Resurrect Pontiac! Create jobs, help the economy. Who's with me?

[bombtek]

Shawn, the Pontiac Trans Am has indeed been licensed out to a couple manufacturers and are supposed to be available dealer options to be installed by the separate manufacturers. Like I said there are a couple and here are the 2 I know are licensed and taking orders.





I think you mean the T1000 the Fiero was a mid engine car. The Fiero and Chevette shared some of the same parts EVERY GM car and even some other companies shared at the time.

Again, this is not about old pontiac or GM.

[QUOTE=VoiceX3;1414165]Shawn, the Pontiac Trans Am has indeed been licensed out to a couple manufacturers and are supposed to be available dealer options to be installed by the separate manufacturers. Like I said there are a couple and here are the 2 I know are licensed and taking orders.

Nope I MEANT the Fiero
Here is a quoted paragraph from a page on the Fiero's history:

"By the end of production, the Fiero had received the original suspension design but kept a limited offering of engines — the use of turbochargers or the newer DOHC straight-4 engines, never made it to production. Officially, production ended because of insufficient profits. Budget constraints on Pontiac forced them to borrow parts from other models rather than use the suspension originally designed by the engineers. For example, some of the front suspension was taken from the Chevrolet Chevette's [1] double A-arm design, allowing the wider and low-slung Fiero to handle exceptionally well (though at a cost; the Fiero shared front wheel bearings with the Chevette, and the Fiero's greater weight, wider tires and tendency to be driven like a performance car resulted in short bearing life). On the other hand, Chevette enthusiasts routinely upgraded their notoriously undersized brakes and rotors using Fiero parts. The rear suspension and base drivetrain was almost identical to the front end of GM X-body cars like the Chevrolet Citation and Pontiac Phoenix - the Fiero even included rear tie-rod ends for alignment, though they would have been used for steering had that particular assembly been used in an X-car."

[PowerTube]

Bring back Pontiac, we the taxpayers own it now, so let's bring it and it's jobs back!
Sign the petition. http://www.savingpontiac.org/index.html

Sorry, but some corpses are better off left buried. Pontiac was just another "cookie cutter" GM brand that offered nothing unique. A Sunbird was an Olds Cutlass Calais was a Chevy Cavalier was a Buick Century. The Fiero? Please. At least it had an appropriate name; they had a problem with catching on fire.

The last cool car they made was the early '70's Grand Am (the full-sized one, not that crap from the '80's).

[PowerTube]

In that instance, my logic may be off, but if a person buys a Pontiac instead of say a Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mercedes, Scion, Lexus, Volkswagen and/or any other foreign car it's keeping cash AND jobs in America.

Um....no. Speaking as a former car salesman in another life, the "I buy 'Murrican!" argument doesn't wash with me. Even back in the early '90's, a Nissan Sentra had a higher percentage of American content than a Ford Crown Vic. Speaking of Nissan....they're made in Syrmna, Tennessee. A lot of the other "Japanese" brands are built in the USA, as well; Toyota, Honda, Mazda, etc....

It's hard to argue that the Japanese brands have had a better track record that the American brands over the last 30 years or so. And before anyone chimes in with, "You're crazy! My 1983 Oldsmobile has ______ miles on it!," I'm talking in general terms.

So I have to ask the magic question. Which serves America better?

A. Buying "American" cars, built in Korea and Mexico and employing Koreans and Mexicans, with a poor reliability expectancy

-or-

B. Buying "Japanese" cars built by factories in the USA that employ thousands of Americans and can typically be expected to last 300,000+ miles?

[lerxstcat]

The problem with your magic question is that it doesn't posit a new Pontiac made in America by Americans for American, which is the idea put forward. You structured the question to favor your "no" answer to the idea. While it's fine that you have your opinion on the matter, you're not really even addressing the idea as set forth.

It may or may not go anywhere, but there's nothing wrong with telling the government we'd like to see it, for those of us who would. If enough people want it to make it feasible, it might be considered. If not, at least we had a chance to let them know we'd like it and support it. That's not a bad thing any way you look at it. Worst case scenario for you, if it's done and you disapprove, you don't have to buy one.

[tooslowhand]

That's not true. References?



It is not "New GM's" call. Pontiac and all it's nameplates are property of "Old GM" which is property of the US taxpayers. It's ALL outlined at http://www.savingpontiac.org/

Ah, I get it. But then with the government (i.e. ostensibly "the taxpayers") still having some stake in the "New" GM, wouldn't that kill their incentive to support anyone who might take a chunk out of their sales? And wouldn't the "New GM" just run a Tucker/DeLorean job on this new Pontiac if it deemed it a threat to their Chevrolets?

