Ironically, the sport mainstream brands you mention are trying to become more less sporty and more mainstream, while the “generic mainstream” ones are trying to become more sporty. Case in point: Focus ST, Fiesta ST, Civic Si. VW, Mazda, and Nissan are trying to appeal to the mainstream with their offerings since they currently have a low volume, and much increase it to stay profitable.
I think what needs to occur is for Buick to go away and eventually get replaced by Opel, which will offer slightly more upmarket yet still affordable sporty vehicles. Chevy can easily offer affordable but high-performance versions of the Cruze, Sonic, Malibu, and even Impala. The base models of those cars are spot in terms of handling and drivability; they just need an option for more power and oomph. And that’s really what Pontiac failed to do with the exception of G6 GXP and G8.
PS: I’m loving this forum guys :)>-
