[JT87]

Odd how, even with a near 40% drop in sales, replacing a high volume Grand Prix with a low volume G8, having a rebadged compact, the least 'fancy' of the midsize cars, a rebadged Toyota, a virtually unimproved roadster, and a rebadged compact CUV, Pontiac still outsells Saturn, what was touted to be GM's 'second biggest selling brand' in North America. Imagine how much better and earlier the Malibu could have came to market if it were not for the Aura. Or how much quicker and better developed the Canadian-built Chevy and GMC Thetas would be if it weren't for the Mexican-built VUE. I could go on... All that investment into what will almost certainly be a 'bargain basement, plastic car' brand to be behind Pontiac in sales, and not much higher than the 3 vehicle line Buick brand. Saturn can go the way of the Dodo, or be pushed back down the ladder.

That said, Pontiac has almost always been the Performance Division. Back in the early days, they put sixes where fours belonged, and eights where sixes belonged, and introduced 'Wide Track' to their lineup. They introduced the GTO, the Fiero, WS6 Trans Am's, etc. Give the cars the old names (Catalina, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Fiero, Firebird, GTO, Safari wagon, Ventura), some fresh, aggressive styling (a la G8), size them right, price them right, and it would have fit perfectly in the B-O-P(and G) group.