Pontiac

Pontiac was an automobile brand of American automobile company General Motors. Traditionally, sports cars were produced in the medium price segment under this name, which should appeal to younger customers. After the bankruptcy of General Motors in 2009, and the associated restructuring of the Group's model program, the traditional brand " Pontiac " was abandoned by the end of 2010.

History

The name " Pontiac " was first used by the existing 1906 Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works. This name dates back to Chief Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawa Indians, who was the leader in the fight against the then British colonial rule in the 18th century. The Oakland Motor Company from 1907 and the Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works Company merged in November 1908 Oakland Motor Car Company. In January 1909, General Motors acquired half of the shares of the company and then in the summer, after the death of Edward P. Murphy, the founder of Oakland, the remaining shares. The vehicles were manufactured 1908-1926 under the brand Oakland. The first vehicle of the brand Pontiac in 1926 brought out by General Motors as a cheaper variant of the Oakland Motor Car. Pontiac was next to LaSalle, Marquette and Viking one should be closed for four new brands of GM, with the gaps in the model program. The other brands were abandoned, while the Pontiac Oakland brand from 1931 completely replaced.

Over the next 25 years, Pontiac took the bourgeois middle class in the General Motors Group. This Pontiac was positioned above Chevrolet, where the low-cost entry models were offered, but below the upscale brands Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac. Mid-50s Pontiac came under pressure, as Chevrolet luxurious cars and also offered a V8 engine for the first time. A Dodge upwards has not been possible, there were already the Group brands Oldsmobile and Buick.

Pontiac was then positioned as the sports brand from General Motors. The models Bonneville (1957 ), LeMans (1961 ), Grand Prix (1962), GTO (1964) and Firebird (1967 ) showed by their very naming the sporty ambitions.

In the 60 years this concept has been very successful. In particular, the GTO was a real trendsetter. In the 70s, the conditions deteriorated. Stricter emissions regulations led to a decrease in engine performance, among which particularly suffered as a Pontiac sports oriented brand. The oil crisis in 1973/74 led to a slump in demand for large-displacement cars. Pontiac responded with the introduction of smaller models: Ventura 1971, Astre 1974, including the T1000 in 1981, the smallest Pontiac, which had been built up to that point. With this car the brand identity was lost, because they were all only slightly modified Chevrolet models. The T1000 even based on the German Opel Kadett City.

In the 80s and 90s succeeded Pontiac, despite various attempts, not to build on the successes of the 60s. The tight rationalization in the General Motors group meant that the model range of all Group brands was strongly unified. Most Pontiac models of this era were only equipment variants of models that you could buy in a very similar form as a Chevrolet, Oldsmobile or Buick. One of the few exceptions was the mid-engine sports car Pontiac Fiero ( 1983 to 1988 ), but these suffered from the inappropriate for a sports car four-cylinder engine and was not a success.

GM as the parent presented as part of their restructuring plans include a production of vehicles of the Pontiac brand by the end of 2009 and announced the complete closure of the brand " Pontiac " to the end of the year 2010; now, GM will focus on its core brands, GMC, Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet. On 25 November 2009 was the last model in the U.S., a white Pontiac G6 made ​​that went into the regular trading session; only the production of the Pontiac G3 in South Korea ran until the end of 2009.

Models

Timeline

[ CDN ] Mainly in Canada offered

  • Vehicle from Pontiac or GM
  • Suzuki and CAMI (JV between GM and Suzuki)
  • Isuzu
  • GM Daewoo
  • GM Holden
  • NUMMI ( joint venture between GM and Toyota)

Small cars

Compact class

Middle class

Full-size

Sport Utility Vehicle

Vans

Sport car

Pontiac Catalina (1964 )

Pontiac GTO (1969 )

Pontiac Grand Safari ( 1976)

Pontiac Firebird (1983 )

Pontiac Trans Sport (1990 )

Pontiac Grand Am (1995 )

Pontiac Sunfire Coupe (2001)

Pontiac Solstice (2006)

Pontiac G6 (2009)

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