Well, I think that's why the move is on to have Buick/Pontiac/GMC dealers rather individual dealers that carry those brands alone......I like the move. It's like having a series of better looking alternatives in one place vs. the standard issue Chevy's.

Jason E...I feel your pain.

 

Exactly. They should dump the G5, Torrent and Vibe (not sure if you mentioned that one). In fact the Torrent and Vibe conflict with their new marketing push (Pontiac is... CAR) anyway. I wonder if the directive to combine Pontiac-GMC-Buick will help the dealers accept radical ideas like this? Some of the predicament, as has been stated for the G5, is dealer-driven. I'm sure the G5/Torrent/Vibe are making a lot of owners happy, but each could just as well be buying a Chevy variant instead (except the Vibe but that's easy to change too).

 

Large compact rear-drive coupe, convertible and sedan (Alpha): Solstice replacement, plus hardtop coupe and sedan variants.

Large rear-drive coupe, sedan (Zeta): GTO and G8

IMHO, that's all Pontiac needs, if you make the Alpha cars big enough (close to G6-sized) and give them 4-cylinder base engines (V6 optional). If someone wants a subcompact, they can buy one from Chevy. If they want an SUV, CUV, SAV (whatever!) they can walk across the lot to the GMC showroom.

 

Now that the brain fart has settled, I actually like my idea.

They need to make a hardtop Solstice, with a hatch. I think it would be a hit, especially if they put a slightly more masculine front on it, kind of like the CRX that everyone has been begging Honda to build for years.

You could sell it out the door for 18K, gets great gas mileage, can fit a reasonable amount of groceries or whatever in the back, and it's undeniably sporty. Yeah it only seats two but anyone who routinely plans to carry four adults wasn't buying a Cobalt coupe anyway.

That would grab the youth market without a million dollar advertising campaign. That would give the brand direction and make it relevant again.

 

What happened to the Grand Prix is, in my mind, a microcosm of what is ruining the entire brand. In essence, I don't think GM realized what they had when they had it.

The 97-03 GP was in many respects ahead of its time. It was the first front wheel drive car that really looked great and had a lot of power. For a while, Pontiac literally owned that market - just drive around Chicago for a day and you'll see what I mean. So what does GM do? They redesign it into an uglier, slower car, and cut advertising on it to boot. Now the Maxima, Alitma, Accord and even Camry have big power, and Pontiac is getting out of the FWD performance game.

Pontiac was (and may still be) the second best selling car brand at GM, and people are talking about turning it into a niche brand! Why would a car company struggling to hold market share deliberately undercut its second best selling brand?

I think GM out thought themselves regarding Pontiac. It's a simple brand with a simple mission and a clear place in the market. All they had to do to be successful - all they ever did - was sell better looking, faster Chevrolets. If the Torrent for instance, were a little more unique looking, and a good deal faster, it would be a hit in its own right. No need to import cars from the other side of the planet, no need to wait for some super secret may-never-happen platform. Just nice looking cars with stiffer springs and bigger engines. That's all Pontiac really needs to compete successfully with Dodge, Mazda, and Nissan.

Instead, we get these grand plans that never come to fruition, lots of talk and no action.

It is awful, and another sign of impending doom. Pontiac these days is relying heavily on internet advertising. They say it's part of their attempt to target youth, but we all know the truth. The only people who advertise exclusively on the web are those who can't afford TV or print (just ask any third tier presidential candidate).

And I do agree with you and Charlie - it's pretty darn sad that a company like GM can't field a mainstream performance lineup. And it will come back to bite them.

 

So pontiac enthusiasts are going to have to sit back for probably a minimum 3 years to see anything happen other than subpar refreshed products?

 

Probably

 

Check out Pontiac's new ad campaign.

Ummm, lame.

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums...opic=21962&hl=

 

Not registering there just to read a common post... but I assume you're referring the the "Pontiac IS Car" campaign. Yes how lame for them to distance themselves from gas guzzling, view blocking, non fun to drive suv's and embrace their origins and heritage as a fun-to-drive, sporty, performance car brand. What could they be thinking.

On a related note I'm glad I finally posted in this thread so in 2055 I can say I posted in every "they're closing Pontiac tomorrow!" thread on cz28.com for the last 50 years. 3 down, 47 to go.

 

I'd guess that they're thinking that the Vibe and Torrent are cars.

 

Well the vibe is a station wagon (corolla with a wagon body) and the Torrent is commonly known to be going to GMC. Next. http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/16/r...torrent-in-us/

 

Well, then Pontiac has no problems....

 

Yeah, the torrent and equinox suck. much like many GM vehicles, they were passable cars when released, but they are really sticking out like a sore thumb. Atleast the Vue got it's "Opel Antara" update, the Torrent going to GMC is not bad, seeing as how the Acadia is really damn large.

But how do you run an ad campaign like that? We see some good ads coming out of GM from time to time, but overall it seems like more of the same.

 

I don't know if you saw but the Torrent and Equinox received an interior update, probably the most important thing in this class, last year or so. Also the 3.6 HF 6 speed auto combo is available as an option for both. So I don't think in any way other than exterior, not counting the Sport/GXP versions, could they suck.

 

Just an FYI: You don't have to register to read the post.