Good Riddance

[mr.prick]

GM to pull the plug on Pontiac (http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/24/autos/pontiac_obit/index.htm)
I never liked Pontiac
and I know it would hurt a lot of people but I hope GM goes under.
It is shameful what they have done to this country.
#9 (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2008/snapshots/175.html) in the world's largest corporations and they can't make a profit.

[ScarabEpic22]

Ahh this pains me, the original GTO (was a long time ago so doesnt really affect anything) but the G6 is a good midsize and the G8, well its about time some car company (in the US) dropped a big V8 into a fullsize car and priced it well.

[joecar]

GM works like this: anything good will be EOL'd asap.

[GAMEOVER]

Well, that sucks...I wonder what else they're going to kill?

[Chevy366]

and I know it would hurt a lot of people but I hope GM goes under.
It is shameful what they have done to this country.


X2 , not under just restructured without UAW tagging along .

[mr.prick]

X2 , not under just restructured without UAW tagging along .

LMAO
That will not happen, the only reason the government is involved is to keep
the union.

We should all ask for Ford support. http://smiliesftw.com/x/crossrc.gif (http://smiliesftw.com)
And if worst comes to worst Bosch. :laugh:
I personally will not buy another GM vehicle because of what has happened.

[GMPX]

Just today I was reading a magazine that was testing some small cars.
These were all running Diesel motors of about 1.4L - 1.8L in size. Modern diesels are clean and very efficient, getting on average about 45 - 50 MPG and for a little getting to work type car do the job well.
Maybe GM should have taken the opportunity to not kill off Pontiac and reinvent it as it's new small car division and just re-badge some of these small European GM cars.
You do have to wonder about GM though, look at the 4.5L Duramax that was due out this year until it was killed off, this was going to be huge, imagine if that engine was going to be an option for the large car market, with a 4.5L Diesel making 500ft-lb of torque with 30MPG+ economy they would have sold them as quick as they could make them. They could have sold a Diesel Cadillac in to Europe when 50% of the cars on the roads are diesel.
Even though you might not like any of Pontiac's cars, it's still a lot of people who will be out of a job, that is probably the saddest part, not the memories of a car brand that did give us some great cars overs the years.

[mr.prick]

IMO
The workers put themselves out of work.
unions are the bane of any business, next to the government.

[joecar]

Back in 2002 Pontiac announced something like: "We're replacing the Firebird with the exciting new Vibe"...

You could hear every car guy/gal collectively thinking: "WTF...???"

Based on that announcement alone they have no alternative but to die (they have proven cluelessness of their product demography).

[Chevy366]

Just today I was reading a magazine that was testing some small cars.
These were all running Diesel motors of about 1.4L - 1.8L in size. Modern diesels are clean and very efficient, getting on average about 45 - 50 MPG and for a little getting to work type car do the job well.
Maybe GM should have taken the opportunity to not kill off Pontiac and reinvent it as it's new small car division and just re-badge some of these small European GM cars.
You do have to wonder about GM though, look at the 4.5L Duramax that was due out this year until it was killed off, this was going to be huge, imagine if that engine was going to be an option for the large car market, with a 4.5L Diesel making 500ft-lb of torque with 30MPG+ economy they would have sold them as quick as they could make them. They could have sold a Diesel Cadillac in to Europe when 50% of the cars on the roads are diesel.
Even though you might not like any of Pontiac's cars, it's still a lot of people who will be out of a job, that is probably the saddest part, not the memories of a car brand that did give us some great cars overs the years.

Not to mention , Diesels can make more power than their Gas counter parts .
It is a shame it looks like GM will mean "Government Managed" from now on out .
Ah the Unions , don't get me started , I agree with mr.prick , shot themselves in the foot , wanting more and more .
Pontiac GTO was one of the first Muscle Cars (The Judge) .

[Bruce Melton]

I hope the G8 is transferred to one of the survivors. That is a great value.

[ScarabEpic22]

I hope the G8 is transferred to one of the survivors. That is a great value.

I agree completely, if I didnt want to have an SUV for running around in the winter here in Spokane, I would have most likely bought a G8 GT or GXP instead of my TBSS (or a VW GTI). For the same price, you get a helluva deal and still get pretty respectable mileage.

I was wondering what happened to the 4.5L Dmax, I really wanted to see how that engine changed up America's thinking about diesels. 30+mpg, 450+tq in a fullsize pickup or SUV? That would turn heads in a good way.

I think rebranding some Euro small efficient cars would be a REALLY GOOD IDEA GM!!!! Geez sometimes big companies have their heads so far up their a$$es it makes me cringe.:fluffy: I might be looking for a cheap cheap (as in used and 10+ yrs old) beater that gets good mileage, and heck if it had a diesel that would be even better for around town trips (main use for it).

[GMPX]

There is always a place for big Silverado's and Corvette's and GM should continue to make such vehicles despite what the green politicians want, but the problem is every government is fixed on Hybrid's.
So now the car companies are going to be forced to go down that path if they want to be viewed as good corporate citizens and continue to get hand outs :doh2:

[gmh308]

IMO
The workers put themselves out of work.
unions are the bane of any business, next to the government.

