Fixed that for you.

 

I remember the Wide Track Pontiacs (owned a '61 Catalina coupe), and then the "Excitement Division" of GM. Excitement? I don't think so. Bye-Bye Pontiac.

 

There will always be a segment of the market that wants performance vehicles no matter what the cost of gasoline is. In theory, you'd think GM could focus just one of its eight divisions on such a market, otherwise what's the point of having all these divisions if they're just going to chase the same customers?

 

Perhaps GM wants to make Pontiac their Tuner Division.

 

Small FWD doesn't mean bland appliances to everyone. The European market demonstrates that pretty well.

 

Pontiac isn't hitting those customers today and has the 2nd highest volume behind Chevy. Changing the products to accommodate a niche audience isn't going to increase sales. Pontiacs performance products today are the G8 and the Solstice. Those doesn't lead sales... the G6 does. The G6 is not about performance.

With the volume that Pontiac sells, would it make sense to cut that down for a niche audience when GM needs to become profitable?

It also doesn't make much sense for the PBG channel. Performance cars, near luxury cars, and near luxury trucks. Since Buick doesn't sell very much and trucks are having huge problems selling, Pontiac is what is keeping those dealers afloat.

 

The more I think about it, the more I think GM making Pontiac their "Tuner Performance" Division makes sense. Heck all they need to do to start is update their current ad campaign to:

PONTIAC IS CAR, yo!

 

They should market Pontiac as the after-thought division, or the hand-me-down division, since almost every vehicle they sell was originally planned and produced for a different division.

 

Free bottle of NOS with every car purchase

 

Sounds like what they need to do with Saturn. It does not make sense to do this at the 3rd best selling brand.

 

Maybe GM believes that Pontiac is perceived as being cheaper than Saturn... which is billed as the 'import fighter'?

In any case, this is a real shock. I just hope Holden continue to export to the US... hopefully the G8 series vehicles will wear Chev badges instead.

 

Did I miss some news?

Why do people think that the G8 is cancelled?

 

"Pontiac will likely be limited to smaller, front-wheel drive models."

"Limited to smaller" does not imply G8 will continue... or is my comprehension poor?

 

No. Leftlanenews's was. This was based on an article in Automotive News, and the wording was different there.

Apparently,

"Small front-drive cars will make up a significant portion of Pontiac's future product line."

was summarized to:

"Pontiac will likely be limited to smaller, front-wheel drive models."

The G8 and G8 ST are still on. What's off for now is a RWD G6. And while a year or two ago, there was to be nothing smaller than the G6, there will now apparently at least one and maybe two cars that are smaller. But if Holden finally gets their Torana, I don't see why Pontiac would not get a version of it too.

 

Phew! Thanks for clearing that up for me... I almost had an angina attack!