- Known for producing performance and value
- No possible scenario to continue a money loser
- This was a damned shame to an enthusiast
When the news first broke that Pontiac Division of General Motors was to be phased out as part of GM’s aggressive restructuring efforts earlier in 2009, it was ashock to many. Since its inception in 1926, Pontiac had been known forproducing cars with both performance and value, a division with a rich andstoried history. However, in recent years the Pontiac brand had not been profitable and while they tried to save the division, there was no possible scenario (profitable short or long term) to continue amoney loser as it had become.
Money was borrowed from the United States government to keep the entire GM organization afloat, and a “Viability Plan” was submitted to the Obama Administration with details on how the company was planning to survive. The plan included the keeping of Pontiac Division, however, “Uncle Sam” rejected it so further cuts had to take place ,in the way of Pontiac’s demise.
So the Pontiac brand was phased out by year-end 2010. It was a sad announcement to enthusiasts but not unexpected to anyone that had been keeping track of the numbers. This action was designed to allow General Motors to devote its limited capital and other resources to the four core brands that survived the restructuring, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. The once proud and very profitable marque that was positioned in between Chevrolet and the more expensive brands (Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac) was no longer needed in the shrinking GM lineup.
The car was originally named after Chief Pontiac, a local Michigan Indian leader who was an Ottawa war leader in the 1700s. Here’s a look at the history of Pontiac, starting in 1926 and through the years until the final model year:
Amazingly, by 1929, 500,000 Pontiacs had been built. A new 200 4-cid six-cylinder engine(with 57 horsepower) was added and in 1932, Pontiac added a V8 engine to the line, but it was short-lived and only lasted one year. The stock market crash of ’29 (and the resultant depression) wasn’t good news for the auto industry; however, Pontiac survived (although the Oakland brand did not). In 1933, the Pontiac Motor Company was given its own styling studio, and also that year a new "Economy Straight Eight" eight-cylinder engined car was offered. Pontiac was the first division of General Motors to incorporate independent front suspension in their line (1934) and starting in 1935, Pontiacs came with "Silver Streaks" on the hoods, which were stylish strips of chrome that ran from the grille rearward to the cowl area. Pontiacs were catching on in a big way, and the next year the one millionth "Tin Indian" had been produced.
"The Most Beautiful Thing on Wheels" was the advertising slogan for '37 and the gearshift was moved from the floor to the steering column, a big advancement for the day. 330,061 examples of the 1941 Pontiac were sold in the showrooms and customers were given (for the first time) the "option" of engine choices. Both an improved six-cylinder mill and a twin-carbureted straight eight powerplant were available, with the eight being a $25.00 upgrade. The war stopped car production and on February 10th, 1942, the last of the Pontiacs built were assembled with "blackout" treatment, as the government mandated the discontinuance of chrome plating for domestic use.
Post-war Pontiacs (1946) were basically identical to the 1942 models, except for very minor changes (like wrap-a-round bumper tips and a re-styled grille). Success continued for Pontiac after WW II, and while the 1946-’48 Pontiacs were reincarnations of the old ’42 models (Torpedo range, Streamliner and Streamliner Chieftain) they still were well accepted by the public. Pontiac had established itself as a good “middle-class car” for people that desired quality and reliability. By 1950, an all-new “Catalina” 2-door hardtop coupe was launched, and helped set a sales record of 446,429 vehicles sold that year. In July of 1951, the four millionth Pontiac rolled off the assembly line as the division had its 25th anniversary, not a bad way to celebrate! Typically, Pontiacs had a slightly more “upscale” appearance to them as compared to Chevrolets (and rivals in the price range from other automakers) in this era, thanks in part to great styling as well as the popular use of(optional) rear fender skirts and bumper guards. A brand-new V8 engine(287.2-cid overhead valve) came in ’55 and Pontiac production for that model year set another new sales record: 681,860 cars out the door!
Semon E. Knudsen started a “new era” around Pontiac when he came in as the new general manager in 1956. His father was William S. Knudsen, a past GM president, and when the son took over the reins of this division, exciting things were about to happen! (Semon Knudsen was known as “Bunkie,” as that is what his dad called him starting at a young age, a name that was first used in when service men would refer to their “bunk” mates).
The goal of the new leadership was to “un-do” some of the images that the American public had at the time of Pontiac, as a whole. The cars were considered strong, stylish and reliable, but with that came a certain problem where they weren’t as exciting as they needed to be, at least as far as the 43-year-old Bunkie Knudsen was concerned. Pontiacs were too conservative and he was going to change that.
“You can sell a young man’s car to an old man,” Knudsen is famous for saying, “but you’ll never sell an old man’s car to a young man.” And those were words held by all the time he was running Pontiac. A new engineering group was also ushered in at the same time, headed up by E.M. “Pete” Estes, and a young gun named John Z. DeLorean.
