Opel-Vauxhall and Buick will develop more joint-venture models in the future.
The two General Motors brands have confimed they will increase their commitment to new model collaboration.
Buick already sells versions of the Insignia (as the Regal) and Mokka (as the Encore), and GM has recently appointed Opel design director Mark Adams to head up both brands.
“My role is to make Buick and Opel work,” Adams told Autocar. “Some Buick and Opel models are quite close in terms of customer requirement, and the band width of both can grow. But the cars must look tailored for the brand. They won’t look badge-engineered.”
The Buick Riviera and Opel Monza concepts are cases in point; both are similarly proportioned two-door coupés but offering different executions.
The move to tighten the tie-up has been prompted in part by GM boss Dan Ackerson’s frustration over the Adam and Cascada’s non-compliance with US regulations.
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Smart move but they need to
Smart move but they need to make it clear that in terms of brand identity, quality and identity, Vauxhall, Opel and Buick (or whichever brands remain) are the same. This should mean a clear move upmarket by Opel and Vauxhall so that they sit in the same place as Buick, relative to Chevrolet/Holden and Cadillac.
I guess it makes a Vauxhall/Opel about equal in stature to the likes of a Volvo, i.e. not a BMW/Mercedes/Audi and not a Chevrolet, Peugeot or Citroen (except DS models).
Perhaps suggest that all GM commercial vehicles should be sold under the GMC brand internationally
Opel/Vauxhall equal to Volvo?
How would an Opel or Vauxhall be equal in stature to a Volvo?Volvo is a premium marque & I highly doubt the typical Volvo buyer would even consider an Opel or Vauxhall when considering their next car,since Volvos are generally bought by more affluent people than BMW owners even.
"But the cars must look
"But the cars must look tailored for the brand. They won’t look badge-engineered". Like all Vauxhalls, most Holdens and the Buick Regal are?!
Buick cars already share platforms with other GM products, so to me, this seems nothing more than an attempt to take the re-badging process even by giving further Opels some minor cosmetic changes (rather than just change the badge and grille) to turn them into Buicks, or vice versa (e.g Astra saloon to Buick Verano). One of the brands will be diluted. Each brand's car must remain unique looking, and the same should apply to Vauxhall and Holden too.
And I'm surprised the Cascada is not US compliant considering it's based on the Delta 2 platform which is not only underpins the Astra, but the also the Chevy Volt and Cruze and Buick Verano, while the engines are shared too. Has someone at GM dropped a proverbial?
Might help the balance books
Might help the balance books for Opel as well if they can share the cost of development across another brand