we forget that the EPA had a TON to do with most all changes. I grew up driving 60s cars and it ALL started with the demise of the Corvair. Once it was discovered exactly HOW MUCH POWER influencers have over legislature, it effected more than the car industry.
Like I've always said---for everyone whose had negative experiences with a particular car, there are thousands more who had excellent experiences with the same car. I would venture to say that every model of car has their fans (yes, even Chevy Citations!). Part of it is how you take care of it. But yes--I think the Fiero was a pretty cool invention, too!
Most of the time I liked the Chevrolet versions better...sometimes the Oldsmobile versions(like the '73-'80 Olds Cutlass platforms)...but one exception was the '70-'81 F body...Every year of that generation, the Firebird absolutely looked better, and usually handled better and had more power, than the Camaro counterpart...especially from the mid-1970's on....
It's not the first time, Brian. Read my comments from a week ago. They nearly killed it in the mid-'50s; yes, the '50s! The all-new '55 Pontiac (like Chevy) sold very well, in no small part thanks to Lucille Ball and it being highly featured in the NY. to CA. episodes. Because of that success, they came out with the Bonneville which brought the division to the highest of highs. So you can thank Lucille Ball for saving Pontiac, and Star Trek's very EXISTENCE in the first place!! We collectively have HER to thank for SO f'n much, it's not even funny.
The T 1000( sans Pontiac) sounds like a Terminator. The sad truth about most American car brands from the 70s through the 80s is that most were low-quality pieces of s@&!t.
The 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville should not have been on this list. I disagree on that one. It has a reliable strong and durable powertrain with the 3800 V6 and the Supercharged 3800. You are aware there was a Pontiac Bonneville GXP trim with a V8?
@@samhyde4996 I know it did. I was not a fan of the Northstar V8 either, but I was only emphasizing it offered a V8. The Bonneville should not be on the list period because it was a solid car.
Also, the Company's last hurrahs. The G8 and the Solestice. You could have an aftermarket tuner put an LS into one for extra money. And there was a plan for the the G8 to have an El Camino version before the company was cancelled. Signed-Richard.
@@RobertGuidry-f3f Thank you for posting. I recall the G8 ST. It was the Holden UTE. It was supposed to the G8 Sport Truck. There were pictures released. It did not happen as you said. The extra Pontiac G8 front end facias were used on Holdens and created a special edition version of the Holden Commodore. They have been seen online before.
I bought a 2007 Solstice GXP new off the lot. Never should have traded it in. Drove it like I stole it, 54K miles in four years of May-Nov driving and it never had a problem. Now I have an '08 Sol GXP and the only issues in five years and 44K miles of ownership have been a a bad crankshaft position sensor that took 20 minutes to replace without lifting the car and cost 50 bucks, and a parking brake that needs adjustment at the rear calipers every two years, that takes about half an hour and costs zero dollars.
@@charlesharmon4926 My '07 Sol GXP with 3000 lb weight 290bhp and 340 lb/ft with the full GM warranty using only dealer-installed GM parts from the GM catalog was pretty exciting.
You know which of the cars in this video has a worldwide following and has become collectible? The Fiero. Yes the Fiero had its problems, but the Fiero is in fact a very good car. The second generation was ready for production, but Roger Smith, then head of GM, decided that GM wasn't making enough money on the Fiero, despite it having sold in numbers GM never imagined. Don't let bean counters run car companies!
The Firebird and Trans Am was nice to look at but a turd to own. I had the 1980 4.9 turbo what a garbage engine. At 80k piston rod blew through the oil pan blew the engine. Transmission went only a year before that at 70k, wind shield wiper motor blew after I got a new engine and transmission, and numerous other issues I had with. After owning that I said I will never buy any GM again! And still will never purchase any GM product. I owned a 5.0 Mustang, 5.0 Cougar, 289 v8 Comet, and now only today will only buy Toyota or Honda.
The biggest mistake regarding the Le Mans is the choice of the Daewoo version instead of the original Opel Kadett which, was utterly different in terms of road handling and built quality. I guess they wanted to earn more money per car by importing the Korean version...
From being a consistent #3 in overall US sales in the 1960s to an ignoble death. Thanks, GM, for another great corporate screw up. Same could be said for Oldsmobile, the darling division of the '70s when the Cutlass was the country's best seller from the mid decade onwards.
When cheap gas went away GM was crushed. The days of selling hundreds of thousands of midsize cars that made 19 mpg were long gone. They couldn’t compete with the smaller, efficient cars from Japan.
i owned a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix. It was a beautiful bright red with a white vinyl top and a white interior. Its best feature was the front wheel drive. I was with my future wife on the night of one on the biggest snow storms in S. Louis history. To get home from a birthday party, I had to first get up a considerable hill too get to the interstate that would get me home. most cars were paying guys in pickups to tow them up this hill. I managed to get the Phoenix to climb it. after having picked up my soon-to-be brother-in-law and his future wife, he had abandoned his car in restaurant parking lot. The next day I felt confident in driving him back to where he had abandoned his car, to help him dig it out. I only buy front wheel drive cars now.
It wasn't The Pontiac Division. It was General Motors who pulled the Plug, they pulled the plug in the Corvette in 1983, if you could also remember they got rid of Buick and took it back and stopped again. Its called greediness. Pontiac had the Trans Am which was a excellent car, thats why some people have taken their 2010 plus Camaros and made them as a Trans Am. Look at the IROC-Z, it was a 8 cylinder car and had a Monza V6 rearend with the 7.5 Ring and pinion and i wonder why they had lawsuits and issues. I think one of the Best cars made was the Grand National etc
@@RobertGuidry-f3f Really! The ZR1 was making 375hp while the IROC Camaro could only make around 235-245hp. No comparison. The Corvette ZR1 had no worries about anything else in GM.
@@RobertGuidry-f3f I simply stated facts. The IROC Camaro may have been better than the base Corvette at the time(250hp). But it was no match for the Corvette ZR1.
I had a 2008 Pontiac G5 which I really liked until it got T-boned in 2023. I will say this . I think Pontiac and Oldsmobile could have survived had GM not dabbled in Saturn , Saab and Geo.
I doubt it. GM's management were not car guys, they were "finance experts" from various souless business schools around the US. Their profit target was, and remains, General Motors Acceptance Corporation.
The dealers also did a number on killing Pontiac. They wouldn't deal, they hid junk aftermarket warranties into the paperwork, and tried to slam me with 8% interest on a car loan. Needless to say i went to my own bank, got a better rate, and told them to tear up the paperwork on that warranty. Or else no sale. They finally agreed. The dealers are deplorable and totally unethical. But the car was the best car i ever owned. 15 years and 263K later I got rid of it. I miss my Pontiac. The dealers can go out of business.
The Fero information is incorrect. When it was designed it had a V6 in all of the prototypes. It was sent to the test track in Arizona and out performed the corvette. The folks at chevy asked GM to not let pontiac release it with the V6 until the corvette had a chance to be updated, so it was only allowed to have a 4 cylinder for the first 2 years. I have had many pontiacs over the years because my Dad worked at pontiac in Pontiac Mi. I never had a bad one.
