So I just got off a conference call with the fine folks at the Pontiac Underground blog, and I thought I should answer a few questions that I’m sure many of you are asking yourselves regarding GM killing off Pontiac.
Needless to say, the tone of the call was somewhat bleak, but they were happy to answer all questions. I’ll go over a few questions that I’ve received regarding this, and a few other things that they mentioned on the call:
Jim Hopson, blogger for Pontiac Underground was the moderator, and came on the line clarifying that December 31st, 2010 will be the last day Pontiac exists. Along the line they will be stopping production on all models, but haven’t made a decision on when quite yet. The Q&A below is not verbatim, but summarized by myself.
Why Pontiac and not Buick?
This is the most frequently asked question I heard. In the United States, Buick is seen as a “Grandma’s Car” - a vehicle left for the folks collecting social security, and not a car a young person would even consider buying. However, Buick is a global brand. Especially in China, Buick is seen as a young brand. Teenagers and young buyers look forward to driving a Buick. GM sells more Buicks in China than Pontiac, Buick, and Cadillac combined in the US. Pontiac, however is not a global brand, and sells far less overall than Buick.
Buick is also very profitable in terms of profit-per-unit, as is GMC, whereas Pontiac is not.
If I have a Pontiac already ordered, will I still get it?
Most likely yes, and you can still order Pontiacs without fear of not receiving it. Pontiac will be updating us on when the ending production dates for each model will be. Now, I said “most likely yes” because the G8 is the most unpredictable model. It has a two-month delay on ordering because it has to be made and shipped from Australia. If you have any questions about this, contact Jim at pontiaciscar@gmail.com
Are there models that they will redistribute to their other brands like the G8 or the Solstice?
No. They thought about this long and hard, apparently, but ultimately decided that rebadging models cheapens both brands involved (interesting thing for GM to say!) Specifically regarding the G8 - since people are most upset about it - the Camaro and G8 share the same platform, and rebrading the G8 as a Chevy could take sales away from the Camaro, and would ultimately be a duplicate model in the line-up. I’m sure when they were thinking about each model, there was no car that didn’t have a sibling in another GM line. They said that this is a final decision, and that there was no way a model will be rebranded.
Will my current Pontiac be worth more money now?
Doubtfully, but it depends on the model. From the aspect of a collector or investor, it might be a good idea to buy a Solstice Coupe (only 800 made for 2009,) or a G8 GXP, which I could see being a classic after a few years. Pontiac really hit the nail on the head with the G8, so getting yourself a nice, fully loaded G8 GXP might be beneficial to your bank account, given some time. Might want to get a 2010 model year though (”last year made” could up the value.)
What about the warranty and service?
Warranties are served under GM, so your Pontiac warranty will still be honored in full. Service will also be performed at a GM dealership. They wanted to stress that the only thing changing about the safety of buying a car from Pontiac is perception. All other aspects will remain the same.
Overview
This was a quick summary of the call, and answers the main questions I heard about this piece of news. If you have any other questions or comments, leave them in the comments below.
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