Pontiac Vibe to be replaced with another shared Toyota model?
2009 Pontiac Vibe – Click above for high-res image gallery
There are a lot of questions left unanswered after General Motors announcement this morning that its Pontiac division was not long for this world. One of those is what will happen to GM's joint venture agreement with Toyota to produce models at the New United Motor Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) facility in California. The Pontiac Vibe is currently produced there along with the Toyota Matrix, its platform mate. GM has stated that it's already negotiating with Toyota to produce a new model at NUMMI that would be sold under one of the automaker's remaining four brands – Chevy, Buick, Cadillac or GMC.
Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson told Automotive News, "There's really nothing wrong with the Vibe. Its only problem right now is that it is a Pontiac." The Vibe, a tall five-door hatchback, could simply be rebadged a Chevy to keep development costs down, though selling such a model in bow tie dealerships could cannibalize sales of the HHR, which itself is scheduled to be replaced in 2011 by a production version of the Orlando Concept. Or, GM could simply start fresh and develop an all new model off of the Corolla-derived platform that underpins the current Matrix and Vibe. As with all things GM at the moment, nothing is firm and more details (and rumors) will surely follow.
Check out our own review of the 2009 Pontiac Vibe.
Gallery: Review: 2009 Pontiac Vibe GT
[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
inline6 5:34PM (4/27/2009)
Called it!
Its replacement should be an entry-level Buick if Chevy's going to be giving us a Cruze-based Orlando.
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Farmboy 6:30PM (4/27/2009)
I've heard rumors it would be a Cadillac, but Buick would be a great place to put it. Their lineup needs something a little smaller.
mikeyt 10:17PM (4/27/2009)
hey its not half bad as a buick =) luxo it up... works for lexus (of course im not saying buick and lexus are the same)
http://miketramontano.com/pics/buicklavibe.jpg
Jared 10:31PM (4/27/2009)
Hopefully they will use the platform to build that new little Chevy (the Beat I think it was called?)
Perfect size and Chevy could use a good little small car to run along with the aging Aveo.
ken_aisin 10:09AM (4/28/2009)
It's been rumored that the Pontiac Vibe will be replaced with another shared Toyota model called Chevrolet Chevette ;~)
BoxerFanatic 5:35PM (4/27/2009)
"New United Motor Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI)"
Good one.
Nothing wrong with the vibe, other than it being branded Pontiac?
Ummmm.... the fact that it is ugly as sin? (and the Matrix is WORSE)
Honestly. Sell it as a 5-door version along-side Cobalt. It is about that boring.
If they think Pontiac needs to die, but there is nothing wrong with Vibe, then no wonder they are sinking like the titanic.
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zamafir 5:55PM (4/27/2009)
i never understood how these sorts of cars actually paid off in the long run, this, the routan, they all seem to flop. Automakers think they’ll get one over on their customers and their customers just don’t bite. And it’s not just GM doing it.
Platform sharing within related brands = good.
Rebadging competitors = bad.
the_MVP_X 6:07PM (4/27/2009)
Not really, GM already lost, now they see Toyota as a potential friend witch can help them reduce costs, then their worst enemy, you know how they say -if you can't beat 'em, join 'em-
chconline 6:08PM (4/27/2009)
Regardless of the exterior (Which isn't bad imo, but beauty is in the eyes of its beholder) the interior screams cheap to a pretty substantial limit. I sat in one a couple weeks back. The interior is cheaper than it is in photos. I can't believe how bad it is.
PJ 6:12PM (4/27/2009)
There's actually a fair amount wrong with the Matrix/Vibe besides its looks. Toyota dropped the ball uncharacteristically hard with the '09 redesign... cheap interior, poor visibility, nasty electric steering, high price, a dull-as-dishwater XRS/GT variant... it comes off as a rolling advertisement for why you should get an xB instead.
zamafir 6:22PM (4/27/2009)
"Regardless of the exterior"... which looks like a:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2680150819_76b27bd4fb.jpg
Mazda FTW! 6:33PM (4/27/2009)
I beg to differ. Both the Vibe and Matrix are very popular here in Canada and I think they are great cars, especially in higher-spec. Can they match a Mazda3? No. But these two are more for people who like the tall, hatch-wagon utility without the CUV-size and huge-engines and seating for 7. They both also come in nice colours and have a lot of character.
zamafir - I don't think the intent is to fool everyone. This is a jointly developed products and costs/facilities/know-how is shared.