[Nightbat]

That's not true. References?

Look on the streets

[kramer]

I own A 1994 firebird. With the TPI 350.
love it!!

[lerxstcat]

You may as well say the guitar market is zero sum, so no new guitar companies. That's just silly.

The petition may or may not go anywhere, but if people want Pontiacs and sign, that's their own business. If they'd rather have a new Pontiac than another GM or American brand car, and it creates new jobs, or jobs in Mississippi instead of jobs in Michigan, well good for Mississippi. The jobs are ALREADY gone in Michigan.

If it happens and you don't like it, don't buy one. Simple solution. If it doesn't happen, we got to voice our desire to see it and oh, well.

[VoiceX3]

A little off topic, and this does pain me a little bit since I am a Vette guy just after being a Trans Am guy. Everyone that says pontiac never did anything original, here's a gem from 1964 4 years before the C3 popped up in showrooms. GM sabotaged their own cars because of in house snobbery.

1964 Pontiac Banshee
The styling on these cars is highly reminiscent of what appeared on third-generation Corvettes in 1968. Another styling cue that made production was the design of the tail lights, which are nearly identical to that found on second-generation Pontiac Firebirds. Indeed, the high performance and sensuous styling of the Banshee may have led to its demise. Head of Pontiac John DeLorean called this car the "Mustang Fighter" and rumor has it he fully intended to bring it to production. However, his bosses at GM felt that it would be a threat to the Chevrolet Corvette in that it would steal sales from the Corvette and also that (if DeLorean had his way) it could out-perform the Corvette as well.





Ever wonder why they discontinued the Grand National in 1988? Same crap.

[RacerX]

Swoopy!

[VoiceX3]

Look on the streets

LOL!!!! How does looking on the streets tell me anything about why people started buying foreign? I said, "They will be designed, manufactured and sold in and from the USA. All American, like it used to be." And you said "Exactly the reason why people started buying foreign cars" Exactly how do that statement and the other you made have anything to do with each other and neither gives a refrence to support either statement. Exactly how many Toyota reaclls are we up to now?

[Nightbat]

Well, if you look on the streets you'd see people don't care if it's "All American Made"
Perhaps US manufacturers should start selling cars instead of trying to sell patriotism

"They will be designed, manufactured and sold in and from the USA. All American, like it used to be."
That comes across as the same old gas guzzling, can't-take-a-decent-corner tanks with outdated development and Marvel Comics marketing strategy US car manufacturers are notorious for

[Soap]

Ever wonder why they discontinued the Grand National in 1988? Same crap.

A buddy of mine has both, a 1970 GS and the Grand National.
Both are incredible machines. Nice Buick automotive history.

[Soap]

The foreign auto sales are high simply because American working class couldn't afford the America auto sticker prices.

The foreign auto industry beat us at our own game.
They provided a vehicle in all income brackets, that was/is reliable, better warranty, better gas mileage and more affordable.

Loyalty went out the window when the wallet realized and saw it can pay for a vehicle that's cheaper and equal if not better then what the American auto industry can produce. That's why you see more foreign vehicles on the road.

There's no loyalty anymore.
It about how much bang can I get for the buck.
Not that its a bad, but that dramatically changes the playing field where and when everybody at some point gets effected.

The bad part was, the American auto industry saw it (Japan increase of auto sales and remember they had their energy crisis before we did) coming and couldn't do much about it, because they were locked into contracts, existing models that were poor in sales and etc having little to no time to do anything about it. It was an avalanch effect in the American auto industry. Which we are still trying bounce back from.

In short,
Yes, the foreign auto industry is not only dominating but also dictating auto sales here in America.

America has got to provide reliable vehicles at an affordable price that Americans can buy and not break the bank, bottomline.

With that said,
I'm not sure if bringing back older popular models will help encourage sales.
Especially when American is in a recession and it may potentially get worse.
People aren't spending much, although the economist will say their are encourage indicators in the market that looks promising. In reality what that means, you better lube up really good.

[Moanalua]

Pontiac SHOULD be resurrected, absolutely! Pontiac shouldn't even be gone. It was outselling Buick two-to-one. It had a much larger following. It was a stronger legacy brand than Buick. Finally, it offered more models than Buick, and had more potential. The only thing that did Pontiac in was the Recession. The Recession's over, and GM is healthy again (it's about to reclaim the #1 spot from Toyota). GM shouldn't leave Pontiac's legacy in the gutter. This was a strong, iconic brand. I'm convinced that bringing Pontiac back would score BIG points for GM.