R.i.p.

101lifts2 · 11-01-2010, 12:32 AM

Oct. 31st is the last day for Pontiac and Saturn.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_goodbye_pontiac

Pontiac, maker of muscle cars, ends after 84 years

By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher, Ap Auto Writer – Sun Oct 31, 2:39 pm ET
DETROIT – Pontiac, whose muscle cars drag-raced down boulevards, parked at drive-ins and roared across movie screens, is going out of business on Sunday.

The 84-year-old brand, moribund since General Motors decided to kill it last year as it collapsed into bankruptcy, had been in decline for years. It was undone by a combination of poor corporate strategy and changing driver tastes. On Oct. 31, GM's agreements with Pontiac dealers expire.

Even before GM's bankruptcy, Pontiac's sales had fallen from their peak of nearly one million in 1968, when the brand's speedier models were prized for their powerful engines and scowling grills.

At Pontiac's pinnacle, models like the GTO, Trans Am and Catalina 2+2 were packed with horsepower and sported colors like "Tiger Gold." Burt Reynolds and Sally Field fled the law in a Firebird Trans Am which raced through the 1970s hit movie "Smokey and the Bandit."

By the late 1980s, though, Pontiacs were taking off their muscle shirts, putting on suits and trying to act like other cars. The brand had lost its edge.

Bill Hoglund, a retired GM executive who led Pontiac during its "We Build Excitement" ad campaigns in the 1980s, blames the brand's demise on a reorganization under CEO Roger Smith in 1984. That overhaul cut costs by combining Pontiac's manufacturing, engineering and design operations with those of other GM brands.

"There was no passion for the product," says Hoglund. "The product had to fit what was going on in the corporate system."

Although the moves were necessary to fend off competition from Japanese automakers with lower costs, they yielded Pontiacs that looked and drove like other GM cars.

By 2008, the last full year before GM announced Pontiac's shutdown, sales were 267,000, less than a third of those sold in 1968.

Formed in 1926, Pontiac made cars for the working class until a sales slump in the 1950s nearly killed it. GM revived the brand by connecting it to auto racing. From then on, each Pontiac sales boom was driven by speed; each bust generally featured outdated or boring rides.

The brand's most storied muscle car, the GTO, came about when some GM engineers took a small car called the Tempest and put a powerful V8 engine under the hood. The letters stood for "Gran Turismo Omologato," Italian for "ready to race."

Sparked by the GTO, the Pontiac brand thrived, making up 17 percent of the 5.4 million cars and trucks GM sold in the U.S. in 1968. The GTO even spawned its own 1960s hit song.

"C'mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO," was the chorus of the tune by Ronny and the Daytonas.

Pontiac's decline stemmed from a lack of a consistent strategy or leadership. Executives rotated through every few years on their way up the corporate ladder, each with a different vision. Some even tried to make Pontiac a luxury brand.

One strategy that eventually hurt the brand was rebadging: putting the guts of less powerful GM cars inside the skins of Pontiacs.

Big economic shifts also damaged the brand. Two gas spikes in the 1970s steered Americans toward smaller cars with more fuel-efficient engines, areas dominated by Japanese automakers in the U.S.

About two dozen unsold Pontiacs now linger at dealerships around the country, including a maroon G5 coupe that sits awkwardly in a no-man's land between used cars and new models next to the showroom at Orr GM Superstore near Little Rock, Ark. The car, which is really just a poky Chevrolet Cobalt gussied up with a spoiler, fancy wheels and the red arrowhead Pontiac logo, has been on the lot for more than 700 days. Sales Manager Alex Valencia has knocked almost $7,000 off the sticker price, down to $16,585.

Despite spells of success during the last 30 years, Pontiac never returned to its supercharged sales of the 1960s.

A low point was the late 1990s, when Pontiac came up with Aztek, an attempt to merge campers with SUVs and win over young, outdoorsy Americans. The vehicle, which seemed more like a cross between a minivan and armored car, flopped.

In the mid-2000s, GM tried to rekindle the brand with powerful sedans, such as the G8, which harkened back to the GTO. But dealers wanted a full model lineup, and GM gave them renamed Chevrolets, diluting Pontiac's performance image, says Bob Lutz, GM's former product guru who headed up the effort to reinvigorate Pontiac.

This year, Pontiac's sales are less than 1 percent of the 2.2 million cars and trucks GM is expected to sell. GM built the last Pontiac in May.

Even after their Pontiac agreements expire, GM dealers will continue to service the cars and honor their warranties. But after this weekend, any new Pontiacs that remain on dealer lots will be considered used cars by GM.

