formula79

Conceptions are hard to change like GM and what people think of quality. You can either stomp your feet and whine about it not being fair, or build what the market desires.

From a pure engineering standpoint, FWD is better because it puts more weight on the driver tires, and is more forgiving of mistakes. However if you do make a major mistake the snow in a FWD car, there is no saving it...basically kiss your butt good bye.

In a RWD car, you are gonna spin a lot more, so it is less forgiving to an unskilled driver. However once you do enter a spin, it is easier to recover because you have the rear wheels driving, and the front steering, so if one washes out, you can use the other to save your ***.

I have had probaly 20 vehicles, now, and I personally prefer FWD in the snow. My Grand Prix with FWD and traction control would go through snow without an issue, and required much less thought. My other RWD cars were harder to get out the drive way to begin with, and then harder to drive with. I actually ended up in a field on an icy night delivering papers in my old Thunderbird when I was younger. I was going slow, and went around a turn, and the rear just vanished on me. Call me a bad driver or whatever...but that was one frightening experiance. I have never driven the GTO in the snow...but I know my old V6 Camaro's traction control light would blink like a disco in the snow.

I would love to know how many Chrysler LX's are sold up north, and if they outsell the old LH's.

teal98

I think we're past the RWD/FWD debate. Some people like one, some like the other, then there are those that don't care.

Not including the two truck divisions, GM has six divisions that sell passenger cars. I think it's death to try slicing so finely that each tries their own interpretation of FWD and RWD and AWD cars. The old "Chevy is value", "Pontiac is expressive", "Buick is restrained luxury", "Saturn is ...", didn't work, and I don't think it ever will.

Making Pontiac all RWD is the clearest message you can send to potential buyers. So maybe people in cold states buy a Saturn or Buick or Chevy or Saab instead of a Pontiac? Who cares? It's not like people are going to go buy a Camry just because there is no FWD Grand Prix any more.

On the other hand, making Pontiac all RWD gives GM a chance to attract buyers who don't care about it now. It sends a clear performance message to the market, and it gives Pontiac a strong reason to exist. Not some muddled "like Chevy, but expressive" message.

Even if Pontiac loses volume, it could become more profitable in a market that it mostly has to itself. And many of the sales will be conquest.