Pontiac to die on Monday

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Pontiac was kind of useless. It's not that their cars are bad as much they aren't very popular. The only companies GM really needs is Chevy, Cadillac, and possibly GMC. I know most people don't like GMC and I will admit they are not really necessary but if they really keep them they should stop making trucks and SUVs under the Chevy badge and just give them the GMC badge (besides the Cadillac's cars). I do see a small need for Pontiac but it's still just another company that wasn't totally necessary.

Replace the G8 with a car under the Chevy badge if they really want to or just bring Holden to the US.

The Pontiac Solstice is one of the few American cars I like and if Pontiac does disappear I hope they replace it with something else. Again I think a lot of Pontiac's cars can be made by Chevy or Cadillac. There is just not a need for a lot of these companies like Pontiac. 30-40 years ago there was a reason for the companies but today no one cares or knows that Pontiac is not suppose to be as nice a Cadillac but nicer than Chevy.
 
I think the Pontiac Solstice will be gone, but they will just re-badge the Saturn Sky(the only good looking Saturn in history) as a Chevrolet(it would be a lot easier as they do this with the Opel GT).
 
Apparently it's going to be a huge blow to Holden as well...

Autoblog
REPORT: Holden to lose $1 billion annually if GM shutters Pontiac
The G8 may be the best Pontiac in decades, but the stellar RWD sedan doesn't stand a chance if the arrow head is forever retired. The loss of the G8 is difficult for enthusiasts, but it'll be even tougher for Holden. GM's Australian arm will lose $1 billion ($716 million US) in revenue every year with the loss of the Commodore clone. Holden has been counting on 30,000 annual exports to the US and 70,000 worldwide exports. GM spent $77 million to upgrade the Port Elizabeth plant to build left-hand drive vehicles, and the plant received $6.9 million in loans from the Australian government to make the project happen

Even though the G8 has generally been considered an excellent vehicle by the press and enthusiasts alike, it hasn't sold well in the US. About half of the 25,000 G8s shipped Stateside have yet to leave the dealer lot. The collapse of auto sales in the US have a lot to do with that, but we'd add that marketing efforts of the G8 have been less than stellar as well. It's hard to buy a G8 when you don't know it exists. March was a bright spot for the G8, though, as nearly 3,000 models were sold; the vehicle's best month ever.

One possibility for the G8 that could save Holden a lot of money while saving an excellent RWD sedan from extinction would be to convert it into a Chevy. The Commodore already dons the Chevy bow-tie in some markets, and we're sure US dealers would welcome a RWD sedan into its showrooms.
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Drop out in US sales, but the LHD production wont stop, Holden export the rest of the cars LHD drive in other markets (more than the US got).

Oh and I have never heard of this 'Port Elizabeth', it's just 'Elizabeth' :p
 
Too bad, really. I personally don't think that GMC should have stuck around, but if this is the difference between having GM (and a strong Chevrolet + Cadillac), then it is better than having no GM at all.

I think now, attention needs to shift in terms of where the Pontiac channel products will be shifted to. In all honesty, this really makes me wonder what the long-term viability will be for Kappa (Solstice and Sky), as well as for the Zeta (G8 and Camaro) here in North America. As Joey pointed out, Holden is losing a lot of cash by having the G8 model eventually scrapped. But, if the sales have been moderately decent on the car, how hard would it be to continue to send the G8 to America, albeit, with the Lumina front end, ultimately calling it the Impala? I mean, they've been dancing around the idea of a RWD Impala for years, here is Chevrolet's opportunity to get what they want...

Hmmm. Guess this makes me feel even worse for our '99 Grand Prix...
 
To be honest, the only reason i would care for pontiac to stay is if they are going to revive the Firebird/TA, i don't care much for these rebadged cookie cutter cars with no soul or history.
 
Reventón;3378409
They don't have to rebadge them as Chevy's, just morph them into the current existing lineup, offering the same luxury of the GMCs into the Chevy's.
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Which didn't work the last time GM tried it, or the time before that when Chrysler did it. Seriously, any money lost on GMC is due to mismanagement. Redundant or not, they sell, and they should be turning a profit. What exactly does getting rid of GMC fix?
 
Well That Answers One Question...

Pontiac Vibe, Solstice will NOT live on as Chevrolets

So, that means NUMMI is dead, and generally speaking, Bowling Green is going back to building only Corvettes (unless the Kappa transition was scrapped, I haven't heard). Interesting that they didn't say anything about the G8...

