Pontiac Needs to Close

[2002 Caddy]

Originally Posted by LeSabre

I bet you're wrong!!

I hope that I am wrong too, but I'll take that bet.

If I'm wrong I'll pay you with the winnings I got from the guy who bet me that the "woulda coulda shoulda" GM share price was $14.77, or from the guy who bet me that the XLR wouldn't be cancelled, or from the guy who bet the STS "update" would sell well, or from the guy who bet that the Kappa cars would be a big hit... or the guy who thought selling heritage scrap at Barrett Jackson was smart. Or the guy who said they don't need to market the new GTO, it will sell itself. etc, etc, etc...

[gmlifer]

The only way Pontiac survives is to become the N/A outlet for GM models that are not available from any other GM dealer in the US and at the same time building on their intended image of a performance brand that is one step up the ladder from Chevy.
I love Chevrolet but not everyone wants to drive a brand that you see on every corner.
The G8 is a perfect car for Pontiac. The only affordable RWD sedan from GM.
The Solstice is another great example .
Keep Pontiac small if only to preserve the brand until things turn around.

[benroethig]

The Kappas have fallen off a cliff and the G8 would make a great Impala. I'm a Pontiac guy but its days are done.

[FireFox89]

Originally Posted by benroethig

The Kappas have fallen off a cliff and the G8 would make a great Impala. I'm a Pontiac guy but its days are done.

Chevrolet can't market a 32k car beyond the vette and camaro, due to its other offerings/niche effectively.
Like cadillac cannot market a 100k xlr.
Pontiac/buick still can market to about 38-40k without extending it's demographic.
Hence to why pontiac can market the g8 and sell them.
The kappa was supposed to recieve a very mild mce at some point (mostly interior) to keep up with updates to the mx5....but gm is bk and updates were cancelled to most if not all gm carlines...aged models due to tend to plummet and then obviously the economy.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by FireFox89

Chevrolet can't market a 32k car beyond the vette and camaro, due to its other offerings/niche effectively.
Like cadillac cannot market a 100k xlr.
Pontiac/buick still can market to about 38-40k without extending it's demographic.
Hence to why pontiac can market the g8 and sell them.
The kappa was supposed to recieve a very mild mce at some point (mostly interior) to keep up with updates to the mx5....but gm is bk and updates were cancelled to most if not all gm carlines...aged models due to tend to plummet and then obviously the economy.

Chevrolet can market a $32K+ car if it wanted to. They would just need to change the perception of their brand.
Heck... they already sell a $104K car.

Cadillac can sell a $100,000 XLR-V if it wanted to. The problem is, the XLR-V felt more like a $65,000 car. That just won't fly with a market with very discerning tastes.

[Gerard]

Originally Posted by FireFox89

Chevrolet can't market a 32k car beyond the vette and camaro, due to its other offerings/niche effectively.

Apparently, neither can Pontiac since the G8 isn't blazing the sales charts...and neither did the GTO.

[2002 Caddy]

Originally Posted by Gerard

Apparently, neither can Pontiac since the G8 isn't blazing the sales charts...and neither did the GTO.

The GTO was Good, the G8 is Better... The marketing is NONEXISTENT.
It is as simple as that.

[Dr. Show-Me]

The GTO came and went with barely an advertising ripple.
This time, the internet and slightly better advertising means that at least people know about the G8.

[CadiEldo67]

What's amazing is how my local P-B-G dealership went all out and bought not one but two G8 GXPs.

Would you think that they would put those in the showroom? No, that space is reserved for the iconic Pontiac G3. I kid you not.

We all just live in a smaller town, and a G8 GT for $33K would have been a bit of a hard sell, but a $40K GXP? I expect those to sit for a while. (Probably end up like quite a few of their cars, most notably a Fiero with 1800 miles that never sold, the owner just takes the loss and keeps them around...)

[Gerard]

Originally Posted by 2002 Caddy

The GTO was Good, the G8 is Better... The marketing is NONEXISTENT.
It is as simple as that.

Yeah, but good doesn't always translate into sales. I have more respect for the GTO since it's a used car bargain, but the performance didn't floor me compared to the cheaper (and cooler-looking) Trans Ams. In terms of style, the 1998-2002 Trans Am is one of the best--and, sadly, neglected. I'd bet that a Holden-based Impala SS, with all those Chevy ad dollars and brand name, would sell well over the G8's slow figures.

[Caralizer]

The problem with Pontiac seems like there are no more brand name vehicles anymore. What ever happened to the Bonneville. Not to mention the complete failure of the GTO what a way to bring back a legendary automobile eh?

[Hitman1970]

^^ GTO was a self-inflicted wound as the donor car was going away after 2006 anyway. With no advertising AT ALL regular people were just becoming aware of its release in 2006. Today non-car people still think it is being sold new and the Ford is still using the Five Hundred name. dumb, dumb, dumb.

[vcs2600]

Originally Posted by FireFox89

Pontiac/buick still can market to about 38-40k without extending it's demographic.

Baloney! Pontiac can barely sell a car in the mid $20s. They are irrelevant in the midsize segment. And the only reason G8s are moving is because of big piles of cash on the hood, despite the fact it's a fantastic car. Any notion that Pontiac is a premium brand has been demolished by decades of crap Grand Ams and Sunfires.

And yeah, GM brought back it's most famous 1960s muscle car marquee, and nobody cared. So much for Pontiac's rich heritage, it's worth squat.

[2002 Caddy]

Originally Posted by vcs2600

And yeah, GM brought back it's most famous 1960s muscle car marquee, and nobody cared. So much for Pontiac's rich heritage, it's worth squat.

That is the sad truth right there... GM thought that the GTO would sell itself based on its name and on Pontiac's "Rich Heritage" The lack of sales makes a perfect case study as to why Pontiac is a damaged brand and why its history is worht squat.

[Snake8]

the day Pontiac dies,if it does,is the day I'll go back to ford.
Us Canadians Prefer our Pontiacs and always have,
I will not drive a chevrolet.