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Due to slower-than-expected sales and the expense of recertifying the vehicle for 2007 emissions and safety standards, GM has told dealers that this year will be the last for the Pontiac GTO, with the last vehicles hitting US shores in September. Having sold 13,500 units in '04 and 11,600 last year, the GTO never quite lived up to expectations.
In this case, I feel a bit sorry for GM. It did exactly what its fans wanted it to - bring over one of the magnificent rear-wheel-drive Holden products from Australia. Pontiac never quite figured out the marketing, though; it was too expensive and sophisticated for the muscle-car crowd, too GM-ish to attract buyers away from other $35K coupes, and of course its bland styling was glaringly apparent to anyone who ever laid eyes on an '05 Mustang. Let's not forget the nasty price-gouging that occurred early on, either.
The power was there (400 HP - I mean, come on - that's serious), the interior was terrific, the chassis was excellent - had this product launched in the late 90s when the buzz about Holden began, I think it could have made a major impact. Launching a full lineup including a sedan and maybe a droptop would have certainly helped as well, and maybe this was more of a Chevrolet all along. Feel free to do a bit of Monday-morning quarterbacking in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
JFK @ Feb 21st 2006 3:42PM
It is about time on this one. I am a GM guy born and raised but this was a huge disappointment to say the least. I saw the concept version of this at the NAIAS years ago and it was awesome (very similiar to the new Camero)! Then typical GM came out with a crappy design that looked more like a suped up cavalier than its Father, the old school GTO. I think that GM is on the right track as far as their new designs (i.e. the new Saturns and the Camaro), and I hope that the elimination of the GTO is a step in the right direction.
Joel A @ Feb 21st 2006 3:44PM
I wonder if the GTO's situ is why GM's so hesitant to commit to the Camaro.
laserwizard @ Feb 21st 2006 3:47PM
This vehicle should never have been given to Pontiac. It should have been a Saturn from the start, priced under $30K and would have been a serious kick in the sales charts that Saturn needed as a halo car. I'd have loved to see Chevrolet dealers who were stuck with a mamby-pamby Monte Carlo that couldn't get out of its own way with a tail wind after Saturn got this car.
The GTO was a decent car but was not worth the sticker price.
As for GM's marketing, they haven't been able to market anything in decades. This company is all about rebate, recall, and retreat.
Spear @ Feb 21st 2006 3:47PM
OH YAYYY!!
no more wasting of good steel on american shit
Ed @ Feb 21st 2006 3:51PM
Hey, why spend any money actually styling a new GTO based on the classic musclecar when you can simply re-badge a boring-as-hell Holden? Top work, guys!
This is sad. GM blew it on the GTO. Had they bothered to engineer a GTO from the ground up (or at least from the Holden platform up) it could have been a massive hit like the new Mustang, the upcoming Challenger, and potentially the upcoming Camaro. Instead they pinched pennies and released a lame coupe that bears almost no relation to the GTO of the past.
noname989 @ Feb 21st 2006 3:53PM
Wow that was quick but can't say I was surprized. The muscle car crowd could'nt afford it and the BMW crowd didn't want it. Sad because it was a rather good drifting car :(
Justin @ Feb 21st 2006 3:56PM
GM should have had the foresight to build this platform in the US from the very begining way back in 1997. Not only would this car have been cheaper but we could also have the Commodore sedan, Caprice, wagon, 2 and 4 door utes and the 400hp AWD wagons. Unfortunately GM was too busy inflicting its forgetable FWD V6 garbage on the american public.
The LS2 powered holden HSV Avalanche
http://forum.avtoindex.com/foto/data/media/144/avalanche_04_1.jpg
Bo @ Feb 21st 2006 4:00PM
A real shame. POWERFUL car, solid ride, nicely appointed inside...but a real DUD as far as styling! Looks about as powerful as a Cobalt! No attitude, at all! Why can't those grey-hairs making the decisions at GM get it? I just hope they don't screw-up the Camara prototype they showed at the Detroit Auto Show (but given past experience, I'm not going to hold my breath)!
RossL @ Feb 21st 2006 4:00PM
Face it: the era of the two-door muscle car ended a long time ago, for all sorts of reasons (price, insurance, impracticality, uncoolness in the eyes of many buyers, etc).
Good riddance to the GTO. Next it'll be the Mustang's turn (retro cars get boring quickly). And if they are launched, I suspect the new Camaro and Challenger will flop as well.
