General Motors is expected to announce the death of its Pontiac division next Monday, which will be just one part of its “faster, deeper” reorganisation plan.

Shutting down factories and sacking staff alone won’t save the ailing automaker, and with Pontiac failing to pull its weight in the showroom, it’s the most likely target for the upcoming brand purge, along with Saab, Saturn and Hummer.

Pontiac’s impending demise will also have ramifications for GM’s local arm, Holden, who assembles the Commodore-based G8 sports sedan at its Adelaide plant. Holden isn’t likely to take the news well either, considering the recent axing of the Commodore Ute-based G8 ST put paid to its plans to broaden its export operations.

A timeline for the Pontiac phase-out has yet to be released, however we’ll have more news on Pontiac’s status once an official announcement is made. Stay tuned.