GTO a sales flop?
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Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Chicagoland IL
GTO a sales flop?
From Automotive News:
"The Pontiac GTO, a pet project of General Motors product czar Robert Lutz, is off to a slow start. Dealers say the GTO - touted as a halo car for Pontiac - suffers from bland styling, a high sticker price and no incentives. So far this year, Pontiac has sold just 2,451 units. Discounting seasonal differences, that amounts to an annualized rate of 7,300 units - well below Pontiac's 16,000-unit target. "
"The Pontiac GTO, a pet project of General Motors product czar Robert Lutz, is off to a slow start. Dealers say the GTO - touted as a halo car for Pontiac - suffers from bland styling, a high sticker price and no incentives. So far this year, Pontiac has sold just 2,451 units. Discounting seasonal differences, that amounts to an annualized rate of 7,300 units - well below Pontiac's 16,000-unit target. "
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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 370
From: Honolulu, Hi USA
If they start giving deep discounts on a GTO, maybe I can cajole the wife into getting one. The 300Cs prices in Hawaii is reeeediculous! They sell every Hemi they get, and can afford to sell the C at over MSRP.
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 3,698
From: USA
I called Pontiac on this one.....it is not a sales flop.
They made an intial commitment to get at least one GTO to every Pontiac dealer. That means that you have cars in places like Caribou, Maine, and Bismark, ND that are sitting on dealers lots and probaly marked up $5K because its the only one they are getting all year. Pontiac ensured me soon as this "one per dealer" commitment is done, they will get more cars to places where they sell, like California and such.
They made an intial commitment to get at least one GTO to every Pontiac dealer. That means that you have cars in places like Caribou, Maine, and Bismark, ND that are sitting on dealers lots and probaly marked up $5K because its the only one they are getting all year. Pontiac ensured me soon as this "one per dealer" commitment is done, they will get more cars to places where they sell, like California and such.
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 243
Originally posted by formula79
I called Pontiac on this one.....it is not a sales flop.
They made an intial commitment to get at least one GTO to every Pontiac dealer. That means that you have cars in places like Caribou, Maine, and Bismark, ND that are sitting on dealers lots and probaly marked up $5K because its the only one they are getting all year. Pontiac ensured me soon as this "one per dealer" commitment is done, they will get more cars to places where they sell, like California and such.
I called Pontiac on this one.....it is not a sales flop.
They made an intial commitment to get at least one GTO to every Pontiac dealer. That means that you have cars in places like Caribou, Maine, and Bismark, ND that are sitting on dealers lots and probaly marked up $5K because its the only one they are getting all year. Pontiac ensured me soon as this "one per dealer" commitment is done, they will get more cars to places where they sell, like California and such.
I have yet to see one personally driven on the street, and around here...i see just about everything!
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,165
From: Sterling Heights, MI
Pontiac assumed that people would overlook the issues regarding styling and the misconceptions about the original GTO and get into them based on the car's merits. Unfortunately, so far, it isn't happening. I'm seeing more of them every day around here, and I'm willing to give Pontiac's theory the benefit of the doubt, but sooner or later it's going to be put-up or shut-up time for sales numbers. 
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,724
From: Hebron, KY
I think a lot of would-be buyers are also waiting for the '05s. If you're on the internet and researching the car at all, you'll surely stumble across rumors of better styling and more horsepower. If I were in the market for one, I'd wait.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,029
Personally I think it's a flop. They're selling as many GTOs as they are 2002 Camaros 
That's a joke incase some of you didn't catch it. So many people here just couldn't understand why people weren't buying this car. It's simple, bland styling, no trunk, heavy, bad mileage and it's too freaking expensive. Truth hurts, but there it is.
That's a joke incase some of you didn't catch it. So many people here just couldn't understand why people weren't buying this car. It's simple, bland styling, no trunk, heavy, bad mileage and it's too freaking expensive. Truth hurts, but there it is.
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Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 10,285
From: Albany, NY
Here is the article from AUTOWEEK.com
I was thinking of getting one when they fist came out, but I couldn't wait and instead bought a used 2000 SS a year earlier. I'm glad I did wait now that I know the 2005 will have the LS2, I also worry about the 2004 resale value. Dealers are gouging people for '04 LS1 GTOs but once the '05 LS2 hits the street dealers won't be able to give the LS1 GTOs away. I guess $25K for a '04 left over GTO this fall would be a good deal.
