Thursday, November 11, 2010

Pontiac has formally ceased to occur

After being put on the chopping block last year, Pontiac no longer officially exists. The brand had been jettisoned along with other under-performing brands under the GM banner. It was not alone. Other brands, such as Hummer, Saturn, and Opel were divested also. Pontiac had previously been one of GM’s best performing brands. The organization had over three quarters of a century of operation. Pontiac, once the near symbol of Detroit automotive muscle, had been heralded for its severe performance at seriously good prices. Source for this article – Pontiac has officially ceased to exist by Car Deal Expert.

No more Pontiac

General Motors jettisoned the brands that weren’t performing well during its bankruptcy, including Pontiac. The brand had been suffering as of 2008, and GM decided to allow Pontiac to pass away. As of Sunday, Pontiac no longer exists as a corporate entity, according to USA Today. Brand enthusiasts long lamented what they considered to be a severe mishandling of the brand by General Motors, which was thought to simply field Chevrolet and Buick models in Pontiac trim. There were a lot of Pontiac muscle cars from the 1950s to the 1980s. Pontiac had been known for this horsepower.

Looking into history

In 1926, Pontiac had been made for families in the working class. By the 1950s, sales were struggling and General Motors decided it had been time to rethink the brand. Pontiac cars became racing and performance driven creatures, and by 1965, GM had introduced the Pontiac GTO, one of one of the most legendary cars of all time, and also the near epitome of Detroit muscle cars. The GTO, or “Gran Turismo Omolagato,” had been inspired by Italian sport tour cars. John DeLorean got a small team together which put a 389-cubic-inch engine under the hood with a Tempest frame. Sales shot via the roof, accounting for 17 percent of GM sales in 1968. The Pontiac Trans Am of the Firebird line was one more huge success. Sadly, by the 1980s, the car had moved away from the horsepower it had been known for.

Then it went down

From the 1980s into the 2000s, Pontiac was no longer sold as a performance brand, and sales reflected it. In 2008, there weren't numerous selling yearly. In fact, it was selling less than 275,000. The legend of Pontiac can be leaving us now which can be a really sad thing.

Articles cited

USA Today

usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-11-01-pontiac-vanishes_N.htm



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