Anthony "Tony" Augelli, owner of a Pontiac-GMC-Buick dealer in Gurnee, Ill., near Chicago, still has a gleaming orange 2009 Solstice roadster that's the first car to greet customers in his showroom. Despite its prime perch, the $32,000 car hasn't sold.

Augelli gets emotional when speaking of Pontiac's end.

"I miss it already," he says.

pauldun170 · 11-01-2010, 02:16 AM

Fuckem and fuck the Pontiac diehards bitching about old POS from the 60's.

If it takes a brand to die in order to get a turbo buick with a manual transmission then so be it.

The only Pontiac I'd actually buy is a late model GTO with the 6.0

Dave · 11-01-2010, 10:18 AM

They werevstill around?

AquaPython · 11-01-2010, 10:20 AM

weren't they officially axed months ago?

z06boy · 11-01-2010, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AquaPython

weren't they officially axed months ago?

That's what I thought too. I didn't realize 10/31 was the last day...thought it had already happened.

I'm not a big Pontiac or Saturn fan but hate to see any of them get axed. I have liked a few Pontiacs through the years. Firebirds and GTO's for sure and a few other ones thru the years.

I did wonder why GM did that thru the years...make two almost identical powertrain vehicles with different bodies and interiors and sell them as two completely different makes.

defector · 11-01-2010, 11:29 AM

Let's be honest...BOP hadn't had much of anything good for years. They should have been axed years before it actually happened.

Dave · 11-01-2010, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z06boy

That's what I thought too. I didn't realize 10/31 was the last day...thought it had already happened.

I'm not a big Pontiac or Saturn fan but hate to see any of them get axed. I have liked a few Pontiacs through the years. Firebirds and GTO's for sure and a few other ones thru the years.

I did wonder why GM did that thru the years...make two almost identical powertrain vehicles with different bodies and interiors and sell them as two completely different makes.

Because they were desperately clinging to older inefficient structure while trying to control costs. Pontiac died with the banshee, it never had a chance after that edict

Avatard · 11-01-2010, 11:41 AM

Pontiac was GM's Second Best Selling brand in the US. Why kill it and keep BUICK??

CHINA!

Buick is the #1 US nameplate there, and as of just this spring, GM officially now sells more cars in CHINA than at home.

Folks, you lost your beloved GTOs to the chinks.

That is all.

z06boy · 11-01-2010, 11:42 AM

So what is GM's version of the G8 and GTO now or will there be no more ? Those two cars were decent it seems.

Dave · 11-01-2010, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatard

Pontiac was GM's Second Best Selling brand in the US. Why kill it and keep BUICK??

CHINA!

Buick is the #1 US nameplate there, and as of just this spring, GM officially now sells more cars in CHINA than at home.

Folks, you lost your beloved GTOs to the chinks.

That is all.

Monaros and commadores looked better as monaros and commadores

11-01-2010, 11:29 AM	#6
defector My balls, your chin Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The desert of Az Moto: 929, SV650, YZ250 Posts: 1,917	Let's be honest...BOP hadn't had much of anything good for years. They should have been axed years before it actually happened. __________________ Reading this signature may give you special powers, including the ability to run through walls. You should try it immediately.

11-01-2010, 11:41 AM	#8
Avatard Crotch Rocket Curmudgeon Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Here to integrity Moto: Li'l red baby Ninja Posts: 7,482	Pontiac was GM's Second Best Selling brand in the US. Why kill it and keep BUICK?? CHINA! Buick is the #1 US nameplate there, and as of just this spring, GM officially now sells more cars in CHINA than at home. Folks, you lost your beloved GTOs to the chinks. That is all. __________________ Insert free thought here.

