I still am driving my Pontiac Grand AM GT 5 speed stick, it was ordered from the factory for me Back in 1996. She's now 28 years old and can and does still haul ass. In 2008 when Pontiac Division closed down I wrote a letter to G.M. Pontiac Division saying how Pontiac was the better Division and had better cars than G.M. Chevrolet Division, because all the newset innovations were used in Pontiac car's and it was the higher end of the two. Gave other examples too. To my surprise I got a actual response back from Pontiac that was NOT A FORM LETTER, it was a letter specifically addressing what I wrote and was pretty short and sweet and said They agreed with everything I mentioned.
Camaro sales have been eating dirt for years, loosing out to challenger and mustang market share. But with the challenger going electric there is now a gap in the market. If GM was going to pull a stunt like this, now is the time to capitalize. Pontiac could be the rebrand that makes Camaro profitable again. I’ve been saying Camaro a lot do to its recent retirement, but also the little blurb about what Pontiac’s supposed return to form would be, a car with the 668 HP supercharged V8. An engine that matches the description of the Cadillac CT5V Bkackwing motor. The Camaro already received that motor with the ZL1 package (tho it was rated at only 650 HP in that car.) Pontiac is the performance division of GM if it’s coming back, a new fire bird (Camaro with new sheet metal) is the most exciting product.
They, C&D could have easily sold that space to one of their regulars at a discount in a heartbeat. There is more to this. It worked perfectly, noise is certainly being made.
@@Inferno45yup, corvette has always been the golden child of GM, they honestly killed Pontiac over the corvette and even used the design for the Pontiac Banshee for the C3 Corvette
@@awesomeness369 I hope they actually make a s650 gt350 with the flat plain crank v8. Cuz right now its just assumed that the Dark Horse replaced the gt350 when in reality it only replaced the mach-1 and boss 302 trims in their lineup.
The reason GM killed off all those brands back in 2009 was because there was too much redundancy. Chevrolet is the economy brand, Buick and GMC are the premium brands, and Cadillac is the luxury brand. So where does that leave Pontiac? As a performance brand? Well that's a very small and shrinking market. Plus they can easily make performance models under Chevrolet. At this point all they have is the Corvette. If anything they might introduce a brand below Chevrolet to have even cheaper models but probably not since they make more money on more expensive cars.
@Spartacus78 The Firebird is the Trans Am. If they put out a Trans Am, a GTO, New and better looking Aztec and a new and better looking Bonneville. The brand would come back to life.
In these situations, gauging from my 30 plus years in publishing, if an advertiser pulls out at the last moment, they have an enormous hole to fill and will do something like this to fill it.
Maybe if GM structured they're brands right. Chevrolet as base model AFFORDABLE vehicles, GMC as mid tier that included actual cars, Pontiac as performance vehicles, Cadillac as top tier, and then they should just...kill off Buick. Bring back cars. A few AWD ones, including a hatchback. A hatchback Pontiac one to compete with the Golf R and Mazda 3. Bring back a more modern version of the AWD Astro/Safari van with Colorado truck differentials. GM doesn’t know what to make and sell anymore.
They need to re-release the Third Gen Firebirds, TA's, & GTA's, but with all updated technology! They could also release a retrolized version, but still utilize several components from that 82-92 era vehicle. This would allow the sell of both new vehicles and inject an influx of new OEM parts into the market for the original 82-92 Third Gen owners. 😲🤯
I have probably logged a million miles on the Pontiacs, Chevrolets, Saturns, and Cadillac with simple repairs like replacing an alternator or timing chain on some of them. Reliable.
My black '02 TA WS6 is sitting in the driveway with 136K miles on it - it is ready to show and I just got back from the store. I have had 7 Pontiacs and 3 Chevys starting with a '68 Impala. I drove my '77 TA for 24 years, and sold it to a buddy. Batteries, brakes, shocks, belts, hoses - that's all. Uh, they are reliable . . .
