[Tal]

Originally Posted by lafountain

So with the possible killing of the Pontiac name, gotta wonder what is gonna happen to each of the models they currently make.

G8 - Guessing it will be rebadged
G6 -
G5 - Already another version of it (Cobalt)
G3 - Aveo
Solstice - Rebadge or just stick with the Sky only.
Torrent -
Vibe -

So what do you all think.

G8 - I say rebadge it as a Buick. I know some want it to be an Impala but I think it would do better as a lower volume Buick.
G6 - Nothing here Chevy needs at all, it might make sense to expand Buicks lineup with a nicer G6 at a lower volume level but it might be best to leave this segment to Chevy.
Solstice - Might end up dropped but I for one hope that the numbers make sense and the platform can be continued with Buick or Chevrolet.
G5, G3, Torrent, Vibe - Gone and won't be missed all are completely redundant with other GM products (except maybe the Vibe but I don't see that GM needs to sell Toyotas)

[Lee9710]

It is truly a sad day for me. I grew up as my father did with Trans Ams, GTOs, and Camaros......I have my 97 modded T/A still from when it came out and I have my 2010 SS ordered, but Pontiac and Chevy have always been good to me. RIP Pontiac....

[camaro5]

[CamaroSpike23]

new updates

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/24/autos/pontiac_obit/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124060030328753755.html

[CamaroSpike23]

according to a "source".

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/24/autos/pontiac_obit/

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- General Motors is preparing to announce that the Pontiac car brand, once marketed as GM's "Excitement division," will be killed off, according to a source familiar with the decision.

An official announcement is expected Monday. GM spokesman Jim Hopson declined to comment on Pontiac's fate, saying the automaker has no announcements to make at this time.

In its most recent "viability plan" - which will be updated to reflect this new brand cut - Pontiac was not named as one of GM's four "core brands." Those are Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. But Pontiac was also not to be killed or sold off, as were Saturn, Saab and Hummer.

Instead Pontiac was to continue on as a "niche brand" focusing on just a few models.

That was already a step down for Pontiac which in 2008 was the third-best selling brand behind Chevrolet and GMC. That year the brand sold more than Cadillac and twice as many vehicles as Buick. Cadillac is a high-profile - and high profit - luxury brand while Buick is a hugely popular brand in China and is seen as resurgent in the United States.

In 2005, GM (GM, Fortune 500) vice-chairman Bob Lutz referred to Buick and Pontiac as "damaged brands" during a conference at the New York Auto Show. That set off speculation that one or both of these brands was doomed.

With a focus on affordable luxury, Buick's hopes have been revived by models like the popular Enclave crossover SUV. Improvements in Buick Quality, which earned a top ranking in a recent J.D. Power dependability survey and a public acknowledgement by President Obama, have also helped Buick keep its place in the shrinking pantheon of GM names.

Pontiac performance
"There was a time, a long way back now, when you knew exactly what Pontiac stood for," said Kevin Smith, editorial director for the automotive Web site Edmunds.com.

The GM unit's identity as a performance brand dates back to the late 1950s and early 1960s. Pontiac cars were designed with wider bodies for cosmetic reasons and the wheels were pushed out to match. This "wide-track" design became a selling point and was advertised as giving Pontiac cars a distinct cornering advantage over other cars.

But the idea of Pontiac as a performance brand was solidified in 1964 with the creation of the Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO. That car quickly evolved into, simply, the GTO and is often credited with creating a new class of American car, the muscle car.

Under Lutz, plans were formed to bring back some actual excitement to the Pontiac brand, which hadn't seen much since the Firebird - a flashier Pontiac version of the Chevrolet Camaro - ended production in 2002.

One strategy floated for Pontiac was to sell only, or mostly, rear-wheel-drive cars. That would set it apart from other GM divisions, and most cars sold in America. Rear-wheel-drive is associated with performance brands like BMW.

Unfortunately, the re-introduction of the Pontiac GTO name on a performance coupe imported from Australia didn't result in big sales. So far, the Pontiac G8, a rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan also imported from GM's Australian Holden division, hasn't been a sales success either, despite good reviews.

Pontiac's most popular products remain the G6, a decent but unexciting midsize car available as a sedan, coupe or convertible, and the Vibe, a small wagon shared with Toyota, which sells it as the Matrix.

Any plans to return Pontiac to the heavy-horsepower days of the '70s ended as gas prices rose and Congress prepared stricter fuel economy rules for the industry.

Those pressures resulted in GM quietly introducing the Pontiac G3, which had been sold in Canada only. Once again, Pontiac was selling a rebadged Chevrolet product, this time the Korean-built Aveo subcompact car.

Pontiac's lack of focus as a brand may finally have brought its demise, said Smith. "That's just death in a marketplace where there's so much competition and so much quality," he said.

Pontiac's current role in GM seems mostly to be to support GMC and Buick by providing a brand under which Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealers could sell non-luxury cars, filling out what then becomes a full-line showroom.

The brand-channel strategy now makes it easier for GM to phase out the brand because it would cause less harm to dealers, independent business protected by strong state franchise laws. When GM phased out Oldsmobile in the early 2000's, it cost GM more than $1 billion to buy out the contracts of Oldsmobile dealers who were left with nothing to sell.

This time, most Pontiac dealers will have other products to sell.

First Published: April 24, 2009: 2:27 PM ET

[joepitt]

Originally Posted by drivingincamaro

At least save the G8 and rebadge it as a Chevy!!!!!

