GMC Axes The Granite
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While GMC was hardly noticed at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, we have been monitoring the brand for the latest news concerning unique future products, and unfortunately, today the news is grim. According to recent reports, the quirky Granite hatchback project has been shelved, just as Buick reveals the tiny Encore.
GM’s product development brass didn’t give any specifics, but could the reason behind the Granite’s cancellation surround the fact that GMC and Buick tend to share the same showroom, and that there would be too much product overlap? That very well could be the case. But considering the healthy co-existence of the current generation Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers, it could just as well not be the case. Instead, GM probably thought that the Granite, which was slated for a 2013 launch, simply didn’t fit the GMC mold – a bummer, especially if you like boxy hatches, or just want to see something (anything) fresh from Big Red.
Source: Autoblog
Probably because it would compete with the Encore, unfortunately GM is not good enough at platform sharing to make products from brands, Buick and GMC, who are polar opposites, different enough so they woulnt be cross shopped. Not to mention GM still does not knoe what an independent dealer is.
While I’m disappointed that the Granite has been shelved, I’m even more disappointed that GMC hasn’t been shelved. It’s the only GM brand that I would LOVE to see the back of. What a waste of time.
If you could switch GMC for any of the old GM brands would you rather have Saturn, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Oldsmobile?
Hard to see them letting go of Denali anything, they’re so profitable.
I would say Oldsmobile, because it is sporty (ie Cutlass heritage, rocket heritage, etc) and it is upscale enough to not be a competitor to Chevy. It’s also upscale enough that it would be profitable. Oldsmobile would fit nicely between Buick and Chevy. Kind of a semi-premium sport. Chevy would be the economy, value, with a few sport cars (Corvette and Camaro) brand, Oldsmobile would be the upscale but not luxury sporty brand (similiar to Nissan possibly, the sporty higher end of Nissan), Buick would be semi luxury premium brand, and Cadillac would be the BMW, Audi, Mercedes fighter. Thoughts??
I wouldn’t switch it for anything. It’s just plain irrelevant. It has no vehicle of its own that could justify any of the vehicles it sells not being equally profitable as a Chevy. Not one. The designs they use are unnecessarily “masculine” or whatever it is that their design theme is supposed to be. I’m a male and I hate everything they build. Denali is just garish and ghetto. Plain and simple. The absolute worst of the lot is that awful Terrain. I hate that damn thing so much I have too Google the name every time I mention it. Looking at the brands that were shut down, I am perfectly fine with them being put away, except Pontiac and maybe Hummer. Pontiac could easily be a low-volume manufacturer that builds and sells the stuff that would have to be very expensive and exclusive in order to make a profit. Hand build them if needs be. Hummer, if the gas-guzzling mammoths were tidied up and smaller, more efficient diesel powerplants employed across the board (not just in the H1) then maybe it would have gained some kind of appeal, the same way Jeep has.
The Granite would have been much better than the Encore. Why is GM ruining every chance they have to be cool?
Seems to me the the Buick and GMC brands are being taken over by the bean counters again.
VERY disappointed!!! I was really looking forward to probably buying one of these and I was excited GMC was making a car. I HOPE GM reverses this decision and builds it. This car would have probably brought a lot of younger people into the GMC showroom. Too bad.
GM should build as a Chevy then.
Needs to be a Chevy.
Could a Volt MPV5 come to life as a Granite? In 2015…
That seems very logical, actually. Because everyone is wanting good gas mileage and most people would like a fuel efficient crossover/SUV.
I don’t think axing the Granite makes any sense not unless they’re betting money on Chevy.
I liked the vehicle, but I didn’t see it as a GMC. I think in a way it is a good thing it was cancelled (at least as a GMC) because it shows that GM is moving away from trying to have every brand represented in every market segment. GMC should be upscale truck/SUV products sold at Buick and Cadillac dealerships, better trimmed and more expensive than their Chevy counterparts. I still see a place for a line of commercial vehicles under the GMC brand as well. That will give credibility to the ‘Professional Grade’ image GM is trying to cultivate for the GMC brand.
The comment about a Granite being a Chevy leads me to this suggestion: Instead of dumping brands like Pontiac or GMC, treat them as an advanced form of trim levels. If you want a work truck for your plumbing business, you buy a Chevy W/T. The same platform for a truck to take you on an executive retreat would be a GMC Sierra. A basic 4-door sedan with all the comfortable options would be a Chevy Impala. The same platform with 400 HP and a performance suspension would be a Pontiac G8. They would be sold at the same dealership, and save some brand loyalty. Similar thinking could be applied to Buick Oldsmobile and Cadillac.
Alex and Manoli, your site among many others and focus groups killed the little GMC too many responders said this was too small to be a GMC. There will not be another version because of these comments and groups so GMC will not be represented in the small pickup and delivery market such as Granite (or HHR) due to this thought GMC should not be small, This has caused some issues internally and you may end up with Orlando variations, not sure if people knew their comments could be so powerful and in my opinion internally incorrect if you knew the alternatives. words and comments can cause mistakes to be made just wait to see what you may get??? not all like the Encore could be the same for GMC……as a wise man once said “be carefull with your words, very carefull”
Yeah, you listening Mr. Luft? You personally killed the GMC Granite.
Yes, you.
You monster.
Even if sites like GMA were used as a gauge by GM to test public reaction to a model, why should we expect every concept GM makes to be just one positive post on a website away from production?
What if a concept just make any sense or just plain sucks? Nobody should mask or defer their true feeling on a concept just because it might upset the automaker.