The reason GM did not have any role in the ad is because they never completely killed off the Pontiac brand in the first place when the newest generation of Camaro rolled out in 2010. They also made limited production numbers of the Pontiac firebird, complete with Pontiac badging and even a pinstriped firebird on the hood of the car. And yes, in true Pontiac fashion looking incredibly similar to the Camaro but having a few different body lines to the Camaro as well with the latest generation of Camaro so Pontiac never completely died. They still make the firebird to this day. They brought back the Camaro and the firebird in 2010. So yes, Pontiac has never officially and or completely been dead because they actually kept the Pontiac models that were popular and profitable when they did their restructuring 2008.
GM probably made the ad to gauge reactions from the car community. The disclaimer at the end is in case nobody's interested and the plan fails, so they can pretend it was just a prank bro, and also to avoid legal trouble.
I called GM too I got about the same answer. I said, it has to be true other I could or anyone could use the magazine company. I told them Pontiac cars were better than Chevy cars. I also said, GM killed Pontiac in the 70's. Pontiac couldn't bounce back from the 70's. GM made Chevy #1. Pontiac should only build cars or a El Camino style in Pontiac skin. Pontiac needs the 70' to 73' Firebird Formula/Trans Am. Maybe bring back the better looking 71' to 75' Ventura T37 with 😊 fun V8 horsepower! A Pontiac Astre or Sunbird little pony car,rear drive 3.6 to 3.8 liter inline 4 cylinder H.O. Pontiac needs a 472 V8 or 520 V8. Oh, Pontiac needs a sport touring car size like the 73' Grand Am. Maybe bring back Pontiac Banshee to life, so the rear drive Corvette owner have another option. Ok last a cool 4 door family car V8 power to but a smile on the new born child. Pontiac ruled in the 60's. Engines like the 400, 421, 428, and 455 in H.O. and SD. They smoked Chevy engines. The young kids and old young kids want to burn rubber in new Pontiac cars. Anyone how has a old Pontiac car go make some noise with your car.
My second and third car was Pontiac had a nice 94 grand am GT black and gold with removable sunroof! Then I had a little sunbird basicly a cavalier with a 4 speed manual one of the square ones!
But the disclaimer isn't really a disclaimer. It simply asks if you believe in the ad or not. honestly, if any brand has a chance to make EVs cool, it would be Pontiac. Ride the lightning in the new Pontiac, skystrike!
I can't imagine the need for the brand given the automobile landscape these days. Would be great from a nostalgia standpoint but don't really see any reason practically speaking. Not sure what another brand of GM could bring to the table now. They now are mostly all trucks and SUV's. Pontiac was not a truck oriented division. They were a sports coupe and sports sedan division neither of which the public is interested in anymore, at least from the domestic brands. But it would have been cool to have had the Firebird and TA during the pony car wars of the last 15 or so years. While the Camaro and Challenger were resurrected in this period to give one last era of the big 3 with competing pony cars the Firebird and TA never got a chance to share in that thunder alongside its Camaro sibling.
That's what I was thinking, they'd revive the brand for some EV.... But this mentioned a V8 specifically, which is odd. In this era of heightening emissions I don't think GM would bring back a brand just to throw a V8 in it and ruin their CAFE fleet numbers. Would he cool to be wrong though, big muscly engined cars are selling.
@@unitedhybrid187Pontiac made Pontiac, Pontiac *IS* owned by GM. Do they still make vehicles? No. They still own the IP for it tho. They didn’t “shed” anything. They ended the brand but they still own it. Bet your smooth brain wasn’t expecting that.
No they wouldn't Unfortunately, what you're going to see is the electric Hummer, and the Cadillac Lyriq gone, Pontiac, Camaro and Chevelle back at the same time. The electric car revolution is as big as it's going to get for the near future.
@@IamMortui Actually, "they're" not outlawing fuel. It is nothing more than a move to further monopolize the petroleum industry, AKA, where the real money is. They have/will fail, but like so many other things, "they", don't have the decency/integrity/morals to admit it.
