Originally posted by MrFatbooty
Look, this is pointless.
Holden is a fully owned subsidiary of GM. It's been that way since long before the Monaro existed. All of its cars are built on GM global platforms and with GM global engines, including the Monaro. It's got the same motor as a Corvette. How'd that get in there if Holden isn't just GM's Australian branch office? The Monaro is by no means an independently designed car that was absorbed by GM after it was conceived.
All GM is doing by selling the Monaro as a Pontiac in the USA is taking a car originally developed by one of its subsidiaries for sale in one market and selling it in a new market. Even Honda does this. The Civic hatchback was designed in England by Honda UK based on a global platform. The new TL was designed by Honda USA based on a global platform. The only difference is that Honda established those subsidiaries rather than buying other companies and turning them into subsidiaries.
i can see what you're saying with the global platform and engine. the monaro wouldn't have been developed or wouldn't be the same if GM hadn't provided these things. but you didn't answer my question; where would GM be if they didn't have the power and resources to go buying out companies left and right? global platform or no, they would not have been able to produce that kind of car on their own.
when honda establishes a branch in another region/country, they are starting it with their own resources, ideas, innovations, technology, and manpower. they don't just go somewhere, look for a company that is desiging nice things and buy them out. things belong to GM because they aquire them, not because they develop them. opel and holden may be wholly owned subsidaries of GM, but the things they develop usually look pretty independent from any mainstream american GM products. if GM would do that all by themselves, why haven't they done it? we've all seen the cars that opel develops for the european market. they may share a platform and/or engine, but they are leaps and bounds beyond any american-GM developed car. can any american-made-GM car stack up to them? GM simply would not be able to do it on their own if they couldn't have bought those companies out.