Here we go again. Rumors are swirling about the possible return of the Pontiac brand to the GM portfolio. We went through this last year when Car and Driver ran a fake ad in its magazine proclaiming “Pontiac Is Back.” It was a joke, but a lot of people bought it. Now, rumors are resurfacing because GM just filed trademarks for the Pontiac name and logo through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Specifically, filings 99155798 and 99155971 trademark the Pontiac name and the “arrowhead” logo the brand used up to its discontinuation for the following goods: hub caps for vehicles, horns for vehicles, license plate frames, and novelty license plate frames.
Although filing these patents in 2025 might seem like a hint at the return of the brand, it’s simply GM protecting these intellectual properties from getting into someone else’s hands. GM doesn’t want anyone else profiting from selling Pontiac-branded license plate frames or anything else. Even though Pontiac is dead and buried, it’s understandable that GM wants to protect its trademarks since it’s still fresh in the memories of GM enthusiasts.
These trademark filings come at around the same time that GM trademarked the name “Panther” for automotive use. The Panther name has been associated with the Chevy Camaro since before it came out, and logos of the animal were used on the 2024 Chevy Camaro Collector’s Edition as a nod to its early heritage. Panther branding could be used in an all-new Camaro model line, or possibly as a new model serving as a smaller and more affordable sports car in the style of the Toyota GR86 or Nissan Z.
While the Panther trademark filing might be a hint at a future product, we don’t think that’s the case for the trademark filing for the Pontiac name and logo. We think it’s just GM holding on to intellectual property it already owns.
That being said, if the Pontiac brand did come back, what would you want its 2026 model line to look like?
Comments
Make Mark Reuss CEO and Pontiac will be back in 8 months.
To Steve 29, my first car was a used 1962 Pontiac Parisienne. In 1965, I had the chance to join GM Canada. In 1969, after receiving a GM suggestion award of 5500.00.(Maximum was then 6000) I bought my first new car, guest what, a 1969 Pontiac Parisienne. Since than, I only drove GM vehicle specially Pontiac and Oldsmobile and also Isuzu-Opel-Saab vehicles. From 1975 to 2001, I drove 221 GM cars as a GM representative plus the ones that I bought personnaly, I lost the count. Bonneville SSEI was my favorite. Mark Reuss should replace Maira with her salary of 18 millions.
I got a $20K suggestion award and bought a ’86 Pontiac Parisienne
Shame, the brand could be used to bring some much needed testosterone back to lowercase gm.
But instead, it will come back as an EV
Worrying about masculinity when buying a car shows a serious lack of masculinity.
Pontiac wasn’t making any money as a brand. That’s why it was cut.
Nah, we’re to the point that most things in this country have now been Karenized. We’re tired of it and we’re tired of being talked down to by narcissists.
Says the Mary Kay Cadillac driver.
Ehdit0r drives a Mary Kay Cadillac?
No, Pontiac was outselling Buick, but Buick was beloved in China. China was a growth market, and the U.S. wasn’t. As a result, Buick lived and Pontiac died.
Yes, you’re right.
Yea because the Vibe, Aztec, Sunfire, TransPort were oh so very masculine.
I said it could be used for something similar, not that everything they ever made was. The auto industry needs to get some excitement back instead of all these EVs and crossovers, it’s boring AF.
I really like my Solstice coupe. They didn’t make many.
They could bring back Pontiac as al all V-8 ICE products.
if u are worried about that, u are probably g a y
indeed not necessary as well, and for me GM should be only one brand called GMC aka General Motors Company, resuming all chevrolet, cadillac and buick, because cars is more or less equal the same
Why does Chevrolet have so many differnet sized n=models and GMC only has three. We need another product with quality between Chevy and Cadillac.
Buick?
I assume GM also regularly renews its trademark for Saturn and Oldsmobile, but it doesn’t get any media attention.
I need a new GTO before I go to the big parking lot in the sky!!
Not if the dealers have their way. They love to jack up the prices, and the GTO was the pinnacle of gouging.
Seems like they should have had to sell that off during the bankruptcy, if it was actually that valuable.
GM was better with Pontiac and Oldsmobile. The five brands competed against each other and kept the corporation at the top of its game. At the end, with Saturn, Hummer, and Saab added there were just too many but in GM’s heyday, when they commanded 60 percent of the US market, it was the very strong internal rivalry for design, performance, and sales supremacy that propelled GM forward. A great deal of passion for the company was lost when Pontiac died and when Olds was discontinued too. GM is obviously still around but they haven’t engendered the kind of love for the company in younger generations as they did with earlier ones when all five brands were intact.
On the better:
GM was also better without Mary!
You mean like when they went bankrupt?
Totally Agree !!!
^^^ THIS ^^^ (Rocket4)
On the contrary. As time and economics changed and the divisions went corporate engine and platforms.
This made gir cars tgat just had styling changes and not things like say a real Olds engine.
This weakened GM and even worse the divisions competed with each other vs working to complement each other.
Chevy did more to hurt Pontiac than Toyota or Ford. As John Schinella of GM stated Chevy sells more cars do Chevy gets more say. GM never really managed the divisions well and the best work from Pontiac was broken rules like the SD cars and the GTO.
GM really only needs Chevy and Cadillac. GMC make tons of money on the Denali line. If China sales continue to decline Buick could be gone soon.
