No more Pontiac. :( - Toyota Yaris Forums

staticorex · 06-01-2009, 11:59 AM

I was hoping they could save it. Now I'm sad. :( Anyone else sad about this? Or do the Toyota fans not care? :p

From CNN...
GM will shed its Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab brands and cut loose more than 2,000 of its 6,000 U.S. dealerships by next year. That could result in more than 100,000 additional job losses if those dealerships are forced to close.

MadMax · 06-01-2009, 12:13 PM

Honestly, I thought Saturn would survive as it appeared to have the most fuel-efficient lineup of all the GM brands. I suspect some European company will pick up Saab; but good riddance to Hummer and while Pontiac had some nice cars, they focused too much on the dwindling American market which led to this downfall. Americans are not/can't afford muscle cars right now, not with the state of our economy and the price of gas rising.

The only reason Ford is not going through this right now is that it is more globalized and more broadly focused in its lineup.

staticorex · 06-01-2009, 12:44 PM

I agree. Pontiac upset me but I wasn't surprised. But I was surprised to see Saturn on the list. No surprise with Hummer and Saab though.

hatchbackkid82 · 06-01-2009, 12:50 PM

Really don't care about Pontiac, that's what happens when you try to sell crap. I feel bad for the employees they are going to be laying off.

marcus · 06-01-2009, 01:20 PM

damn it i was thinking of getting jazz..i love the pontiac solstice turbo. cheap too.

staticorex · 06-01-2009, 01:28 PM

Ha. Then buy a Porsche. :p

yaris-me · 06-01-2009, 01:32 PM

GM has practiced bad brand management and now they cut off the arms to save the body. Saturn could probably be saved, if not become the leading division to save GM. Since Saturn has the least seniority the top managers are in the other division and they will save their own ass before they save someone else.

Deltasix · 06-01-2009, 02:55 PM

I don't really car for the cars produced by these brands, but I do feel horrible for the people losing their jobs. The people mainly responsible for the downsizing are probably going to rebound just fine, but the other people (sales personal, management, technicians, assembly line workers) have it rough.

supmet · 06-01-2009, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deltasix

I don't really car for the cars produced by these brands, but I do feel horrible for the people losing their jobs. The people mainly responsible for the downsizing are probably going to rebound just fine, but the other people (sales personal, management, technicians, assembly line workers) have it rough.

I feel a little bad for saturn employees.

The hummer employees losing their jobs is natural selection in action. If you couldn't see with global warming on the news every day, and gas hitting 5 bucks a gallon last year, that hummers were on the way out, I don't think your brain is working.

MadMax · 06-01-2009, 03:51 PM

Why does everyone feel sorry for the employees who are losing their jobs? The UAW will have to continue paying them, that is why they paid such huge union fees for so long. It is why UAW is whining so much, and asking the government to bail them out...

And I really hate Hummers, probably because 1) they are nothing like the original HMMWV, 2) they get even worse gas mileage then my Jeep, 3) they are driven by self-centered pricks who don't realize what a huge piece of crap they are (just like the Prius) and 4) they are a joke offroad, where they are suppose to be at their finest. Just watch this...

I also have a Jeep, and am constantly challenging my neighbor who has an H3 to go offroading with me. He won't, because he knows my 1940s technology will make his Hummer look bad!

staticorex · 06-01-2009, 04:05 PM

^ I have to agree with you on Hummers. There was a Jeep always parked near me in undergrad that had on its windshield "Hummer rescue vehicle". I always got a kick out of that. :p

But I am sad to know there will be no more GTO's, No G8 just when it was getting started (and getting rave reviews from respectable auto reviewers). A lot of people like the Solstice, rated one of the best in customer satisfaction by CR. It has been a major part of America's auto market, as has Saturn been. They will be missed by many of us.

And I've been a fan of Saab for years. I hope they survive somehow by going back to Europe or something.

nemelek · 06-01-2009, 04:11 PM

When Crysler downsized I was amazed at some of the individuals dealerships in my area that were on the list to close. In a year or so there will be a demand for new cars with no place near your home to get them.

SilverBack · 06-01-2009, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by staticorex

But I am sad to know there will be no more GTO's, No G8 just when it was getting started (and getting rave reviews from respectable auto reviewers). A lot of people like the Solstice, rated one of the best in customer satisfaction by CR. It has been a major part of America's auto market, as has Saturn been. They will be missed by many of us.

^Agree. The GTO, G6, G8, Solstice/Sky and all Saturns will be missed. Damn shame too

*tk-421* · 06-01-2009, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMax

Just watch this...

