What Car Brand Would You Bring Back From The Dead? Autopian Asks

Automotive history is littered with brands that didn’t make it. Some of these marques remain cherished today, which is why you’ve probably read so many articles about how Pontiac was kinda maybe but really not actually coming back. That’s still pretty sad and the Big Three remain shells of what they used to be. But if you were in charge of a company, what car brand would you bring back and why?

If you have no idea what I’m talking about in that lede, I’ll explain. The GMnternet, that’s the Internet for GM fans, lit ablaze when May/June’s issue of Car and Driver hit the shelves. At the end of the 104-page issue was a story involving an Alfa Romeo Milano. Past that is the magazine’s back cover, which would normally host some advertisement that you’re going to ignore.

This time, Car and Driver printed something on its back cover that nobody could ignore. Just take a gander at this:

Now, at the very bottom of the “ad” is fine print stating: “Do you need to be told that this advertisement is fake and not to be taken seriously? Our lawyers think you do.”

Despite that, the rumor mill went from 0 mph to 100 mph in an instant. People began dreaming about what a future Pontiac could be like. Eventually, GM pumped the brakes and confirmed that it had nothing to do with that back cover advertisement. Still, the ad may have been fake, but it showed that the enthusiasm is still out there.

Similar enthusiasm is out there for other brands. Sticking with General Motors here, I’d love to see Saturn brought back. Wait, hear me out.

Long before Saturn meant a European car with an American badge, the brand was ahead of the curve. Saturn got to play with experiments that would have been too spicy for stodgy Chevrolet or the other brands. The cars weren’t just Chevys with new badges, but their own designs that tried to solve real problems. Saturn was right there with the likes of CarMax with the so-called “no haggle” model that buyers loved, and Saturn dealers tried to build rapport with its customers rather than just sell them a car and kick them out of the door.

We got a glimpse into a possible future for Saturn when it was Saturn dealerships handling the leases for the GM EV1. But that future didn’t happen. Instead, the brand just withered on the vine, burning piles of cash. I’d like to think that GM’s electrification efforts from the Chevy Volt to the Ultium platform would have been perfect fits for Saturn.

Of course, I’m not a corporate executive or a business major, so I have no idea if making Saturn the techy brand could have saved it, but a woman can dream, right?

Here’s where I turn this to you, dear reader. If you were in charge, what brand would you bring back? While I have you here, why would you bring it back? Give me any answer, no matter how silly!