According to unnamed sources , GM says that the company will officially retire the Pontiac line on Monday. This announcement will bring GM's brands down to four -- Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick.Will this spell the end of the careers of such muscle car legends as the Pontiac GTO and Firebird? Will it also end the young career of the Pontiac G8, which drew strong praise from the automotive world and revived interest in the brand.
As GM struggles to survive and restructure to avoid bankruptcy and meet government deadlines they continue to deliver more bad news for employees and consumers alike. With the death of brand after brand like the Governor Terminator favorite, the Hummer, what was once the worlds largest corporation attempts to reinvent itself and thrive in a new world economy.
We all want the American auto industry to survive and flourish, but at what cost and to whom? How many of our tax dollars do we continue to throw at these companies and to what end? Are we as a nation to benefit from our investment or, as many have suggested, just let them die and leave this industry to whoever has the wherewithall to survive.
I have an admittedly selfish interest in all of this. I want one of the new Camaros', and who knows what will become of this beautiful example of just how innovative US automakers can be if GM falls. It creates quite a dilemma for me as I ponder who will pay for their continued survival. Maybe if everyone could just buy a new car with the governments bailout money then we would all benefit and the auto giants would not go the way of the dinosaurs and the Dodo bird.
Keep an eye on the headlines next week, its going to be a rough one for anyone employed in any aspect of the manufacture and sale of automobiles.
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