I agree about keeping the G8, unless they have an improved version of the platform to make the new Impala

[ShnOmac]

CHEVY LUMINA...........

I could see this coming over if Pontiac gets axed...





Chevy Lumina SS Named Best Sports Saloon in Middle East, Yes we said Lumina
By Matt Hardigree, 9:30 AM on Thu Dec 13 2007, 3,146 views

Words you don't expect to hear: "Chevy Lumina" and "Sports Saloon of the Year." But there's an explanation for how that particular namesake managed to pick up the prestigious Middle Eastern Award. The Middle Eastern version of the Chevy Lumina is exactly nothing like the American Chevy Lumina, but rather is the twin of Australia's Holden Commodore VE and the upcoming Pontiac G8 and is therefore a wicked RWD saloon propelled by the Vette's 6.0-liter V8. Buy hey, I bet they don't have a FlexFuel version. Press release below.

Chevrolet Lumina SS Elected "Sports Saloon of The Year" by CAR Middle East

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Leading UAE based magazine and one of the world's most established and authoritative motoring titles, CAR Middle East, has named the Chevrolet Lumina SS as "Best Sports Saloon" for 2007. The 'Car of the Year (COTY)' awards were launched this year to coincide with the 9th Middle East International Motor Show.

According to Shahzad Sheikh, Editor of CAR Middle East, "The Chevrolet Lumina SS has a 6.0-Litre V8 Corvette engine under the bonnet. Need I say more? This all new-car from 'down under' is a fantastic reinterpretation of the cult Lumina SS. No other car offers this level of practicality, performance, and potential tail-sliding fun for the money."

This is the first time the influential Middle East edition of CAR magazine has presented awards in the region and Sheikh added that: 'The Lumina SS edged ahead of some fierce competition to deservedly take the ultimate sports saloon award and perfectly demonstrates GM's renewed commitment to giving us the cars we really want to drive. Well done!" A jury of six regional automotive experts carefully picked the winners from 125 cars in total judging on quality, innovation, engineering, style and relevance to the Middle East market to crown the winners.

The Lumina SS powered by a 6.0-litre V8 engine now delivers standard power of 360hp (net) at 5700 rpm and torque of 530 Nm as measured under the international ECE standard. Bigger 18" alloy wheels improve handling and longitudinal grip for easier acceleration and shorter stopping distance. The bodyshell of the Lumina has been engineered to be extremely stiff and this aids stability. It has high lateral stiffness for handling through three lateral ball joints per side with improved longitudinal compliance. A rubber isolated suspension frame isolates the body from road bumps and drive train vibrations.

An Electronic Stability Program (ESP) system has been incorporated in the Lumina SS to boost safety and ensure the balance of power and performance is in perfect harmony. ESP technology reduces the risk of an accident by preventing the vehicle from skidding in an emergency by specifically slowing down individual wheels.

Driven by its athletic exterior look and authoritative stance, the Lumina SS looks awesome from any angle. Stylish wheel arches immediately set the tone for the superbly crafted external architecture on the Lumina, offering dynamic form, balance and great proportions with a hint of latent muscularity and tautness that sets this car apart from any other.

In the interior, the design philosophy is one of a cocooned space with a serpentine plan view of the instrument panel that enhances the feeling of spaciousness while ensuring that the centre stack controls are of easy reach to the driver, adding to the all round feeling of comfort and ease.

"The short front overhangs, the wheelbase, the wheels out at the corners and the muscular track all point to the Lumina SS as an absolutely well proportioned vehicle," concluded Hossein ******* marketing manager for Chevrolet in the Middle East. "Add to this muscular powerplant and an interior that exudes luxury and class and you have a car that is beautiful, meaningful and certainly worthy of the prestige of CAR Middle East's award." [GM via 4WheelsBlog]

[Keedy]

Hmmmm... lumina back as the cup car, mayhaps, too? Could be cool to see... G8/Luminas wouldn't lose much in translation to the CoT body, either.

[RCowan]

Great chance to make the G8 an IMPALA. Finally Impala can get some respect back since it turned into perfumed pig mary-kay car after '96. I hate to see Pontiac go, but that's how the sh*t splatters. G8, G7, G6, G3, GX Gwhatever is kind of boring naming trend anyway like bmw, mercedes, lexus, infinity. Bring them over to chevy and give them some identity, lose the crap and keep the balls.

[888GT#31]

Well, I guess what has to be done has to be done. :(

I am and will always be a Camaro guy. My first was a 96 z28 with all the options. Thus, I'm not a diehard Pontiac fan.

I've had my G8 GT for 13 months now and it doesn't even have one scratch anywhere (daily driver, no garage). I'm so happy with it. It was my first new car and cleaning it is so rewarding. With this news here, I'll keep my G8 forever. It's sad though, my local dealership here in Jax has great customer service and friendly staff. I drive out of my way past another local Pontiac dealer to go there. What will happen to them? I hope they stay. I hope they bring the G8 platform over to Chevy....it'll make buyers looking for a fun car with plenty of room happy.

Edit: Well they are a Pontiac/Hummer/GMC dealership so I guess just GMC then?

[camaro5]

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I f'ing HATE this

[Muscle Master]

I'm for a RWD Impala

[drivingincamaro]

I'm pissed that Gm has to do this.

Its sad Pontiac was starting to turn around in the right direction

the brand falls from bad times and old mistakes
(not my quote)

Words cannot express how saddened i am by this....


.....

[drivingincamaro]

:(

Words can't describe my sadness and Anger :(