Edmunds InsideLine: Pontiac Kills Rear-Wheel-Drive G8

[eurohazard]

Originally Posted by Xtreme08

I also heard GM is canceling the Silverado, CTS, Malibu and Corvette.

I literally laughed out loud! Good one!

[t-rex]

Originally Posted by HHRDude

Well, That really sucks! I really like the Commodore..and the rest of the Holden lineup, especially the HSV's.

Don't worry, in five years' time, just walk into your local Chevy showroom and ask to see the new RWD Impala and Caprice. Pontiac will be a goner by then.

Well you're Canadian, so even if the car moves to Chevy in the US, there'll be a Poncho clone for Canada. G-d knows you hockeyheads aren't happy unless your highways are full of twin-nostrilled Chevrolet clones...

and unfortunately, that will reflect cars for Canada as well.

Why is Canada so wont to copy every needless, pointless, and outright stupid automotive law practiced in America? 5mph bumpers? Come on.

I caught a glimpse of one of these on the Pont Jacques Cartier one afternoon...



It's a crying shame that the cheeky little "Brick" was made cartoonish by those stupid bumpers. I expect this sort of brainless legislation from America, but from Canadians? Geeze. (sorry the pic is small, but the bumper isn't just raised, it's held on by two crudely tacked-on metal braces...)

And why can't you sell a car in Canada unless it's also sold in America (as I was told on here by a Canadian)? When did this stupid rule start? Part of the fun I have when I go up to Montreal to visit Satan Incarnate, erm, I mean my wife's mother, is spotting the oddball Nissan Micra or X-Trail or old Hyundai Pony that's not available on this side of the border.

You'd think with Canada's preference for smaller cars, at least the brands represented there would offer smaller products that would appeal to Canadians. Ford Fiesta. Nissan March. VW Polo. Honda City. Mazda2. Hyundai Getz....

[ARCANGEL]

Ya know some of you guys really have to get over this historic brands and V8 blah blah RWD sedans. Reality is us enthusiasts aren't enough to make profits for a company and it's time GM starts worrying about survival and not appealing to niche mrkets

[mystikranger]

Just put Pontiac out of its misery.

[neqqy]

If true, it is an additional several years is longer than the Aussie model was slated to be sold on the North American market. Originally, the Oz G8 was only going to be in NA for three or four years just like the limited GTO run and then replaced by RWD from Canada. That Canadian RWD version of zeta was for Pontiac and other core brands. Those plans were shelved a long time ago as, I expect, will all RWD development for Pontiac. The budget, I assume, is not there to work on alpha or much of anything at all except rebadges like G5.

The fate of Pontiac is a minor issue at the moment given the company's circumstances. From a PR standpoint, it appears irresponsible to have spent money building niche halo vehicles like the ZR1, CTS-V, etc. and will especially appear so when GM starts begging for bailouts. It might not be such a funny joke to announce the hiatus of Corvette when the time comes for that.

GM financial planners keep pointing to some miracle economic turnaround in one year and capitulation from the union to keep the company alive. It is true that we will probably have a quick market run up in the short term but beyond that, economic projections amount to mere wishful thinking.

[Murrow]

I wouldn't have said this a year ago, but it's time to pare GM down to three brands -- Chevrolet and Cadillac as bookends, with either Buick or Saturn in between. Pontiac, GMC, Hummer and Saab should all die or be sold. Enough is enough. The slow death of GM has been quite painful and frustrating.

[Quickening]

Kill Pontiac. Its unneeded. Especially with the Solstice and now G8 gone.

[BigAls87Z28]

Pontiac is dead by 2014, this is no surprise.
Get ready for the Rebadge-a-thon coming with the next G6 and G5.
Pontiac will get no new vehicles, only rebadges from here on out. Sorry Poncho fans.

[Xenon]

What a shame that GM is doing this. Maybe it becomes the Impala instead?

[paul8488]

G6 is getting the mildest of updates for 2009... nothing for G5 (not even a turb or XFE model)... G3 is a cheap addition... the Vibe is new and will be allowed to run its course... Pontiac is dead.

Bet GM is wishing they'd spent their money on turning it into a Chevy or Buick instead of wasting it on one generation as a low-volume Pontiac. Gigantic waste of resources.

[JeffInDFW]

But GM just pointed out that Pontiac sells more cars than Mazda, more than Subaru, Scion, and a ton of other brands.

The problem is, the G8 hit the lots right when gas shot thru the roof, so nobody bought one. The monthly sales have been horrible. But, gas is coming down now.....I'm hoping sales can begin a slow climb in the coming months.

As far as Solstice, it still outsells the Miata. It is an OUTSTANDING car. I owned a Solstice for 2 years, and just last month traded it in for a Sky Redline. Sky sales are still basically they sell as soon as they hit the lot. The Solstice needs its front end (nose) redone.

[steve333]

Pontiac is going back to what it was.
What they really should do is kill off saturn and give Opel's products to Pontiac and Buick.
Pontias gets the Corsa (MUCH better than the Aveo) and the Astra.
Buick gets the Insignia and whatever else there is.
Ditch the freaking 'G' names already!

[vncj96]

Just kill Pontiac now while it has a little bit of dignity left

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by jasaero

How are all Lutz's visions for GM's brands getting marginalized so much? Who are the people at GM he is hitting walls with??

Since he's the top ProductGuru apparently he reports only to the CEO and The Board of Directors. Fuel prices at $4 or $5 a gallon has given everyone the willys. All fuel guzzlers and potential fuel guzzlers are sinkholes.

The buying public stated that loudly this spring and summer. 'Keep building the cars of the 70s and 80s and we'll put you out of business'. Both Ford and GM woke up suddenly and stated their new intentions. This along with killing off the midsized SUVs isthe what the public has told GM to do.

[Millefune]

Thanks a lot, GM. Keep on wasting money on Saturn, and keep killing Pontiac. Way to win loyalty.

If GM does end up getting Chrysler, and kills Pontiac... I guess I'm going to go for a Lincoln as my next car since I won't buy a Dodge once it's part of a Pontiac-less GM. I hate that the only American sports car I'll be able to consider will be a dime-a-dozen see-everywhere Mustang. Blech!