As part of its sustainability plan, General Motors has moved to put the Pontiac brand out to pasture by 2010 – but for how long?
According to US news outlet ABC12, a Pontiac dealer has rounded up investors to take the brand off GM’s hands.
Jim Waldron, a Pontiac, Buick and GMC dealer in Michigan spoke with the Michigan arm of the ABC network this week and said that he has made an offer to GM to buy the Pontiac brand.
Waldron’s plans include buying vacant plants – of which there is a growing number in the US – and hiring workers to continue Pontiac production.
As for just how much Waldron and his investors have offered to GM, the dealer remained tight-lipped.
ABC spoke with GM Vice President of North American Communications Tom Pyden, who said that the plan for Pontiac is still to retire the brand and that there has been no talk of putting it up for sale.
Given GM’s desire to divest itself of other brands such as Saab, Opel and Hummer, it could be that the General’s unwillingness to sell Pontiac may mean that the brand still has a place in the American manufacturer’s future. With its long and storied history, that could only be a good thing – if done right.
[via ABC]
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Hmm, interesting seeing what looks like a Vauxhall Victor selling alongside a Pontiac Chieftain in the photo there. Can’t image what an American motorist thought of the asthmatic Victor… (I’m reminded here of greasy sticks and dogs’ bottoms, as in “couldn’t drag a…”).
The six cylinder Cresta was surely a better bet.
(Also interesting, the 1975 date on the sign in the photo… looks 1959 to me. Was this dealer suggesting the Victor was ahead of its time?)
The Insider
I zoomed in on the “1975″ sign, and there appears to be a tiny dollar sign to the left of the number. Guess that’s what they wanted for the Vauxhall. Looks like a ‘58 Chev. Impala in the background, so c. 1959 might be a good guess.
I think GM have lost there minds kill off pontiac what are they crazy why dont they drop buick they only got 3 car and two of them are ugly the only one that looks gd is the suv they got. And Chevy what they got one good looking car, im only talking about car here chevy people, the Malibu’s good but the Impala is ugly. I have’nt like the Impala since the 19996 Impala SS. And the CTS $37,680 is hot but how many poeple got the money for one of those. Cadillac only has one car because I heard they droped the STS $46,000, XLR $82,690. I love pontiac’s all of the my dream car is a 1998 Firebird Trans Am ram air with the WS-6 package in black or 1968 Black Firebire Tran Am. But I love all Pontiac’s GTO’s, Grand Prix’s, Grand Am’s (got one now), Firebird’s, Bonnville’s, Fiero’s (I like the 88″ Fiero GT Formula), Sunbird (had one), Trans Am, G5, G6, G8, Torrent, Vibe, Solstice, and all the GT, GXP, GTP, SLP, Formula, LE, SE, SSE, SSEi, SLP, SLE Pontiac will live forever even if GM’s STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s really a shame that Pontiac is being cut. Alot of great cars came out of the brand. Pontiac is an icon in the automotive world. Yes, some might not like the newer cars but no reason to send Pontiac to the grave. Seriously - look at some of these cars and say that Pontiac isn’t something worth keeping.
http://www.jlaforums.com/album.php?search=pontiac&search_cond=Pic%20Description&sort_order=&start=0
http://www.jlaforums.com/album.php?search=pontiac&search_cond=Pic%20Title&sort_order=&start=0
That’s what I thought!
[...] Waldron has put together a team of investors willing to buy vacant plants and to hire workers to continue Pontiac production. The amount of the offer was not [...]