GM has announced another round of layoffs will be coming soon, and earlier this week the Wall Street Journal said that the General is looking to kill or sell off one or more of its brands as it tries to stay afloat.

From the sounds of things, HUMMER is pretty much a given to be killed or sold off, and Chevrolet and Cadillac can breathe easily, they aren't going anywhere. But all other brands are said to be under a microscope right now.

Here are some of my thoughts:

Saturn: Saturn hasn't really turned out to be the import fighter GM expected it to, despite the fact that they now have some pretty good cars in the Aura and Astra (which are rebadged Opels.) However, I think despite the good cars, the brand isn't that strong. When people start looking at Honda and Toyota and VW for their next car, few people I know would also say "hey, let's check out Saturn too!" It just seems the brand has a certain stigma, it just isn't "hip." Also, I heard that Saturn has yet to turn a profit since they started. I'm not sure if that's true, but if it is, I think that would be a strong case to kill this brand. If I were in charge, I will kill the Saturn brand, keep cars like the Astra and Aura badged as Opels under their original name, bring over the Opel Corsa as well as the "OPC" versions of all these models, and change all the Saturn dealerships over to Opel dealerships. I think the brand "Saturn" just has a negative image with younger people, and with "Opel" they could work to build a younger, hipper brand image.

Saab: I like Saabs. I don't know if I'd ever own one, because there are other alternatives out there that I prefer (Audi, BMW), but I still like them. Unfortunately, Saab only sold about 35,000 cars last year, and since GM purchased Saab, they seemed to have lost their soul. Saabs were always quirky, and had a cult following. I don't think Saab should be killed, but I think GM should sell off Saab to someone who "gets" what Saab is all about.

GMC: There are some signs that already point to GMC being on the chopping block: development on the next version of the Acadia have been canceled, and Chevy was just given their own version of the SUV. GMC offers nothing unique, and has a fully redundant model lineup. Chevy could fully handle GM's truck segment.

Buick: I'm not a fan of any of the current Buick models, but I think GM will keep Buick around to cater to the older buyers, since Cadillac is kind of moving more toward BMW and Mercedes territory, trying to attract younger, hipper buyers. So they still need Buick to cater to the older crowd.

Pontiac: Rumors have been running for the past couple of years that Pontiac was going to get the axe. Personally, I don't see it. To me, Pontiac offers some unique models that the others don't (a rear-wheel-drive sports sedan in the G8, the new G8 Sport Truck, a sports car that isn't a Corvette (the Solstice), and I think Pontiac has a legitimate reason to stay around. But, if you believe the rumors, Pontiac is one of the divisions closest to getting the axe. But I would say keep Pontiac around.


So there you have it, those are some of my thoughts. What are your thoughts? What division should go the way of Oldsmobile and why? Or, do you think GM needs to keep all their current divisions?

Let us know in the comments!