General Motors is considering reviving Pontiac’s role as GM’s performance leader with a lineup of exclusively rear-wheel-drive cars, according to trade publication Automotive News. In recent years, Pontiac has been criticized for building understeering, generic-looking, front-drive blandmobiles. That is, until the automaker unveiled the slick new RWD Pontiac Solstice. Response to the Solstice has been overwhelming positive, and momentum is building for the company to build more cars with similar characteristics. According to the Auto News report, sources say the transition to rear-drive would take about five years to complete. Currently under consideration is the future of the Grand Prix sedan and the possibility of a Camaro-based GTO or Firebird muscle car, the report said. This year, GM’s Bob Lutz said the Camaro platform would be used for a Chevrolet Impala, Camaro, Monte Carlo, Buick Statesman, and Pontiac GTO. Pictured right is an artist’s rendering of how a Camaro-based Pontiac could look. However, a re-badged Camaro is not likely, says Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson. “We want a truly differentiated product,” he said.
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05/29, 1:29 PM
posted by:
BAMF
Let me be the first to say, hooray!
05/29, 2:03 PM
posted by:
Adam
Good but don’t you dare rebadge a Camaro as a GTO.
05/29, 2:40 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
In theory a Firebird sounds like a great idea. Having said that, the market is going to be flooded with “muscle” cars. In a couple of years we’re going to have a Challenger, Mustang, Camaro, GTO & if you really want to include it…the Charger. The last thing GM needs is the “Camaro clone” Firebird. I say build the GTO and build it right.
05/29, 2:41 PM
posted by:
Rob
In theory a Firebird sounds like a great idea. Having said that, the market is going to be flooded with “muscle” cars. In a couple of years we’re going to have a Challenger, Mustang, Camaro, GTO & if you really want to include it…the Charger. The last thing GM needs is the “Camaro clone” Firebird. I say build the GTO and build it right.
05/29, 4:17 PM
posted by:
Steve
I think every American car company should stick to rear-drivers.
05/29, 5:08 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
Steve: well said. FWD is evil.
05/29, 6:31 PM
posted by:
Rudy
It’s well past due! The sooner the better. Good for GM! Get ready for the GM haters to pile on.
05/29, 7:15 PM
posted by:
N2mustaches
GM needs some new ideas. The Enclave is a step in the right direction if they build it right. What happened to cars like the 63 Riviera the 62 to 65 Impala and the like that made people the world over want american cars. I want to buy an american audi or lexus or volkswagen. I will always buy the best product and at the moment it isn’t american
05/29, 7:32 PM
posted by:
Adam
Well it sure isn’t Lexus either…
05/29, 9:21 PM
posted by:
Craig
And it took them this long to figure out that people looking for a powerful American car generally like rear-wheel-drive?
05/29, 9:45 PM
posted by:
manny
at least they figured it out before its completely too late… RWD all the way!!!
05/29, 10:42 PM
posted by:
TD
I beg Pontiac not to pull another G5 with the offshoot from the Camaro. The G5 is a perfect example of “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” If GM wants more from Pontiac, they’ll have to do better than the badge engineering they did on G5.
05/29, 11:02 PM
posted by:
Greenspeed
yes yes yes
05/30, 2:13 AM
posted by:
M
GM has a complete lack of focus and variation. In my opinion Pontiac needs to use the same approach that they used to make the G6 COUPE, SLEEK, and SMOOTH with organic flowing lines!!!! The G6 sedan has a boring rear end and horibal-looking side windows (bash the Grand Am all you want, you still can’t take away the fact that it was popular!), the Grand Prix just looks awkward with its unbalance styling-cues (the 97-03 Grand Prix was gorgious, thats why you see lots on the road!). A GTO would be nice to have but I personally wouldn’t want rear wheel drive for an everday car (I live in a state that gets snow!).