Jay @ Feb 21st 2006 4:01PM
GM forgot that the original GTO was a stripped down family car with a huge engine that let muscle car buyers do whatever they wanted to do to it for the best possible price. The pricing of the new GTO alone ruined the GTO heritage they tried to bring back. If it were $25K or less, it would have been an amazing car, but GM lately has been unable to stay away from the $35,000-$40,000 price point on their most desirable vehicles, putting them out of reach for a majority of buyers. A shame, as it could have been truly special.
Tommy Ward @ Feb 21st 2006 4:07PM
It may be fast, and it may handle well....but GM blew it with the styling. When will they learn? GM product management is so incompetent. In order to compete today you need a car that is exciting, looks good, drives / handles well, is reliable, and for a price that matches expectations in the segment. There are few GM cars that are exciting, and none of them are inexpensive. If not inexpensive, then they have to be world class in every way.
This would be a good time to start a pool on the bankruptcy of GM. Year and month anyone?
PBCrunch @ Feb 21st 2006 4:10PM
Too expensive and too late. If the GTO was available for $25k in 2002 I would not have purchased my RSX.
FM @ Feb 21st 2006 4:15PM
Shame,because it was a Holden. If GM might have brought this earlier it would've standed a chance. The STI and the EVO took the glory,and somewhat...the Mustang.
RIP
Alan @ Feb 21st 2006 4:15PM
The biggest problem with the GTO was that the front fascia looked *too much* like a Pontiac. They should have kept the original Holden front facia and worked on the rear. It was looks that killed the GTO, not performance, not price.
judd @ Feb 21st 2006 4:16PM
If I wanted a rental car I will rent one. The car needed it's own image and not look like every Grand Am.
nezromatron @ Feb 21st 2006 4:17PM
I think the main problem with the car was calling it a GTO. It just opened the door to comparisons to a hideous car from the paleolithic era. The styling was fine, it was meant to be a sophisticated car, a sleeper, devoid of usuless nostrils.
steven @ Feb 21st 2006 4:18PM
I loved the gto but the price was out of reach of most people by about 7000.00 dollars. Part of the other problem is gready dealerships that won't make any sort of deal on the gto. I bought a mustang gt after I went to 4 pontiac dealerships and they would not deal any. The styling is kindof bland. they should built the chais in the united states and offered 2 and 4 door versons with the cilinder deactavation like the vetts have so it dose not get hit with such a large gas guzler tax. I really like the car mabe in a few years I might be able to buy one.
the porblem with GM and ford both is that managment is out of touch with realiaty. They make medorcer products and want to charge too much for them. A cavalier is not a 15000.00 car it is a 12000.00 car. If you are going to charge inflated stickers make the cars auctualy worth the price and make them last 350000 miles insted of squezing the vendors to death and making all your parts in canada and mexico. Chrysler has figured it out. I wish that the roumor was true that toyota was going to buy gm mabey there cars would not fall apart then.
theSAWzall @ Feb 21st 2006 4:20PM
I kind of liked the understated styling, and the general idea of the car. But the numbers never impressed. Finally one day I pulled up behind one and was blown away that it was smaller than my Corolla. The new "Muscle cars" are bigger than the originals, something the GTO missed.
steven @ Feb 21st 2006 4:21PM
I loved the gto but the price was out of reach of most people by about 7000.00 dollars. Part of the other problem is gready dealerships that won't make any sort of deal on the gto. I bought a mustang gt after I went to 4 pontiac dealerships and they would not deal any. The styling is kindof bland. they should built the chais in the united states and offered 2 and 4 door versons with the cilinder deactavation like the vetts have so it dose not get hit with such a large gas guzler tax. I really like the car mabe in a few years I might be able to buy one.
the porblem with GM and ford both is that managment is out of touch with realiaty. They make medorcer products and want to charge too much for them. A cavalier is not a 15000.00 car it is a 12000.00 car. If you are going to charge inflated stickers make the cars auctualy worth the price and make them last 350000 miles insted of squezing the vendors to death and making all your parts in canada and mexico. Chrysler has figured it out. I wish that the roumor was true that toyota was going to buy gm mabey there cars would not fall apart then.
Otis @ Feb 21st 2006 4:21PM
RossL, Muscle cars flop? The Mustang is doing great in sales, and I am sure the Challenger will do well too unless the price tag is ridiculous. If the Camaro is made.. it may be too late for the retro muscle look.
I bet the Mustang stays strong though and as the sales numbers start to sag Ford will make it nice and fresh again. There will continue to be a following for muscle cars and technology will just make them more powerful, while being more fuel efficient.