That's also why the Buick gnx was discontinued because it made Corvette look bad. That wasn't hard to do because in 87 jeep beat the Corvette with a 6 cylinder 4X4 pickup
Agreed. In 85 I drove a friend's 2m4 around the block. I popped the clutch and smoked the tires through the entire intersection and almost made it to 3rd gear. I've wanted one ever since! An 87 GT would be real nice...
Introducing it with that Iron Duke nearly killed that car in the first year only to have it suffer another year. Then it was too late to be revived. I think it was intentional on GM's part to protect the Corvette. Also stupid because the potential of Corvette buyers switching to a light weight car powered with a V-6 wasn't going to happen. What they lost out on was the multitude of young first time buyers who ended up getting an import instead. A car with the Fiero's looks and a terrible push rod 4 cylinder that ran out of steam at 4000rpm wasn't going to cut it. I'm still thinking about how much better it would be with a 1.8L DOHC like my Protege lx had . That car was a blast to drive at about the same weight. Have that delivered to the rear wheels with the engine sitting back there ...yeah that would have been right and probably quicker and faster than that 2.8L V-6 . Certainly more fun taking it out to 7000 RPM all day long with a proper 5 speed manual transmission and still getting 25 mpg with little to no under steer.
My roommate was working at a Pontiac dealership when it came out and went to a GM school on the Fiero. It was designed as an inexpensive 4 cylinder economy car. Your source is an old pre internet rumor
4:36 General Motors was expert of killing foreign car makes. Not only did they force Daewoo into bankruptcy, they did the same thing for Saab motorcars.
My 2005 GTO (rebadged Holden Monaro) was a blast. 400hp LS2, 6 speed manual. The main issue was that when they upgraded the engine for the 2005, they kept the same Dana rear diff and it wasn't able to handle the torque of the LS2, so had to be replaced twice in 4 years on mine.
@@billolsen4360 Ah, but you didn't have long to look at it before it was gone down the road 🤣😂 To be fair, it was much more smooth and organic looking than other Pontiacs with hood scoops at the time. Some of the other models looked like they cut into the hood with a sawzall and put the intakes in.
P.S. However, I was pissed they shut down Pontiac just before they brought out the Sport Ute which I have no idea wasn't brought out as an El Camino. I would trade my Dodge Ram for one in a heartbeat since I have no need for a full size truck and what they call midsize or small trucks today are jokes..
@@mmartin2924 Half right. That is the Company's "Luxury" line. They take their normal cars, clad them up in bells and whistles and then charge extra. Honda's is Acura. As you stated, Toyota's is Lexus. Nissan's is Infiniti. Hyundai's is Genesis. Signed-Richard.
You are wrong about the engine in the Pontiac Ventura. It was only 5 hp less than the 350 Chevrolet of the same time period that was installed in cars other than the Corvette. It gave exactly the same performance as the Nova.
Two versions of the Pontiac Astres are seen here. The first was the Canadian version. The original Nova-based Pontiac Ventura wasn't so bad looking despite the toned down engine.
Astres were better looking than Vegas... and vastly more dependable with the Iron Duke 4 in 1977... I still have my ultra rare '77 Pontiac Astre FORMULA Safari (kammback) Station Wagon...
I worked at GM Truck and Bus when the Aztec was launched. GM Midsize Car Division developed the Aztec & Buick Rendezvous. Midsize used a Truck and Bus code for these SUV's, GMT250... We at Truck and Bus were always resentful they used the 'GMT' code for those cars...
This whole video is wrong, what killed Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Mercury is the 1980's until their demise. You cannot keep making the multiple cars on the exact same platform, with the same options etc and keep it sustainable to the public.
I had a 2004 Aztek. It was one of the best cars I ever had. Rode, handled and was a great size. It was ahead of it's time. Compare its silhouette to just about any current crossover, they are the same!
Pontiac also made some very nice car’s,I wish they would come back 😢 please remember there was some bad ones,but there was a lot Classic Pontiac Automobiles.😊
I agree with most of your choices and also a number of comments listed below about GM seemingly want to run their brands into the ground, but I'll just say that the cars that really killed Pontiac and GM were every vehicle that came just before its demise ------ all the poorly and cheaply engineered front-wheel-drive derivatives that directly or indirectly came from every horrendous X-car, J-car and their ugly immediate derivatives. Spindly little FWD MacPherson struts, axle shafts and transmissions with the integrity of pretzels, and as sporty as a wooden cart. All gone, no longer in junkyards, and good riddance!!
The market killed Pontiac. Pontiac’s bread and butter was 2 door affordable performance cars. By 1995, that market evaporated. Trucks and SUVs took over. Also, by that point, it became painfully obvious that GM (and Ford and Chrysler) could no longer sustain their model of multiple brands that basically competed with each other.
Owned a lot of Pontiacs but nothing recently. TransAMS, GTO'S, pre1988 Grand Prix"s & Full Size Pontiacs were great. Nova based Venturas (71-74) could have been if the ones in charge knew something
They should have brought the firebird trans am, a smaller version like the Camaro brought back t-tops and knight rider turbine wheels! With a futuristic dash! That would have saved Pontiac
Look up the new Hot Wheel Aztek. It is a 1/64 version of a Tuner from Online. Signed-Richard. there is another Red Post-Apocolypse version that is also online that you might like.
I don’t get why they showed a late 70s Pontiac Sunbird when they were talking about the 82-88 models. The late 70s Sunbirds could’ve been ordered with a small V8. They made a Formula Sunbird which I think could’ve been equipped with a 305. Probably would’ve been a fun car.
@@thebionicbassplayer I took my driver’s test in a 79 Sunbird. Small RWD version. No option car with the Iron Duke. Was kinda gutless but a good looking little car.
GM would never allow Corvette to take back seat and lose sales from an in-company rival. It is very possible to fit an LS1, LS2, LS3, and even an LS7 into a Solstice. It's been done many times. But the Solstice GXP could be had from the factory near the end of production with the standard 2.0L LNF that put out 290bhp and 340 lb/ft if you knew how to order it. That's the GXP, not the base model. The GXP could also be upgraded with a GM kit that increased the engine output to the numbers I listed, from the stock 260/260. Car retained factory warranty with the kit. Car weighs just under 3K pounds.
People forget that GM was originally made of autonomous divisions, General Motors was a holding company. Pontiac Motor Division ceased to exist in 1984 with the creation of the Chevrolet-Pontiac-Canada Group (CPC), which was nothing less than the complete takeover of Pontiac by Chevrolet. The first cars listed are rebadged Chevies, and everything from Chevrolet Engineering was fundamentally flawed in design. Everything after those are GM Corporate CRAP. By this time "Pontiac" was an empty brand name, nothing else. The Fiero is the ONLY car shown here that is a PMD product, and even that is made from the corporate parts bin - T-car front chassis, X-car powertrain and front chassis mounted in the rear, etc. The **REAL** Pontiacs were brilliant cars.
I drive my 2006 Pontiac Torrent every day to and from work, and I love the way it rides. Before that, I had a 1999 Grand Am that performed well until I traded it in 2008 to buy the Torrent.