05/30, 8:38 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
I live in California, Pontiacs are irrelevant here whichever wheels are driven
05/30, 9:29 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
Pontiac, The 70’s revival boogie nights thing is so over and you missed it. Its all early 80’s stuff now, get with the programme. Retro and heritage design will only be hip for so long and the Mustang is taking all those sales. By the time this gets to market it’ll be a turkey. How about some modern forward looking stuff that says Pontiac has a future. I still remember Pontiacs old tag line and it still seems apt today “Driving Excrement” maybe it was excitement but you probably got sued for lying with that one
05/30, 4:57 PM
posted by:
M
I agree Pontiac needs to come out with some MODERN forward looking stuff that is exciting to look at but at the same time not offensive (like the G6 COUPE). In my opinion Pontiac should aim to compete with Honda and Nissan, there is NO WAY a Honda or Nissan owner would buy a Chevy (unless its a vett or camaro)…sorry.
05/30, 6:11 PM
posted by:
Patrick
interesting that they’d do this, after they pretty much ruined their entire lineup with a bunch of ****ty driving pieces of crap. examples:
G6: i’ve driven a G6 GT many times, and the steering is loose and uncommunicative, the quality of the fit and finish and materials is extremely low as well.
G5: HAH. brilliant GM, lets take a chevy cobalt coupe and rebadge it as a pontiac, wait a minute…that’s not brilliant, the cobalt sucks asshole!
Grand Prix: ……reliable but, overall so underwhelming and terrible fit and finish
SV6: worst idea ever. take a minivan platform that’s 8 years old to begin with , changing the exterior and interior styling (which is still low rent) and then cloning this new piece of **** along 3 model lines!
Torrent: gross. the best they could do was change the headlights? and of alll suv’s to clone, why the equinox? trash.
gto and solstice are rpretty tight, and the vibe is made well and is a reliable and good drive (BECAUSE IT’S MADE BY TOYOTA) but damn, they’ve got some seirous work to do
05/30, 8:08 PM
posted by:
M
I drove the G6 “COUPE” in the GT trim and was impressed. The outside design was nice (currently Pontiacs best looking car IMO), it had good performance power and handling wise. The interior could have been a bit more exciting but there wasn’t anything cheap about that I could find.
05/30, 8:11 PM
posted by:
M
I drove the G6 “COUPE” in the GT trim and was impressed. The outside design was nice (currently Pontiacs best looking car IMO), it had good performance power and handling wise. The interior could have been a bit more exciting but there wasn’t anything cheap about that I could find. By the way I drove the Vibe and hated it, IMO it had horribly aukward steering, shifter, and seating arangments..
05/30, 8:21 PM
posted by:
N
M Please Please Please go to an Audi dealership and see what an interior is supposed to feel like, or failing that sit in the new Passat. European cars are just so much more sophisticated and satisfying to own. American cars tend to feel like clunkers much sooner.
05/31, 8:58 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
“I live in California, Pontiacs are irrelevant here whichever wheels are driven”
Pontiac is irrelevant across the world. The coolness wore off when they decided to cancel NightRider and made another foolish “mokey And the Bandit” movie.
05/31, 10:26 AM
posted by:
Michael Spadaro
If Pontiac TRULY wants to be GM’s “excitement” division, then a RWD-biased product portfolio makes sense, as RWD makes a car more exciting to drive.
At least, that’s my take on it.
06/05, 4:16 PM
posted by:
Jim
Sorry, but if that many people wanted RWD Pontiacs the GTO wouldn’t have been axed…
08/08, 1:22 PM
posted by:
Mike
I truly hope they go to all RWD. Pontiac was supposed to be the performance division. I think the problem with the GTO was that it was a muscle car, but didn’t look like one. It had the 400hp LS2 in 05, but still looked like an everyday commuter. I’ll be interested to see actual pics of the revised 2008 version. I live in Chicago, and we do get snow, but I’ll take my Crown Vic in the winter. All I do is throw some gravel in the back for some added weight. For the nicer days, I ordered a Solstice GXP.