I remember reading an article several years ago on the most unsafe cars on the market today. Pontiac and GM owned about 10 of the top 15 most unsafe cars produce.
eh its more of a Hummer than then the h2 or god the hummer h3 get your head out the past the hummer EV can do wayyyyyy cooler shit then those two and is obviously way more livable then the h1 but has less prowess offroad its a trade off thing fr rips ass 0-60 the crabwalking might look like a gimick but i bet thats gonna save some overlanding hippies day its a useful feature just cus it doesnt guzzle gas dont make it not a hummer as long as it can do cool offroady shit and is a gigantic luxury middle finger its a hummer to me
@@h3ck774 ,it can't do shit except crabwalk ,did you see the carnage on the one that went slightly off road & had about 35 k in damages rendering it un drivable, or the numerous ones just getting stuck in driveways un drivable & getting towed ,which requires special towing procedures & equipment, costing a ton of money to take it back to the GMC dealer....it's a 100+K turd 💩 ,as for crab walking, heavy trucks was equipped with that from the late 90's in S Korea & other countries, so it's not the latest technology either
@@Queensizemusic ,you can burn glue in a multi fuel military Hummer, unlike a battery powered Hummer that will likely run out of juice halfway on your journey or in the middle of nowhere, they can't tow anything decent or far & run out of juice in about 80 miles towing or off road
Lol, is this GM's way of admitting that they completely nailed their own coffin shut by going all-in on the insane EV cult and are desperately trying to lure their horrified customers back? 🤡
There's no way GM would place an ad like that and NOT have a GM logo anywhere on the page.
If We can't get an updated Astre, Fiero, Chieftain and Aztec in the rebirth, then count me out...
Maybe gm isn't apart of this it might be someone else reopening pontiac
I want a 4dr fiero with a new di 3800 supercharged
@@1985eldoradoGM still holds the rights to the name. They never let it or oldsmobile go when they shut them down.
Yup. No Mark of Excellence or any copyright text at the bottom of the page at all. That would never happen.
I wish they’d come back. Owned many Pontiacs throughout the years loved every mile
I still am driving my Pontiac Grand AM GT 5 speed stick, it was ordered from the factory for me Back in 1996. She's now 28 years old and can and does still haul ass. In 2008 when Pontiac Division closed down I wrote a letter to G.M. Pontiac Division saying how Pontiac was the better Division and had better cars than G.M. Chevrolet Division, because all the newset innovations were used in Pontiac car's and it was the higher end of the two. Gave other examples too. To my surprise I got a actual response back from Pontiac that was NOT A FORM LETTER, it was a letter specifically addressing what I wrote and was pretty short and sweet and said They agreed with everything I mentioned.
Why would someone do this as a cruel joke? 😢
To sell magazines
@@IronmanV5Now that’s really trashy.
To sell magazines
@@skeletonbuyingpealts7134🙄
If they done that to sell magazines, I will no longer buy C&D. That's just wrong to yank the chains of Pontiac fan's like that.
My local GM dealer just took down their last Pontiac sign last year. They’d have to put it right back up!
Junk is something you need 2 weeks after you throw it away
I think Pontiac will return as a performance division under the Chevrolet brand.
Camaro sales have been eating dirt for years, loosing out to challenger and mustang market share. But with the challenger going electric there is now a gap in the market. If GM was going to pull a stunt like this, now is the time to capitalize. Pontiac could be the rebrand that makes Camaro profitable again.
I’ve been saying Camaro a lot do to its recent retirement, but also the little blurb about what Pontiac’s supposed return to form would be, a car with the 668 HP supercharged V8. An engine that matches the description of the Cadillac CT5V Bkackwing motor. The Camaro already received that motor with the ZL1 package (tho it was rated at only 650 HP in that car.) Pontiac is the performance division of GM if it’s coming back, a new fire bird (Camaro with new sheet metal) is the most exciting product.
I would expect a resurrection of the brand at some time in the future.
C&D print circulation dropped 50% from 2015 to 2022. Seems this is an ad page they just couldn't sell.
Imagine if it drummed up enough noise and they actually did do something abt it 😎
They, C&D could have easily sold that space to one of their regulars at a discount in a heartbeat. There is more to this. It worked perfectly, noise is certainly being made.
I’m still a subscriber for the last 30 years! Still remember my first episode with the F40.
Well, if Dodge (clearly) made a mistake and now they are sticking with it, there is a massive gap for some real car on the market. So why not?
The camaro has a stronger brand name
It didn’t do as well as gm hoped. But then again GM neglected it in favor of the Corvette
I cant wait for the S650 GT500, I really hope to see a widebody supercharged Megazilla 😈 they just at least have to fix the interior
@@Inferno45yup, corvette has always been the golden child of GM, they honestly killed Pontiac over the corvette and even used the design for the Pontiac Banshee for the C3 Corvette
@@awesomeness369 yup. And they even favored Buick over Pontiac because buick had a larger market in china.