Do people with any car knowledge make these videos? First car on list, Ventura, was not a rebadged Nova. Yes, same platform, frame and body. But more than lights were different as each GM division still made their own powertrains in that era.
I never understood why people looked at rebadging as a bad thing anyway. It kept initial costs down, made restoration parts more available to more people, and opened up a whole world of possibilities when it came to building your own unique hot rod with junkyard parts. It also gives one a way to stand out in a sea of more common corporate cousins at car shows and cruise nights.
Most of the time you are right, they usually have almost no knowledge. (They at least know what a car is.) You will get one person every now and then that is an exception, like Prew Peacock. He isn't a Master Genius, but he is well versed on the subject and he can build and already has all but one of his personal cars. He won't change anything on his McLaren. Signed-Richard.
Nova Omega Ventura Apollo All the same body with different trim . However I do agree this ai doesn't know what it is saying. No mention of the Pontiac 6000 . It should have been on this list .
Here is a tip to keep vehicle manufactures in business. Instead of having a small team of trained experts make a few lifesized 3-D models, then choose one that closest resembles the 1998 Monte Carlo, or the 2007 Impala, post a bunch of designs on your chat room and have your public members pick the best 9 to 13 designs. Take those 9 to 13 public picked designs, turn them into computer generated 360 spinnable models and have the public choose the best three to 5 from them...THEN take the 3 to 5 finalists and have them 3-D printed, make a bunch, send the printed finalists to dealerships, have them display, and have the people that come in to look at the purchasable cars in the lot judge the printouts...it will save on a LOT of failure and wasted effort.
GM committed suicide when they put a bean counter (ROGER SMITH) in as President and CEO. Rolling the individual brands into North American Operations, rebadging 1 uninspired tired design into 5 models via a trim change is what neutered a once proud company.
My Dad was always a Pontiac guy. He owned a '57 Chieftain, '66 LeMans, and a '78 Bonneville Brougham, which he kept until he died in the late '80s. All 2dr hardtops. I love Pontiacs too, BUT I'm more of a Chevy/Buick guy. I've owned 58 vehicles (so far) and I have only owned one nice Pontiac- it was a 1986 Grand Prix, with the V8 in it. It drove and handled well. Loved it!! Kept it 10 yrs. My cousin had a '72 Ventura 2dr back in the day which I thought was a cool car(when I was only 10). Overall, I think Pontiac was a cool brand, sure they had some FLOPS, but so did Chevy, Olds, Buick, Cadillac as well as Ford, and Chrysler/Plymouth, namely(almost everything!) after 1973. Thanks for the video!!
You pretty much defined what pontiac was segmented in GM as.. cheap low tier filler vehicles.. Every so often they did hit the nail on a true icon. What killed pontiac was times changing and companies leaning out while Pontiac never shifted forward fast enough due to their place in being cheap vehicles.
I had a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am coup V-6 3.1 LT with a K&N air program on it and a different chip and she flew..got her up to 125 mph and with directional tired it held great.
I owned two Grand Ams and both had issues with the window regulators. Never had any issues with the engine, transmission, or power steering. But those damn regulators... I became a professional at replacing them.
I think it was the 1974s GTO, which was a bad Chevy Nova clone. This was the car that showed that GM didn't really care very much about Pontiac as a product. After that, all Pontiac cars became second rate clones of Chevrolet cars and not a sporty premium brand as it was supposed to be.
Pontiacs that i have driven in the past that I was glad did not make the list: 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix Turbo (I was a lot porter at a car dealership and that was one of the most fun turbos I have ever driven), a 1993 Pontiac Transport (which I owned. Imagine a mini-van that handles like a sports car---that was my experience driving one of those on curvy Texas roads!) a 2006 Pontiac Vibe (another one I owned that was unfortunately totaled. It had a cool look, like a modern day Gremlin) My experience with Pontiac, overall, was great. When they said they "built excitement", it was not just a slogan. It was truth!
Had the Aztek had been made by Nissan, Toyota, Honda or Subaru even back then (much less in more recent times) it would have been a cutting-edge hit. The tremendous success of the GTO and later the Trans Am was a good thing during those times, but also a bad thing when Pontiac and all American cars were past their prime (50+ years now) and would not come close to that, ever again. So that history both helped Pontiac, but also badly haunted it, and still does to this day. Pontiac's being so closely with the GTO and T/A to the point of NO other models turned out to be very toxic for the brand, when they had to make vehicles for the present day auto market. Most people ONLY associate Pontiac with cars of basically a half century ago. Let that sad fact sink in.
Buick,Olds,Pontiac were all available with BOP engines well into the ‘70’s so,although they all shared many similarities,they were still distinctive enough to carry their own brand. Once GM consolidated their engines,those makes became nothing more than Chevrolets with a few differences in trim. GM removed the pride and loyalty that customers had established with these nameplates and it led to a slow death for the great marques of Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
I am an old Pontiac man. Came from a family of Pontiac fans. But from 1970 until their demise they designed and built nothing but junk. After buy a Pontiac Sun Bird in 1980 ,I wouldn't touch another GM product 2003.
Pontiac filled a place on the 5-model GM price ladder, reaching all the way back to the 1920's. That ladder was simplified to 3 makes, which is why the Chief was dropped, along with Oldsmobile. It had nothing to do with design.
Where's the orange 78 CanAm thingy from the thumbnail? I had a 70 Tempest. My ex-wife had a mid 80s Bonneville. Her brother had a Fiero 2M6, and then an 80s Firebird. I bought a 6000 wagon off my brother that had been sitting in his driveway for three years, and I drove the dogpiss out of it, til it died. I used it for a work truck. Station wagon springs... The Aztek was like an overgrown cheap plastic kids' toy.
In 1976 I bought the Pontiac LeMans (LeMons) , my brother and cousin bought the Bonneville all within 3 weeks. In 6 months we all had the same problems with the plastic timing chain sprocket and transmission going out. I had to tow in my new LeMans due to tranny issues and at the dealership there was a GM rep. He explained to me that they were having problems with the transmission but until they figure it out the car will have to wait in line for repairs at the dealer. I got in the car and was able to get it to go and I drove it to the nearest Ford dealer and traded it in. 1976 was the last time I drove a GM product. GM killed the Pontiac and lost 3 customers. My cousin was a long time Pontiac man from the mid 1950's until 1976 and my brother never bought another GM product either.
GM has been a committee-based strategy company. There were so many cars that GM badge engineered that didn't make sense to have 4 different versions that were really the exact same car, with the same trim. If GM had corporate sense they would let their division chiefs make cars that fit their brand and appeal to their customers, rather than constantly seek cost control. Saturn was a good car with a good future right up until GM nationalized it.
In actuality, in it's first two years, the Ventura could be got with a Corvette drivetrain. A 395 bhp 327 and a four speed manual... Plenty powerful...
What killed Pontiac , what killed the American car should be the question , Nissan , Toyota , BMW , Mercedes , anything with an import name , oh lets ad the government with the oil shortages of the 60s and 70s , our parents and grand parents oh yeah , and anyone that has an import in their driveway now , not for debate , mine are as American as can be.
say what you will, that Sunbird commercial is hilarious. great video overall, though in fairness, Pontiac was rebounding and sold better than Buick in the US, which was saved, when the Feds said one had to go, by its popularity in China.
