Cars GM needs now

For now, crossover sales are down as consumers shift toward cars. But many analysts say if gas prices stabilize, the American appetite for smaller SUV-like vehicles will return.

So why not take a crossover away from Pontiac, which is a car brand, and give it to GMC, which is GM's truck division? Those brands mostly share dealerships anyway, so it wouldn't hurt dealers at all. GMC's public image could use a dose of fuel economy and Pontiac's performance image doesn't need SUVs at all.

The U.S. may get a different, but similarly-sized vehicle, much like the GMC Terrain shown here, which debuted at the Dubai Motor Show last year.

A U.S. Terrain would share its basic engineering - but not much of its sheetmetal - with the next-generation Chevrolet Equinox, according to industry sources quoted by the newspaper Automotive News.

Currently, Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealers sell the Pontiac Torrent, a version of the current-generation Equinox. Creating the GMC Terrain would better focus Pontiac on performance while expanding the GMC line to include another much-needed small crossover SUV.

NEXT: Pontiac