I honestly think they learned that the whole BMW thing ain't happening with the GTO. They tried to give it a soft image with performance which completely worked against them, and they admitted it. If they wanna make their image better fine, but don't be delusional. It seems like Chevy has the better supercars but Pontiac has the better regular cars these days.

 

No kidding... This is where their sights should be. Cadillac is barely wooing BMW buyers, afterall. Mazda has the sporty look and performance character (fun to drive) that Pontiac should be priding itself on.

 

Because they will never reach anything higher than that. Besides, Mazda has surely created an image of its own - sporty cars at reasonable prices. SPorty FWD cars.

BMW image... where shall we start? One of the most identifying trademarks of BMW is RWD. That's the first step for Pontiac. Something I do not see in foreseeable future.


Then Pontiac would fit direclty where Mazda sits now.

 

It was funny, I was reading Autoweek or some other mag, and they had a longterm review of a 5 Series in there. At the end of the article it had "Buyers also considered" and it listed a Mercedes, and the Grand Prix GTP. I was like WTF kind of moron does that? While I love my Grand Prix, only time it and BMW should be mentioned in the same sentance is as a loaner for a BMW driver who has his car in the shop.

 

Thats the problem. nobody can see it happening.. cause nobody can believe Pontiac can ever rise that high in quality.. Even a Mazda quality level is skeptical.


The GTO, and other cars.. I don't think they should make it more affordable.. They should make it so, people would say "yes, this a definantly worth $32k" Without the "but its flaws are made up with the raw hp and performance value in the segment" or the excuse of "well, its $5-7k cheaper"




I hate to say this, but perhaps they just need to dump Pontiac and import something new.. Like Opal into US. Maybe if they make sure Opal has imporved overseas first, then do some clever marketing over here in the US, people may percieve it as a high quality import car, with none of the negative baggage.

 

If Pontiac (and all of GM) would just come to the market and say they're working hard with every new product to raise quality and improve value to match or exceed world standards, I would be happy. But to keep bringing up other brands in statements like "Pontiac will be like BMW" and "Buick will be like Lexus" just makes GM look like loosers and I can't stand that.

If I wanted a BMW, I'd go to a BMW dealer. If I wanted a Lexus, I'd go there. Unpopular is it is these days, I've been buying American all of my life and what I want is a world-class Pontiac complete with a sense of heritage in styling. Is that so wrong?

Maybe the G6 is the first step in that direction but V8 GP's and Bonnies fall way short. Can you get a manual gear-box? Can you throw it into a curve any better? Will it last longer or hold up better?

(end of my rant)

 

I couldnt agree with this more. GM doesnt have to try to be something different image wise, just capitalize on your strengths from the past.

 

Pontaic will never be on the same plane as BMW simply because their cars will never cost as much as BMW.

And Cadillac should aspire to be the standard of the world. If this Arts and Science and commitment to quality products valuts them back to being THE best car in the world, in say 10 or 15 years, I'd see no reason for them to price anything below 50K. Maybe let Buick cover the gap from 30-50K with nice, plush sedans and a few stylish coupes and a convertible. And let pontaic cover that 30-50K with some much sportier sedans and stylish coupes and convertibles. Leave Saturn and Chevy down in the 15K~35K price range.

 

This, is a good post.

 

Personally, I see nothing wrong with Pontiac cleaning up its image. The entire line sort of has this blue collar halo around it because of past designs...lets be honest here. The G6 IS the first step in the right direction. If a future GP, Solstice, G4 and whatever else can come down the pipeline can have the same sort of crossover appeal the G6 and Vibe have had, in 5-6 years it is quite possible Pontiac will have a cleaner image.

I am proud of my GP and love the car. But lets be honest...Pontiac needs a cleanup of its image, and while there is nothing wrong with harking back to an American performance past (300 proves this), I would rather have the GTO and the G6 in my stable now than have the Firebird and Grand Am from 3 years ago...without a doubt. And that's coming from a Firebird fan...