Pontiac is being axed

[Sorin]

GM to pull the plug on Pontiac (http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/24/autos/pontiac_obit/index.htm?postversion=2009042414)

Pontiac Execution Penciled In For Monday. Bring Flowers. (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1020243_pontiac-execution-penciled-in-for-monday-bring-flowers)


First Oldsmobile, now Pontiac. Meanwhile, F***ING BUICK still seems to have a bright sunny future. Pieces of s***. Probably because of the whole "doing well in China" bs.

[ZYAL8R808]

This news is as irrelevant as Pontiac itself. :D

[themanthedog]

No surprise there and it's about time. I'm just wondering why they didn't kill it off when they killed off Olds, 'cause sadly it had to die. They should have killed it off and made the Solstice a Chevy and the G8 an Impala.

[GroovinGTR]

I acknowledge Pontiac's long and storied heritage but in a world of consolidating portfolios I think it along with Saturn, Saab, and Hummer, are the easiest to get rid of without making a sizeable hole in the entire GM line-up.

Pontiac has been marketed as a sportier alternative to Chevrolet's mainstreamness for decades now. However with the rise of Nissan, Mazda, Honda, and even Ford as mainstream brands with a sporty flavor over the past few years, Chevrolet has been heading that way. They already have the Corvette, a brand new Camaro, and a better than average when it comes to performance Malibu and possibly a potential pocket-rocket-in-the-making Cruze. Also Chevy has some crossovers that get pretty decent reviews for steering and handling. I think Chevy is poised to do a great job going after mainstream buyers while maintaining a sporty edge that Pontiac supposed existance but didn't necessarily do itself. A RWD G8 rebadged into the Impala, a rebadge of the Solistice into the a Chevy roadster and possible ther Nomad concept and you've eliminated anything Pontiac brought relavent to the market. Chevy needs to market itself under a "New American Muscle" theme - performance-leaning sedans, sporty coupes, fun-to-drive crossovers, and offroad-dominating trucks all with a fuel economy advantage. No need for Pontiac, 95% of buyers will go to Chevy.

Now Buick IMO provides a greater potential than Pontiac not just overseas but in the USA. Cadillac is headed in the right direction but will need to continue to move up if they want to regain their title. And Chevy is the mainstream brand with the "American muscle" theme. That leaves a sizeable gap inbetween for a 'tweener brand if done right. Unfortunatley I can't think of a 'tweener brand that has done it right in years. VW was on the right track until they went all Phaetonish. Cars and crossovers with style, luxury, and powerful engines that don't necessarily drive like sports cars. Lexus ES and RX targeted as the benchmarks, a Chrysler 300-inspired line but with a lot better quality. I think Buick is up for the challenge and can retain some classic American heritage. There is a lot of sales potential especially if Chrysler and Mercury die off.

[M_TYPE_X]

A lot of brands are going to be sliding into the trash soon.

[WhereHaveYouBeen]

A lot of brands are going to be sliding into the trash soon.

It's just like pre-war automotive world all over again.

Good Lord, American Executives are dumb. Does nobody read books anymore? I'll take history for 4 Trillion, Alex!

[M_TYPE_X]

It's just like pre-war automotive world all over again.

Good Lord, American Executives are dumb. Does nobody read books anymore? I'll take history for 4 Trillion, Alex!

Stop the blather and get in line for LAST EVAR G8!