@@awesomeness369 I hope they actually make a s650 gt350 with the flat plain crank v8. Cuz right now its just assumed that the Dark Horse replaced the gt350 when in reality it only replaced the mach-1 and boss 302 trims in their lineup.
The reason GM killed off all those brands back in 2009 was because there was too much redundancy. Chevrolet is the economy brand, Buick and GMC are the premium brands, and Cadillac is the luxury brand. So where does that leave Pontiac? As a performance brand? Well that's a very small and shrinking market. Plus they can easily make performance models under Chevrolet. At this point all they have is the Corvette. If anything they might introduce a brand below Chevrolet to have even cheaper models but probably not since they make more money on more expensive cars.
They could use it as a performance brand to rival the SRT
I do like the firebird design on the back, would make for a sick poster
If Pontiac came back and designed a sick Firebird, the brand would blow up so fast.
A Sick Trans Am!
@Spartacus78 The Firebird is the Trans Am. If they put out a Trans Am, a GTO, New and better looking Aztec and a new and better looking Bonneville. The brand would come back to life.
GM officially said it's not them.
Remember to keep doing this. Make Some Noise If you keep talking about it will happen smile 😁
So Car & Driver couldn’t sell their back page ad spot. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Basically. 🙄🤷♂️
In these situations, gauging from my 30 plus years in publishing, if an advertiser pulls out at the last moment, they have an enormous hole to fill and will do something like this to fill it.
I was hoping you guys would be talking about this.
I want to believe it’s true.
How can it be 15 years already
Maybe if GM structured they're brands right. Chevrolet as base model AFFORDABLE vehicles, GMC as mid tier that included actual cars, Pontiac as performance vehicles, Cadillac as top tier, and then they should just...kill off Buick. Bring back cars. A few AWD ones, including a hatchback. A hatchback Pontiac one to compete with the Golf R and Mazda 3. Bring back a more modern version of the AWD Astro/Safari van with Colorado truck differentials. GM doesn’t know what to make and sell anymore.
My g6 just hit 280,000 miles 😝
The secret is learning how to read. Then you know it’s a fake ad and don’t have to pretend you “contacted” anyone.
They need to re-release the Third Gen Firebirds, TA's, & GTA's, but with all updated technology! They could also release a retrolized version, but still utilize several components from that 82-92 era vehicle. This would allow the sell of both new vehicles and inject an influx of new OEM parts into the market for the original 82-92 Third Gen owners. 😲🤯
Yea no, that’s not how car manufacturers do reveals
If it’s true then come back with different colors. I’m tired of only seeing white, black and grey cars.
Yeah we need red with a flaming chicken on the hood 🔥
I don’t really care what name plate GM chooses to use! Just make them reliable dammit!!!
I have probably logged a million miles on the Pontiacs, Chevrolets, Saturns, and Cadillac with simple repairs like replacing an alternator or timing chain on some of them. Reliable.
@@tombarr949the least reliable thing gm made with the 4Lslippy
My black '02 TA WS6 is sitting in the driveway with 136K miles on it - it is ready to show and I just got back from the store. I have had 7 Pontiacs and 3 Chevys starting with a '68 Impala. I drove my '77 TA for 24 years, and sold it to a buddy. Batteries, brakes, shocks, belts, hoses - that's all. Uh, they are reliable . . .
it's PR research. It says right on the bottom of the ad that it is fake. They want to see how much noise is made.
The reason GM did not have any role in the ad is because they never completely killed off the Pontiac brand in the first place when the newest generation of Camaro rolled out in 2010. They also made limited production numbers of the Pontiac firebird, complete with Pontiac badging and even a pinstriped firebird on the hood of the car. And yes, in true Pontiac fashion looking incredibly similar to the Camaro but having a few different body lines to the Camaro as well with the latest generation of Camaro so Pontiac never completely died. They still make the firebird to this day. They brought back the Camaro and the firebird in 2010. So yes, Pontiac has never officially and or completely been dead because they actually kept the Pontiac models that were popular and profitable when they did their restructuring 2008.
