sell only one truck under the Chevy badge they would be able to take the title away from Ford......
David Thompson @ Jun 30th 2008 4:01PM
That's all they are now, but it wasn't always that way. Back in Ye Olden Tymes, GMC had its own displacements of the stovebolt I6, used Pontiac V8s in the late 1950s, and had its own massive V6 through the 1960s. GMC had its own factories, wiring harnesses, used Dana axles instead of the usual corporate twigs, and for a few years in the '60s they had rear leaf springs standard when Chevy was using coil springs and trailing arms. GM steadily killed off the features that set GMC apart in order to reduce costs beginning in 1967 and the job was basically completed by 1973.
TriShield @ Jun 30th 2008 1:27PM
The world doesn't need a Lambda SUT.
GM needs a small, light, competent compact four cylinder truck or a frugal car that can haul for city slickers like a neo El Camino.
I asked here when news broke of HUMMER was being "reviewed" how far behind GM's other gas-guzzling, all-truck brand GMC would be.
Looks like not far.
Too bad they are quietly phasing it out about 15 years too late.
Pontiac is also being quietly phased out as well. There are no new Pontiac products planned after the rebadged Ute and Solstice coupe land. The G8 is done by 2012 if GM stick it out that long.
JZeke @ Jun 30th 2008 1:29PM
I hope the dealer voice doesn't outweigh what looks like smart model consolidation and reduction of overlap. Dealers have dissented before when GM tried to remain firm on not badge engineering, leading to recent bastards such as the Pontiac G5 and Torrent.