Car guys shed a tear for Pontiac....

sprink56

New Member
Oct 28, 2008
1,288
West Palm Beach, Fl
Boat Info
1979 255 Liberator
Engines
twin Mercruiser 450 HP I/O on Bravo I Drives
I just watched a segment on NBC tonight on the end of the road for Pontiac. When I was in Jr. High & High School in the mid to late '60s, a Pontiac GTO was an instant status symbol. They were cool, fast and the ultimate car to impress the girls with. I remenber a neighbor bought a new 1964 GTO...one of the first ones. My buds and I would stand in awe every time the car drove by.

One day in the summer of 1967, my Dad brought home a new '67 "Goat"....white with a black vinyl top and black interior. I walked up with my mouth wide open and looked at my Dad...he jumped out with a big grin and asked 'Well...what do you think?" I nearly died...I was 15 and soon to get my license and had dreams of driving that GTO on dates. my Dad was very strict and never would turn me loose with the "Goat"...I built a real slick '56 Chevy 2 door...but that's another story. I will never forget that GTO.

Now tonight I see the news that there will be no more Pontiacs. I had to take pause...is nothing sacred?:huh:

But me and my generation of "Boomers" have our memories.:thumbsup:
 
I have been wondering how long it was going to take GM to kill off Pontiac. They should have done Pontiac when they eliminated Oldsmobile. I was in a GM (Chevy, GMC, Pontiac, Buick) dealer a few weeks ago. I could see the differences between Chevy and Buick, but there's not a heck of a lot of differences that I could see between a Chevy and a Pontiac. Why carry all the extra costs for a different brand for a Chevy with a different label? At least the Buick is a Chevy that's dressed up a little.

Best regards,
Frank
 
You guys, have youheard anything they've been talking about.... Did you listen to Rick Waggoner.....I bet not, they did not say they are getting rid of pontiac, what they said was they are waiting and letting the models run their coarse until 2012. They are going to try to sell Saturn, Not Pontiac...If they ever get rid of Pontiac it will be because they are Bankrupt and nothing will be manufactured........Coming from a Pontiac Supplier..
 
Haaaaa a Pontiac Trans Am. They should bring it back. I would get one right away.





transam.gif
 
You guys, have youheard anything they've been talking about.... Did you listen to Rick Waggoner.....I bet not, they did not say they are getting rid of pontiac, what they said was they are waiting and letting the models run their coarse until 2012. They are going to try to sell Saturn, Not Pontiac...If they ever get rid of Pontiac it will be because they are Bankrupt and nothing will be manufactured........Coming from a Pontiac Supplier..

Actually I didn't hear what sprink56 posted, but it would make sense for GM to stop throwing money away on floating a carline that's already sunk. Saturn is another loser. Division never made a dime in its history. Don't know who would want it. GM also trying to get rid of Hummer, which they did make some good profit from the lines of rebodied GM trucks. I'm not sure, but I think GM only has the marketing rights for the civilian version of the military vehicle. I don't think they own the manufacturing. So not much value to sell there either without the sales of rebodied GM pickups and SUVs. Not many civilian H1 vehicles were ever sold.
 
I saw the NBC news story about Pontiac's demise and it was very misleading. What is really going to happen? No no one knows for sure with certainty but you can clearly see it will be around in the future by reading GM's 117 page restructuring plan which is available on the internet. http://www.treas.gov/initiatives/eesa/agreements/auto-reports/GMRestructuringPlan.pdf It does not look like there will be any Pontiac specific dealers but the brand name does not die. Here is the verbiage straight from the restructuring plan:


Brands and Channels
The Company has committed to focus its resources primarily on its core brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Of the remaining brands, Pontiacwhich is part of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC retail channelwill be a highly focused niche brand. Hummer and Saab, stand-alone retail channels and brands, are subject to ‗strategic reviews‘, including their potential sale. A Hummer sale or phase out decision will be made in Q1 2009, with final resolution expected for both no later than

2010. Saturn will remain in operation through the end of the planned lifecycle for all Saturn products (2010-2011). In the interim, should Saturn retailers as a group or other investors present a plan that would allow a spin off or sale of Saturn Distribution Corporation (SDC), GM would be open to any such possibility. If a spin off or sale does not occur, it is GMs intention to phase out the Saturn brand at the end of the current product lifecycle.


