Out with the Old and In with the New as GM Attempts to Upgrade Its Image
What's in a name? A heck of a lot if hundreds of millions, and even billions of research and development dollars could be lost due to a given model's previously poor image. For that reason it's out with the old and in with the new for many of General Motor's nameplates.
 |
| GM is closing the doors on the 105 year old Oldsmobile brand. (Photo: General Motors) |
By now everyone should be aware that GM's Oldsmobile division is soon to be phased out altogether, and some may even have heard that the Pontiac Aztek is getting axed. While the former is bad news to auto enthusiasts who grew up admiring Cutlass 442s while being awed by outlandish Toronados, most will say good riddance to the latter.
 |
| The long running Cavalier name will be retired and replaced with Cobalt. (Photo: General Motors) |
On a less final note, GM will also be laying to rest some famous nameplates while still building cars to fill the various voids. The new replacement for the Chevrolet Cavalier, for instance, will be dubbed the Cobalt (they obviously haven't been to the hotel of the same name in Vancouver) while the long running Regal will get the name LaCrosse, after the highly successful show car that debuted last year.
Both models will debut in model year 2005, the Cobalt being one of the most important cars for the bowtie group. It will be based on Delta architecture, the same as that of the Saturn ION, which should bode well for an improvement in ride and handling over the current Cavalier.