Good piece. Certainly makes you think about both Pontiac's demise, GM's lack of a "performance brand" (and if it really even needs one), and Dodge's new role as America's "only performance" brand left standing.
If I were running GM and had it in my head to have Pontiac re-emerge as a brand, I would do it by emulating Lagonda. That is to say, GM would make a limited batch of cars for a few years, then the brand would become dormant again. Then ten years later, they'd do the same thing down the line via another limited run. Lagonda has done this in the past and they do it well. They sell and service them through Aston Martin dealers, so it wasn't like they had to set up a new sales channel. I could imagine GM doing something that like with Pontiac; everything handled through Chevrolet or Buick-GMC stores, and you don't have to worry about long-term ancillary considerations (advertising, brand-awareness, etc) because it's a limited run with a limited audience. You offer up a bespoke product once every 10 or 15 years (a re-bodied Camaro sold as a Trans Am; a re-bodied CTS coupe sold as a new GTO, etc). Once the limited run is completed and sold, the brand goes back into dormancy. No big fuss, no huge "shut down" of a sales channel, etc. GM could even set up a "coach building" division much like Ferrari has to create a limited run of products off of off the shelf parts and platforms to handle most of the engineering/design. Since it's a limited run, they'd command big money and they'd be both profitable and create big exposure with collectors/journalists.
However, if GM was looking for a more "upscale" and permanent performance brand, they wouldn't have to revive any dormant brands. Though a lot of people hated the idea, there was the idea floated awhile back of turning the Corvette into a brand unto itself. Doing so would have insulated the Corvette from the rest of the Chevrolet line up (much like they did in Europe for a time) and create a sense of exclusivity. What's more, creating a Corvette brand would allow the lineup to grow and encompass more than just a single product line.
Chances are that GM will never do this, but if they were to reconsider it, the introduction of a mid-engine Corvette Zora -- and the continued production and sale of the current Corvette alongside of it to satisfy 'traditional' Vette customers -- would certainly be the logical time to "splinter off" the Corvette into a standalone brand. Of course, a future variant of the SS sedan, disassociated with Chevrolet, could create an interesting start to a three-product Corvette performance brand at GM to take on the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin, et al.
Just my thoughts, of course.
Chances are that Pontiac will never return. And if it did, I could only imagine it being in a limited lineup and with a limited run of cars.
If I were running GM and had it in my head to have Pontiac re-emerge as a brand, I would do it by emulating Lagonda. That is to say, GM would make a limited batch of cars for a few years, then the brand would become dormant again. Then ten years later, they'd do the same thing down the line via another limited run. Lagonda has done this in the past and they do it well. They sell and service them through Aston Martin dealers, so it wasn't like they had to set up a new sales channel. I could imagine GM doing something that like with Pontiac; everything handled through Chevrolet or Buick-GMC stores, and you don't have to worry about long-term ancillary considerations (advertising, brand-awareness, etc) because it's a limited run with a limited audience. You offer up a bespoke product once every 10 or 15 years (a re-bodied Camaro sold as a Trans Am; a re-bodied CTS coupe sold as a new GTO, etc). Once the limited run is completed and sold, the brand goes back into dormancy. No big fuss, no huge "shut down" of a sales channel, etc. GM could even set up a "coach building" division much like Ferrari has to create a limited run of products off of off the shelf parts and platforms to handle most of the engineering/design. Since it's a limited run, they'd command big money and they'd be both profitable and create big exposure with collectors/journalists.
However, if GM was looking for a more "upscale" and permanent performance brand, they wouldn't have to revive any dormant brands. Though a lot of people hated the idea, there was the idea floated awhile back of turning the Corvette into a brand unto itself. Doing so would have insulated the Corvette from the rest of the Chevrolet line up (much like they did in Europe for a time) and create a sense of exclusivity. What's more, creating a Corvette brand would allow the lineup to grow and encompass more than just a single product line.
Chances are that GM will never do this, but if they were to reconsider it, the introduction of a mid-engine Corvette Zora -- and the continued production and sale of the current Corvette alongside of it to satisfy 'traditional' Vette customers -- would certainly be the logical time to "splinter off" the Corvette into a standalone brand. Of course, a future variant of the SS sedan, disassociated with Chevrolet, could create an interesting start to a three-product Corvette performance brand at GM to take on the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin, et al.
Just my thoughts, of course.
