RIP Pontiac

[Ben...]

My dad works for as the head accountant for a GM dealer. He said he figures the first brands to go would be Hummer and Saturn. Hummer doesn't sell nearly as much as other brands and there is a different GM model for every Saturn that is close enough that they could replace it. They sell Pontiac Vibes like hotcakes and Pontiacs in general quite well. Buick sales have been a bit slower than normal.

[rjohnstone]

They sell Pontiac Vibes like hotcakes

You are aware that the Vibe isn't even a GM product correct?
It's a re badged Toyota Matrix.

I love the Motor Trend forums and reading how the clueless claim the Vibe is better than the Matrix.
Toyota makes them both in the same factory and on the same line.
They even have the same 1.8 liter Toyota engine.

[RacerX]

Another rumor article http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...cWM&refer=home

...that article is interesting because it gives a neat capsule history/ background of both Pontiac & GMC. They also state that both GMC & Buick are still profitable.

I guess we'll know for sure later today (Monday) - that is when an official announcement is expected from GM.

[rjohnstone]

It's official.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/27/news/companies/gm_announcement/index.htm

Pontiac will be gone by the end of 2010.

[Spivonious]

I skipped a lot of posts, so forgive me if someone has already gone through this.

The two-brand system works very well for lots of other companies (Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, etc.).

What is Pontiac? A niche brand at best for the Trans-am/GTO people. Why not move their models under the Chevy name?

If I was in charge, this is what I would do with the brands:

Chevy - the every-man car. Have a coupe, sedan, mini-van, crossover, and small/big SUVs. Get the Volt under $30k.

Cadillac - the luxury car. Have a coupe, a mid-size sedan, a big-sedan, and an SUV.

GMC - all trucks all the time. Have a small pickup, a mid-size pickup, a large pickup, and "tougher-looking" SUVs. GMC is for the working-man, not for the soccer mom.

Buick - apparently these sell really well in China, so keep the brand there but kill it in the US.

That's it. Sell Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Pontiac, Opel, and any other brands they may own.


As far as the other companies go, Ford is doing fine (except they need to bring the European Focus over here). Chrysler needs to just declare bankruptcy and dissolve. A deal with Fiat will only hurt Fiat when Chrysler goes belly up in a few months. Replacing the highly successful Neon with the macho-looking Caliber proves they have no idea what to do next.

[SEEGERMANY]

As a kid, I thought Pontiacs were the only vehicle on the planet. My parents had a GTO, several Catalinas, several Bonnevilles and my first car that was bought brand new was a 1977 LeMans Sports Coup.

[horns666]

Obama did good with all that money..it really helped alot.

Well the Pontaic is dead...wow!


Next..

[RacerX]

Sell Saturn, Hummer, Saab,

THEY'RE ALREADY FOR SALE YA GOOF!

[LouSiffer]

I hate to see this. Pontiac was the brand that added refinements to a basic car that Chevy sold. I would have gotten rid of Buick long before Poncho. Pontiac offered something for everyone. Whether is a small beater, a sports car or something a little more luxurious, but, not costly like the Caddys.

[Phantom Hawk]

Yeah, I would have liked to see Pontiac stay around, too. My first car was '57 Superchief and my current car is an '06 GTO. Even though its really a rebadged Holden, what other car company offered a comfortable 6 speed 400 hp car for @ $30K ? Thanks, Pontiac, its been fun ! R.I.P.

[jgcable]

They dump Pontiac but keep Buick. Go figure.

[SEEGERMANY]

They dump Pontiac but keep Buick. Go figure.

Got to keep a car for the blue hairs!

[442w30]

They dump Pontiac but keep Buick. Go figure.

The story is that although pontiac was more popular, margins were thinner. big Margins, and Asians like buicks for some reason. Asia = billions of people that don't have cars and like buicks a gamble that I guess may pay off?

[Ben...]

You are aware that the Vibe isn't even a GM product correct?
It's a re badged Toyota Matrix.

I love the Motor Trend forums and reading how the clueless claim the Vibe is better than the Matrix.
Toyota makes them both in the same factory and on the same line.
They even have the same 1.8 liter Toyota engine.

I am well aware of that actually. I know enough about GM vehicles. I work at the dealership my dad's at once in a while. The Vibe is kinda proof that GM needs to change their tone a bit and focus on cars like it more.

My dad's really bummed that Pontiac is going. He thinks they should keep them here but abandon them in the US. They apparently sold a lot better here. He said good riddance to stupid Hummer because they've sold about 10 of them since they started getting them at his work and he doesn't know why they've kept them and Saturn as long as they have.

To those who said to get rid of Chevy trucks, my dad says that, at least in Canada, Chevy and GMC trucks are by far the best selling vehicles and they make the most money from them. Taking one away would lose a lot of money because they both have a loyal fan base.

[CharvelRocker]

I am well aware of that actually. I know enough about GM vehicles. I work at the dealership my dad's at once in a while. The Vibe is kinda proof that GM needs to change their tone a bit and focus on cars like it more.

Toyota is gonna find themselves going the way of GM if they don't do something right now or in about 15 years it will bite them in the ass. The interiors are becoming suspect. We looked at a modern Corolla at an autoshow this year... not near the vehicle mine is, which at 16 years old (only 5 months younger than it's driver LOL) which several people I know who have driven the vehicle believe it drives every bit as good as it was when it was new. This is becoming coming consensus around Toyota forums.

I've only had to replace a rear view mirror, door handle, and radio. Starts up everytime. All indications point to modern Toyota's not being that way anymore. Transmission runs great, AC is cold as ever, engine still has spot on compression and doesn't burn a drop of oil at 153k and 16 years. Almost every part on the engine aside from the distributor cap/plug wires, spark plug, fuel/oil/air filter is the same as it was the day it left the lot (albeit I think it may need a radiator and some coolant hoses soon as they are showing their age). Each and every switch works and is intact, sounding with the same click every time and never needing hit twice. I don't think any car is built that way anymore, but Toyota is stupid if they think they still build the quality of vehicle they built their reputation on. Their Lexus products are top notch as are Scion, but they are walking a thin line between remaining sucessful for years to come or blowing it away like GM ahs done.

And fwiw those new Corolla's are built at the same plant as the Vibe/Matrix... NUMMI out in California, as were pretty much all of the Prizm's and a number of Corollas for this market from the AE90 series onwards. Mine is actually a Canadian Corolla though with a Japanese drive train (I don't know if they started building engines at NUMMI)