Popular car company trading for 84 years shut forever
Pontiac is one of the most recognisable names in American motoring (Image: Getty)
A popular car brand that traded for 84 years shut down for good. Pontiac, one of the most recognisable names in American motoring, was officially discontinued in 2010 after General Motors decided to close the division as part of a restructuring plan.
The brand was first introduced in 1926 as a companion make to Oakland, a more expensive General Motors line. It was designed to offer a six-cylinder car at the price of a four-cylinder model. However, unexpectedly, Pontiac quickly became more popular than Oakland. By 1933, General Motors had dropped Oakland entirely and kept Pontiac as a standalone division.
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The brand was first introduced in 1926 (Image: Getty)
For decades, Pontiac was seen as a solid middle-class brand in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In GM’s hierarchy, it sat above Chevrolet but below Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac.
That changed in the late 1950s, when the company changed its focus towards performance.
Pontiac promoted its “Wide Track” design and later described itself as the “performance division” of General Motors, using the slogan “We build excitement”.
The 1960s and 1970s were the car brand’s most successful years. In 1964, Pontiac introduced the GTO by installing a large V8 engine in the mid-sized Tempest. Many say that the move launched the American muscle car era.
The 1960s and 1970s were the car brand’s most successful years (Image: Getty)
Other models followed. The Firebird and its high-performance Trans Am version became some of the brand’s best-known cars.
The Bonneville and Grand Prix also became extremely popular. Then there was the Fiero, which stormed the 1980s as a rare mid-engine sports car from a mainstream US manufacturer.
However, by the 1990s and early 2000s, the brand began to lose its identity. Many Pontiacs were seen as rebadged versions of other General Motors vehicles.
While later cars such as the G8 and the Solstice were well received, they arrived at a difficult time for the wider company.
By the 1990s and early 2000s, the brand began to lose its identity (Image: Getty)
The global financial crisis of 2008 pushed General Motors into bankruptcy. As part of a $53billion US government bailout, GM agreed to cut back its operations and focus on four core brands.
Pontiac was among those dropped. The final Pontiac, a white G6, was assembled on January 4, 2010.
Dealer franchise agreements expired on October 31, 2010, bringing the 84-year-old brand to an official end.
Today, General Motors continues with Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC.
Although Pontiac no longer builds cars, its older models remain popular with enthusiasts.
Classic GTOs and Firebirds are still highly sought after, and GM continues to provide support for more recent vehicles.
