FUTURE_OF_GM

http://www.leftlanenews.com/gm-mulli...tiac-sale.html

Z28Wilson

I'd be very torn on this.

On one hand, I'd love to see Pontiac live on. On the other, it would be painful to see a Pontiac line not built under GM (ok, maybe it would be LESS painful considering GM's recent management of the brand). I'd certainly hate to see it end up under Chinese ownership.

Saturn, Hummer, Saab and the like I don't mind selling off. Pontiac has always struck me as one of those "core" GM brands that I'd rather just see mothballed than sold outright.

95redLT1

Do they have an option of not selling? Pontiac is part of "Old GM" where EVERYTHING will be liquidated. Correct? Unless GM would buy it back?

Ed 2001 SS

If "Old GM" can get something for Pontiac, they should attempt to do so. In a liquidation, you try to get as much value for the components of a company that you can. A living Pontica is worth more than a dead Pontiac.

Personally, i would hate to see it under Chinese control.

Chinese Firebird anyone?

jg95z28

I wonder if Penske would be interested in merging Pontiac with Saturn.

Sixer-Bird

The thought of a Chinese owned Pontiac makes me want to vomit.

flowmotion

Well, GM invested billions into Saturn and sold it for $100 Million, primarily on the strength of its highly-regarded dealer network.

How much do you think could GM actually get for Pontiac, given that it doesn't even come with any dealerships? $10 Million? It might not even be worth it.

Ed 2001 SS

Hard to say what Pontiac would be worth, but it comes with some intellectual property rights (nameplates such as GTO, Grand Prix, Firebird) that have some value. The Pontiac name itself also likely has more value than the Saturn name does. It's hard to put a number on it. One thing is for sure though, Pontiac as a going concern is worth more than Pontiac as a dead brand.

guionM

Well, think about this.

If GM liquidates, most likely it will be the Chinese who will buy the lion's share of it.

Anyone still against the feds getting involved in saving GM?

SharpShooter_SS

I dunno, Pontiac existing outside of GM just doesn't seem right to me and wouldn't really be Pontiac to me personally.

Unless GM brings the division back itself, just let it be.... guess it's not enough that in its final year of being, Pontiac's sole consumer offering is to be a re-badged Toyota (not that the Vibe is bad but...) and a fleet-only intended G6. For those not paying attention, there's no 2010 G8 in the offing.

Sixer-Bird

If the brand is worth money, why don't they sell Oldsmobile while they're at it? Maybe they could get the Chinese interested in LaSalle too......

R377

Do we know for sure Pontiac is part of the "old GM"? If its dealerships are intertwined with Buick and GMC, that makes it kinda tough to separate the Pontiac portion out. Plus GM will be able to sell Pontiac spare parts and merchandise for years, which are generally profitable businesses.

But if Pontiac does get sold, does that mean the buyer picks up the parts operations for all of Pontiac's models through the decades? And more importantly, do they become responsible for warranty work on current cars? Hard to imagine how either of those could be separated from GM.

jcamere94z28

would not surprise me...

FUTURE_OF_GM

That's been my understanding all along. (Hence why I keep bringing the topic back up)

I too, would be very torn on a sale. To me, it is a "core" brand that I'd like to see GM hang on to. However, it would be nice to see some new life behind the arrow.

(Crosses fingers that it's not chinese life)



He did say he wanted to build performance vehicles.

I agree...

But something to keep in mind: There are plenty of disgruntled dealers right now that would bite at anything, just to stay in business.

Who's to say a dealership network for Pontiac couldn't be BUILT out of ex GM and Chrysler dealers.

(It's a crazy idea, but we've seen some pretty crazy stuff over the past few months too.)

Ed 2001 SS

Everything GM is part of "Old GM" at the moment. Old GM will remain in bankrupcy for years while everything gets sorted out. Old GM is putting a nice package of "stuff" together (Chevy, Cadillac, etc) that it will be selling to a new company. That new company is going to call itself some variation of GM, but it will be the "New GM." Pontiac is currently not part of that package of "stuff." Once formed, the "new GM" will not be subject to the bankruptcy court's jurisdiction.