Generally speaking, I think the big disappointment there is the loss of the Vibe. Yes, as the article points out, it never sold as well as the Matrix, but it still had been a car that sold exceptionally well for GM, despite its Toyota-based foundation. I could see a future for a Prizm redux, but I suppose that with the Cruze and the Orlando on the way, there wouldn't be any room for it.
 
That's all the proof I need that GM US is run by braindead zombies. They are inadvertenly causing Holden problems now (albeit small to medium) by cutting Pontiac. The Solstice sold outstandingly well so why kill it? I mean its a segment GM has never had--an MX-5 competitor...and a good one. The Vibe sold well too, and I frankly prefer the Vibe to the Matrix. Kill Buick, no one cares. Kill GMC, no one cares. Kill Saturn and only a small number of people will care. Kill Pontiac and a whole bunch of people care. Its like GM killing Cadillac. I mean WTF? I better hurry up and buy a Firebird/Trans-Am before the prices skyrocket.
 
JCE
The Solstice sold outstandingly well so why kill it?
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It really only did at the start, its performance had not been long-term. What is sad is that the Solstice Coupe will only end up having a two or three year run before the brand is completely dead, and generally speaking, that the platform will run out of gas completely by then.

The G3 was a dismal failure, the G5 never had any market penetration (on account of the Cobalt), the G6 has been floundering for years, and the Torrent became a joke eventually. Frankly, only the Solstice, Vibe and G8 deserved to survive. Perhaps only the G8 will find safe harbor at Chevrolet.

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Everyone is flailing their arms about the death of Pontiac as the end of rational thinking at GM... They need to calm down. While I'm right there with you in agreement that Pontiac should have stayed open, I also understand GM's rationale in the situation: Looking at the brands that sell not only in the United States, but also on a global scale, Pontiac was the weakest of the five that had been left standing. Lets be clear: Chevrolet and Cadillac are far too important in terms of heritage, sales, and market leadership to die. Buick has become far too large in China, and with significant re-investment in the US, can stand to have some kind of revitalization. GMC, on the whole, can absorb a lot of the truck, SUV and crossover sales from the loss of HUMMER, Saab, Saturn and Pontiac.

There is little doubt in my mind that the loss of Pontiac is massive, and in fact, very sad. Watching Fantasy Factory over the weekend, my love for the brand had been re-ignited with some Fiero madness that lasted for mere minutes. But at the same time, my love for GM places the importance of the company over the feelings for a particular brand. My Dad has always given me a lot of heat for liking Pontiacs, and personally speaking, I've always found that their "quirky" products to be a bit more entertaining than my usual Chevrolet preferences. But, realistically, "quirky" products do not guarantee sales.

...In that sense, GM made the "safe" bet to keep Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC around. The Pontiac brand itself is not disappearing, and best case scenario, I think we could see a revitalization of the brand years down the road assuming that things turn around for GM altogether.
 
JCE: Buick makes a very substantial profit overseas. GM would be foolish to cut it.

But yea, Pontiac will be missed.
 
I could kind of see the writing on the wall at the auto show. Pontiac was all stuffed in a corner, with a lackluster lineup that really didn't appeal to me. Even the G8 GXP is...less promising...than I first thought.

I suggest getting a Solstice GXP Coupe. That car should remain a collectible for years to come. Last of the Tigers.

As for the Vibe getting scrapped...I'm not gonna miss it. It stopped being cool when Toyota dropped the 2ZZ-GE from the lineup.

But, it would be cool to see....

Nova? I'd buy a new one just because. :3

Sadly, that won't be happening. Chevy doesn't need a car stepping on their Cruze's toes. It'd be wiser to retool the NUMMI plant for Yarises and sell a rebadge of that to replace the Aveo. and even that's unlikely, with the Spark coming.
 
I think it is odd that they won't try and continue NUMMI under Chevrolet. The Vibe may go away, but I wouldn't be surprised if a similar car showed up.
 
Toronado
I think it is odd that they won't try and continue NUMMI under Chevrolet. The Vibe may go away, but I wouldn't be surprised if a similar car showed up.
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Exactly. I think GM ends up making more cash out of it than they'd wish to talk about, and it seems somewhat likely that something will come out of it. Perhaps a car to bridge the gap between the Spark and Cruze could be an interesting idea (especially if it is a hatch/crossover). Although, now that I think about it, perhaps a Buick could come out of it. Maybe. They're going to need a sub-LaCrosse model to remain competitive against the smaller imported "luxury" folks.
 