The Obama Administration killed a barely profitable Pontiac per fleet sales. GMC was also to be killed by the the bankruptcy court until they saw the profit margins. So instead of approving GM restructuring to five divisions, it was given four, shedding Pontiac, which had in development five new vehicles, including the G8. This vid is about poor decisions, in engineering & management, rebadging its portfolio. Why we don't see a Plymouth, Mercury or an Olds. Every manufacturer from cereal, to laundry detergents, to cars, does it. GM was at its best in the 50s, worst thirty years later.
Pontiac was always way better than anything Chevy produced!! GM totally pushed Chevy!! The other gm brands , Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac and Cadillac cars were better engineered!!!
I had one Pontiac that I bought brand new and have regretted the waste of money it was for years. 1994 Bonnevile . Trade a perfectly good Taurus SHO because I drove truck and shifted gears all day at work and just wanted a cruiser .
Pontiac problem was it lost its identity. 😮 If your slogan/motto is "we built Excitement, Pontiac" why are you building station wagons, minivans and SUV's?🤔 Pontiac should have been making sporty and performance alternatives to GM cars and had a low volume production. General Motors problem was too much overlap and by the 1990s, people were getting wise to the rebadging of platforms. The same hoodwinked you pulled on our parents and grandparents were not working on us! Pontiac should had continued turbo development of their cars and they would have still been around today! Turbos are more powerful and efficient than natural aspirated engines, and if they had continued the development through out the late 70's till the millennium, they would have been around today.
1 thing I will give this video credit for: they told the truth about GM and Chevrolet. Pontiac had the unenviable position of being the “performance” division of GM. But any time they came up with an idea that exceeded Chevrolet, especially the Corvette, funding was pulled and the project was cancelled. Been that way since the 60s.
The restyled Grand Prix's from 1969 till 1977 were some of the ugliest cars ever made, even by GM standards. Horrible looking front end. Also had bad image, being the type of car that appealed to lead-footed ass hole drivers who thought that they owned the road. Everybody get out of their way. Constantly speeding, weaving, tailgating, running thru stop signs and red lights . I hate the sight of one to this day.
yes, they were allowed to keep Chevrolet, Cadillac, and choose one other. Pontiac was more profitable than Buick in the US, but Buick was extremely popular in China, hence the decision.
The title should read, 15 ways GM killed Pontiac.
Bingo
yes sir!
1000% CORRECT!!!!
we forget that the EPA had a TON to do with most all changes. I grew up driving 60s cars and it ALL started with the demise of the Corvair. Once it was discovered exactly HOW MUCH POWER influencers have over legislature, it effected more than the car industry.
jealous that Pontiac was always beating their baby the Corvette 😁😁
Owned a 84 fiero. I'm six foot, lots of room, handling was amazing. I loved it.
Like I've always said---for everyone whose had negative experiences with a particular car, there are thousands more who had excellent experiences with the same car. I would venture to say that every model of car has their fans (yes, even Chevy Citations!). Part of it is how you take care of it. But yes--I think the Fiero was a pretty cool invention, too!
Especially the Formula !
My cousin had a gold 84 Fiero until it met its demise with a tree. Cold AC.
@@m-cw7er 84's were only available in white, black, silver, or red. Was most likely an 86 base model
@@that_VIP_guy yes it was a gold one 86 my cousin had it. Paid 4K for it in back in 91 or 92
The Cybertruck makes the Aztec look downright cute ...
GM ABSOLUTELY treated Pontiac like a bastard stepchild.
Most of the time I liked the Chevrolet versions better...sometimes the Oldsmobile versions(like the '73-'80 Olds Cutlass platforms)...but one exception was the '70-'81 F body...Every year of that generation, the Firebird absolutely looked better, and usually handled better and had more power, than the Camaro counterpart...especially from the mid-1970's on....
Except when Pontiac showed GM how to sell GTOs...
It's not the first time, Brian. Read my comments from a week ago. They nearly killed it in the mid-'50s; yes, the '50s! The all-new '55 Pontiac (like Chevy) sold very well, in no small part thanks to Lucille Ball and it being highly featured in the NY. to CA. episodes. Because of that success, they came out with the Bonneville which brought the division to the highest of highs. So you can thank Lucille Ball for saving Pontiac, and Star Trek's very EXISTENCE in the first place!! We collectively have HER to thank for SO f'n much, it's not even funny.
@@bobpierce115 wow
The AI narrator needs to learn how to pronounce Lemans.
Exactly!
The T 1000( sans Pontiac) sounds like a Terminator. The sad truth about most American car brands from the 70s through the 80s is that most were low-quality pieces of s@&!t.
How does one actually pronounce "LeMans" when referring to the Pontiac car? The way the French say it, or the way Americans say it?
@@neilschnurr5186 Usually the American pronunciation. La Monz.
@@HomerJ1964 Or the French: Lay Monz
The 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville should not have been on this list. I disagree on that one. It has a reliable strong and durable powertrain with the 3800 V6 and the Supercharged 3800. You are aware there was a Pontiac Bonneville GXP trim with a V8?
The GXP had the god awful northstar engine
@@samhyde4996 I know it did. I was not a fan of the Northstar V8 either, but I was only emphasizing it offered a V8. The Bonneville should not be on the list period because it was a solid car.
Also, the Company's last hurrahs. The G8 and the Solestice. You could have an aftermarket tuner put an LS into one for extra money. And there was a plan for the the G8 to have an El Camino version before the company was cancelled. Signed-Richard.
@@RobertGuidry-f3f Thank you for posting. I recall the G8 ST. It was the Holden UTE. It was supposed to the G8 Sport Truck. There were pictures released. It did not happen as you said. The extra Pontiac G8 front end facias were used on Holdens and created a special edition version of the Holden Commodore. They have been seen online before.
@@OLDS98 Thank you.
The exact same way GM killed Oldsmobile.
Olds, and Saturn, was killed off by Obummer as part of the bailout.
I owned a 68 GTO and now own a 07 Solstice....Both were, and are, great cars.
I bought a 2007 Solstice GXP new off the lot. Never should have traded it in. Drove it like I stole it, 54K miles in four years of May-Nov driving and it never had a problem. Now I have an '08 Sol GXP and the only issues in five years and 44K miles of ownership have been a a bad crankshaft position sensor that took 20 minutes to replace without lifting the car and cost 50 bucks, and a parking brake that needs adjustment at the rear calipers every two years, that takes about half an hour and costs zero dollars.
They were both solid but the majority of Pontiacs built beyond 1975 were not excitement and just didn’t compare well to the competition
@@charlesharmon4926 My '07 Sol GXP with 3000 lb weight 290bhp and 340 lb/ft with the full GM warranty using only dealer-installed GM parts from the GM catalog was pretty exciting.
I still have my 1974 Pontiac Ventura. Owned for 44 years. Did some improvements. Turned into a great car.