The first thing he did was kill the “Silver Streaks” on the hoods, and he also got rid of the Indian head hood ornaments. Knudsen like racing and high performance, so another one of the first things he did was get some Pontiacs out on the salt flats in Utah to show the world they could also be fast cars and not just old lady cars! David Abbott Jenkins was given a 1956 two-door Pontiac sedan and a high-performance engine and sent to Bonneville to strut the powerful Pontiac mills, and set a new 24-hour speed record doing it (averaging over 118 miles per hour over 2,841 miles).
Wide-Track” was the big news around Pontiac dealerships starting in 1959. During this era in Detroit, car bodies were getting wider and wider, but the chassis design didn’t follow suit. When Knudsen saw the development work of the new-for-1959 cars being done, he noticed the new body (some 64 inches wide) and also that the wheels were stuck in the fender wells too much. So the "wide-Track” was at that time created, where the wheels were moved outwards five inches to compensate for the overhang of the body. Widening the track also somehow gave the illusion that the car was now lower as well.
Wide-Track turned out to be a fantastic marketing sensation, and combined with numerous race programs (high profile teams from Mickey Thompson, Smokey Yunick, and others)the Pontiac “mojo” vastly improved in the buyers eyes, including an influx of young buyers that wanted performance!
These types of changes helped Pontiac change from being the sixth largest automaker to the third largest, with Chevrolet being first in sales and Ford a close second. Pontiac was a player now and much credit goes to Bunkie and the people that worked with him. In 1961 Knudsen was promoted to head up Chevrolet and his handpicked replacement was Pete Estes, and DeLorean was promoted to the top of the engineering dept.
The car that really changed the landscape in the American car world was debuted in late 1963 as a new ’64 model, and had an exciting albeit short name: GTO. It stood for “Grand Turismo Omologato (borrowed from Ferrari) and credit for the GTO goes to a number of men, including first and foremost Pete Estes (Pontiac GeneralManager) for allowing it to happen, John DeLorean (Pontiac Chief Engineer), Bill Collins and Russ Gee (Pontiac Engineers). Of course, Jim Wangers (MacManus John and Adams Account Executive) is part of the story as well, he worked for Pontiac’s advertising agency, and his involvement was to do with the extremely successful promotion, advertising and media exposure of the GTO.
GTOs sold extremely well (32,450 the first year, 75,352 in ’65, and 96,945 the next model year) plus it gave the entire Pontiac Division a bold, new identity as “the hotline,” cars for young Americans. The GTO really had a huge impact and changed automotive history forever.
After the time frame of the GTO launch, General Motors was in hot pursuit of the new “pony car” market segment that Ford Motor Company invented with their Mustang. The rush was on for a GM pony car, and Chevrolet got the nod with a new car called “Camaro.” By this time, John DeLorean had become general manager of Pontiac (and at 39 years of age, the youngest ever to head a GM division). When he heard about the development of the Camaro project, he wanted to get Pontiac a piece of the pie.
DeLorean was successful in persuading GM to allow Pontiac the chance to compete in the pony car wars, and the new Firebird was released February 23rd, 1967. It came equipped with a taunt suspension package, Pontiac engines (including a 400-cid version plus an innovative OHC six-cylinder, and a distinctive front end that had the Pontiac flavor, an integrated design that saw the bumper wraparound the grille and headlights, with a tasteful-done point in the middle.1967 was a great year for Pontiac Motor Division, as it achieved its highest market share ever (9.98 percent) and ’68 saw a record amount of vehicles built wearing the name Pontiac: 910,977.
In the 1970s there were fewer and fewer bright spots in the product lineup for Pontiac high-performance enthusiasts, however, that was really the sign of the times. The Trans-Am Firebird did have a loyal following (and as late as 1974 a T/A could be ordered with a Super Duty 455-cid engine) and the Grand Prix had lots of glamour (and with 455-cid power and some performance) but when the GTO that everyone had known was dropped and later returned as a start-up Ventura in 1974, you knew the hallowed “Goat” was now nothing more than a faded memory. The late seventies saw the “Smokey and the Bandit” help make the Pontiac Firebird one of the best-selling cars in the country (93,341 Trans-Am versions were sold in 1978) which helped the division sell over 900,000 cars overall that year.
The early1980s were tough times for automakers as the Arab oil embargo did severe damage as a whole to sales, thanks to a recession that dragged down everything car related. Fuel economy was the focus around PMD and cars like the front-wheel drive Phoenix compact (with its transverse-positioned “Iron Duke” 4-cylinderengine) and 4-cylinder Sunbird subcompact was what the dealers were pushing. Pontiac held on to 9.3 percent market share (selling 614,000 vehicles).
Some boost was given to the brand when the new Firebird models were released in 1983, a swell as a “sophisticated performance sedan” called the 6000 STE. (Pontiac felt the use of letters and numbers gave their cars a European flavor). In late1 983, the launch of the two-seater sports car “Fiero” added some flash to the product line and there was evidence that PMD was trying to rebuild, and revive the “performance car” image that they once so proudly had.