...........................................and...........................................






Focus on four core brands and three corresponding channels

Chevrolet, Buick, GMC & Cadillac core brands / Chevrolet, BPG & Cadillac channels

Pontiac to serve as niche product

Part of [FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]“Fewer, Better” entries [/FONT][/FONT]strategy

Concentrate advertising, capital and engineering resources

.........................................and...............................................





Brand Positioning and Dealer Throughput


Chevrolet:
- Brand Positioning:
Expressive Value

High Value Appeal with High Retail Volume
- Dealer Throughput:
Growing to match Toyota in large markets




Buick-Pontiac-GMC:
- Brand Positioning
Buick: Sophisticated Quality, Luxury and Craftsmanship
Pontiac: Youthful & Sporty with niche focus
GMC: Engineering Excellence with Capability and Functionally
- Dealer Throughput:
Growing to match Nissan in large markets



Cadillac:
- Brand Positioning:
Performance Luxury with Aspirational Appeal
Global Luxury Brand
- Dealer Throughput:
Growing to match Mercedes in large markets


 
Last edited:
According to Auto Week Pontiac is going to keep the Solstice and the G8 line. Their downfall started with the Aztec...what a POS.
 
According to Auto Week Pontiac is going to keep the Solstice and the G8 line. Their downfall started with the Aztec...what a POS.

What about that minivan, what was it called? Transport? I think GM needed this slap in the ass after the Aztec and Transport. They nearly destroyed the brand with cars like that. I don't think the brand will die. It is their heritage performance brand. You will see exciting cars like the Trans Am pictured above, but the crap will be pruned. Forced discipline.
 
I've got an 02 Bonneville with 188,000 + mostly hiway miles...if it holds together, I'm going to a 1/4 mil. I remember the first time I tried to find the battery, had a hell of a time, until I looked for it in the owners manual. I'd like a G8, but havn't researched if it is offered or will be in a front wheel drive.
 
I work for gm and the end of pontiac has been comming for a long time, started about 3 years ago, and some talk has been that they should of killed pontiac instead of oldsmobile, but whats done is done, it is what it is.there is so much more i want to post, but dont want to cause any kind of up roars......... rob
 
A niche brand. . .does that mean that the 2012 Pontiac Trans Am will be sold by a Buick dealer? Heh.

But I am not surprised by this turn. And Saturn. . while a good concept. . .had flawed implementation. I looked at them a decade back. The dealer wanted a $500 CC deposit to allow a test drive. And "non-negotiation" pricing doesn't work well when the sticker price matches the competitors sticker price. . . . . I didn't test drive any cars and I have not been back.
 
Maybe I missed it but where does the automiotive restructure/stimulus report address QUALITY. It is wonderful to say they want to sell more cars than Toyota and take back Nissan's market but without creating a quality product, who is going to buy it (I am all too aware who is going to PAY for it!)

A friend just dumped his 8 month old Cadillac Excalade because it was JUNK. Cadillac is supposed to be the premier American brand. If our best is junk, what is our middle of the road offering? This is frightening but nearly as frightening as the fact that we, as Americans, are being looked at to fund the slow death of an industry we used to master, before competition. I know I am Ranting, rambling and frustrated...

I wonder who will bailout my company when I deliver crappy service, mismanage my money and my company falters. Who will save me then??? UGH, back to work so I have some money to bailout stupid automakers... ; )
 
You just need the UAW ..They are the answer....just ask them. While they are not singularly responsible for Detroit's fall, they are certainly at the top of the list!
 
You just need the UAW ..They are the answer....just ask them. While they are not singularly responsible for Detroit's fall, they are certainly at the top of the list!

As a member of a different union, I can tell you that your statement is complete, utter, total, unadulterated, truth. That, and over-paid for under-production "leaders."
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,946
Messages
1,422,760
Members
60,929
Latest member
Henchman
Back
Top