John 6:56PM (4/27/2009)
Actually, the original Vibe outsold the Matrix for quite a while. I have an '03 that has been shockingly trouble-free for 6 years, with no problems of any kind, plus never lower than 26 mpg no matter what the usage. It's been a really good car and holds a ton of stuff while being relatively nimble.
Now, I absolutely hate the redesign. The took the graceful styling of the first gen. and smashed it into something that looks like a cross between a Sherman tank and bulldog, plus they got rid of the handy flip-up rear glass and kept the same interior layout but transformed it with reject pieces off the back lot of Star Trek.
Even so, it still has the same reliable underpinnings and since the small cars Chevy currently offers are not exactly best in class, I don't know why they couldn't keep a version of it around for a bit, while they create whatever will come next on the platform.
tekd 7:28PM (4/27/2009)
Eh, the Vibe/Matrix are pretty good sellers. Better than crap like the G3 anyway:
http://blogs.wsj.com/autoshow/2009/04/07/pontiac-g3-the-reprise/
(only ONE out of every 19 Pontiac dealers managed to sell a G3 in March...no wonder Pontiac had it's plug pulled).
BTW, as a Toyota owner myself I actually do notice almost all the newer models using way more hard plastic...I've sat in the new Corolla's and I was really surprised at the hard plastic everywhere. There's nice new features too like the concave doors, but the hard plastic is definitely disappointing.
Still, while the interior is definitely not up to Toyota's old standards or Honda's nice interiors (they seriously have some of the nicest budget interiors along with VW) pretty much the only thing wrong with them is the hard plastics everywhere-otherwise the interior is still much better laid out and fitment is good.
The funny thing is that one time when I took a ride in someone's Toyota which was a generation older than mine, I realized that their interior was even nicer and had zero squeaks (my passenger side door's plastics have squeaked on each other since I bought it, was always too lazy to go get it fixed). So it's definitely pretty noticable that Toyota has been using more hard plastics generation after generation, if you sit in a 4th generation Camry, then a 5th generation Camry, then a 6th Generation Camry it goes from fabric and soft plastic on every panel, to fabric and soft plastic on the easily visible or touched pieces, then finally to the overly hard plastic current Camry.
That said, the Vibe and whatever it's replacement is would still be one of the better interiors amongst the budget GM cars-all their other low end cars have even worse interiors by far. So dumping a product that sold well even though it was branded a Pontiac would be a pretty terrible idea. I think it would fit in well in the Chevy lineup, so long as there's no 5-door Cruze the Vibe could basically be the compact wagon.
And maybe GM and Toyota could make a less cheap feeling interior next time around. At least at Toyota the old leadership is back so hopefully the cars will go back to how they were.
aj121489 8:38PM (4/27/2009)
Yea I don't mind the 1st gen Vibes, I have an '04. I don't mind the looks or the interior, but then again when it comes free I'm not real picky. It has been a good car for the year or so that I've had it and my grandpa didn't have any problems with it when he had it (he bought it new).
skicat 10:32AM (4/28/2009)
Another failed comment from a coastal know-nothing. The Vibe sells lots of copies, just not where u live. Therefore, because you don't see it all around u, it must not sell. Travel broadens tiny minds. Try it sometime.
Richard S. 5:44PM (4/27/2009)
GM should sell its stake in NUMMI to Toyota and dump the Vibe.
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the_MVP_X 6:02PM (4/27/2009)
I like the Vibe, but it just won't be the same with the Chevy badge, and being involved with Toyota could be one of the best things for GM, they might create a new world order in the car world if they will develop cars together and if at some point they will merger.
Lar 6:12PM (4/27/2009)
"GM should sell its stake in NUMMI to Toyota and dump the Vibe."
+1!
djSyndrome916 5:44PM (4/27/2009)
"Or, GM could simply start fresh and develop an all new model off of the Corolla-derived platform that underpins the current Matrix and Vibe."
Eh? Toyota does nearly all of the engineering on the Vibe. The engine, transmission, electrics are all Toyota. Pontiac gets to put its own face on it, but that's about it. NUMMI was a way in the 80s for Toyota to recoup some development costs and make nice with the UAW. Toyota doesn't need to do either any longer.
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