I think how much you back up that statement will be how long you decide to keep that Solstice... or is it already gone..???
You know which of the cars in this video has a worldwide following and has become collectible? The Fiero. Yes the Fiero had its problems, but the Fiero is in fact a very good car. The second generation was ready for production, but Roger Smith, then head of GM, decided that GM wasn't making enough money on the Fiero, despite it having sold in numbers GM never imagined. Don't let bean counters run car companies!
The Firebird, Catalina, Bonneville and Lemans models were Pontiacs best. We sold a ton of them !
Agreed 100% brother
and the Grand Prix.
G.T.O. First-Gen is my Favorite. Signed-Richard.
The Firebird and Trans Am was nice to look at but a turd to own. I had the 1980 4.9 turbo what a garbage engine. At 80k piston rod blew through the oil pan blew the engine. Transmission went only a year before that at 70k, wind shield wiper motor blew after I got a new engine and transmission, and numerous other issues I had with. After owning that I said I will never buy any GM again! And still will never purchase any GM product. I owned a 5.0 Mustang, 5.0 Cougar, 289 v8 Comet, and now only today will only buy Toyota or Honda.
@@DYIguy Theye were mandated to sip fuel.
The biggest mistake regarding the Le Mans is the choice of the Daewoo version instead of the original Opel Kadett which, was utterly different in terms of road handling and built quality. I guess they wanted to earn more money per car by importing the Korean version...
No, they went with the Asian version for another reason. They had contracts with Asian Companies that they had to fill.Signed-Richard.
From being a consistent #3 in overall US sales in the 1960s to an ignoble death. Thanks, GM, for another great corporate screw up.
Same could be said for Oldsmobile, the darling division of the '70s when the Cutlass was the country's best seller from the mid decade onwards.
When cheap gas went away GM was crushed. The days of selling hundreds of thousands of midsize cars that made 19 mpg were long gone. They couldn’t compete with the smaller, efficient cars from Japan.
i owned a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix. It was a beautiful bright red with a white vinyl top and a white interior. Its best feature was the front wheel drive. I was with my future wife on the night of one on the biggest snow storms in S. Louis history. To get home from a birthday party, I had to first get up a considerable hill too get to the interstate that would get me home. most cars were paying guys in pickups to tow them up this hill. I managed to get the Phoenix to climb it. after having picked up my soon-to-be brother-in-law and his future wife, he had abandoned his car in restaurant parking lot. The next day I felt confident in driving him back to where he had abandoned his car, to help him dig it out. I only buy front wheel drive cars now.
It wasn't The Pontiac Division. It was General Motors who pulled the Plug, they pulled the plug in the Corvette in 1983, if you could also remember they got rid of Buick and took it back and stopped again. Its called greediness. Pontiac had the Trans Am which was a excellent car, thats why some people have taken their 2010 plus Camaros and made them as a Trans Am. Look at the IROC-Z, it was a 8 cylinder car and had a Monza V6 rearend with the 7.5 Ring and pinion and i wonder why they had lawsuits and issues. I think one of the Best cars made was the Grand National etc
The IROC was discontinued a year early because it was better than a ZR1 Corvette for less money. Signed-Richard.
@@RobertGuidry-f3f Really! The ZR1 was making 375hp while the IROC Camaro could only make around 235-245hp. No comparison. The Corvette ZR1 had no worries about anything else in GM.
@@johnnymason2460 YOu can believe it all you want to.
@@RobertGuidry-f3f I simply stated facts. The IROC Camaro may have been better than the base Corvette at the time(250hp). But it was no match for the Corvette ZR1.
@@johnnymason2460 Camaro never made no 250 Horsepower in the 80s, it started to when they put in the LT1 in 1993.
I had a 2008 Pontiac G5 which I really liked until it got T-boned in 2023. I will say this . I think Pontiac and Oldsmobile could have survived had GM not dabbled in Saturn , Saab and Geo.
I doubt it. GM's management were not car guys, they were "finance experts" from various souless business schools around the US. Their profit target was, and remains, General Motors Acceptance Corporation.
Good point. They tried to reinvent the wheel, and it backfired big time. (pun intended)
Owned an ‘07 Solstice GXP and an ‘09 G8 GT. Both solid and lightning fast !
The dealers also did a number on killing Pontiac. They wouldn't deal, they hid junk aftermarket warranties into the paperwork, and tried to slam me with 8% interest on a car loan.
Needless to say i went to my own bank, got a better rate, and told them to tear up the paperwork on that warranty. Or else no sale.
They finally agreed. The dealers are deplorable and totally unethical. But the car was the best car i ever owned. 15 years and 263K later I got rid of it.
I miss my Pontiac. The dealers can go out of business.
The Fero information is incorrect. When it was designed it had a V6 in all of the prototypes. It was sent to the test track in Arizona and out performed the corvette. The folks at chevy asked GM to not let pontiac release it with the V6 until the corvette had a chance to be updated, so it was only allowed to have a 4 cylinder for the first 2 years. I have had many pontiacs over the years because my Dad worked at pontiac in Pontiac Mi. I never had a bad one.
That's also why the Buick gnx was discontinued because it made Corvette look bad. That wasn't hard to do because in 87 jeep beat the Corvette with a 6 cylinder 4X4 pickup
Agreed. In 85 I drove a friend's 2m4 around the block. I popped the clutch and smoked the tires through the entire intersection and almost made it to 3rd gear. I've wanted one ever since! An 87 GT would be real nice...
Introducing it with that Iron Duke nearly killed that car in the first year only to have it suffer another year. Then it was too late to be revived. I think it was intentional on GM's part to protect the Corvette. Also stupid because the potential of Corvette buyers switching to a light weight car powered with a V-6 wasn't going to happen. What they lost out on was the multitude of young first time buyers who ended up getting an import instead. A car with the Fiero's looks and a terrible push rod 4 cylinder that ran out of steam at 4000rpm wasn't going to cut it. I'm still thinking about how much better it would be with a 1.8L DOHC like my Protege lx had . That car was a blast to drive at about the same weight. Have that delivered to the rear wheels with the engine sitting back there ...yeah that would have been right and probably quicker and faster than that 2.8L V-6 . Certainly more fun taking it out to 7000 RPM all day long with a proper 5 speed manual transmission and still getting 25 mpg with little to no under steer.
My roommate was working at a Pontiac dealership when it came out and went to a GM school on the Fiero. It was designed as an inexpensive 4 cylinder economy car. Your source is an old pre internet rumor
@@Patrick-xd8jv My dad took me to work and we looked at the cars in person.
I loved, loved, loved Pontiac cars, ive owned many and i pray they come back someday........
1:37 the phoenix's suspension is looking saggy in the back
4:36 General Motors was expert of killing foreign car makes. Not only did they force Daewoo into bankruptcy, they did the same thing for Saab motorcars.
My 2005 GTO (rebadged Holden Monaro) was a blast. 400hp LS2, 6 speed manual. The main issue was that when they upgraded the engine for the 2005, they kept the same Dana rear diff and it wasn't able to handle the torque of the LS2, so had to be replaced twice in 4 years on mine.
