It was sad to see the end of a brand with such an old heritage and history. But to be fair, olds was quite irrelevant during its last years! The brand was already dead well before it was officially shut down by GM.
Sometimes brands "redefine" themselves. They turn their back to their previous loyal customers and go after a new group of customers. The disaster happens when a brand turns its back to its loyal customers, AND it fails to attract its new target demographic; this is what happened to Olds. On the other side, there are examples that this redefinition worked well. Cadillac is a good example. I know that you, and many other here, don't like what Cadillac has changed to be, however, the fact is that Cadillac, more or less, could attract its new target buyers and it is doing OK and it will survive.
I remember when GM announced that Oldsmobile would cease to exist, my neighbor, an attorney, was in shock. I would imagine that his shock and sorrow was multiplied by thousands when lawyers across America realized one of the symbols of their profession, and certainly "the car" of choice many in their legion was longer be available to buy. Yes the attorneys may have had a Mercedes at home for their wife to drive, but when it came to client interaction ...... only an Olds would do!
No.
My literal point was it would have been nice if Olds could have held out long enough to be bailed out along with all the other failing divisions of Government Motors.
My figurative point was, there is a way to move a brand forward, and modernize it, without extending the middle finger to all the loyal customers they already have.
I see your point. However, some say (but not necessarily my personal opinion) that GM had too many divisions, and keeping them all at the same time weren't financially a good idea. Therefore they had no option but to sacrifice a few of the divisions, presumably the weakest ones, and dedicate their available resources and funds to modernize the remaining divisions that have a better chance of survival. And there were rumors that they killed olds to keep funding Saturn. They thought Saturn brand can have a better future than olds! Well, it didn't go based on the plan!
"The Saturn Corporation was an automobile manufacturer and brand, established on January 7, 1985 as a subsidiary of General Motorsin response to the success of Japanese automobile imports in the United States. "
I would say they were mimicking Toyota Corolla and Honda civic.
Again, I see what you are saying, and I partially agree with you. When a brand loses its heritage and what it stands for, and tries to be something different, it might not have a very good chance to survive.
I thought Saturn was an attempt to sell basic transportation cars to people who didn't like, or couldn't dicker for price with car dealers. When Saturn first came to the market that was a major part of their marketing plan. .... "One Price No Negotiation!"
Oldsmobile?? they put out rebadged garbage since I was born and probably before that.
I had a neighbor from Spring Hill that worked for Saturn on the executive level heard some good stories.
Well buy garbage regardless of badging and that's what you get. Don't group a few crappy cars into an assumption that EVERY Olds is or was garbage...
I have owned and driven a lot of Oldsmobiles and most were of excellent quality. Old's 98's were top quality and frankly I had less issues with them than Cadillac's of the same era.
My last two new vehicle purchases were Oldsmobile; I didn't know what I was missing until I bought the first one. I bought a 2000 Olds Intrigue; my daughter finally traded it in last year at approx 140,000 miles still looking pretty good (it was a fine car). And currently an '04 Olds Bravada (I still drive), another fine vehicle; a cut above (IMO) the Trailblazer (Chevy) in style and interior amenities. Hardly "rebadged garbage", again, IMO.
My wife's 1999 Oldsmobile silhouette was leaps and bounds better than her current 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. The T & C with 32,000 miles has been more trouble than the the Olds was over it's first 100,000 miles.
Olds had the Quad4 motor that might have been unrefined but was a little beast of a 4cyl. The Aurora was a great concept with a flawed execution. The Intrigue was also a good midsize car that never was developed. The Alero was crap.
When you arrive at the Family Reunion a day early.
(No, that's not mine, as I am not there...even if I organized it... Veteran Cadillac owners may be able to spot the differences, even from that angle and distance)
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