I was thinking of getting one when they fist came out, but I couldn't wait and instead bought a used 2000 SS a year earlier. I'm glad I did wait now that I know the 2005 will have the LS2, I also worry about the 2004 resale value. Dealers are gouging people for '04 LS1 GTOs but once the '05 LS2 hits the street dealers won't be able to give the LS1 GTOs away. I guess $25K for a '04 left over GTO this fall would be a good deal.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,713
From: The Golden State
Sent to Jim Hopson, communications director for Pontiac-GMC:
Jim,
I just read a story in Autoweek (http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?p...12991regarding )the slow sales of the GTO, and I have to say I disagree immensely with what I've read that dealers feel the car is bland and priced too high.
1st of all, I feel as a whole, the marketing for GTO was a little too passive. I am not talking about making the public aware the car exists, which has been done extremely well. But in the press, and in the direction GTO was presented was in my opinion presented as if all they needed to say was "GTO" and "Tire Smoke", and the rest would take care of itself. Here's what I mean.
Car and Driver TV did a test on the GTO. They continuously refered to the Chevrolet Camaro for comparison. In the end, after a critical report that basically slammed the GTO for not being what the Camaro was, said words to the effect of "We gave up the Camaro for this?" This isn't the only referal to the Camaro I have seen in reviews of the GTO. Last I checked, Camaros weren't sold in Pontiac showrooms. Also, the GTO's position fill more in line with the former Grand Prix GTP coupe! Why wasn't this aspect presented forcefully? Why wasn't car reports in the press that compared the GTO to Camaro challenged? If you don't define something, someone else will define it for you. And it seems that many did.
The next item I take stong issue with is the fact that dealers seem to feel the GTO is priced too high. I invite you to go around to Pontiac dealers here on the west coast, and around most major cities in the US where the GTO should be selling well. You will in 9 dealers out of 10 see price markups of between $3,000 and $5,000. Out here in Monterey California, the Pontiac dealer in Seaside (closest dealer to me) is selling their GTO with a $5,000 "touch of class" mark up along with another $800 "special preparation" add on. No I'm NOT making this up. And no, this isn't an exception to the rule. It's hypocritical for dealers to say the price is too high, but you have to crawl over almost every Pontiac dealer in the country to find one selling below $40,000, let alone finding one at MSRP.
Finally, when someone spends $32,000 on a sports coupe, it has to be a bit more unique. I personally like the low keyed GTO. I have been an advocate for it and I have also been waiting for dealers to come to their senses in pricing before I buy one. But for pretty much everyone who would be a potential buyer, for the price the GTO's going for, they'd rightfully expect either phenominal looks or phenominal performance. The GTO offers neither. Although this IS the quickest GTO ever from the factory, and it has a knockout interior, the GTO is still going to be of intrest 1st and foremost to the WS6 Trans Am and the Mustang Cobra crowd. The WS6 was pretty over the top in appearence and the Cobra is definately over the top in performance. I'm aware that it was impossible to get scoops or any different sheetmetal on the GTO & get it to market as fast as you did, but having the LS6 engine would have gone a long way I feel. The Chrysler 300C sedan even got the same 0-60 mph acceleration time as the GTO according to Car & Driver magazine, and sub-6 second runs seem to be the norm, so it probally isn't a fluke.
I have driven Monaros & Commodores and became a huge fan of Holden's rear drive "V" chassis. They are great handling road cars. But with the GTO, most people end up viewing the price (ESPECIALLY with the markups dealers are sticking on) and simply aren't feeling it's worth the price. As much as I love the car, and plan to get one myself, I really can't blame them.
I also believe it's a very VERY grave mistake boardering on extreme naivety to feel the upcoming TV show "The Last Ride" is going to change things and get sales moving for the GTO. The public IS aware of the car. Enthusiasts ARE aware of the car. There IS a group of people who want the car. But until the price issue (dealer gouging, lack of incentives that even the Corvette enjoys, or even lowering the price a couple grand) is resolved, you won't likely see a sales increase that will change GTO's fortunes. To make matters worse, Ford has a new Mustang going into production that seems posed to match all GTO's performance for about $7,000 less.
I'm writing not as a press member today, but as a strong fan of the car who hates to see such a great package not only fail in the marketplace, but the wrong issues blamed for it.
It's really a pity because it has really great potential.
V/R
Guion McCoy
I just read a story in Autoweek (http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?p...12991regarding )the slow sales of the GTO, and I have to say I disagree immensely with what I've read that dealers feel the car is bland and priced too high.
1st of all, I feel as a whole, the marketing for GTO was a little too passive. I am not talking about making the public aware the car exists, which has been done extremely well. But in the press, and in the direction GTO was presented was in my opinion presented as if all they needed to say was "GTO" and "Tire Smoke", and the rest would take care of itself. Here's what I mean.
