It's interesting how different people see "GM" and brands like "Pontiac" and "Oldsmobille".

Part of what I used to love about GM was that while it was "one" huge company and while I understood that GM owned Pontiac and Oldsmobille and Cadillac; the brands were to a large extent handled and run as if they were separate companies. They had their own distinct engines; their own character.

It seems that for the past thirty years or so that the brand names have become meaningless; just bits of trim and slightly different front and rear body panels.

I understand the business reasons for that change - synergies and cost-savings and all.

I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that for me, what I knew as Pontiac sort of went away a long time ago. So, whether the name survives or it just becomes a matter of history doesn't have the emotional impact I'm sure it does for many of you.

I guess the whole mess just makes me sad and all the players responsible for causing this mess just makes me mad.

I'm starting to understand why grumpy old men get to be grumpy. It's because they see things they at one time cherished, even lusted over, get brushed aside and relegated to the garbage pile.

 

I can appreciate what you're saying. I was just a kid when the divisions lost their independence and really started to become slightly restyled versions of primarily Chevrolet; although Buick and Olds were pretty much interchangeable for the latter half of the 80s to the point that I wasn't sure why one of them wasn't folded then - which one didn't seem to matter. I think I would have picked Buick to go.

The loss of division specific engines was indeed the beginning of the end and the divisions never really recaptured their character afterward - IMO. As a fan of GM cars from its heyday, I hear where you're coming from and it is maddening given their current situation.

 

The problem with selling Pontiac is that they didn't exactly have the best reputation for econoboxes. Therefore the mark probably isn't that desirable for any Chinese or other foreign companies who would want to bring in small cheap cars.

The small number of companies that could "do it right" already have their own performance brands (including GM, I should add), so they probably aren't that interested either.

If someone wants to build a Firebird/TA appearance kit for the Camaro, GM could work out a licencing deal - they wouldn't need to transfer the whole brand.

 

Well, think about this.

Even with government assistance GM is being sold to the chinese (and given away to the germans and canadians)

Let's also not forget how our government 'bailed out' chrysler only to give it to the italians.

Against gov't involvement? No, not on general principle. Against how it is being handled, absolutely. Maybe you can explain the point of bailing companies out with american dollars and then giving them away to foreign interests?

 

The German government provided $2 billion in funding and the Canadian government $10 billion in funding for their shares of GM. GM's bailout was not funded solely by the US government.

 

I'd rather GM stop making the cars for now, but keep a hold of the name. Perhaps let it re-emerge years down the road.

Plus Pontiac is so much associated with GM that any cars made by the new owner may easily be mistaken as a GM car. Saturn not so much since they were supposed to be seen as separate from GM from the get go.

 

If they were to get less then 10 million I don't feel it woudl be worth it. It woudl be better to backshelf it and bring it back later. Camaro sales were in ****ter, goes away for ~decade, now they can't even keep them at lots... G8? GTO, solstice? Firebird?