But it's looks were about as exciting as a refrigerator.
and GM killed Holden ... withdrew totally from the RH market .... after 90 years .... a lot of *issed off Aussies
@@billolsen4360 Ah, but you didn't have long to look at it before it was gone down the road 🤣😂
To be fair, it was much more smooth and organic looking than other Pontiacs with hood scoops at the time. Some of the other models looked like they cut into the hood with a sawzall and put the intakes in.
But, Chevy motors do not sound like Pontiac with the Tin Indian sound.
P.S. However, I was pissed they shut down Pontiac just before they brought out the Sport Ute which I have no idea wasn't brought out as an El Camino. I would trade my Dodge Ram for one in a heartbeat since I have no need for a full size truck and what they call midsize or small trucks today are jokes..
can't give this a like- Le MAANS? teach your computer to talk....
it's no big deal
GM- The masters at re-badging.
No... that would be toyota. Just look at any Loser Lexus, and you will see a cheap plastic toyota with a Mercedes price tag.
@@mmartin2924 Oh! Ok, I did not know that, Thanks
@@mmartin2924 Half right. That is the Company's "Luxury" line. They take their normal cars, clad them up in bells and whistles and then charge extra. Honda's is Acura. As you stated, Toyota's is Lexus. Nissan's is Infiniti. Hyundai's is Genesis. Signed-Richard.
@@mmartin2924Really? And yet Lexus is often in the top 5 brands that have vehicles with great quality and reliability!
You are wrong about the engine in the Pontiac Ventura. It was only 5 hp less than the 350 Chevrolet of the same time period that was installed in cars other than the Corvette. It gave exactly the same performance as the Nova.
Two versions of the Pontiac Astres are seen here. The first was the Canadian version.
The original Nova-based Pontiac Ventura wasn't so bad looking despite the toned down engine.
The 350 Pontiac was only rated for 5hp less than the Chevrolet 350, if you don't count the Corvette engine. You're not going to notice 5hp.
Astres were better looking than Vegas... and vastly more dependable with the Iron Duke 4 in 1977... I still have my ultra rare '77 Pontiac Astre FORMULA Safari (kammback) Station Wagon...
The Pontiac Fero was pretty good with the V6
Fiero
@@robinrosenberg9065he was probably right the first time, because all Fieros sucked. GM did a poor job of copying a Fiat.
@@garyszewc3339 When you do a poor job of copying a Fiat, you should know you're doomed. DOOMED!
No it wasn't.
I had a Camaro with that v6. It was an awful engine.
Still own 3 of them
I have a 2004 Grand Am GT. Two door. It was sporty. Sounded sporty with the 3.8 V6
I had an 04 Red Grand AM GT1, no issues. I added a cold air intake, and a Borla cat-back exhuast. It was a fun car. Oh and they only had 3.4 V6^'s.
Never knew that platform came with the 3.8 V6. 🤔
@@jeffreyhall2136 you're right I'm wrong. I love my Grand Am up until I wrecked it
The ram air. Version was great even in the mountains of Colorado
@@edmiera3583 yes
I worked at GM Truck and Bus when the Aztec was launched. GM Midsize Car Division developed the Aztec & Buick Rendezvous. Midsize used a Truck and Bus code for these SUV's, GMT250... We at Truck and Bus were always resentful they used the 'GMT' code for those cars...
This whole video is wrong, what killed Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Mercury is the 1980's until their demise. You cannot keep making the multiple cars on the exact same platform, with the same options etc and keep it sustainable to the public.
I had a 2004 Aztek. It was one of the best cars I ever had. Rode, handled and was a great size. It was ahead of it's time. Compare its silhouette to just about any current crossover, they are the same!
John Z. DeLorean, who made Pontiac great in the 60s and 70s, must be rolling in his grave over this too.
I will always be thankful to Pontiac for giving us the GTO, especially from years 64-67. Those stacked headlights 🤤!
I owned a 80 Turbo Trans Am and a 84 Fiero. Loved them both. Wish I had them back. ❤❤😊
Mr. B. Here ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍. All true was working at Olds dealer . Pontiac toke the hit for the Suits at GM !
Pontiac also made some very nice car’s,I wish they would come back 😢 please remember there was some bad ones,but there was a lot Classic Pontiac Automobiles.😊
the yellow sunbird commercial,LMFAO
My dad liked Pontiac. We had an 85 Bonneville and a 92 Sunbird when I was a kid. And my first car was an 88 Grand Prix.
Don't forget the pontiac sunfire!! Even that was kind of a cheap a** version of a cavalier.😅
I agree with most of your choices and also a number of comments listed below about GM seemingly want to run their brands into the ground, but I'll just say that the cars that really killed Pontiac and GM were every vehicle that came just before its demise ------ all the poorly and cheaply engineered front-wheel-drive derivatives that directly or indirectly came from every horrendous X-car, J-car and their ugly immediate derivatives. Spindly little FWD MacPherson struts, axle shafts and transmissions with the integrity of pretzels, and as sporty as a wooden cart. All gone, no longer in junkyards, and good riddance!!
There's nothing wrong with the Ventura.
The Vega and Astra made excellent racing cars.
The market killed Pontiac. Pontiac’s bread and butter was 2 door affordable performance cars. By 1995, that market evaporated. Trucks and SUVs took over. Also, by that point, it became painfully obvious that GM (and Ford and Chrysler) could no longer sustain their model of multiple brands that basically competed with each other.
I had a 1976 Pontiac Sun Bird with a 3.8 in it and it was a great car !
Almost got me on that one…had to think about it for a minute.
If the SEMA built version of the Fiero had been maintained, it would have been a wonderful car,
Owned a lot of Pontiacs but nothing recently. TransAMS, GTO'S, pre1988 Grand Prix"s & Full Size Pontiacs were great. Nova based Venturas (71-74) could have been if the ones in charge knew something
I learned too late that GM would sell you a bowl of crap, that’s how much they cared about Americans.
They should have brought the firebird trans am, a smaller version like the Camaro brought back t-tops and knight rider turbine wheels! With a futuristic dash! That would have saved Pontiac
The commentator must be a former executive of Volvo
Aztek has aged okay, it's not that bad, and with the additional tent package I bet it's a good weekend getaway vehicle.
Look up the new Hot Wheel Aztek. It is a 1/64 version of a Tuner from Online. Signed-Richard. there is another Red Post-Apocolypse version that is also online that you might like.
I always loved the Aztek. I bought a Vibe instead because of the Toyota influence, but I would have given the Aztek a try.
The Aztek looked like a dumpster. They should of made a BFI edition in blue and white !
You should run, not walk to the eye doctor.😂
I don’t get why they showed a late 70s Pontiac Sunbird when they were talking about the 82-88 models. The late 70s Sunbirds could’ve been ordered with a small V8. They made a Formula Sunbird which I think could’ve been equipped with a 305. Probably would’ve been a fun car.
I owned two Sunbird's from that era. They were good reliable cars that served me and my family well.
@@thebionicbassplayer I took my driver’s test in a 79 Sunbird. Small RWD version. No option car with the Iron Duke. Was kinda gutless but a good looking little car.
