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2009-04-27 Economy

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-04-27 11:18|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top

#1 Pontiac hasn't been "storied" for a long time--arguably, not since about 1973 or so.

How are they going to eliminate Pontiac without having to pay off franchisees--without going into bankruptcy? When GM elimiated the Oldsmobile brand--after brand-managing it into irrelevance--it cost them $1 billion in payoffs to Olds dealers.

Posted by Mike 2009-04-27 11:43|| 2009-04-27 11:43|| Front Page Top

#2 89% control by Government and Unions? This new GM won't last long with that kind of control. They will end up making the US version of the Lada or Yugo and we know how that ends.

Posted by Jack is Back!">Jack is Back! 2009-04-27 11:55|| 2009-04-27 11:55|| Front Page Top

#3 Sad. Getting a "King Pontiac" sidebar ad with this article.

RIP Pontiac. I think my folks had a Pontiac station wagon once. Back in the day.

Posted by Seafarious 2009-04-27 12:05|| 2009-04-27 12:05|| Front Page Top

#4 We had a glowing sea-foam green Bonneville wagon. A real junker too after a year.

Posted by Steve White 2009-04-27 12:13|| 2009-04-27 12:13|| Front Page Top

#5 Mike, virtually all the Pontiac dealers now also are dealers for Buick and GMC. Thought is that you can drop Pontiac and push the other two, and the dealers won't lose out. That is, any more than they are already.

Posted by Steve White 2009-04-27 12:14|| 2009-04-27 12:14|| Front Page Top

#6 Steve White: franchise contracts are still contracts, until *somebody* lets GM go into bankruptcy, in which case the contracts are negotiable. Right now, I'm waiting for them to deep-six Buick. It's an utterly inessential brand, in fact I'd say that Pontiac had more value in terms of sports car cachet, at the very least. What's Buick but a rung between Chevy and Cadillac on the price/prestige ladder?

Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H. 2009-04-27 12:30|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2009-04-27 12:30|| Front Page Top

#7 Mitch, isn't Buick the prime import brand in China? THAT'S a market.

Posted by AlanC 2009-04-27 13:31|| 2009-04-27 13:31|| Front Page Top

#8 My dad, (Civil Engineer) considered Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, ETC as simply overpriced Chevy's.
Seriously, open the hood and you can't tell one from the other except by name badges.
We had two Studebaker's,48 and 54 Dad said they were the best cars made, GM bought them (For their patents) and they vanished.

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2009-04-27 14:25|| 2009-04-27 14:25|| Front Page Top

#9 Between them, Treasury and the unions would own 89% of GM.

Buh-bye, GM. It's been quite a ride but it's all over now.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-04-27 15:09|| 2009-04-27 15:09|| Front Page Top

#10 Huh.

The Chinese are weird.

Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H. 2009-04-27 17:03|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2009-04-27 17:03|| Front Page Top

#11 GM has been a zombie since at least 2005.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2009-04-27 19:47|| 2009-04-27 19:47|| Front Page Top

#12 All my life there's been no discernable difference between the various GM divisions. All they really need is Chevy and Cadillac. None of the big Japanese makers have more than two divisions - one standard, one luxury (discounting Toyota/Lexus' Scion line). If GM had simplified their product line 20 years ago I don't think they'd be in the situation they are now.

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2009-04-27 20:23|| 2009-04-27 20:23|| Front Page Top

#13 When I was a tad, any boy could tell the difference between a '57 Ford, Lincoln, Merc, Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Plymouth, or what have you at a glance. We mighta had to get a little closer to tell a DeSoto from a Dodge, but that's probably why DeSoto disappeared from the landscape within a year or so, despite the legendary Firedome V8.

There's a lesson to be learned there, I think, but it's prob'ly too subtle for today's MBAs to grasp.

Posted by Fred 2009-04-27 21:05|| 2009-04-27 21:05|| Front Page Top

#14 We mighta had to get a little closer to tell a DeSoto from a Dodge

You obviously didn't watch Sky King enough. Or you spent all your time ooglin Penny instead of looking at the DeSotos.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-04-27 21:38|| 2009-04-27 21:38|| Front Page Top

#15 Mmmmm... Penny! Hrowf! Hrowf!

Posted by Fred 2009-04-27 22:59|| 2009-04-27 22:59|| Front Page Top

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