11-01-2010, 12:32 AM	#1
101lifts2 WSB Champion Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Moto: 2009 Kawi ZX6R Posts: 5,570	R.i.p. Oct. 31st is the last day for Pontiac and Saturn. May they rest in peace. Amen. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_goodbye_pontiac Pontiac, maker of muscle cars, ends after 84 years By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher, Ap Auto Writer – Sun Oct 31, 2:39 pm ET DETROIT – Pontiac, whose muscle cars drag-raced down boulevards, parked at drive-ins and roared across movie screens, is going out of business on Sunday. The 84-year-old brand, moribund since General Motors decided to kill it last year as it collapsed into bankruptcy, had been in decline for years. It was undone by a combination of poor corporate strategy and changing driver tastes. On Oct. 31, GM's agreements with Pontiac dealers expire. Even before GM's bankruptcy, Pontiac's sales had fallen from their peak of nearly one million in 1968, when the brand's speedier models were prized for their powerful engines and scowling grills. At Pontiac's pinnacle, models like the GTO, Trans Am and Catalina 2+2 were packed with horsepower and sported colors like "Tiger Gold." Burt Reynolds and Sally Field fled the law in a Firebird Trans Am which raced through the 1970s hit movie "Smokey and the Bandit." By the late 1980s, though, Pontiacs were taking off their muscle shirts, putting on suits and trying to act like other cars. The brand had lost its edge. Bill Hoglund, a retired GM executive who led Pontiac during its "We Build Excitement" ad campaigns in the 1980s, blames the brand's demise on a reorganization under CEO Roger Smith in 1984. That overhaul cut costs by combining Pontiac's manufacturing, engineering and design operations with those of other GM brands. "There was no passion for the product," says Hoglund. "The product had to fit what was going on in the corporate system." Although the moves were necessary to fend off competition from Japanese automakers with lower costs, they yielded Pontiacs that looked and drove like other GM cars. By 2008, the last full year before GM announced Pontiac's shutdown, sales were 267,000, less than a third of those sold in 1968. Formed in 1926, Pontiac made cars for the working class until a sales slump in the 1950s nearly killed it. GM revived the brand by connecting it to auto racing. From then on, each Pontiac sales boom was driven by speed; each bust generally featured outdated or boring rides. The brand's most storied muscle car, the GTO, came about when some GM engineers took a small car called the Tempest and put a powerful V8 engine under the hood. The letters stood for "Gran Turismo Omologato," Italian for "ready to race." Sparked by the GTO, the Pontiac brand thrived, making up 17 percent of the 5.4 million cars and trucks GM sold in the U.S. in 1968. The GTO even spawned its own 1960s hit song. "C'mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO," was the chorus of the tune by Ronny and the Daytonas. Pontiac's decline stemmed from a lack of a consistent strategy or leadership. Executives rotated through every few years on their way up the corporate ladder, each with a different vision. Some even tried to make Pontiac a luxury brand. One strategy that eventually hurt the brand was rebadging: putting the guts of less powerful GM cars inside the skins of Pontiacs. Big economic shifts also damaged the brand. Two gas spikes in the 1970s steered Americans toward smaller cars with more fuel-efficient engines, areas dominated by Japanese automakers in the U.S. About two dozen unsold Pontiacs now linger at dealerships around the country, including a maroon G5 coupe that sits awkwardly in a no-man's land between used cars and new models next to the showroom at Orr GM Superstore near Little Rock, Ark. The car, which is really just a poky Chevrolet Cobalt gussied up with a spoiler, fancy wheels and the red arrowhead Pontiac logo, has been on the lot for more than 700 days. Sales Manager Alex Valencia has knocked almost $7,000 off the sticker price, down to $16,585. Despite spells of success during the last 30 years, Pontiac never returned to its supercharged sales of the 1960s. A low point was the late 1990s, when Pontiac came up with Aztek, an attempt to merge campers with SUVs and win over young, outdoorsy Americans. The vehicle, which seemed more like a cross between a minivan and armored car, flopped. In the mid-2000s, GM tried to rekindle the brand with powerful sedans, such as the G8, which harkened back to the GTO. But dealers wanted a full model lineup, and GM gave them renamed Chevrolets, diluting Pontiac's performance image, says Bob Lutz, GM's former product guru who headed up the effort to reinvigorate Pontiac. This year, Pontiac's sales are less than 1 percent of the 2.2 million cars and trucks GM is expected to sell. GM built the last Pontiac in May. Even after their Pontiac agreements expire, GM dealers will continue to service the cars and honor their warranties. But after this weekend, any new Pontiacs that remain on dealer lots will be considered used cars by GM. Anthony "Tony" Augelli, owner of a Pontiac-GMC-Buick dealer in Gurnee, Ill., near Chicago, still has a gleaming orange 2009 Solstice roadster that's the first car to greet customers in his showroom. Despite its prime perch, the $32,000 car hasn't sold. Augelli gets emotional when speaking of Pontiac's end. "I miss it already," he says. __________________ Train Hard Ron Paul - 2012 Mark of Excellence GM Last edited by 101lifts2; 11-01-2010 at 12:39 AM..

11-01-2010, 10:18 AM	#3
Dave Chaotic Neutral Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cherry Hill NJ Moto: GV1200 Madura, Hawk gt Posts: 13,992	They werevstill around?

11-01-2010, 11:42 AM	#9
z06boy Letzroll Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lake Norman area, NC Moto: 07 Red R1 & 07 Blue R6 Posts: 5,265	So what is GM's version of the G8 and GTO now or will there be no more ? Those two cars were decent it seems.