And I still have my ultra rare '77 Pontiac Astre FORMULA Safari (kammback) Station Wagon... which became called a Sunbird in '78 and onward...
Ive driven both the Aztec and G6 and both are good vehicles. Sure not pretty to look at, but the reliability was there. Gas milage was awesome too.
Imagine if the solstice had a Corvette engine and sold for 8 grand less. That's what could have saved Pontiac
GM would never allow Corvette to take back seat and lose sales from an in-company rival. It is very possible to fit an LS1, LS2, LS3, and even an LS7 into a Solstice. It's been done many times. But the Solstice GXP could be had from the factory near the end of production with the standard 2.0L LNF that put out 290bhp and 340 lb/ft if you knew how to order it. That's the GXP, not the base model. The GXP could also be upgraded with a GM kit that increased the engine output to the numbers I listed, from the stock 260/260. Car retained factory warranty with the kit. Car weighs just under 3K pounds.
The 1997 Grand Prix was a killer car- the shape was fresh and sporty and the 3800 Supercharged engine was a rocket in the day!
People forget that GM was originally made of autonomous divisions, General Motors was a holding company. Pontiac Motor Division ceased to exist in 1984 with the creation of the Chevrolet-Pontiac-Canada Group (CPC), which was nothing less than the complete takeover of Pontiac by Chevrolet. The first cars listed are rebadged Chevies, and everything from Chevrolet Engineering was fundamentally flawed in design. Everything after those are GM Corporate CRAP. By this time "Pontiac" was an empty brand name, nothing else. The Fiero is the ONLY car shown here that is a PMD product, and even that is made from the corporate parts bin - T-car front chassis, X-car powertrain and front chassis mounted in the rear, etc. The **REAL** Pontiacs were brilliant cars.
GM and the Chevy division never did any favors for Pontiac. The "We Build Excitement" brand that GM neutered at every turn...😮😢
I drive my 2006 Pontiac Torrent every day to and from work, and I love the way it rides. Before that, I had a 1999 Grand Am that performed well until I traded it in 2008 to buy the Torrent.
Do people with any car knowledge make these videos?
First car on list, Ventura, was not a rebadged Nova. Yes, same platform, frame and body. But more than lights were different as each GM division still made their own powertrains in that era.
I never understood why people looked at rebadging as a bad thing anyway. It kept initial costs down, made restoration parts more available to more people, and opened up a whole world of possibilities when it came to building your own unique hot rod with junkyard parts. It also gives one a way to stand out in a sea of more common corporate cousins at car shows and cruise nights.
Most of the time you are right, they usually have almost no knowledge. (They at least know what a car is.) You will get one person every now and then that is an exception, like Prew Peacock. He isn't a Master Genius, but he is well versed on the subject and he can build and already has all but one of his personal cars. He won't change anything on his McLaren. Signed-Richard.
Nova
Omega
Ventura
Apollo
All the same body with different trim .
However I do agree this ai doesn't know what it is saying.
No mention of the Pontiac 6000 . It should have been on this list .
Here is a tip to keep vehicle manufactures in business. Instead of having a small team of trained experts make a few lifesized 3-D models, then choose one that closest resembles the 1998 Monte Carlo, or the 2007 Impala, post a bunch of designs on your chat room and have your public members pick the best 9 to 13 designs. Take those 9 to 13 public picked designs, turn them into computer generated 360 spinnable models and have the public choose the best three to 5 from them...THEN take the 3 to 5 finalists and have them 3-D printed, make a bunch, send the printed finalists to dealerships, have them display, and have the people that come in to look at the purchasable cars in the lot judge the printouts...it will save on a LOT of failure and wasted effort.
GM committed suicide when they put a bean counter (ROGER SMITH) in as President and CEO. Rolling the individual brands into North American Operations, rebadging 1 uninspired tired design into 5 models via a trim change is what neutered a once proud company.
The T1000 was…terminated! 😎
We called the Astre "Ashtray". The negatives applied the Vega are exactly the same here.
Until Astre got the great Iron Duke 4...
My Dad was always a Pontiac guy. He owned a '57 Chieftain, '66 LeMans, and a '78 Bonneville Brougham, which he kept until he died in the late '80s. All 2dr hardtops. I love Pontiacs too, BUT I'm more of a Chevy/Buick guy. I've owned 58 vehicles (so far) and I have only owned one nice Pontiac- it was a 1986 Grand Prix, with the V8 in it. It drove and handled well. Loved it!! Kept it 10 yrs. My cousin had a '72 Ventura 2dr back in the day which I thought was a cool car(when I was only 10). Overall, I think Pontiac was a cool brand, sure they had some FLOPS, but so did Chevy, Olds, Buick, Cadillac as well as Ford, and Chrysler/Plymouth, namely(almost everything!) after 1973. Thanks for the video!!
I don't know what you are talking about, my '76 Ventura did 150 MPH in the straight....
The T1000 was Acadian in Canada
You pretty much defined what pontiac was segmented in GM as.. cheap low tier filler vehicles.. Every so often they did hit the nail on a true icon. What killed pontiac was times changing and companies leaning out while Pontiac never shifted forward fast enough due to their place in being cheap vehicles.
I had a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am coup V-6 3.1 LT with a K&N air program on it and a different chip and she flew..got her up to 125 mph and with directional tired it held great.
I used to have a 2001 grand am and it was a good little car. The biggest problem i has was the window regulators kept breaking.
I owned two Grand Ams and both had issues with the window regulators. Never had any issues with the engine, transmission, or power steering. But those damn regulators... I became a professional at replacing them.
Pontiac died in 2002 when the T/A was discontinued with the Camaro. G8 was cool and had guts but no style
With the demise of the Trans Am, tens of thousands of middle-eastern male college students in the US were left lost and unable to find a replacement.
I've owned 2 Grand Am's and a Grand Prix and they were all great cars that gave me zero problems. Not sure why they'd make this list?
Totally disagree. Even GM brass has said dropping Pontiac Was a huge mistake
Bought a 1974 GTO brand new wish I still had it
I think it was the 1974s GTO, which was a bad Chevy Nova clone. This was the car that showed that GM didn't really care very much about Pontiac as a product. After that, all Pontiac cars became second rate clones of Chevrolet cars and not a sporty premium brand as it was supposed to be.
When John DeLorean left Pontiac, that was when the diagnosis that that car company was terminal.
And now the 74 gto is one of the rarest gtos and is increasing in value.
Pontiacs that i have driven in the past that I was glad did not make the list: 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix Turbo (I was a lot porter at a car dealership and that was one of the most fun turbos I have ever driven), a 1993 Pontiac Transport (which I owned. Imagine a mini-van that handles like a sports car---that was my experience driving one of those on curvy Texas roads!) a 2006 Pontiac Vibe (another one I owned that was unfortunately totaled. It had a cool look, like a modern day Gremlin) My experience with Pontiac, overall, was great. When they said they "built excitement", it was not just a slogan. It was truth!
