Pontiac Needs to Close

[Ed Arcuri]

Help me understand how Pontiac is dead because of the Grand Am and Buick will prosper with a new Sylark.
Cheers,
Ed

[FireFox89]

Originally Posted by 2002 Caddy

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.

Not to drag out this any further, but alot of that was the car itself.
If ford took a gto-like car and called it a mustang, sales would plummet beyond belief.
Cadillac had the half baked catera for so many years was riding on "cadillac heritage" to sell and it seemed the a&s theme was a shot in the arm it needed and now its a fixture for all their cars.
If gm threw some "true pontiac heritage" at the gto in the first place (ala futuristic retro) it wouldnt be as big as the camaro yes......but against a mustang at the time, it would of put up decent sales numbers. The GTO has a preconcieved image of what it is supposed to be and a stigma to live up to.

Im not blind and agree, g3 and g5 should of never existed to satisify the dealer bloat, and chapter 11 is the best chance to cut whatever is irrevelent in pontiac. If gm may/does cut pontiac, it dismisses a big opportunity to be had, as chevrolet can't fill in by plugging in car x and car y, no matter what is said as chevrolet and pontiac target two different niches.

[Gerard]

Let's not forget that the dull-looking GTO of 2004 was still a lot better than what the GTO turned into in 1973.

[FireFox89]

Originally Posted by Gerard

Let's not forget that the dull-looking GTO of 2004 was still a lot better than what the GTO turned into in 1973.

a verntura/nova based gto.
that was a sad era for generally all cars....sadly this might turn out to be 1973 all over again pretty soon.

[vcs2600]

Originally Posted by FireFox89

Not to drag out this any further, but alot of that was the car itself.
If ford took a gto-like car and called it a mustang, sales would plummet beyond belief.
Cadillac had the half baked catera for so many years was riding on "cadillac heritage" to sell and it seemed the a&s theme was a shot in the arm it needed and now its a fixture for all their cars.

You have a point, but GM management is never going to say "What were we thinking when we build a GTO that looked like a 1995 Oldsmobile?", because that would require introspection and someone taking the blame. [Incidentally both the Catera and the GTO trace back to the 1994 Opel Omega. GM made the exact same mistake twice!]

Instead they will say "GTO? Didn't sell. Pontiac? Guess it's just a 'bad brand'. Flush it."

Although in this case I can't totally blame them because times are desperate, and (like it or not), Chevy is a just as credible as a muscle car brand.

Originally Posted by Ed Arcuri

Help me understand how Pontiac is dead because of the Grand Am and Buick will prosper with a new Sylark.
Cheers,
Ed

And Ed you also have a good point. It's one thing to sell a king-sized luxury crossover to golfers, it's quite another to convince VW Jetta customers to cross-shop at Buick. GM is essentially gambling their entire sales strategy on one moderate success (Enclave). I hope it works out for them.

[ScottieDogFLA]

Mark my words--- Buick will be shuttered in a year, tops (in the North American market). There is NO logical reason to keep them on life-support, either.

[Thrash]

Agreed. A G8-GT passed me yesterday and couldn't help but think about getting one. Tempted, but don't want another car payment right now. But do feel like I need to get one before the end. Buick? What do they have? Nothing. Old peoples cars. The only Buick I'd want is an old Grand National...

[GMCSonoma]

Originally Posted by FireFox89

a verntura/nova based gto.
that was a sad era for generally all cars....sadly this might turn out to be 1973 all over again pretty soon.

That came in 1974, the Ventura based X-body GTO.

Pictured is a 1973 GTO which could be had with a 455, special ordered! It was the A-body coupe...108" wb

[rocky]

I have read several forum entries that have been entered over the last year suggesting that the G8 get badged as a Chevy. For this reason I wish to make a comment.
I was born and raised in Pontiac, MI. You can imagine how much I hate to see Pontiac dissappear. Our city gave birth to the first Pontiac which was made by Oakland Motors. The GTO was born my first year of High School. Although I cruised Woodward Ave. in a more than a few cars that are now classics, my favorite was my 1968 Bonneville (red w/ white vinyl top and white interior). Memories of Pontiacs fill my life constantly: however, I would rather see the Pontiac Div. die than have the G8 badged as a chevy. Sure all you have to do is take the padding out of the seats, remvove some of the electronic controls from the passenger seat, make a few more changes that cut cost, and there it is--A CHEVY. How about keeping it's integrity and making it a Buick GN

[DetroitIron]

It was over for Pontiac when they came out with that Sunfire on steroids and stuck GTO badges on it. Good power and performance, absolutely lame styling with no ques to the original. On the road, it looked no different than any other Sunfire, G6 or jelly bean. I agree with the post that started this thread a year ago. The only Pontiacs that will be missed are the G8 and Solstice.

[reycerx]

This is my favorite Pontiac...the '65 Bonneville. These were the good old days when every GM car was a piece of art...up to the late 1970's.

[ejfx]

Originally Posted by ScottieDogFLA

Mark my words--- Buick will be shuttered in a year, tops (in the North American market). There is NO logical reason to keep them on life-support, either.

Wrong...Buick is getting much needed additions over the next couple years...just wait...

Its too late to save the current Pontiac (poor line up and Pontiac factories are sheduled for retooling for smaller cars) ...but in a decade or two...

PONTIAC WILL RETURN !

Originally Posted by LeSabre

Actually, Chevrolet NEEDS to close.

Thats just silly
Your joking I hope.
GM would fail in a matter of days if Chevy was removed.

[LeSabre]

Originally Posted by ejfx

Thats just silly
Your joking I hope.
GM would fail in a matter of days if Chevy was removed.

Well, I know it won't happen.
Joking, I was not. Its just wishful thinking on my part.
I would be fine if Chevrolet were dropped.

It would have given Pontiac room to stay in existence as the performance/sporty division(w/RWD & a couple AWD cars). While Saturn could have taken it's(Chevrolet) place just focusing on cars, a small SUV & a CUV. Leaving the truck market to GMC.
Though GM could do what I say of Saturn w/Chevy by dropping the Chevy trucks & large SUVs. Since Saturn is going to Penske AG. But Chevy would only have the Corvette & maybe the Camaro as the brands sports/performance cars.


!!!

[Hitman1970]

There are only 3 new G8 GTs left on the lot at my dealership. On liquid red, one white, and one Sport Red Metallic. The is a grey used G8 sedan for sale too.

Also, I only noticed one 2009.5 G6 on the lot too. Several older G6s are still around though.

Just going on and off of base yesterday there were four G8 GTs driving around.

[Idler Arm]

The closing of Pontiac is stupid and the closing of dealerships is worse. General Motors has to have the dumbest men and women in the world in charge of their company.