[member12]

Pontiac Vibe: Toyota mediocrity held back by a Pontiac badge.

Same thing with the G6..A nice Chevrolet when it came out, but the brand name and lack of smarter features and updates combined with the Pontiac badge really hurt it.

Pontiac raises images of muscle cars, mullets, and crummy re-badged (heavily cladded) Chevrolets. It goes totally against the "fuel efficiency" image that Pontiac should be.

The reality is that Saturn is better at being sporty than Pontiac is and it's probably going to be better at being upscale than Buick will be. I honestly believe that with better dealer access, Saturn would be the 2nd best selling brand easily. It already has an arguably better Vibe in the Astra. The Aura is a bit better than the G6, the Vue is a great product that registers well with consumers despite the weight problem and lack of dealers. The Sky IS the Solsice.

Pontiac needs some kind of clear focus. I really don't know what they are trying to be now. Should they flood the lineup with cars like the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Scion TC, and the Solstice or should they offer simply sporty versions of cars that are or should be Chevrolets or Buicks? (Pontiac G6, G8, and G8 ST).

The Vibe is a good example of a decent product that follows the Mitsubishi/Scion school of thought. I don't see it registering with may people since it's not terribly fuel efficient, though it does look better than the Matrix.



Uncertain times....not sure what to think about Pontiac. Cars like the Vibe make Pontiac seem less focused. The only brands that seem to stick to their intendend marketing segment is Chevrolet, Hummer, and to a lesser extent, Cadillac. Saturn is staring to move towards the Acura/VW/Audi segment but I am sure GM will change plans 10 times this week alone...which I think leaves Pontiac to go against girly sporty products and Buick to fight Mercury, Lincoln, and lower end Lexuses.

GM's brand focus changes faster than they can put new products on the market. It's in a perpetual state of chaos.