For GM, auto show is all about brands Splashy exhibit, part of turnaround plan, will clearly differentiate automaker's lines. Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News When General Motors Corp. showcases its eight brands at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it hopes to send an unequivocal message: They're distinctive. GM is making a renewed effort to use the show as part of an ongoing plan to clearly differentiate its brands by eliminating overlapping products and fine-tuning the model lineup at several divisions, such as Buick and Pontiac. Saab, Hummer, GMC, Chevrolet and others will be separated by a single aisle in an all-new, 120,000-square-foot display, in sharp contrast to recent years when they were clustered around a semicircle and often bled into one another. GM's "pillar brands" -- Cadillac and Chevrolet -- will be front and center, opposite one another. Luxury brands Cadillac, Hummer and Saab will be lined up side by side. Pontiac, Buick and GMC will be grouped together, representing the company's efforts to consolidate them at the retail level. "We want to send a clear message of the divisional brands," Brent Dewar, vice president of GM's marketing and advertising in North America, said Thursday during a preview of the exhibit. "We have a very aggressive, strong plan to grow our business and we need to do that in the marketplace." Dewar said consumer research showed that GM needed a new exhibit and better, strategic product placement at the show. GM will display 128 models this year, up from 118 last year. The new exhibit is part of GM's four-point turnaround plan focused on revamping sales and marketing, launching new cars and trucks, lowering health care spending and additional cost-cutting measures, such as job cuts and plant closings. Chevrolet, GM's No. 1 selling brand, and second in U.S. sales to the Ford nameplate, and Saturn plan to tout long-time marketing messages and new products. Saturn's display, for instance, will include a skybox that projects images onto the new Saturn Sky roadster, making it appear like the inside of the vehicle is visible. Chevy's "American Revolution" tagline will be emblazoned throughout its exhibit. The GM display will have a backdrop designed to grab visitors' attention: an 80-footwide, 12-foot-high LED screen highlighting each brand and several corporate messages -- such as the fuel economy of GM's lineup -- in an 8-minute video. "Every brand at Cobo is looking to define and differentiate themselves," said Michael Thoresen, vice president for Exhibit Works, which has designed auto show exhibits for automakers, including Ford Motor Co., for years. GM is not on the Livonia-based company's client roster. "Everybody's moving away from architecturally inspired designs to more experiential designs. (Automakers) are looking at what they need to get people to understand the personality of the brand," he said. Sixty-five percent of the estimated 800,000 auto show attendees will be in the market for a new car next year, making it critical for automakers to connect with them, Thoresen said. Sending a consistent message about brands is important whether it's done via the Web, television, print or at an auto show, he said. GM, with its U.S. sales lagging, is anxious to raise the throttle and woo show crowds. Breathing life into its new "Born from Jets" Saab tagline, the brand's display will include a ceiling with cloud images and an occasional jet silhouette whizzing by.

<_< H'mm Guess I will have to wait and see this display, cause the description is sure not blowing wind up my pants. <_<

well anything is better then nothing i surmise...