Car and Driver TV did a test on the GTO. They continuously refered to the Chevrolet Camaro for comparison. In the end, after a critical report that basically slammed the GTO for not being what the Camaro was, said words to the effect of "We gave up the Camaro for this?" This isn't the only referal to the Camaro I have seen in reviews of the GTO. Last I checked, Camaros weren't sold in Pontiac showrooms. Also, the GTO's position fill more in line with the former Grand Prix GTP coupe! Why wasn't this aspect presented forcefully? Why wasn't car reports in the press that compared the GTO to Camaro challenged? If you don't define something, someone else will define it for you. And it seems that many did.
The next item I take stong issue with is the fact that dealers seem to feel the GTO is priced too high. I invite you to go around to Pontiac dealers here on the west coast, and around most major cities in the US where the GTO should be selling well. You will in 9 dealers out of 10 see price markups of between $3,000 and $5,000. Out here in Monterey California, the Pontiac dealer in Seaside (closest dealer to me) is selling their GTO with a $5,000 "touch of class" mark up along with another $800 "special preparation" add on. No I'm NOT making this up. And no, this isn't an exception to the rule. It's hypocritical for dealers to say the price is too high, but you have to crawl over almost every Pontiac dealer in the country to find one selling below $40,000, let alone finding one at MSRP.
Finally, when someone spends $32,000 on a sports coupe, it has to be a bit more unique. I personally like the low keyed GTO. I have been an advocate for it and I have also been waiting for dealers to come to their senses in pricing before I buy one. But for pretty much everyone who would be a potential buyer, for the price the GTO's going for, they'd rightfully expect either phenominal looks or phenominal performance. The GTO offers neither. Although this IS the quickest GTO ever from the factory, and it has a knockout interior, the GTO is still going to be of intrest 1st and foremost to the WS6 Trans Am and the Mustang Cobra crowd. The WS6 was pretty over the top in appearence and the Cobra is definately over the top in performance. I'm aware that it was impossible to get scoops or any different sheetmetal on the GTO & get it to market as fast as you did, but having the LS6 engine would have gone a long way I feel. The Chrysler 300C sedan even got the same 0-60 mph acceleration time as the GTO according to Car & Driver magazine, and sub-6 second runs seem to be the norm, so it probally isn't a fluke.
I have driven Monaros & Commodores and became a huge fan of Holden's rear drive "V" chassis. They are great handling road cars. But with the GTO, most people end up viewing the price (ESPECIALLY with the markups dealers are sticking on) and simply aren't feeling it's worth the price. As much as I love the car, and plan to get one myself, I really can't blame them.
I also believe it's a very VERY grave mistake boardering on extreme naivety to feel the upcoming TV show "The Last Ride" is going to change things and get sales moving for the GTO. The public IS aware of the car. Enthusiasts ARE aware of the car. There IS a group of people who want the car. But until the price issue (dealer gouging, lack of incentives that even the Corvette enjoys, or even lowering the price a couple grand) is resolved, you won't likely see a sales increase that will change GTO's fortunes. To make matters worse, Ford has a new Mustang going into production that seems posed to match all GTO's performance for about $7,000 less.
I'm writing not as a press member today, but as a strong fan of the car who hates to see such a great package not only fail in the marketplace, but the wrong issues blamed for it.
It's really a pity because it has really great potential.
V/R
Guion McCoy
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Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 2,026
From: Japan
Originally posted by Z28x
Here is the article from AUTOWEEK.com
I was thinking of getting one when they fist came out, but I couldn't wait and instead bought a used 2000 SS a year earlier. I'm glad I did wait now that I know the 2005 will have the LS2, I also worry about the 2004 resale value. Dealers are gouging people for '04 LS1 GTOs but once the '05 LS2 hits the street dealers won't be able to give the LS1 GTOs away. I guess $25K for a '04 left over GTO this fall would be a good deal.
Here is the article from AUTOWEEK.com
I was thinking of getting one when they fist came out, but I couldn't wait and instead bought a used 2000 SS a year earlier. I'm glad I did wait now that I know the 2005 will have the LS2, I also worry about the 2004 resale value. Dealers are gouging people for '04 LS1 GTOs but once the '05 LS2 hits the street dealers won't be able to give the LS1 GTOs away. I guess $25K for a '04 left over GTO this fall would be a good deal.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,402
From: Toronto, ON Canada
Originally posted by 96Z28man
Anybody worried that the GTO sales #'s will play influence on GM as to whether or not to make another RWD car, like maybe Camaro???
Anybody worried that the GTO sales #'s will play influence on GM as to whether or not to make another RWD car, like maybe Camaro???