I wonder how many people read the fine print at the bottom or realized when that ad was published
GM probably made the ad to gauge reactions from the car community. The disclaimer at the end is in case nobody's interested and the plan fails, so they can pretend it was just a prank bro, and also to avoid legal trouble.
Aren't they releasing a new Firebird?
I called GM too I got about the same answer. I said, it has to be true other I could or anyone could use the magazine company. I told them Pontiac cars were better than Chevy cars. I also said, GM killed Pontiac in the 70's. Pontiac couldn't bounce back from the 70's. GM made Chevy #1. Pontiac should only build cars or a El Camino style in Pontiac skin. Pontiac needs the 70' to 73' Firebird Formula/Trans Am. Maybe bring back the better looking 71' to 75' Ventura T37 with 😊 fun V8 horsepower! A Pontiac Astre or Sunbird little pony car,rear drive 3.6 to 3.8 liter inline 4 cylinder H.O. Pontiac needs a 472 V8 or 520 V8. Oh, Pontiac needs a sport touring car size like the 73' Grand Am. Maybe bring back Pontiac Banshee to life, so the rear drive Corvette owner have another option. Ok last a cool 4 door family car V8 power to but a smile on the new born child. Pontiac ruled in the 60's. Engines like the 400, 421, 428, and 455 in H.O. and SD. They smoked Chevy engines. The young kids and old young kids want to burn rubber in new Pontiac cars. Anyone how has a old Pontiac car go make some noise with your car.
If it was to come back it shouldn't be under the gm brand
Asinine comment. What brand should it come back under.
@@tuck6464 it's own
My second and third car was Pontiac had a nice 94 grand am GT black and gold with removable sunroof! Then I had a little sunbird basicly a cavalier with a 4 speed manual one of the square ones!
All electric Pontiac Fiero, please!
But the disclaimer isn't really a disclaimer. It simply asks if you believe in the ad or not. honestly, if any brand has a chance to make EVs cool, it would be Pontiac. Ride the lightning in the new Pontiac, skystrike!
CnD out here making us call GM to tell them we would be happy to see Pontiac back lol
It would be nice to get a breath of fresh air
Bad timing if true, the car market is trash at the moment.
I think Car and Driver always has comedy on the back page.
The guys in Florida still make the Trans Am.
I can't imagine the need for the brand given the automobile landscape these days. Would be great from a nostalgia standpoint but don't really see any reason practically speaking. Not sure what another brand of GM could bring to the table now.
They now are mostly all trucks and SUV's. Pontiac was not a truck oriented division. They were a sports coupe and sports sedan division neither of which the public is interested in anymore, at least from the domestic brands.
But it would have been cool to have had the Firebird and TA during the pony car wars of the last 15 or so years. While the Camaro and Challenger were resurrected in this period to give one last era of the big 3 with competing pony cars the Firebird and TA never got a chance to share in that thunder alongside its Camaro sibling.
Assuming GM would do the right thing ever was your first mistake
The mustang needs an active competitor.
The typography feels like it was done by a kid.
If it’s not the April issue that’s not cool
Being the biggest Smokey and the bandit fan ever, if this is fake I’m pressing the red button
I wish Jeep and Pontiac switched places
Didn't 2 guys with a performance shop n TX. Buy. The rights & patents 2 build remakes & they make a HELL of. A good 1 with a NASCAR ENGINE
We need more cigarette cars.
I just want a Stinger
They might be 👀
But...why? Why place a fake Ad?
GM: you should know better that we would make vehicles that people actually want to buy.
Probably an EV brand now…
Apparently Rad Dad Is NOT Rad for not knowing GM shed Pontiac from their portfolio during the recession.
That's what I was thinking, they'd revive the brand for some EV....
But this mentioned a V8 specifically, which is odd.
In this era of heightening emissions I don't think GM would bring back a brand just to throw a V8 in it and ruin their CAFE fleet numbers.
Would he cool to be wrong though, big muscly engined cars are selling.
@@unitedhybrid187 I didn’t say anything about GM 😂
@@RadDadisRad Who did you think made Pontiac?
