• Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Thursday, February 19, 2009 10:46 AM

By cutting Saturn, Pontiac, Saab and Hummer from its roster, General Motors risks a further slide in its eroding market share, write Kate Linebaugh and Neal E. Boudette, since drivers of those nameplates have little interest in getting behind the wheel of a Chevy, Caddy, Buick or GM truck. In January, GM had U.S. market share of 19.5%. Without Saturn, Pontiac, Saab and Hummer, its share would have been 16.9% -- a percentage point less than Toyota's.

GMs plans represent a major shift in thinking. Part of the formula that enabled it to remain the world's largest auto maker for nearly 80 years was to add brands to appeal to different types of consumers, from college students to senior citizens.

Financial Times, meanwhile, reports that GM is considering selling an equity stake in, or seeking outside partners for, its Opel and Vauxhall brands amid rising concern over its fate among governments and its employees around Europe.

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