Maybe GM should bring back Pontiac?

[Harry P.]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/slideshow/2012/11/02/hottest-new-cars/?intcmp=features#slide=1

[martinfan5]

I dunno, the firamaro just looks weird, I like it, but I dont

As for bringing back Pontiac, sure why not, if GM wanted to save money, they could just import the entire line up cars from the Holden line

They did that with GTO and the G8, on side note, the new 2013/2014 Chevorlet SS and the Caprice PPV are based of the G8 Zeta Platform

Edited November 3, 2012 by martinfan5

[slusher]

l think GMshould have never killed Pontiac, for one reason the G6 was thier bigest seller to women who switched from Honda. My wife wanted a gt and it really moves. I would have liked Pontiac to had a chance to bring back the trans am ...

[Harry P.]

I agree that killing Pontiac was a mistake. Maybe business-wise it made sense, but public relations-wise, how can you kill off such an iconic American brand? Bonneville...GTO...Firebird...

I think they should have maybe combined dealerships... Pontiac/Buick. Like Lincoln/Mercury or Chrysler/Plymouth. But hey... I'm just a guy, what do I know?

[martinfan5]

I think they should have maybe combined dealerships... Pontiac/Buick. Like Lincoln/Mercury or Chrysler/Plymouth.

Not a bad Idea, maybe that might of helped Pontiac if they would of done that, but who knows, but its not a bad idea, I do think that GM should bring back Pontiac, but lets not hold our breath of it happening anytime soon

But to play devils advocate , say they do , people will just complain that they look like every other car on the road and they are just junk like every other car on the road, and they are not made like they use be

Edited November 3, 2012 by martinfan5

[jcbigpaw]

There was an item in Hot Rod magazine a while back about the company that is building these cars as well as both 69 T/A and Judge inspired rides based on the new Camaro. Since GM still owns the Pontiac brand they could set up a special products division and use the Camaro bodies the same way. Limited editions usually sell well.

[cobraman]

That sure as heck looks better than the Camaro. IMO

[CEKPETHO BCE]

I do not like the new Camaro, but that Trans Am looks amazing. Bringing Trans Am would be a good idea in my opinion.

[Cato]

Harry, please stop watching Fox news or rather, stop posting what they call news...

Another reminder of the out-sized, overweight turds that GM turns out is painful.

[Harry P.]

Harry, please stop watching Fox news or rather, stop posting what they call news...

Another reminder of the out-sized, overweight turds that GM turns out is painful.

Here's where the story originated: http://transamdepot.com/

[charlie8575]

I rather like it.

And yes, dollars and cents doesn't always make sense. Goodwill and iconoclast image are as much as the bottom line. The idea of using Pontiac as a low-production specialty line with cars like a new Firebird, a new take on the Bonneville, and the GTO might be a smart way forward.

Just as long as they don't use the ill-proportioned Cadillac XTS body-shell and its missing-two-cylinders engine for it.

Charlie Larkin

[Guest]

Bring it back if it has some decent designs, but not the Holden garbage. Boring, boring, boring. Every Pontiac was looking identical, except for size. The GTO was a joke stylewise. IMO.

[mikemodeler]

I agree that killing Pontiac was a mistake. Maybe business-wise it made sense, but public relations-wise, how can you kill off such an iconic American brand? Bonneville...GTO...Firebird...

Does Aztek or Fiero ring a bell when you think Pontiac? While the Fiero had some success, the problems associated with it killed it. The Aztek was a complete design failure. The cars all ended up looking the same after awhile.

I think they should have maybe combined dealerships... Pontiac/Buick. Like Lincoln/Mercury or Chrysler/Plymouth. But hey... I'm just a guy, what do I know?

Mercury and Plymouth were killed off because the models they offered were also available in another brand, much like Pontiac and Olds. The automakers had a hard time justifying the separate brands and related costs with the sales they returned.

I am surprised that under the ownership of the US government, GM hasn't been asked to look at further consolidation of its brands, namely GMC truck. Back in the day GMC trucks were the Heavy Duty offering and many of the truck dealerships were separate from other GM brands but in recent years have been merged into other GM dealerships. If they didn't make thousands of dollars off of every Denali, Yukon, pickup, etc., then I would bet the GMC brand would have gone the way of Saturn, Olds, and Pontiac!

[Jeff Johnston]

You know, I've thought about this and I don't understand why GM couldn't offer out a Pontiac Trans-Am, based on the Chevy Camaro.

Think about it, GM owns the Pontiac name. Why would they not be able to offer cars based on a Chevy or Buick as a Pontiac. This Trans-Am is beautiful and basically a really well done body on the Camaro SS. Maybe a different, more "Trans-Am-esqe" dash....

