gonna agree... lots of coupes on the G6 boards, and my mom gets nothing but compliments on her car. Hell after she bought it, 3 more teachers at her school got one.

 

Give me an expressive Malibu coupe with some nice engine options, dare I say an M6??, a decent looking Cruze coupe, and an Impala with some ***** to it...

Then I'll show you a Chevy lineup that will appeal to Pontiac's female and male buyers. Otherwise? Watch the females defect to imports, and the men will look to Ford and other imports as well.

I like the new Malibu very much, but I find the lines of a new Mazda 6, Maxima and even Fusion far more stirring to me...and were I not a GM loyalist, far more likely to get my money.

That new Maxima is pure sex IMO...and reminds me of the days GTPs and Maximas went head-to-head in the showrooms and on the streets

 

It was all in the styling. Chevrolet's, except for Corvette and Camaro, look like crap. The hideous bar motif needs to go on the cars. Make the base cars more attractive. Either that or completely revamp Buick so that it has some excitement to it.

 

The Fusion is going to go down as one of the best selling Ford cars ever just watch and see.

The refresh is not only a home-run but it's a home-run in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded.

In other words it's a walkoff grand slam.

 

Unless you misspoke there, I would significantly disagree with you (or maybe I'm just behind the times???).

Maybe for the under 30 crowd all they see when they see a Chevy or a Pontiac or an Oldsmobile was "GM" but I would submit that Camaro fans are Camaro fans. Pontiac fans are Pontiac fans and so on. While I and my family have mostly purchased "GM" vehicles, I know for myself and I'm pretty sure for those others I know that they couldn't care less about "GM". They cared about the specific car and car line they purchased.

In other news; I can tell you that I never especially liked "Chvey". To me, Chevy has always been an introductory/cheep brand - the brand people bought when they were "starting out"; the only notable exception of course being Corvette. It's the same way I tend to look at Ford and Dodge (and of course Plymouth when they still existed).

Pontiac and Olds were something to aspire to (if for slightly different reasons). Cadillac of course, was the "top"; something you bought when you finally "arrived".

Again, maybe I'm just too "out of it" but I could never really see myself aspiring to buy a Chevy no matter home much GM expands the line-up to try and entice former Pontiac buyers.

 

Considering Altima sales boomed in the exact timeframe Pontiac sales cratered, I also wouldn't be surprised if there was a direct relationship.

However it's not like the Altima is covered with "ribbed for her pleasure" cladding and hood scoops. It's a pretty generic looking car with altezza taillights. The key was they packed in a powerful V6 and added some nice features like pushbutton start, navigation, and so on.

 

Looks like pretty much every car is covered as long as everything works out with the Caprice.

 

Well, after perusing clubgp.com for a couple minutes earlier at work, and eBay this evening, I've found...

1) A VERY influential, hard-core GP owner and a long-time clubgp contributor just bought his new Maxima...

2) A Nissan dealer in Colorado Springs, CO has a gorgeous '97 GTP for sale on eBay, as a FRESH TRADE

3) A bunch of clubgp'ers complaining in a thread they have no idea what to buy, other than non-GM brands.

So, how much of this is happening EVERY DAY, across the country, with Pontiac owners? Good luck keeping us, GM...

 

The Altima was one of, if not the fastest FWD sedans you could buy when it came out. The styling, while not over the top, was also more expressive for the time than an Accord or Camry. Lastly...I also want to bring up the Mazda6. That car was aimed right at the bred and butter of Pontiac.

I would not count the Caprice eggs before they hatch. Holden has several trim levels they can make VE in.

When I think Caprice...I think of one of three things...

- Grandpa's old spaceship looking wagon
- Police cars
- fake Impala SS's.

The Caprice name and sports sedan really are not normally used in the same sentence...so I am concerned that GM may have Holden spec out a Caprice different than a G8. Especially if they are going for the LE market.

 

True, with Lutz sticking around I'm keeping my hope! He was a fan of the G8 and seems to be making this decision. Said it would be a waste not to bring this car to Chevy.

 

Agreed, but I'd also note the Mazda6 has never been a huge seller, while the Altima is frequently in the top 10. Mazda's "Zoom Zoom" adult performance marketing is really well targeted at this demographic though.

 

Mazda sold 1,000,000 Mazda 6's in the first 4 years it was offered. If even half of those were in the US, it would have outsold Grand Prix and maybe G6.

 

Have you ever driven an LT1 powered Caprice that was in good mechanical condition?

 

I'm with ya on that Jason. I currently own an '02 TA, and had a '97 GP GT as a daily driver.I now have a company car that fits the bill as a DD, but hopefully shortly I'll be in the market again for a new car. AS a Pontiac fan, there really isn't anything out there from GM that excites me. A G8 would have been an option for me, but now that Pontiac is no more, not sure what to do. Basically, from GM I'd consider a Camaro ( have to see the interior in person first though), CTS, and Corvette. Obviously, all are in different segments, but those are the only cars worthwhile that GM offers. And CTS and Corvette are a bit more pricey.

 

I work primarily for Chevrolet, but I do understand that it is GM. My first position forGM was at the corporate level. None of my friends who worked for individual divisions had a problem that I was involved with helping grassroots racing for Corvette. The gent who had much to do with Corvette suspension and the C5R/C6R racing is also the guy who had a lot to do with the Caddillac CTS-V cars developed for Speed World Challenge. I don't know if my harping that Cadillac should be racing cars it sold rather than prototypes helped make that happen. Point is, it was a GM effort.

That's what I mean when I say Pontiac fans are IMO, my opinion, GM fans. Whether or not Pontiac fans view themselves that way, I don't see tham as abandoned, and I don't want to have any of those folks feel their kind of car isn't something GM wants to offer. I'm not alone in those feelings.

Pontiac fans have every right to be disappointed. Being consumers certainly means that they can choose not to do busness with any other GM division.

Anyone who has ever owned a Pontiac has owned a GM vehicle. A particular "flavor" of a GM vehicle, but GM nonetheless.

I'm hoping the Pontiac fans will keep an eye on what comes from any of the remaining GM brands and judge if any of that Pontiac attitude and flavor shows up elsewhere.

I don't expect loyalty just because it's a GM. I would hope folks would look and determine what car does it for them regardless of the nameplate.

The folks that did Pontiacs are still around. If Pontiac going away makes anyone feel they no longer matter to GM? It's not the case. This I know for a fact.