So? Is GM gonna chop Pontiac? Predictions?

[HEMISFEAR]

What do you think. GM has said they're committed to saving money any way they can and word is, they're hurtin the most (I'd think it was Chrysler).

[BJB]

I would think Buick would be on the short list. Just my :twocents:

[MR-SMITH]

Yeah I saw where Buick ended there deal with Tiger Woods. They are on the way out. Pontiac might be behind them. Might wanna sell Saab while they are at it.

[HEMISFEAR]

This morning I also hurt Saturn may be added to the cutting board.

[MR-SMITH]

I hate to see all these cars go but there is just way to many choices out there. I think this may be the only way they survive.

[HEMISFEAR]

I hate to see all these cars go but there is just way to many choices out there. I think this may be the only way they survive.

Unfortunately, I think you're right Ry. I'd much rather see Buick go before the others though...I ALWAYS avoid Buicks when I am choosing lanes to pull up at a light. :tantrum1:

[Evilways]

I'd kill off GMC and Buick before Pontiac, IMO. Saturn is still a viable entry nameplate for them and they just spent tons on new designs in the Pontiac brand. The "professional grade" vehicles built by GMC could easily go into the Chevy brand and buicks are as dead as the folks thay buy them. Lutz made a major mis-step by killing the Trans Am/ Firebird line that , to me, really cemented the Pontiac brand. The GTO and G8 are just miserable attempts at bring back those customers. Not that the GTO and G8 aren't good cars, just not what those buyers looked for. My local dealer still has NEW GTOs that havent moved in many, many months,as well as several used ones. They also have G8s out the wahzzoo. If they did kill off Pontiac, it may boost sales for Saturn and Caddy, but more than likely, the potential buyers would just go to an "overseas" competitor, like way too many already have.

[StevoSRT]

I'd kill off GMC and Buick before Pontiac, IMO. Saturn is still a viable entry nameplate for them and they just spent tons on new designs in the Pontiac brand. The "professional grade" vehicles built by GMC could easily go into the Chevy brand and buicks are as dead as the folks thay buy them. Lutz made a major mis-step by killing the Trans Am/ Firebird line that , to me, really cemented the Pontiac brand. The GTO and G8 are just miserable attempts at bring back those customers. Not that the GTO and G8 aren't good cars, just not what those buyers looked for. My local dealer still has NEW GTOs that havent moved in many, many months,as well as several used ones. They also have G8s out the wahzzoo. If they did kill off Pontiac, it may boost sales for Saturn and Caddy, but more than likely, the potential buyers would just go to an "overseas" competitor, like way too many already have.

TROOF!!!!!

theres just too many of the same exact cars. Kill off some of the meh brands, dump hummer cause non H1's are ghey, limit the amount of models you offer that are exactly the same with just different jewelry....call it a day...

yay for logic

[LS2smkdu]

Hummer definitely needs to go at this time. It's taken too long as it is.

[cheatek]

I hope not. Pontiac is their more sport performance division (not counting the vette of course), it would be like Chry killing Dodge. GM has too much redundancy, axe GMC and Buick first, then downsize and stop the overlapping of product but DON'T kill Pontiac.

[HEMISFEAR]

PONTIAC AND SATURN HAVE BEEN CHOPPED as we know them....may not be up for sale after all. Pontiac may become available for a niche market like Corvette is to Chevy. This evening, the Detroit news announced it would be up for sale! But doesn't seem likely according to the following article snippet for DetNews..

[HEMISFEAR]

By 2012, GM proposes slashing its structural costs to $23.2 billion, about a $7 billion reduction.

GM's plan involves closing nine plants by 2012, which would leave the automaker with 38 plants in North America.

• Reducing or eliminating four of its eight brands and cutting the number of dealers.

The plan involves exploring the sale of Saab, talking to dealers about the future of Saturn and shrinking the Pontiac brand to more of a niche offering.

"Pontiac will be more of a high-value performance brand, like Corvette to Chevrolet," said Mark LaNeve, GM's North American vice president of sales.

GM established the Pontiac division in 1926 and Saturn in 1985.

Henderson would not speculate about what might happen to the Saturn brand, sales of which are down 20.9 percent this year.

"We need to do something...because it's not been successful," he said.

GM previously said it was trying to sell the Hummer brand.

The moves would let GM focus on four core brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC, which account for 83 percent of the company's sales.

The moves also would leave GM with 40 different models in 2012, eight fewer than it has currently. That compares to 63 models five years ago.

GM's eight U.S. brands are the most among the domestic automakers, compared with four at Ford Motor Co. and three at Chrysler LLC. GM agreed to eliminate the 103-year-old Oldsmobile brand in 2000 because of declining sales.

GM has 1,071 outlets for Pontiac, 400 for Saturn and about 105 for Saab. GM has been trying to combine Cadillac/Hummer/Saab and Pontiac/Buick/GMC brands into consolidated dealerships that would benefit from greater sales and lower marketing costs.

By 2012, GM wants to eliminate 1,750 dealerships, particularly in metro and suburban areas. There are 6,450 dealers currently.

• Cutting executive compensation and eliminating its corporate aircraft fleet.

CEO Rick Wagoner will take a $1 salary next year, and the top four senior executives will see their cash compensation slashed by about 50 percent next year. Neither Wagoner nor top executives will receive bonuses this year or in 2009.

Wagoner already has seen his compensation cut in recent years and has not gotten a bonus in three of the last four years.

Wagoner had a $1.65 million salary in 2007 and has a $2.2 million salary this year. He took a 50 percent cut in pay in 2006, and his total compensation has been reduced sharply since he took the helm of GM in 2000.

Henderson, who was paid $1.9 million last year, will take a 30 percent cut in salary while three others --Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, Chief Financial Officer Ray Young and Tom Stephens, executive vice president of GM powertrain and global quality --will take 20 percent cuts.

And GM's Board of Directors will reduce their annual retainer to $1 next year.

GM announced it is closing its aircraft operations at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and getting rid of its airplanes --a thorny issue that drew scorn from lawmakers last month when Wagoner and CEOs from Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC flew to Capitol Hill on corporate jets while asking for federal aid.

"Due to significant cutbacks over the past months, GM travel volume no longer justifies a dedicated corporate aircraft operation," the company said in a statement.

GM has given back two of its seven leased corporate jets, and is turning in two more -- and has sharply cut back on corporate travel.

The automaker is exploring options to transfer the remaining aircraft to another operator.

Instead of flying on corporate jets, GM executives and others will fly commercial or occasionally charter planes, Henderson said.

• Complying with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which was designed to improve fuel efficiency and cut dependence on foreign oil. GM outlined its current lineup of cars and crossover vehicles and plans to shift its portfolio towards producing even more of the fuel-efficient vehicles. For 2009, GM has 18 models in the U.S. that gets 30 mpg on the highway and that push towards more fuel-efficient vehicles will continue, Henderson said.

[StevoSRT]

i could deal with them keeping pointaic as the "High Performance Brand" and putting out Kewl Kars WOOO!!! hahahahah

[TheUltraworld]

The G8 is too good a car to get rid of. It's a 4 door version of the Camaro. They put a lot into the Zeta chassis. I could see the G8 becoming the Impala. The G6 can disappear. I guess they couldn't sell enough Solstice/Sky's to make that work. I think Pontiac could got away & not do any damage. Saturn just never caught on either for some reason.

[mikes'ss]

their all done ,,like this thread ,,lol