I guess I don't get why GM could not offer select Pontiac cars, if only by name, Nobody wants a "Chevrolet Trans-AM". But that's basically what it is....so why not call it a Pontiac and sell it at Chevy dealers?

Edited November 4, 2012 by Jeff Johnston

[Ace-Garageguy]

Frankly, I thought it was kinda stupid to drop Oldsmobile too. I mean, the brand name went back to what, 1897? That's only ten years or so after the very first CAR. Kind of a part of automotive history, ya know. Oh, I forgot. History is for nerds.

[FordRodnKustom]

I like it. I like this Lingenfelter edition too.

[Harry P.]

Now that looks great! It's a natural! Looks like the perfect update of the old Trans Am.

I bet if GM brought back the Pontiac brand and sold it as sort of a "niche" brand... maybe only available at existing Chevy dealers (so no new Pontiac dealerships needed), they would sell enough to make back their investment and more. After all, it's 95% existing Camaro, all the would need is a new front and back end, maybe a new dash and "Pontiac" interior, etc. It would cost GM next to nothing. No development costs, no tooling costs. Seems like a no-brainer to bring back the brand in that sort of limited way.

[martinfan5]

Now that looks great! It's a natural! Looks like the perfect update of the old Trans Am.

I bet if GM brought back the Pontiac brand and sold it as sort of a "niche" brand... maybe only available at existing Chevy dealers (so no new Pontiac dealerships needed), they would sell enough to make back their investment and more. After all, it's 95% existing Camaro, all the would need is a new front and back end, maybe a new dash and "Pontiac" interior, etc. It would cost GM next to nothing. No development costs, no tooling costs. Seems like a no-brainer to bring back the brand in that sort of limited way.

Two words stopping it

Bean Counters

[Ace-Garageguy]

Two words stopping it

Bean Counters

more like...Timid, ultra short-term-thinking, non-car-guy bean counters whose primany mission in life is to cover their butts and spread the blame if anytnig goes wrong....

[Fabrux]

I can't speak for anywhere else, but around these parts the GM dealerships we used to have were Chevrolet/Oldsmobile/Cadillac and Pontiac/Buick/GMC. Saturn, of course, had its own dealership.

[Jeff Johnston]

I bet if GM brought back the Pontiac brand and sold it as sort of a "niche" brand... maybe only available at existing Chevy dealers (so no new Pontiac dealerships needed), they would sell enough to make back their investment and more. After all, it's 95% existing Camaro, all the would need is a new front and back end, maybe a new dash and "Pontiac" interior, etc. It would cost GM next to nothing. No development costs, no tooling costs. Seems like a no-brainer to bring back the brand in that sort of limited way.

Exactly my point as well. Really I can't see why they could not do Trans Am's in limited quantity in the same plant, and on the same line as the Camaro.

[Junkman]

And what would be next?

Dig up Kennedy so that you have a candidate to vote for?

It doesn't work this way.

[fumi]

I am surprised that under the ownership of the US government, GM hasn't been asked to look at further consolidation of its brands, namely GMC truck. Back in the day GMC trucks were the Heavy Duty offering and many of the truck dealerships were separate from other GM brands but in recent years have been merged into other GM dealerships.

That's the exact reason why GMC wasn't killed off, the Buick dealerships argued for a truck lineup to sell.

As for GM killing off brands: it really didn't make sense to have several brands competing with each other with the exact same cars in the exact same market segment, all under the same parent company. The cars may be built on the same assembly line, but marketing different brands takes a lot of money. It might have worked when GM had 50% of the US market but with their market share dwindling they are better off concentrating their resources on a few brands that are competitive.

Oldsmobile should have been long gone. It had lost its direction since the 70's, and the constant reinvention of the company blurred their image even more.

While Pontiac had a sporty image and Saturn was more poised to be the import fighter brand, years of neglect had run down both brands. The G8 was the only bright spot in Pontiac's final lineup, and while the Opel-sourced Astra and Aura were nice cars, they were too little too late for Saturn.

That leaves us with Buick. Frankly I think this reinvention into an import fighter will bring it down the same path as Oldsmobile, and the new Opel-sourced lineup fits more with Pontiac or Saturn. However, with Buick still strong in China for now, GM probably wouldn't want to bring any bad news to the brand, and it gets to stay while Pontiac and Saturn got the axe.

[Chuck Most]

Yes! Bring back Pontiac!

And Oldsmobile!

And Saturn!

And Scripps-Booth!

And LaSalle!

And Geo!

And Viking!

And Marquette!

And Oakland!

And Beumont!

And Yellow Coach!

And Northway Engine Works!

And Reliance!

And Sheridan!

And Little!

To quote George Carlin "Too many choices, America. It's not healthy."

[Harry P.]

Don't forget the Reeves Octo-Auto.