Dead right. GM unskilled and semi skilled pay was stunningly high, and the retirement and health schemes sheer luxury. Is it $80 per hour a production line worker costs?

GM was over a barrel on their costs until a crisis arrived and unions needed to choose between lower pay and no jobs. :doh2:

But they did make what the market in the US demanded.....giant trucks guzzling gas and driven by one person to work.....in an 8 lane parking lot....:shock: so sad.

Sad thing about the Pontiac G8, which has dynamics as good or better than most BMW's, and great looks, is that the US market had a major influence on its sizing, and has now rejected it. And it is larger than it needs to be for its home market. 200kg of weight added over the previous model, which was 100kg+ more than the one before it.

GM is not necessarily a bad company, but it is largely a victim of unions and banks, and of course being too big, which is a leadership challenge.

So sad. RIP. Hope Chevy survives and continues to be the Heartbeat of America with some great cars like Camaro and Corvette, which are fuel economy leaders to boot! Hope to see some realistic hybrids/small cars too.

:) :cheers:

[Chevy366]

Bureaucrats have little use for performance-oriented V-8 powered cars, so don't expect cars like the Chevy Corvette, Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Camaro SS, or Dodge Challenger R/T to survive long term. Their survival is no longer tied to customer demand, but to the demands of the government that now controls the product portfolios and development dollars at GM and Chrysler. Recently, GM announced it was killing its Pontiac brand, a concept that seemed to define performance all by itself some decades ago. Now that brand is gone.======According to John Wolkonowicz, Senior Analyst at HIS Global Insight, "With Obama's plan, everything changes in the domestic automotive world. The government will be able to dictate what General Motors and Chrysler can sell. Washington believes it knows what Americans should drive, and this bail out gives them the means to dramatically change the market." Wolkonowicz sees the potential for a significant narrowing of choice in the automotive market. He says, "With the power given them by the bail out, the government can simply mandate certain classes of cars and trucks out of existence, regardless of whether they are popular with American drivers or not."========= And there you have it folks !
The death of a industry , lets bow and remain silent for a minute in remembrance of what was !

[Bruce Melton]

GM => Government Motors

Or even more chilling, is Nancy Poloci telling anyone, how to run a car company.

[joecar]

I am so thrilled that I get to drive my manly Pelosi GT SS/RT on the designated driving days:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAqPMJFaEdY

[Bruce Melton]

I am so thrilled that I get to drive my manly Pelosi GT SS/RT on the designated driving days:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAqPMJFaEdY

That is just right !

I seriously wonder why golf carts aren't the answer for city driving, then I think about crashing and snow. Those are Wisconsin (Midwest) considerations, however.

[Chevy366]

I am so thrilled that I get to drive my manly Pelosi GT SS/RT on the designated driving days:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAqPMJFaEdY

^ good one ! :laugh:
But saddening at the same time , because it might just happen .
http://cars.about.com/b/2007/04/01/corvette-to-get-diesel-power-for-2009.htm
Say it isn't so !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAWbD9io6bg&feature=related

[gmh308]

mmmm...."Government Motors" RIP General Motors.

Well....I guess that will give ALL the imports an incredible competitive advantage....and open up some new niche performance car opportunities....and when it is time to sell "GM" again back to the stock market, it will go for a song...

GM - RIP.


Bureaucrats have little use for performance-oriented V-8 powered cars, so don't expect cars like the Chevy Corvette, Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Camaro SS, or Dodge Challenger R/T to survive long term. Their survival is no longer tied to customer demand, but to the demands of the government that now controls the product portfolios and development dollars at GM and Chrysler. Recently, GM announced it was killing its Pontiac brand, a concept that seemed to define performance all by itself some decades ago. Now that brand is gone.======According to John Wolkonowicz, Senior Analyst at HIS Global Insight, "With Obama's plan, everything changes in the domestic automotive world. The government will be able to dictate what General Motors and Chrysler can sell. Washington believes it knows what Americans should drive, and this bail out gives them the means to dramatically change the market." Wolkonowicz sees the potential for a significant narrowing of choice in the automotive market. He says, "With the power given them by the bail out, the government can simply mandate certain classes of cars and trucks out of existence, regardless of whether they are popular with American drivers or not."========= And there you have it folks !
The death of a industry , lets bow and remain silent for a minute in remembrance of what was !

[joecar]

The Wall Street Journal: Opinion: "The Truth About Cars And Trucks" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124096698307566437.html)

[mr.prick]

Nice article.
The insane are now owning the asylum.

[joecar]

"The Muscle Car Lives"
"Pontiac is Performance"
"The Performance Division"
"We Drive Excitement"
"We Are Driving Excitement"
"All Stand For The Judge"
"The Great One"

A car company crushed by the unions, the politicians, the government, and mismanagement.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7884/pontiacmodern.pnghttp://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4875/firebird.pnghttp://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3408/gtoi.gifhttp://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8495/pontiacservice.jpg