That isn't the point. The point is that the brand name has a lot of equity TODAY. No one really gives a crap what it was in 1962. Tons of '97-'03 buyers have recent, fond memories of the car and the name...

I wish GM DID listen to its Fast Lane blog some more...but indeed, no one seems to pay a whole lot of attention to it, especially on the Pontiac front...

 

Kinda like the guys at Ford asking why they dropped the Taurus name????

you think Pontiac will regret having no Grand Prix??

 

Jason,
I understand what you're saying and I respect your position.
However, I think we would need to be careful when we say that no one really gives a crap what it was in 1962. I would believe that there are probably quite a few people who care about what the Grand Prix was in it's heyday. I, for one, am one of those. I feel that GM stopped building a real Grand Prix in 1987 (and probably well before that).
After that, it just became a generic GM front drive mid-size car (but yes, I own a '94, I know).

And using that logic, could the same thing be said about the Camaro? That no one really gives a crap what it was in 1967? That tons of 3rd gen or 4th gen buyers have recent , fond memories of the car & the name?
Well, we all know that they do. But there are probably as many 1st and 2nd gen owners who have fond memories of the car & name, too.

I understand that the GP name has a lot of equity. But I don't think one could say it was solely because of the '97-'03 cars. It's equity came from ALL of the years that the GP has been around.

I think my point is that you can't discount the whole history of a car. It's entire history is what built and shaped the car, not a select few years. ALL of the years matter.

With that said, I still believe the quintessential GP was the '69 GP SJ with the 428 HO (390 hp) and 4 spd manual. It was a prize fighter in a tuxedo. It's too bad there isn't a market for a car like that today.

 

Once the W-body Grand Prix dies, the name will have to take a nap at least until production of the Pontiac Zeta sedan comes to Oshawa. GuionM has said a couple of times that there is an agreement in place saying that any car named Grand Prix can only come out of Oshawa. I'm at the point where I don't care what it's called. The more I find out about the Commodore, the more it looks like the G8 will be my next car.

 

Im of the opinion that the "wrong image" is about equal to "no image" and thats exactly what they have got themselves with this "G" which I assume stands for Generic.

Sure BMW and Merc do it, then there is Acura, Lexus and Jaguar... And Infiniti and Cadillac... oh and Lincoln... and Mazda... Makes it hard for me to believe that if alphanumeric names had any prestige soley on the basis of the fact that they were an alphabet soup... They havent got it anymore.

But thats just one internet posters humble opinion.

 

I see the marketing point to start useing "G" names, but as a GTP owner I will be sad to see the name go.

 

No one shed a tear when the Bonneville vanished so why would people care if the Grand Prix name died. I'm not saying this because I am ok with it but it doesn't seem like Pontiac can move forward with the old names and if recent history has any basis GP will join the Grand Am and Trans Am.

 

I have alot of sympathy for HuJass's position. The Grand Prix brand name has had it's vital fluids literally squeezed dry, compared to the muscular, high style, flashy coupe, it started out as. And compared to that, even the Commodore doesn't measure up, (although it's a nice enough car).

And like everyone else, the G8 name leaves me indifferent.

The '69 SJ is cool, but for me the definitive Grand Prix is the 1963, with 8 lug wheel, 421 tri-power, 4 speed and Morrokide covered bucket seats.

 

There is, but those folks drive a BMW 6 series these days.

 

The 6 series is too small. It's not the same kind of car, in my mind.

A real GP could handle 2 or 3 people easily in the back seat. The '62-'72 years could do this. It got a little tighter in '73 when GM moved the GP to the shorter 116" wheelbase A-body (same as MC).

I've seen the back seat of a 6 series. There's no way an adult could fit back there.

Comically, the new GTO came closest to what a real GP should be. It was just too small to be a GP.

 

Agreed. I think the name has enormous equity that they are tossing in the garbage. Unlike the Grand Am or even Bonneville, the Grand Prix ws never dragged through the mud. It has never been anything less than a sports sedan. Now, it might not be the best sports sedan, but it is certainly good enough to merit continued use of the nameplate.
From a marketing perspective, it makes no sense to me that GM would want to spend the money to introduce a new brand, when they have so many strong brands out there already. It's one of their biggest advantages in the market, and they throw it in the trash. I also find the Oshawa ownership a lame excuse, given that the plant is getting so much production in the next few years. I am sure that with all the zeta's coming to Oshawa, including the Grand Prix's likely replacement, the CAW would be easy to mollify.

 

I dunno.. I'm not convinced that the general public thats actually buying these cars really care about the name "Grand Prix".

I'd think the G8 would be competing against sales in the $30ishk Lexus, Infinity, Acura, BMW, MB cars?

In fact, in that niche, "Grand Prix" might have a negative connotation..

 

...With the death of the Grand Prix, does GM even offer another vehicle that comes with the Heads Up Display as part of the DIC???
HUD and Nav would be the two things that would get me into a Monte SS in the next few months.

 

don't think you can get either on the monte.

 

Actually, it was something completely different than a sports sedan. That didn't come around until 1997 (I don't consider the '90 or '91 - '96 GP 4 door a sports sedan).

The car was ALWAYS a personal luxury coupe. You younger guys may want to discount the pre-W-body years, but those years were of the real GP.
Like I said before, the real GPs ceased to exist in 1987.