That is just sad.

BailOut · 06-01-2009, 04:56 PM

Saab was never on the map for me. I have never known anyone that owned one.

Pontiac, like its parent company, has never had anything to offer me and I will dance on Hummer's grave. However, I, too, am sad to see Saturn go. As of today it is (was) the one division within all of GM that has lots of compact models and could have carried GM into the future.

IllusionX · 06-01-2009, 05:17 PM

Not to mention GM's first fully electric car (EV1) was branded Saturn.

SailDesign · 06-01-2009, 06:59 PM

Pontiac at least had the good sense to market a Toyota in disguise. The Vibe is just a Matrix in Pontiac clothes.

tuckevalastin · 06-01-2009, 07:42 PM

Saturn is the only brand without any real purpose. The Opel Insignia and Opel Astra could have been the next G5 and G6 Pontiacs, The Skye was already available as a Solstice, and the Vue and Outlook are already available as GMC/Chevy models. There really wasn't any good reason to keep Saturn around.

Saturn is for sale and the most attractive buyer is Roger Penske who would sell Renault-Nissan built vehicles. Sadly though, the Korean made Nissans rebadged as Samsung models are what he's currently looking to sell.

Saab could have been a fun brand to reinvent but it would never be a big money maker for a company as big as GM.

Saab is also up for sale. The most interesting potenial buyer is Koenigsegg (you know the Swedish guys who make FAST cars).

HUMMER could also have been a very good project if GM had money to spend. A Hummer brand reworked to compete against Jeep could have sold vehicles but there is absolutely no way a government owned GM will let HUMMER continue to be a GM product when everyone seems to feel like they are the root of all evil.

Hummer is for sale and supposedly has two pontential buyers, most likely Indian or Chinese companies.

Pontiac was the brand for true American car enthusiasts. Losing Pontiac is awfully bad for GM but it appears GM is willing to cut anything in order to satisfy the government.

Pontiac is DEAD

06-01-2009, 11:59 AM	#1
staticorex View User's Garage Drives: Sc'd Yaris Sedan. Join Date: May 2007 Location: civilwar town. Posts: 660	No more Pontiac. :( I was hoping they could save it. Now I'm sad. :( Anyone else sad about this? Or do the Toyota fans not care? :p From CNN... GM will shed its Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab brands and cut loose more than 2,000 of its 6,000 U.S. dealerships by next year. That could result in more than 100,000 additional job losses if those dealerships are forced to close. __________________ Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.

06-01-2009, 12:44 PM	#3
staticorex View User's Garage Drives: Sc'd Yaris Sedan. Join Date: May 2007 Location: civilwar town. Posts: 660	I agree. Pontiac upset me but I wasn't surprised. But I was surprised to see Saturn on the list. No surprise with Hummer and Saab though. __________________ Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.

06-01-2009, 01:28 PM	#6
staticorex View User's Garage Drives: Sc'd Yaris Sedan. Join Date: May 2007 Location: civilwar town. Posts: 660	Ha. Then buy a Porsche. :p __________________ Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.

06-01-2009, 02:55 PM	#8
Deltasix Drives: '07 Liftback: Work in Progress Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: CT Posts: 187	I don't really car for the cars produced by these brands, but I do feel horrible for the people losing their jobs. The people mainly responsible for the downsizing are probably going to rebound just fine, but the other people (sales personal, management, technicians, assembly line workers) have it rough. __________________ "The basis of optimism is sheer terror."

06-01-2009, 04:05 PM	#11
staticorex View User's Garage Drives: Sc'd Yaris Sedan. Join Date: May 2007 Location: civilwar town. Posts: 660	^ I have to agree with you on Hummers. There was a Jeep always parked near me in undergrad that had on its windshield "Hummer rescue vehicle". I always got a kick out of that. :p But I am sad to know there will be no more GTO's, No G8 just when it was getting started (and getting rave reviews from respectable auto reviewers). A lot of people like the Solstice, rated one of the best in customer satisfaction by CR. It has been a major part of America's auto market, as has Saturn been. They will be missed by many of us. And I've been a fan of Saab for years. I hope they survive somehow by going back to Europe or something. __________________ Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.

06-01-2009, 12:13 PM	#2
MadMax Drives: 2008 Yaris Liftback (Sprocket) Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas! Posts: 2,799	Honestly, I thought Saturn would survive as it appeared to have the most fuel-efficient lineup of all the GM brands. I suspect some European company will pick up Saab; but good riddance to Hummer and while Pontiac had some nice cars, they focused too much on the dwindling American market which led to this downfall. Americans are not/can't afford muscle cars right now, not with the state of our economy and the price of gas rising. The only reason Ford is not going through this right now is that it is more globalized and more broadly focused in its lineup.

