@PontiacRulz We keep coming back to this, man: there is a considerable amount of research that goes into introducing a vehicle… and that, in and of itself, is an understatement.
So when you say things like, “Chevy has enough small cars” — it’s really not warranted by research, consumer trends/behavior, or any other kind of factual information. It’s an opinion that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of product decisions.
Would you say that VW has “enough small cars” as well? Heck, they have nine derivatives off the Jetta/Golf platform alone!
– Jetta sedan
– Jetta wagon
– Golf 3 door hatch
– Golf 5 door hatch
– Golf Plus (MPV)
– EOS coupe/cabriolet
– Scirocco
– Beetle
– Tiguan
And that’s not counting the performance derivates like the Jetta GLI or Golf GTI.
Having “enough small cars” doesn’t matter one bit. Here’s what does:
For a mainstream automaker (like Chevy, VW, Ford, Toyota, etc.), the goal is to have a significantly large sales volume. The way to accomplish that is to create a vehicle for as many likes, tastes, needs, demographics, and use-case scenarios as possible. If this can be done cost-effectively by sharing platforms, then all the better for the bottom line.
A Chevy-badged Granite (with Chevy styling cues, of course) would allow the bow tie to appeal to a totally different audience than served by the Cruze, Sonic, or Spark. And this, my friend, accomplishes the objective of a successful mainstream automaker: increase volume profitably.
And here’s something else to consider: anything with a Chevy badge will always sell more than a comparable GMC-badged product. Always has, always will.
