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.
Remember how sick the GTO concept looked? Then we got a rebadged Monaro, not that it’s a bad looking car but I doubt GM will front the kind of money for R&D to make a whole new car if they can get restyle a Holden.
pontiac will sell about 500 cars and will be gone in a few more years, just like oldsmobile.
the new camaro will flop also, gm has a way of taking the nice concept cars and then fucking with them until they look like an Aztec for the general public.
ya that would be sweet if Pontiac was all performance oriented. i’d like to see a new, agressive GTO (similar to the concept) AND a new Firebird (and T/A). im guessing that will never happen but thatd be sweet. if it doesnt, then atleast the TA went out in the 4th gen with ‘not to be fucked with status’…unfortunatley the GTO cant say the same (even though its still pretty sweet).
