Dampened: Pontiac Vibe production ends this August
It was originally thought that the Vibe would be the terminal Pontiac, but now that we've learned that the Excitement runs out of the NUMMI plant by the end of August we're not so sure. While the curtain will drop on the Vibe, General Motors hasn't totally ruled out future co-production with Toyota at its joint venture in Fremont, CA.
The Vibe is the twin of Toyota's Matrix, and tended to earn Pontiac a lot of "it's a good GM car, because it's actually a Toyota" commentary, frustrating to no end in the halls of the RenCen, we're sure. Check out the full press release after the jump.
PRESS RELEASE:
General Motors Statement Regarding Discontinuation of Pontiac Vibe Production at NUMMI Facility
Attributable to Troy Clarke, President, General Motors North America
As part of its long-term viability plan and recent decision to phase out the Pontiac brand, General Motors has decided to discontinue production of the Pontiac Vibe by the end of August 2009. The Vibe is produced at the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) facility jointly operated by GM and Toyota in Fremont, California. While no replacement for Vibe production has been determined, GM and Toyota remain in active discussions regarding potential future production at NUMMI.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
homunculus 9:31AM (6/22/2009)
say hi to the aztec for me in car hell.
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MemphisNET 9:38AM (6/22/2009)
There are GM dealers here in southern Ontario that still have brand new Aztec's on their lots *laughs*
Poor little Vibe. Why oh why couldn't you just become a Chevy Chevette?
Doesn't the 1.8 Vibe/Matrix get better mileage than the Aveo?
Bob-omb 10:29AM (6/22/2009)
Yes, the 1.8L Vibe gets better mileage than the Aveo. Actuall, the 2.4L Vibe gets better mileage than the Aveo. THAT is how pathetic the Aveo's powertrain is.
And the Vibe is no Aztek. What a ridiculous comparison.
bh 10:37AM (6/22/2009)
It's a myth that the Aveo gets bad gas mileage. It's been upgraded since 2004, and it's now rated at 27 city / 34 highway with the stickshift, which is better than the manual Fit (27/33) or the Vibe (26/32).
MemphisNET 10:42AM (6/22/2009)
@Bob-omb
I hope you weren't referring to me about the Aztec -- I was simply amazed that there were still ''new'' ones out there for sale.
@bh
Even if the Aveo is getting better than advertised mileage or has been improved over the years, it still pales in comparison to the Vibe/Matrix since it is a much bigger vehicle, better in every single way and still pulls off big numbers in economy.
2011 Chevy Chevette... I'm just saying is all... :D
C.W. 10:45AM (6/22/2009)
lol
Bloke 11:14AM (6/22/2009)
When I was in the States I bought an Aveo just to commute into the city. It averaged 34-37mpg depending on the conditions and how I drove it. Considering I paid only $8,300 for it after throwing in a grand's worth of GM points and got $7,700 for it after two and half years, I can't think of any car I've owned which owed me so little. Just a no frills, common sense small hatchback.
Matt 11:40AM (6/22/2009)
I actually find this vehicle more disgusting BECAUSE it's a Toyota.
And we're ashamed that our buddy's magnificent G8 is in any way related, even just by badge, to this ugly pile of crap.
SSS 1:03PM (6/22/2009)
good riddance to more GM rubbish
Nightcrawler 10:13PM (6/22/2009)
@bg,
It's not a myth. Most American buyers don't buy a manual, they buy an automatic. With an automatic, the Aveo gets an overall average of 28 mpg, the same as the 1.8L Vibe auto, a much bigger car, and 3 mpg worse than the Fit.
UltimoDragon 12:53AM (6/24/2009)
@Nightcrawler, who wrote: "With an automatic, the Aveo gets an overall average of 28 mpg, the same as the 1.8L Vibe auto, a much bigger car"
---------------------------------
Both you and Bob-omb are pulling stuff out of thin air. Bob-omb was proven wrong on fuel economy figures. And you are off about the Vibe being 'a much bigger car' when the Aveo5 only trails it by 1 cubic foot in passenger volume.
Sea Urchin 9:44AM (6/22/2009)
"a good GM car, because it's actually a Toyota", now that's just too funny. Having said that Pontiac had a number of good cars, Solstice and by all account G8 was amazing.
The brand dies with a product that would sell under another name, I think had same G8 been sold as a Chevy it would have done much, much better, same for Solstice.
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Sean Eagen 10:00AM (6/22/2009)
Pontiac sold a TON of Grand Prix. I'm really surprised the G8 didn't sell better. It's a HUGE upgrade compared to the Grand Prix. I know because I made the upgrade. I honestly think that here in the northeast anyways, the majority of people are petrified of RWD in the winter. Most of my family and friends think I'm crazy buying a RWD vehicle and living in New Hampshire. People old enough to remember think they are just like the RWD of the 70's. People young enough have been told forever that FWD/AWD is the way to go in winter. Now I'm going to be going into my first winter with RWD, but this is probably one of the best RWD vehicles to go with. Traction control, stablility control, Limited Slip Diff, almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution. I know I've already scared the crap out of the wife with a small bit of sliding on wet roads around corners with the traction control on, just sliding a few inches. The winter will be fun. :)
Dave 9:58AM (6/22/2009)
C'mon, let's be real. The G8 and Solstice were only appealing to performance enthusiasts. When GM decided to make Pontiac the "excitement" brand, these two cars fit the bill perfectly, but Pontiac as a whole just didn't fit into today's auto economy anymore. The market for a tiny, 2-seater convertible could be described as "niche" at best, and if anyone was going to buy a RWD sports-sedan in this world is wildly fluctuating gas prices, they were going to make damn sure it had a luxury logo on it.
Putting a bow-tie on these cars won't save them, however, I bet the Vibe would sell well as a Chevy.
jv2k 12:22PM (6/22/2009)
"Pontiac sold a TON of Grand Prix. I'm really surprised the G8 didn't sell better. It's a HUGE upgrade compared to the Grand Prix. "
This is precisely why it didn't cell better. The grand prix was a competent midsized with sporty pretensions(that it met adequately enough) that was cheap. The g8, while better in every way, also cost several grand more which alienated the old grand prix buyers.
Now the g8 isn't nearly as big a failure as a lot of people like to think, it started out terribly because it came out when gas prices where high and the recession had just begun, but it ended up selling something along the lines of 20,000 units which isn't that bad.
GM should have released a no frills fuel efficient cheaper model if they wanted to sell more of them. It would have been painfully slow, but most people don't want and don't need fast.
Tom Miller 9:56AM (6/22/2009)
Because GM shared that plant with Toyota, didn't it have the reputation for some of the best quality GM cars? Good Toyotas, too.
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dave1w41 10:16AM (6/22/2009)
Not really.. The Vibe is a mediocre car (noisy, harsh, un-refined, cheap looking interior) but all of that stuff is given a pass by people who have Toyota logos embedded in the lenses of their eyes. When it's a Pontiac it's glaringly uncompetitive. If the Malibu was a rebadged Camry it would be hated and excoriated just like the Vibe.
Avinash machado 10:05AM (6/22/2009)
Gm should build a last of the line edition of the G8. Maybe about 50 of the last Pontiacs built should carry the last of the line tags.
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Jim in Tampa 10:26AM (6/22/2009)
Maybe Roger Penske should pick up a modified version of the Vibe for his Saturn lineup?
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tankd0g 10:30AM (6/22/2009)
It would be nice if one of these stories would include the fate of the Nummi plant. Will Toyota take over GMs half or what? Were the Vibes only worked on by GM workers or?
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