Quote:
Originally Posted by mgescuro
Pontiac Needs to Close
... another commentary by mgescuro ...
Sorry.
There is nothing more the brand can do.
What is Pontiac these days? G8, G6, G5, Grand Prix, Torrent, Vibe, Solstice,
Of all those, the only 2 worth mentioning is the G8 and Solstice.
G6 has become the fleet queen.
Grand Prix is puzzlingly still alive.
Torrent is a straight rebadged.
G5 is a straight rebadge.
Wave/G4 (or G3) will be a straight rebadged.
The above 5 have no business being in a brand for so-called “performance” cars.
And there is nothing at Pontiac that can’t be sold as a Chevrolet or badged as an SS.
The G8 family can easily live its life as the Chevy Impala (sedan), Chevy Nomad (wagon), and Chevy El Camino (truck thingy).
And Chevy Solstice has a nice ring to it.
Chevy Vibe would also be a nice addition as well.
Pontiac has limited global presence as it is, though it does fairly well in Canada. There’s no reason why Chevy can’t take it over in the marketplace.
I see no credible reason for Pontiac to soldier on. 
|
Pontiac may be a brand with 2 "real" cars and some rebadges, but 95% of the time I prefer the look of the Pontiac looks-tweak to the original Chevy. I know that being a Pontiac fan for looks puts me in the minority, but I'm not alone.
Quote:
I still think the only way for Pontiac to survive is if its part of an import badged brand with Saturn and Saab, with Pontiac being Holden. It doesn't matter if the exchange sucks as the goal is to augment the factory production with amazing cars. Bring over truly great RWD sedans and coupes, mixed in with the Solstice -- the Sky should be a Chevy -- and focus on niche sales to those who want an import.
Trying to create Pontiac versions of given cars is a losing matter. Having a Firebird and a Camaro, for example, just isn't something that can or should be done. But you can still have a differentiated Pontiac by saying they're imported Holdens. No need to redo the cars at all, just focus on well executed performance. By having them linked totally to Holden and their sales in Europe and Asia GM can move a reasonable amount each year. And they won't cannibalize sales from Chevrolet.
|
I think a viable Pontiac future is a brand twin/partner with Holden. But Pontiac was and could still be a volume brand. People are much more likely I think to cross shop Pontiac than, say, Saturn. Holden would need to be able to keep up with significant volume on mainstream models.