Toronado
Which didn't work the last time GM tried it, or the time before that when Chrysler did it.
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I'm going to assume that was due to Chevy still wanting people to pay the higher price tag for the truck, but forgetting the batch was a bowtie.
Seriously, any money lost on GMC is due to mismanagement. Redundant or not, they sell, and they should be turning a profit. What exactly does getting rid of GMC fix?
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Are they making a profit, though? All I've found is GM saying Buick & GMC are very profitable, but aren't showing anything beyond that.

If they're selling though, they really must be selling everywhere else but the state that loves to have its own Texas Editions from Chevy. I haven't seen a GMC truck in a little over a month, just Chevy trucks from which they came.
 
Reventón;3379159
I'm going to assume that was due to Chevy still wanting people to pay the higher price tag for the truck, but forgetting the batch was a bowtie.
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Buick never had a notable sales increase despite the cars they were absorbing being the same price and the same market, and in one case, the exact same car. I won't lie: Chevrolet did have success in integrating the GEO brand, but that was something almost completely different to integrating GMC into Chevrolet; and no other company I can think of has ever been able to pull off such a feat. Certainly no domestic company, at the very least.

Reventón;3379159
Are they making a profit, though? All I've found is GM saying Buick & GMC are very profitable, but aren't showing anything beyond that.
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There isn't any reason that they shouldn't be, assuming the equivalent Chevrolet models are. They take a Chevrolet, gussy it up a bit (or, in the case of the Denalis, a lot) and add a notable chunk to the MSRP. They are built on the same lines by the same workers with 95% of the same parts that are developed with the same money, but one brand (GMC) has a wider profit margin by default. If GM has been managing to screw something that simple up, when you consider the sales volume GMC ships every year there is no hope for General Motors at all. To wrap up, if GMC by itself (Buick is a perennial money loser) is somehow managing to lose money when Chevrolet trucks are not, it has to directly be the fault of the idiots in charge. You axe the brand, and those idiots will simply be shuffled around, and even if they are fired you are still losing half a million sales that you could keep simply by hiring less idiots.
 
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Toronado
[
There isn't any reason that they shouldn't be, assuming the equivalent Chevrolet models aren't. They take a Chevrolet, gussy it up a bit (or, in the case of the Denalis, a lot) and add a notable chunk to the MSRP. They are built on the same lines by the same workers with 95% of the same parts that are developed with the same money, but one brand (GMC) has a wider profit margin by default. If GM has been managing to screw something that simple up, when you consider the sales volume GMC ships every year there is no hope for General Motors at all. To wrap up, if GMC by itself (Buick is a perennial money loser) is somehow managing to lose money when Chevrolet trucks are not, it has to directly be the fault of the idiots in charge. You axe the brand, and those idiots will simply be shuffled around, and even if they are fired you are still losing half a million sales that you could keep simply by hiring less idiots.
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Ah, that does make a lot of sense. 👍
Guess there's more to the story than just selling higher-priced, re-badged trucks.
 
YSSMAN
Well That Answers One Question...

Pontiac Vibe, Solstice will NOT live on as Chevrolets

So, that means NUMMI is dead, and generally speaking, Bowling Green is going back to building only Corvettes (unless the Kappa transition was scrapped, I haven't heard). Interesting that they didn't say anything about the G8...

Generally speaking, I think the big disappointment there is the loss of the Vibe. Yes, as the article points out, it never sold as well as the Matrix, but it still had been a car that sold exceptionally well for GM, despite its Toyota-based foundation. I could see a future for a Prizm redux, but I suppose that with the Cruze and the Orlando on the way, there wouldn't be any room for it.
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They might not live on as Chevy's but it appears that NUMMI is still going to be kicking.

Autoblog
Pontiac Vibe to be replaced with another shared Toyota model
There are a lot of questions left unanswered after General Motors announcement this morning that its Pontiac division was not long for this world. One of those is what will happen to GM's joint venture agreement with Toyota to produce models at the New United Motor Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) facility in California. The Pontiac Vibe is currently produced there along with the Toyota Matrix, its platform mate. GM has stated that it's already negotiating with Toyota to produce a new model at NUMMI that would be sold under one of the automaker's remaining four brands – Chevy, Buick, Cadillac or GMC.

Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson told Automotive News, "There's really nothing wrong with the Vibe. Its only problem right now is that it is a Pontiac." The Vibe, a tall five-door hatchback, could simply be rebadged a Chevy to keep development costs down, though selling such a model in bow tie dealerships could cannibalize sales of the HHR, which itself is scheduled to be replaced in 2011 by a production version of the Orlando Concept. Or, GM could simply start fresh and develop an all new model off of the Corolla-derived platform that underpins the current Matrix and Vibe. As with all things GM at the moment, nothing is firm and more details (and rumors) will surely follow.
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Just as long as they aren't stupid enough to call it the Chevette.
 
Toronado
(Buick is a perennial money loser)
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According to what was talked about today, on a per-model basis, Buick (and GMC) was making more money than Pontiac, which added to the reasoning as to why they would let Pontiac go.

Edumunds Is Already Asking the Question...

Should the G8 Become the [Impala SS]?

Undoubtedly, yes. Although, from what I'm seeing on GMI, it sounds like GM wants no part of that right now.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the G8 could finally see some sales if it was on Chevy lots instead of Pontiac lots. Plus, the Impala could stand a a replacement anyway, so why not a RWD G8? And if it actually is a good car, it'll be worth keeping around for a bit.

It'll be interesting to see how GM handles this. Although I think it would be stupid of GM to not use the car somewhere else. Be it an Impala, STS or Park Avenue.
 
YSSMAN
Edumunds Is Already Asking the Question...

Should the G8 Become the [Impala SS]?

Undoubtedly, yes. Although, from what I'm seeing on GMI, it sounds like GM wants no part of that right now.
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It would be a huge risk on their part, mainly because the G8 didn't sell very well. I know many car enthusiast love the idea of RWD but really I think the average car buyer doesn't care and actually prefers FWD given how a majority of cars on the road are.

I can really see this going both ways but who knows. One question though, can the Zeta platform be made into AWD? This way they could satisfy the enthusiast and the safety people with one car. Although this is assuming GM makes it to the redesign of the Impala.
 
In theory, it could. Actually, I'm somewhat surprised they haven't tried it yet. The only problem is that with an otherwise "small" stretch, the Epsilon II cars (Insignia, LaCrosse, etc) would be the size of the G8, and fully capable with the Haldex AWD setup.

That, and if the rumors are true that GM is more committed to Sigma II (CTS only) than Zeta, that already comes equipped with AWD.
 
G8 not selling well? They sold like hotcakes around here. I see a G8 GT almost every day.
 
JCE
G8 not selling well? They sold like hotcakes around here. I see a G8 GT almost every day.
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After how long, though? When they first arrived in Dallas, they didn't sell very well at all. The dealer by Love Field had a bunch til' they started marking them down.
 
This is just sad. I just got through seeing most of the YouTube comments for the latest installment of Fast Lane Daily ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE8Vykzw868 ), and most of the comments were of lukewarm reception of GM and their decision-making. I just think... why not get rid of Hummer and Saab (especially Hummer)? This is crazy stuff.

I still hope for the best from all three of America's Big Three.
 
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TVC
Replace the G8 with a car under the Chevy badge if they really want to or just bring Holden to the US.
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Joey D
Apparently it's going to be a huge blow to Holden as well...
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Philly
I wouldn't be surprised if the G8 could finally see some sales if it was on Chevy lots instead of Pontiac lots. Plus, the Impala could stand a a replacement anyway, so why not a RWD G8? And if it actually is a good car, it'll be worth keeping around for a bit.

It'll be interesting to see how GM handles this. Although I think it would be stupid of GM to not use the car somewhere else. Be it an Impala, STS or Park Avenue.
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A Commodore has curves, therefore can't be a Cadillac.:sly:

nissan tuner
well, the G8 is a chevrolet in the middle east

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/13/chevy-lumina-ss-named-middle-easts-sports-saloon-of-the-year/
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I quoted all these, because Holden does indeed need the Commodore to make it as another car somewhere in the US. Right now I'm hating GM management (yes, you heard me say hating and GM in the same sentence), because they promised Holden all those extra models based off Zeta, then essentially 🤬 them over.:rolleyes:

Just curiously, what kind of money does Holden get for making the Camaro?
 

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