Sad But True!

The Demise of the Arrow Head

Posted December 3 2008 10:11 AM by KevinDiOssi
Filed under: Pontiac News, Kevin DiOssi

GM announces the future of Pontiac Motor Division and the rest of the company...

The proposal is in. Pontiac will be decreased to niche brand. This is a very ambiguous statement, though. We at HPP like to be as optimistic as possible and believe niche is code for "we will only build cool cars from now on". That means building the Solstice, G8, and a few variants of the new G6. (Which, if you haven't driven one, is a great car.)

Introducing new cars to the lineup would be welcome but not feasible. We'll take what we have right now, just don't kill us! Have your way with the Vibe, Torrent, G5, and G3!

Let's hope for the best!

Share This

Reader Comments:

1. It's bound to happen when GM won't listen to what the buyers really want. That's what they get for believing they know better than the people who are buying.
Oh, by the way, the use of what appears to be a picture of a military cemetary is tacky and disrespectful.

barneyformula - Posted December 5 2008 06:01 PM

2. Yes, this could pave the way for them to can Pontiac if things don't improve. Of course, if things don't improve, GM will be toast anyway.
Let's face it, Pontiac reached its height in the 60's because it had a unique take on cars: aggressive style with power and handling to back it up. Pontiac fans have complained in the decades (yes, DECADES) since that the brand image was muddied and diluted. Bob Lutz came into GM and said he wanted Pontiac to be the American BMW, and the brand started to go that way, with the G8 being the most successful realization of his goal.
But, once again GM did its best to muddy the brand with rebadged Chevies (G5, G3, Torrent). And the Vibe? Drop the Solstice GXP motor in there, then maybe you can call it a Pontiac. Otherwise it's a Toyota with a split grille.
In this restructuring, if being a "niche" brand means that Pontiac can have a select stable of modern, well-built, hot-looking, hot-driving cars, well that's not so bad. Leave the near-lux cars to Buick, ultra-lux cars to Cadillac, trucks to GMC, and mainstream stuff to Chevy.

grantman64 - Posted December 9 2008 02:23 PM

3. Pontiac doesn't make anything the General, meaning Chevy, doesn't approve. Ask Johnny D - that's right we can't. The Corvette has to be the fastest GM offering for example, not a Banshee. Who really wants a shared platform, weak offering of what we believe to be PONTIAC anyway (2004 GTO)? And since when does a hot rod have 4 doors (G8)? Only for NASCRAP. Maybe someone important will have a look at my response to the "GM promises to repay loan" article. Probably not. Start learning how to communicate in Chinese.

68gtoblue - Posted December 11 2008 02:50 PM

4. What I'm trying to say is, the demise of Pontiac doesn't really matter in the grand scope of things. Preserve our memories and old hot rods for sure. But, the demise of GM, and the big 3, should be of higher concern. It's imperitive that "they" come out with some cool, fresh, efficient offerings or WE will all be out of work as our economy will be much worse than it is now!

68gtoblue - Posted December 11 2008 02:58 PM

5. Pontiacs lost thier way they need to go back to their roots when the arrowhead ment performance, leave the sport luxo to buick and caddy. Pontiacs at one time ment performance, the mere thought of a firebird in your rearview made you wet yourself. C'mon GM get Your ASSES out of each other faces and do what you have in the past build performance cars

LS7firehawk - Posted December 20 2008 11:42 PM

6. Yes, the powers at be for GM have pretty much let Chevrolet dictate what Pontiac gets. Pontiacs have always been better than Chevy's and I don't think they like that. I've always drove Pontiacs from day one. The day I got my license I had a Pontiac & still do. If Pontiac gets chopped (No pun intended) I'm done buying GM anyways. Pontiacs have been the only GM make I like. My apologies for the rant. It just really pi##es me off.

Gene62 - Posted December 31 2008 07:30 PM

Add a Comment: (Must Be Registered)

User Name

Not Registered?
Signup today

Password

Comment