The Sloan program no longer works. Development costs are off the charts so you need yo spend less but max returns on each investment.
This is why the Camaro died. GM can make more return and volume on a CUV.
GM wasted billions buying losing car brands, which helped to destroy their core brands. Instead of buying Saab and others, they should have invested that money into Olds and Pontiac. They would spend several billion buying those losers and then sell them a few years later for a fraction of what they paid for them while neglecting their core brands. Piss poor management is what killed GM. We won’t get into the billions wasted buying robots that didn’t work, which about put them under in 92, I believe it was. Let’s just blame the union workers instead.
That’s too bad. I miss my T-1000. Good car. My buddy had a Montana that he hauled his six kids around in. He had a quiver full. It smelled like rotted bananas and soiled diapers. I think the kids ate cereal out of the cup holders.
CEO Mary is in love with ev’s and to hell with ice vehicles.No cars at Chevy and now no cars at Buick.Caddy is the only one left putting out cars and some fast cars.We the car buyers wants cars,2door sports cars from Chevrolet and Buick,only the Corvette is left at Chevrolet and they are in the 100k bracket.We need blue collar vehicles everyone can afford!
Not in love with EV. Just trying to meet future regulations without having to go to a two seat micro car to meet them. We just got a 4 year break but will it last?
Mary also approved the mid engine Vette, the C6 and C7. She approved the 100hp ZR1.
She approved the 6th Gen V8 two years ago that is near going into production all the while the were promoting the EV cars.
GM still has to deal with Carb states as they will fight back on emissions. Also if GM is to sell over seas they will need EV.
Things are no where as bad as you think if you look at this from a business sense, sure we lack fun cars but Ford is sitting in $9 stock selling a dying Mustang and limited number of $100k Raptors. Chrysler was sold off building cool cars to the French as they were losing money.
It used to a matter of survival as we will see more companies fail.
The Mustang sells very well in Canada as it has no competition. Ford’s market cap is 41 billion compared to GM’s 48 billion so they are still roughly the same size. There is a use case for the Camaro, especially once the current President scraps all the ridiculous suffocating emissions laws.
There was a time when the Delta 88 was the coolest full size 4door family sedan on the road … and affordable. Available with an optional performance V8, a total “sleeper”. The midsize GTO and 442 were mid size roomy performance sedans, in your face, no “sleeping” about them .
GM has NOTHING to compare to their size, performance, styling and price points now.
Keep up the good work, Mary … emasculating a once great car company ,
Agree, I loved my 66 GTO and then graduated to the 70 455 Grand Prix’s, sure miss them
How about you build a business case and show how much investment would be needed and how much sales volume you would get and profit per model all while you still meet fuel and emissions regulations.
It is easy to be a Web CEO when you have no real facts or figures to prove it can easily be done.
GM build some damn good sedans like the Regal AWD and the Buick Lacrosse and Impala along with the Malibu but there were too few buyers. Many of these sat on lots and rotted as the CUV models kept rolling off the lots at better profits margins and volumes.
Cool is not always going to make you money in large volumes today as most people are having a hard time just affording a basic model.
Even the Stinger at Hyundai failed while their CUV lines grow in sales volume.
I own an Impala, and people still want and love that car. I hear many people say they never should have discontinued it, but apparently, sales didn’t support keeping it. They had just perfected the Impala and then stopped building it. I still have people asking if I want to sell it.
Too bad. With some creative accounting & other paperwork for the lawyers to figure out, they could have used the Pontiac nameplate behind any upcoming Camaro off-shoot.
Yes, a Firebird, Firebird Formula and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am for the GMC dealerships, using all of the time-tested and beloved styling cues that made that car so beloved with millions.
A nice big Bonneville V-8 sedan/ coupe/ convertible would get my “motor” running.
Still have my 2007 Solstice and 2009 G-6 and love them both! But my 84 Fiero and 02 Grand Am GT are both gone along with my 82 S-10 Sport short bed. Too bad GM doesn’t build excitement anymore.
I have a 09 Solstice coupe that I’m going to give to my son. With so few made, hopefully it will become a highly collectible car. It has the 2.0, 5-speed, which I read is the one to own.
“if the Pontiac brand did come back, what would you want its 2026 model line to look like?”
Anything but a lineup of brand-engineered CUVs. Which is exactly what they’d do.
Still own and drive 5 Pontiacs. Nothing Else. In this world of SUVs and Trucks I enjoy being different.
So, no 2026 Aztec?
Two classic Pontiac here: a 1971 Hurst SSJ Grand Prix (400), and a 1972 Hurst SSJ Grand Prix (455).
A Pontiac return should start with the Firebird. Then a second gen Solstice should get the ball, or arrow head rolling
GM could easily build a Silverado sport truck. They have all of the parts and pieces currently in production so there’s no real development costs. Just put the Vette/Caddy turbo V-8 in a short bed regular cab truck, squat it just a bit, add cool tires, wheels, and paint with lots of other goodies like console shift, sport buckets, and sunroof. Slap on the SS badges and maybe a short scoop and You have a winner that pays for itself. All of the parts I mentioned are already in production and readily available. These could run down the same existing Silverado production line. Or dedicate one week and build a few hundred of these and see what happens. Now that would be exciting!