06-01-2009, 12:50 PM	#4
hatchbackkid82 Drives: . Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: . Posts: 1,828	Really don't care about Pontiac, that's what happens when you try to sell crap. I feel bad for the employees they are going to be laying off.

06-01-2009, 01:20 PM	#5
marcus toyota View User's Garage Drives: 2007 Yaris RS Blazed Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: toronto, canada Posts: 3,637	damn it i was thinking of getting jazz..i love the pontiac solstice turbo. cheap too.

06-01-2009, 01:32 PM	#7
yaris-me Learn to Relax Drives: 2007, Meteorite, LB Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,070	GM has practiced bad brand management and now they cut off the arms to save the body. Saturn could probably be saved, if not become the leading division to save GM. Since Saturn has the least seniority the top managers are in the other division and they will save their own ass before they save someone else.

06-01-2009, 03:51 PM	#10
MadMax Drives: 2008 Yaris Liftback (Sprocket) Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas! Posts: 2,799	Why does everyone feel sorry for the employees who are losing their jobs? The UAW will have to continue paying them, that is why they paid such huge union fees for so long. It is why UAW is whining so much, and asking the government to bail them out... And I really hate Hummers, probably because 1) they are nothing like the original HMMWV, 2) they get even worse gas mileage then my Jeep, 3) they are driven by self-centered pricks who don't realize what a huge piece of crap they are (just like the Prius) and 4) they are a joke offroad, where they are suppose to be at their finest. Just watch this... I also have a Jeep, and am constantly challenging my neighbor who has an H3 to go offroading with me. He won't, because he knows my 1940s technology will make his Hummer look bad!

06-01-2009, 04:11 PM	#12
nemelek DWEED Drives: 3DR 2008 Metorite Metalic Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,161	When Crysler downsized I was amazed at some of the individuals dealerships in my area that were on the list to close. In a year or so there will be a demand for new cars with no place near your home to get them. __________________ Making a decision without following it with an action is still a fantasy.

06-01-2009, 04:56 PM	#15
BailOut Steals terrorist's lunch View User's Garage Drives: 2007 Yaris Liftback Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Reno, Nevada, USA Posts: 1,299	Saab was never on the map for me. I have never known anyone that owned one. Pontiac, like its parent company, has never had anything to offer me and I will dance on Hummer's grave. However, I, too, am sad to see Saturn go. As of today it is (was) the one division within all of GM that has lots of compact models and could have carried GM into the future. __________________ - Brian Share the Road I often carry 2 carpool passengers and mountain bikes or snowboards/skis over a 4,500 foot elevation difference. Click the graphic above to see my detailed mileage logs.

06-01-2009, 05:17 PM	#16
IllusionX It's the illusion you see View User's Garage Drives: 07 Yaris Sedan Aero Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brossard, QC Posts: 3,888	Not to mention GM's first fully electric car (EV1) was branded Saturn.

06-01-2009, 06:59 PM	#17
SailDesign Drives: . Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: . Posts: 1,931	Pontiac at least had the good sense to market a Toyota in disguise. The Vibe is just a Matrix in Pontiac clothes.

06-01-2009, 07:42 PM	#18
tuckevalastin View User's Garage Drives: 2008 Yaris Sedan Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Delaware/Connecticut Posts: 609	Saturn is the only brand without any real purpose. The Opel Insignia and Opel Astra could have been the next G5 and G6 Pontiacs, The Skye was already available as a Solstice, and the Vue and Outlook are already available as GMC/Chevy models. There really wasn't any good reason to keep Saturn around. Saturn is for sale and the most attractive buyer is Roger Penske who would sell Renault-Nissan built vehicles. Sadly though, the Korean made Nissans rebadged as Samsung models are what he's currently looking to sell. Saab could have been a fun brand to reinvent but it would never be a big money maker for a company as big as GM. Saab is also up for sale. The most interesting potenial buyer is Koenigsegg (you know the Swedish guys who make FAST cars). HUMMER could also have been a very good project if GM had money to spend. A Hummer brand reworked to compete against Jeep could have sold vehicles but there is absolutely no way a government owned GM will let HUMMER continue to be a GM product when everyone seems to feel like they are the root of all evil. Hummer is for sale and supposedly has two pontential buyers, most likely Indian or Chinese companies. Pontiac was the brand for true American car enthusiasts. Losing Pontiac is awfully bad for GM but it appears GM is willing to cut anything in order to satisfy the government. Pontiac is DEAD __________________

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