The boss of GMC wants the brand to have a competitor in the small crossover SUV segment to take on the popular Fiat-based Jeep Renegade.
Duncan Aldred, CEO of both GMC and Buick, told Automotive News, “That segment has grown so fast. I keep telling everyone, ‘How can General Motors’ truck brand not be in the fastest-growing segment in the industry, an SUV segment?'”
The problem is that GM already has a competitor in that segment. Indeed, it created that segment in the US, with the Buick Encore. That vehicle is also sold in Europe as the Opel Mokka, while a restyled version is available in the US and elsewhere as the Chevrolet Trax.
Acknowledging that many GMC dealers are also Buick dealers, and that there might be some in-house competition, Aldred said, “We’ve got to build world-class brands. If the first thing we do is ask, ‘Well, hasn’t Buick got one?’ Then we’re constantly suppressing one brand for another.”
Note: 2010 GMC Granite concept pictured above.
Source: Automotive News