I’m not sorry. Not at all.
But then how come the Cruze Hatch gets the axe though JD?
Man, that sucks. It looked good.
I agree with all those above who say Granite should then be a Chevrolet. I do not see how there could be any confusion between Encore and Granite from customers. They are so different. If the decision is coming now after so much time Granite was probabaly quite far along in development.
it died because the market for them is drying up honda killed the element and the nissan cube only sold about 10,000 units
This was way out of the blue, and a MAJOR disappointment. The Granite appeared to nearly 100% complete with it’s engineering and testing phase (there was a test vehicle spotted last fall). Looks like someone high up in Buick really flexed some muscle and had it killed.
I hope GMC tries to revive it sometime soon. Or maybe it’s just delay for a year until to give the Encore a foothold in the market.
I can’t remember a car ever being cancelled this late in the engineering/development cycle.
http://www.everymantri.com/.a/6a00d83451b18a69e20154348be55e970c-600wi
Testing Fall 2011
I can’t see GM throwing away millions this late without trying to recoup some of the investment,
Though I could see some the the concern from Buick. Since most Buick dealerships sell GMC as well. I could easily see a customer walking right past the Encore to purchase the Granite.
Could the Granite live on as a Chevrolet? (just swap out the grill)
I know GMC dealers and salespeople who will be very disappointed with this decision.
I agree with what most people have already said about GMC and that the Granite could easily be a Chevrolet. GM has an SUV “size” problem. I remember seeing the Granite in person and thought it was a great small SUV/CUV/Compact Van.
We know that the aging Lambda platform SUVs are in need of replacement on the large side of things, but the Equinox and its GMC analog, the Terrain, are kind of tweeners. It’s possible that with the less expensive Buick Encore and whatever the Chevy version will be called, people would look at the Granite and shop that rather than the smaller Encore – thus creating another problem for GM.
If GM repositions its SUV lines to more closely match Ford (Escape = small, Edge = Medium and Explorer = Large), management may have felt that the Granite no longer fit in the class sizes it’s trying to compete against. They may be resizing the Equinox to compete directly with the Edge and the Traverse/Acadia/Enclave triplets to compete closer to the Explorer.
Who knows, but I’m sad to see it killed.
Noooooooooooooo! I was going to replace my tired old 2002 PT Cruiser! Ahhhhhhh!
I loved it when I saw it at the San Diego Auto Show a year ago. I don’t think it’s too small. My Cruiser has been extremely versatile, and I even had a long commute where I regularly got 30 mpg for a while. But it’s tired, now I will have to reconsider rebuilding the engine. Damn.
Brutal… Brand confusion at GM… Bad marketing decisions… Back to drawing board: What is GMC…
JD, you can’t blame us and our posts or posts on other sites for GM making bad decisions about product placement, the real question should be does GM know who there customer is and does this vehicle align with there customer base for GMC. If the staff at GM is following the latest gossip on various posts the God help us all. Marketing 101 know your customer base…
Is this is a case of the tail wagging the dog? All these forum personalities are trying to tell GM what GMC “is”, but isn’t it GM that should determine the future of GMC and what it will be going forward? If GMC is going to be defined by “trucks” only (essentially) then I think it needs to be removed from core decisions that affect the company as a whole. If anything, GMC could further differentiate the brand above and beyond a glorified trim package on a Chevy. I’ve read many negative posts regarding the Granite and GMC and all that I got out of it was that these “GMC guys” have a major inferiority complex.
The Granite would sell better as a Chevy, plain & simple. However, it goes back to an idea I’ve thought for several years and would make sense. Instead of a Chevy AND a GMC AND Buick…(and Pontiac) for that matter, How about 1 main Division/Company, General Motors? This would make sense for platform sharing, global architecture, cost-cutting, etc. If that were done, you could have a GM Trans Am, a GM Malibu, A GM pick-up, a GM Volt, a GM Regal, etc. Keep Cadillac as THE luxury brand, and run with it. One other idea would be “GM Performance Cars” which would be the sub-brand for Corvette, Camaro etc.-the sports cars. It would make sense, save millions if not billions, improve (by thinning out) the dealer network, etc. because every GM dealer (other than Cadi) could sell ALL the models, etc.
Imagine, if you will, a GM Cruze CXL or a GM Verano LTZ, or perhaps a GM Suburban Denali or a Yukon LTZ? etc.
The other thing, instead of having dealerships fight over customers, have GM announce “No-Haggle Pricing” on TV, internet and all other media outlets, and get people going to dealers because of good service and a good relationship with that particular dealer. And pay Sales Consultants a salary or at least an hourly + commission instead of straight commission. In todays economy, straight commission is extremely difficult trying to sell people a vehicle when they are losing their homes & can’t put food on the table. Do something to help the people who get GM vehicles going down the road.
With the country, the world, the economy, and GM all changing, why is it that sales men & women are still paid on an archaic system? It just may help reduce turn over, improve morale, and allow educated, qualified, and downright good consultants stay at dealerships they are comfortable at.
Just a few random thoughts. I certainly do not mean to offend anyone. Luckily, we live in a country that protects opinions and free speech.
Oh, and the mentality of GM would be well-suited to go back to intestinal fortitude that brought us the ’53 & ’63 Corvette, the ’69 Camaro, the ’57 Bel Air & Nomad, the ’71 Chevelle, the ’72 Trans Am, etc…Have the guts and imagination to build vehicles people will fall in love with again, buy/lease and WANT to drive.