> -----Original Message----- > From: Paul Stenquist [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > It's not selling well in the US. In fact, there was an article in the > Wall Street Journal yesterday about how GM might pull the plug on the > entire Pontiac division. The Pontiac GTO was meant to be a nostalgia > car. It needed some reference to the original, but it had to be done in > a stylish and contemporary way. Pontiac failed on both counts. > (snip)
Like I said, it was GM's boss who conscripted the Monaro into the Pontiac fleet. General Motors - Holden never developed the car as anything but a nostalgic tribute to their own Monaro series of the '60's & '70s, at which it has succeeded outstandingly. The Pontiac deal came after it was already launched, and the only concession to Pontiac tradition has been the adoption of the split grille. If Pontiac couldn't profitably market the car, it was a management failing rather than the car's. After all they paid next to nothing to develop it, which had already been done. They only needed the LHD conversion, the restyled grille, and slight changes to engine spec because US and Australian emission and noise laws are different. The car is otherwise very close the original version, at least the better specced originals. Anything they earned above the landed wholesale price was practically all profit, no development investment to repay. Anyhow, did you ever see the GTO that Pontiac was developing in house? Now there's a car that got hit with the ugly stick, besides which it had no visual reference to any of the old GTOs, save the grille and scoops that the Monaro / GTO had anyway. Who was going to buy that horror? The damage to Pontiac had already been inflicted by the front-drivers, which muscle car purists apparently hated. regards, Anthony Farr