@@unitedhybrid187Pontiac made Pontiac, Pontiac *IS* owned by GM. Do they still make vehicles? No. They still own the IP for it tho. They didn’t “shed” anything. They ended the brand but they still own it. Bet your smooth brain wasn’t expecting that.
my first car 63 pontiac lemans.
Another way for GM to take a Camaro engine and say it’s new just to make a few more bucks.
Who spends $120k on a full page ad as a joke? 🤔. Someone needs to follow the money. Lol. 🤔🤔🤔
Too good to be true
It was only a matter of time before they started talking abt it 😏
When is this guy gonna get his adult voice
A ‘feeler’ is a classic tactic used for ages in marketing, propaganda, and Cthulhu
🔥🔥🔥
This must have been the April edition?
🙏🏻
If they came back they would probably be electric...
No they wouldn't Unfortunately, what you're going to see is the electric Hummer, and the Cadillac Lyriq gone, Pontiac, Camaro and Chevelle back at the same time.
The electric car revolution is as big as it's going to get for the near future.
@@tuck6464 Even Dodge has went fully electric. It's not a choice anymore. They're outlawing fuel vehicles.
@@IamMortui
"THEY'RE" not going to be there much longer.
@@IamMortui Actually, "they're" not outlawing fuel. It is nothing more than a move to further monopolize the petroleum industry, AKA, where the real money is.
They have/will fail, but like so many other things, "they", don't have the decency/integrity/morals to admit it.
True
i like being 100th like my ocd feels good now
Yea it will come back as an overweight SUV if it does lol
I remember reading an article several years ago on the most unsafe cars on the market today. Pontiac and GM owned about 10 of the top 15 most unsafe cars produce.
Pon T iac ....Pontiac
I heard that DeSoto is coming back.
One thing we can count on is GM making a stupid decision...
B A N S H E E
No.......we don't need electric pontiacs
Figured that was some fake BS
99.9% is fake. Doesn't have the GM logo anywhere and also GM is not thatttt cheesy with throwing shade.
They throw shade at themselfs.
It can't be fake. Would McDonald's pay for a fake Burger King ad? I don't think so.
I wish
I’m so glad it’s fake idk if my heart could take any more bastardized classics
I DONT CARE! WELL I ACTUALLY DO CARE, PONTIAC WAS A KICK-ASS MORE BANG 4 THE BUCK CAR DIVISION!!😢😮😮
Obviously fake gm wouldn't make a car people like
As fake as a Hummer EV being a actual Hummer
eh its more of a Hummer than then the h2 or god the hummer h3 get your head out the past the hummer EV can do wayyyyyy cooler shit then those two and is obviously way more livable then the h1 but has less prowess offroad its a trade off thing fr rips ass 0-60 the crabwalking might look like a gimick but i bet thats gonna save some overlanding hippies day its a useful feature just cus it doesnt guzzle gas dont make it not a hummer as long as it can do cool offroady shit and is a gigantic luxury middle finger its a hummer to me
@@h3ck774 ,it can't do shit except crabwalk ,did you see the carnage on the one that went slightly off road & had about 35 k in damages rendering it un drivable, or the numerous ones just getting stuck in driveways un drivable & getting towed ,which requires special towing procedures & equipment, costing a ton of money to take it back to the GMC dealer....it's a 100+K turd 💩 ,as for crab walking, heavy trucks was equipped with that from the late 90's in S Korea & other countries, so it's not the latest technology either
@@h3ck774, P.S ,real Hummers drink Diesel ⛽️, the H2 is a street Hummer for the hood & the H3 was just a reskinned Chevy/GMC, another turd
@@daewoopartsyou’re on glue.
@@Queensizemusic ,you can burn glue in a multi fuel military Hummer, unlike a battery powered Hummer that will likely run out of juice halfway on your journey or in the middle of nowhere, they can't tow anything decent or far & run out of juice in about 80 miles towing or off road
I wish it was true.unfortunately it's fake
Wait so it’s fake😢😢
Not happening!
MAKE SOME NOISE
Bro, can you seriously not comprehend what you read? Go back to school.
FAKE !!!!
April fools joke
Fake
LAME!
not the; "sCrEaMiNg ChIcKeN"
Lol, is this GM's way of admitting that they completely nailed their own coffin shut by going all-in on the insane EV cult and are desperately trying to lure their horrified customers back? 🤡
True