We’ve mentioned this before, but we feel it’s worth mentioning again. According to a report from The Detroit News, roughly two-thirds of Pontiac owners and almost three-fourths of Saturn drivers defected from GM in favor of competitive makes.
Marketing data collected for the year of 2010 reveals that just 36 percent of Pontiac owners remained loyal to GM products, while just 26 percent of Saturn buyers stuck around. A similar situation is seen with Hummer, which saw a a mere 39 percent retention rate.
Despite this, The General seems to be doing better without the three defunct brands as far as monthly sales numbers and market share are concerned, not to mention profits. Although there does seem to be a few holes in the lineup — especially when it comes to Pontiac.
So we have to ask, did you or someone you know defect from The General because of what happened to Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and/or Hummer?
Source: The Detroit News
Comments
Is it that people are so attached to a name that they feel betrayed for losing it?
or they could not find a similar car / truck from one of the other brands, I guess I am just typing out loud 🙂
I think the Pontiac buyer was the main loss. Pontiac was suppose to be the performance brand competitively priced . Aside from the G3 and G5, the rest of the remaining 2009 lineup was good. So when Pontiac was shuttered down, where were Pontiac buyers suppose to go? GMC? why would they want a truck? Buick? Nothing about Buick screams performance, the Regal GS isn’t out, so it’s too soon to tell, but i can say the “bang for buck” will not be there. Cadillac are out of the budget too. Honestly the Pontiac buyer in 2010 had 2 cars to go to if they were in the market for performance Chevrolet Camaro and Chevrolet Corvette. I hope they will not sell off the Pontiac brand in the future so they can resuscitate it as a reboot.
I agree with Dannyg and Ricardo.
What I have trouble understanding is that for instance, what did the Pontiac Torrent offer that one could not get in a Chevrolet Equinox? I would say if they made bare bone G3 or G5 with performance drivetrain and suspension, that would not be available in their Chevrolet cousin Aveo or Cobalt, it may have helped Pontiac.
Danny and by the way Good name. The way i think of it, you would have a stand alone Chevrolet dealer with a full lineup of cars and trucks. On the other side you had GMC/Buick/Pontiac and together they would make up a full lineup as well. So these dealer would push GM to get them a similar car / truck that Chevrolet had to help with sales. Dealers are owned by individualizes or small company’s and no one wants to give up a sale even if its for the parent company of your brand. It’s us vs them what ever brand it is they will try to sell you what ever they have in the lot.
I agree with you on the dealer end. It is true a sale is a sale and if you take a sale away from chevy, to bad so sad! Having sold almost all of the GM brands over the past 34 years, I can show and tell why Pontiac is better than chevy.
As a purchaser of vehicles and a member of P.O.C.I. prefer Pontiac over Chevy. Pontiac has always had “more class” than the plain jane chevy. My wifes last lease car was not a GM product because they dropped Pontiac and they dropped doing leases. Her next car, which is due next summer, will be one of the following candidates; Ford Focus, Buick Verano & Regal.
It is no surprise that Pontiac owners are leaving. Chevy is neither stylish nor does it have a sportier suspension.
I don’t think they will ever sell the brand name off. I think it would be to much work for a new company to pick up the name and start from scratch. I did like the G8 and Solstice / Saturn Sky. Maximum Bob Lutz has the Solstice Roadster and Coupe :). Take away the name for one minute and lets just think of the cars that we liked so much at Pontiac. Why can’t they live under the Chevrolet name plate ? I think KIA is going to start selling a Rear Wheel Drive sedan next year. If that is the case why can’t Chevrolet do the same.
I am one of the two-thirds of Pontiac owners that defected, which I hated to do since I had $4,700 I could have had deducted from the GM purchase price. The last 4 cars I have owned were GM with the last 3 being Grand Prixs. These were the best cars I have ever owned. I wanted to buy a new GM vehicle but could not find one model that met my criteria in styling and with the optional features I wanted. The Regal 4 cylinder and even the turbo does’nt get it. The LaCrosse has terrible head rests that can not be adjusted for a shorter person and have a weird slant. The back window view is very restricted and the cars behind you look further away than they actually are. Could not get the heads-up-display option on anything but a LaCrosse. The Chevy sedans still look out-of-date with the same old dash style. Though I am 62, I still like the muscle car look and the Grand Prix and the G8 replacement had this great style. Since my son desperately needed a new car, I gave him my 2004 Grand Prix that was still in mint condition. The only maintenance I ever had to have done was oil changes. I ended up buying a 2011 Dodge Charger with all the bells and whistles. I still miss my Grand Prix but at least I can still see it when my son comes over. I am not that concerned with the gas mileage as I no longer work and don’t have to travel any distance anymore. Growing up with V8s and then having V6s, I can’t deal with a 4 cylinder car. You can really tell the difference especially when you’re trying to pull 3800-4000 pounds of car. As far as the electric concept, you still end up paying for gas with an add-on to your electric bill. Where have you gained?…can’t imagine plugging in my car every night! I would trade-in my new Charger in a minute if GM would come back with the Pontiac model or something even comparable.
My first new car was a Pontiac Sunfire, then I graduated to the Grand Am and then to my current vehicle, Grand Prix. I thought my next car would be the G8 until GM pulled the plug on Pontiac so I am trying to hold unto my Grand Prix for as long as I can. I do not see any cars that are similar to Pontiac in styling and within a reasonable price range. I cannot see myself purchasing a Chevy, they are not bad vehicles but after I had a very bad experience taking my Pontiac for servicing at a Chevy service center, I vowed never to look at a Chevy. Pontiac was a pretty good brand: very stylish, preformed well and reasonably priced. I do not know what to purchase as my next vehicle.
I just don’t think it was a good ideal to pull the Pontiac GXP or Saturn Solstice Redline off the market. Two very affordable cars, both having 2.0t ecotech power plants. Not to forget the HHR SS, which also has the same set up. It’s like the fun went bye-bye. And now Toyota has the rear wheel drive 200hp FS-R. GM has nothing on the market .
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