Had the Aztek had been made by Nissan, Toyota, Honda or Subaru even back then (much less in more recent times) it would have been a cutting-edge hit. The tremendous success of the GTO and later the Trans Am was a good thing during those times, but also a bad thing when Pontiac and all American cars were past their prime (50+ years now) and would not come close to that, ever again. So that history both helped Pontiac, but also badly haunted it, and still does to this day. Pontiac's being so closely with the GTO and T/A to the point of NO other models turned out to be very toxic for the brand, when they had to make vehicles for the present day auto market. Most people ONLY associate Pontiac with cars of basically a half century ago. Let that sad fact sink in.
In the 60-90s, the Pontiac was a Chevy with a split grill. With declining sales overall, GM couldn't support so many rebadged Chevys.
Buick,Olds,Pontiac were all available with BOP engines well into the ‘70’s so,although they all shared many similarities,they were still distinctive enough to carry their own brand. Once GM consolidated their engines,those makes became nothing more than Chevrolets with a few differences in trim. GM removed the pride and loyalty that customers had established with these nameplates and it led to a slow death for the great marques of Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
Killed Pontiac??? Anyone, ANYWHERE, who has the slightest clue, knows Pontiac rungs rings around Fords, Chevy, Dodges, etc.
I am an old Pontiac man. Came from a family of Pontiac fans. But from 1970 until their demise they designed and built nothing but junk. After buy a Pontiac Sun Bird in 1980 ,I wouldn't touch another GM product 2003.
In french (QC) Chevy Vega was nicknamed "Dégât" (damage) and the Astre "Désastre" (disaster) which is pretty funny and accurate 😆
I had 2 sunbird 1985, 1988 loved them both, the fiero would have been great if it had come out the way it was supposed to be
I had a Ventura and my buddy had an Aspen. We kicked ass over Novas and vegas.
Pontiac filled a place on the 5-model GM price ladder, reaching all the way back to the 1920's. That ladder was simplified to 3 makes, which is why the Chief was dropped, along with Oldsmobile. It had nothing to do with design.
I sold the Pontiac Astre - What a POS !!!
I owned the 1974 Ventura GTO and it was better than my Nova this shouldn’t be on the list
In 1979 my mother was duped into buying a Pontiac Aster, I called it the Dis-Aster, a true piece of spit.
Where's the orange 78 CanAm thingy from the thumbnail? I had a 70 Tempest. My ex-wife had a mid 80s Bonneville. Her brother had a Fiero 2M6, and then an 80s Firebird. I bought a 6000 wagon off my brother that had been sitting in his driveway for three years, and I drove the dogpiss out of it, til it died. I used it for a work truck. Station wagon springs... The Aztek was like an overgrown cheap plastic kids' toy.
In 1976 I bought the Pontiac LeMans (LeMons) , my brother and cousin bought the Bonneville all within 3 weeks. In 6 months we all had the same problems with the plastic timing chain sprocket and transmission going out. I had to tow in my new LeMans due to tranny issues and at the dealership there was a GM rep. He explained to me that they were having problems with the transmission but until they figure it out the car will have to wait in line for repairs at the dealer. I got in the car and was able to get it to go and I drove it to the nearest Ford dealer and traded it in. 1976 was the last time I drove a GM product. GM killed the Pontiac and lost 3 customers. My cousin was a long time Pontiac man from the mid 1950's until 1976 and my brother never bought another GM product either.
TH 200M automatic was a total POS.
I don't agree. It was the top GM execs at the time who mismanaged practically everything. I do not blame Ponitac for Pontiac being killed-off.
GM has been a committee-based strategy company. There were so many cars that GM badge engineered that didn't make sense to have 4 different versions that were really the exact same car, with the same trim. If GM had corporate sense they would let their division chiefs make cars that fit their brand and appeal to their customers, rather than constantly seek cost control. Saturn was a good car with a good future right up until GM nationalized it.
In actuality, in it's first two years, the Ventura could be got with a Corvette drivetrain. A 395 bhp 327 and a four speed manual...
Plenty powerful...
In Canada only?
What killed Pontiac , what killed the American car should be the question , Nissan , Toyota , BMW , Mercedes , anything with an import name , oh lets ad the government with the oil shortages of the 60s and 70s , our parents and grand parents oh yeah , and anyone that has an import in their driveway now , not for debate , mine are as American as can be.
say what you will, that Sunbird commercial is hilarious. great video overall, though in fairness, Pontiac was rebounding and sold better than Buick in the US, which was saved, when the Feds said one had to go, by its popularity in China.
The last Pontiac that rolled off their line wasn't a Pontiac, imagine that...and they wondered why no-one was buying them...
It's not on a downward spiral. It's been out of business since 2010...
The Obama Administration killed a barely profitable Pontiac per fleet sales. GMC was also to be killed by the the bankruptcy court until they saw the profit margins. So instead of approving GM restructuring to five divisions, it was given four, shedding Pontiac, which had in development five new vehicles, including the G8. This vid is about poor decisions, in engineering & management, rebadging its portfolio. Why we don't see a Plymouth, Mercury or an Olds. Every manufacturer from cereal, to laundry detergents, to cars, does it. GM was at its best in the 50s, worst thirty years later.
Pontiac was always way better than anything Chevy produced!! GM totally pushed Chevy!! The other gm brands , Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac and Cadillac cars were better engineered!!!
The Le Mans was an Opel and that was a brilliant little car.
I had one Pontiac that I bought brand new and have regretted the waste of money it was for years. 1994 Bonnevile . Trade a perfectly good Taurus SHO because I drove truck and shifted gears all day at work and just wanted a cruiser .
Pontiac problem was it lost its identity. 😮
If your slogan/motto is "we built Excitement, Pontiac" why are you building station wagons, minivans and SUV's?🤔
Pontiac should have been making sporty and performance alternatives to GM cars and had a low volume production.
General Motors problem was too much overlap and by the 1990s, people were getting wise to the rebadging of platforms.
The same hoodwinked you pulled on our parents and grandparents were not working on us!
Pontiac should had continued turbo development of their cars and they would have still been around today!
Turbos are more powerful and efficient than natural aspirated engines, and if they had continued the development through out the late 70's till the millennium, they would have been around today.
1 thing I will give this video credit for: they told the truth about GM and Chevrolet. Pontiac had the unenviable position of being the “performance” division of GM. But any time they came up with an idea that exceeded Chevrolet, especially the Corvette, funding was pulled and the project was cancelled. Been that way since the 60s.
My 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix is still badass.
The restyled Grand Prix's from 1969 till 1977 were some of the ugliest cars ever made, even by GM standards. Horrible looking front end. Also had bad image, being the type of car that appealed to lead-footed ass hole drivers who thought that they owned the road. Everybody get out of their way. Constantly speeding, weaving, tailgating, running thru stop signs and red lights . I hate the sight of one to this day.
After 1977 all Pontiacs were Horseshit .
@@stevielease7952 the ladies love it.
Didn't the US govt tell GM they had to cut divisions when they bailed them out?
yes, they were allowed to keep Chevrolet, Cadillac, and choose one other. Pontiac was more profitable than Buick in the US, but Buick was extremely popular in China, hence the decision.
@drm9979 in China the buick is more popular than even the Mercedes.
It's a statis symbol
If you could believe it