The Fiero was unique in several ways, mostly because it was a mid-engine sports car that featured composite body panels and had an innovative space frame chassis design that rode on a 93.4-inch wheelbase. First-year sales were 136, 840 (higher than expected) and in the five-year run of the car, some 370,168 were produced in total. The initial idea behind the car was that it could be a popular fuel-efficient “commuter” car as it first came with a tiny 2.5L 4-cylinder, producing 92 horsepower. Eventually, the car was sported-up styling wise plus received a more potent V6 engine, however, sales fell dramatically and by 1988 the car was discontinued.
A newly designed fourth-generation Firebird hit the Pontiac dealerships for the 1993 model year. While it shared the basics with the Chevrolet Camaro (the cars featured 90 percent new content over the models they replaced) Firebirds receive eye-pleasing styling, which visually separated it from its Camaro cousin. With available 5.7L V8 power and a six-speed manual transmission, these cars had plenty of power to match their good looks. Only 14,112 Firebirds were sold in ‘93 but vastly improved the next year with a run of 51,523. Over the next years the Firebird model would gradually lose sales, however, it wasn’t because the cars were boring or slow in performance. In 1994 Car & Driver tested a Trans Am Firebird and clocked its top speed at 153 miles per hour.2002 marked the end of the GM F-body production run.
In 1997, an all-new Grand Prix was released and it featured a “Wide-Track” stance with an aerodynamic shape, with an available GTP package that included a 240 horsepower supercharged engine. Some 232,066 Grand Prixs were sold during the 1999 model year, and the newly refreshed Bonneville sold 50,311 units in ’99 as well.
Pontiac in the new Millennium was not looking good, as the decision makers there took a big gamble and debuted a new “cross-over” vehicle named Aztek in July of 2000, an early release for the 2001 model year. This vehicle was supposed to be “edgy” and “cool” and innovative, as well as futuristic. Billed as a Sport Recreation Vehicle, it was an attempt at being a cross between a car and an SUV (sport utility vehicle) but in the end, it was a disaster. It not only didn’t sell, it greatly tarnished Pontiac’s image in the marketplace. People that purchased them were made fun of, much like the fabled Edsel of the late 1950s.
The customers said it was a monstrosity in the looks department, and many felt the front-end styling was more like that of a battering-ram nose cone off of a Police assault vehicle used in SWAT operations. So much for listening to “focus groups” and while it isn’t fair to blame the stylist and creative people that designed it, there should be ample blame spread to all that approved it for sale.
An attempt to save some face for PMD took place in 2004 when General Motors’ Bob Lutz brought out a “new” GTO that was based on the Australian Monaro, which was changed to LH drive and received minor styling changes for the American market. The car was well equipped (with Corvette power and a choice of 6-speed manual or4-speed automatic transmission) but the extremely bland body styling (plus lack of a trademark GTO hood scoop that first year) caused buyers to give it a very lukewarm welcoming.
The front of the car suffered from the boring looks of an airport rental car, the rear of the car was the victim of a single exhaust pipe (on the passenger’s side) plus the sides of the car had no real identifying marks besides small “GTO” emblems on the front fenders. It easily could be mistaken for a non-performance Pontiac from their domestically built line. The very last Aussie GTO was built on June 14, 2006 and they did sell 40,808 examples over the three-year run, but no matter how one looks at it, the car was “too little, too late.”
The same situation with the G8 Sports Sedan, of which almost everyone agrees is an exciting car that delivers on looks and performance, and it, had great reviews from the motoring press. But the problem with this car is that it’s a “niche” market vehicle, and history has shown that a brand cannot survive just on small market vehicles, they need high-volume moneymakers.
The 2009 Pontiac product lineup consisted of the Solstice, G8, G6 (retractable convertible), G5 (2-door compact coupe), G3 (Korean-built sub-compact 5-door hatchback), Vibe (4-door sports wagon) and Torrent (SUV cross-over). Throughout the months to come, these vehicles are going to be sold off and when they’re gone, the Pontiac marque will be gone forever in terms of buying a brand-new one.
With the release of the new Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac loyalists were looking forward to a “Firebird” version of the car, with styling cues from the past, perhaps a modernized “Trans Am” version. But realistically, in the view of this student of the automotive business, it surely would have mostly stole sales away from Camaro, which in the big picture would be redundant for General Motor’s bottom line. Back in the day with a large market share, it wasn’t so unusual to compete head-on with a sister division in the same corporation (GM), but now, when the corporation is fighting for survival itself, it would be suicide.
While it’s easy to look back and pick apart everything the people at Pontiac did with their product over the past several years, the hard part of the equation is to suggest what should have been done specifically and when it should have taken place. That said, in the end, the people at the top that made the decisions, they failed to provide a product that enticed and excited the automotive buying public to the extent of going into the dealerships and purchasing a new Pontiac(in high enough numbers to keep the division afloat). And to any Pontiac enthusiast, that is a damned shame.
