Pontiac Drives Boldly into the 21st Century
FOR RELEASE: February 7, 2002Pontiac Drives Boldly into the 21st Century
CHICAGO – Pontiac is, and will continue to be, the “Excitement Division”. As Pontiac looks forward, the division is evolving how it expresses “excitement” for today’s and tomorrow’s buyers. “Pontiacs will always be identified by their sporty, athletic designs and outstanding performance – but we’re keeping current by offering cleaner, fresher, more contemporary expressions of Pontiac excitement beginning with the ’03 Vibe,” explained Lynn Myers, Pontiac-GMC general manager.
Pontiac buyer “profile”
“Our research tells us that people who drive Pontiacs are passionate about the style and performance of their cars and most important, they love to drive,” said Myers. “Pontiac makes driving fun by putting the driver in the center of a well-balanced machine that delivers unsurpassed handling and control in a package that looks as good as it performs.”
Pontiacs have special appeal for younger buyers. “The division has the youngest buyers within GM and among the youngest in the industry,” Myers said.
Pontiacs sell big in Chicago
Grand Prix #1: Buyers in the Chicago area chose Grand Prix more than people in any other U.S. market in 2001. In fact, 7 percent of all Grand Prixs were sold in the Chicago area last year. The Midwest is a hotbed for the Grand Prix; the car’s sales in GM’s North Central Region -- which is comprised of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota and parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Missouri -- accounted for 41 percent of all Grand Prix retail sales in 2001 (34,538 units.)
Sunfire’s #1 Market: Pontiac also sells more Sunfires in the Chicago market than anywhere else in the United States, accounting for 5.5 percent of Sunfire’s total retail sales. In fact, Pontiac’s top-selling Sunfire dealer, Gillespie Pontiac, is located in Chicago.
Chicago Sales Rank #2: Chicago ranks second only behind Detroit in number of Pontiac cars sold. Chicago also ranked as the second-hottest selling market for Grand Am, Montana, Aztek and Bonneville in calendar year 2001.
Looking to the future – sleek designs and outstanding performance
“Our plan is to contemporize Pontiac excitement with cleaner, fresher designs. You can see this in the styling of the new Vibe,” said Myers. Bob Lutz, chairman of GM North America, supports that claim, calling Vibe a “solid foundation on which to build the future of Pontiac.” “Although we’re dressing our cars differently, they have the same exciting Pontiac personality under the hood,” Myers added.
Pontiacs that hit the streets in 2003 and beyond will maintain the division’s signature cues, namely dual port grilles, strong wheel-to-body relationships, a wide, planted stance and taut, athletic shapes. They won’t just look good, they’ll have outstanding performance and handling as well. That exceptional performance and handling will carry across all Pontiacs, which will be equipped with more powerful and efficient engines and a better balance of power and handling capabilities.
“G-Force” and future Grand Prix
The biggest news for Pontiac is the Grand Prix “G-Force” show car, revealed today at the Chicago Auto show. The Grand Prix G-Force is a visual demonstration of the future direction of Grand Prix Excitement. G-Force embodies the best of Pontiac — with its strong muscular styling that suggests “performance” plus ample horsepower and handling credentials to deliver an exhilarating driving experience. In fact, the Grand Prix G-Force gets its name from its impressive power and handling credentials: The car’s chassis and tire and wheel components are designed to achieve .85G of lateral acceleration force and reach 155 mph. “The next generation Grand Prix will raise the bar in the midsize segment for sporty styling, performance and some surprises you wouldn’t expect from a sporty midsize car,” said Myers.
Bonneville “G/XP” explores potential design, performance with “full-size tuner”
With its clean, sleek lines, powerful form and enhanced supercharger, the Pontiac Bonneville G/XP show car brings the “tuner” ethos of today’s small car performance and appearance trends to the realm of the full-size, luxury-performance sedan market. “The G/XP is a visual demonstration of Pontiac’s design direction, and hints at the potential design and performance direction of Bonneville,” said Myers. “At its core, the G/XP underscores the importance of performance and sporty styling with clean design expressions.”
Hot accessories
Pontiac is keeping up with the growing trend toward personalization and buyers’ desire to “dress up” their cars by offering custom-designed accessory packages. Most estimates put the U.S. accessories market at $25 billion annually at retail, and it appears to be growing at twice the rate of the automotive aftermarket in total. “Generation X and Y buyers often spend thousands of dollars each to customize their cars,” said Myers. “That’s why we’re creating special accessories packages for our models that are most popular with younger people – the Sunfire, Grand Am and Vibe.”
Sunfire gets a makeover
An extensive mid-cycle makeover gives the 2003 Sunfire a fresh new exterior look, increased standard horsepower and torque, and more. Significant improvements include a new front-end design with new integrated turn signals that extend further into the hood, redesigned rear taillamps, a new body-colored tailgate to bring a more contemporary look to the back end, and the top-line 2.2-liter Ecotec L4 engine. Previously only available on the GT, that engine is now standard equipment and produces 25 more horsepower. Other new options for 2003 are: XM Satellite Radio, a new 60/40 rear seat and seat fabric, new safety belts and optional side air bags, and the OnStar system.
Grand Am SC/T accessory package and Hot Wheels show car
SC/T: Now Grand Am owners can personalize their GT models with a racy GM Licensed appearance kit that includes a dual-inlet performance hood and/or rear-wing spoiler. Inspired by the Grand Am SC/T Roadster first shown at the SEMA (Special Equipment Market Association) show, these accessories were built exclusively for the Grand Am and are covered by GM’s new-vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty.
Hot Wheels* Grand Am: Pontiac and toy maker Mattel, Inc. have teamed up to make a Hot Wheels version Grand Am. First seen at the SEMA show, this concept hints at the potential future direction of Grand Am. It includes a lowered ride height, 18-inch Z-rated BF Goodrich tires on polished alloy wheels, a Ram Air hood-mounted induction system and many more modifications to make it look ready to run on the famous orange Hot Wheels track.
* Hot Wheels is a trademark of Mattel, Inc.
Solstice concept roadster and coupe
Pontiac’s red-hot concept – the Solstice roadster – will be on display in the Pontiac exhibit throughout the Chicago show. The car was lauded as AutoWeek’s “Best in Show” after its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month.
The gunmetal gray Solstice made a powerful entrance as it was driven onto the stage by Bob Lutz. Solstice was designed to be an affordable sports car for those who have a passion for driving and enjoy the open-air experience. The name was chosen to suggest sun, or a highpoint or turning point. The roadster sprang to life after Lutz challenged GM designers to come up with an affordable roadster last September. The “sketch-off” generated nearly 100 distinct drawings.
Franz Von Holzhausen, a recent addition to GM’s California design studio, originally sketched the Solstice as a coupe. Solstice is clearly a member of the Pontiac family, with Pontiac-signature dual-port grilles, a strong wheel-to-body relationship, a wide, planted stance, taut, athletic shapes, and of course, outstanding performance. The roadster is striking in its purity and simplicity. The exterior lines are strong, bold and clearly Pontiac – but not over-the-top. The interior is focused on the essential elements of driving -- functional, precise and inviting, executed in a manner that exudes quality and tactile feel.
While no plans exist for production, Lutz is clear it’s something that’s on his mind. “Obviously, you can’t say it’s going to be produced before it’s had a chance to make the rounds,” he explained. “Having said that, you’ve got to feel good about a vehicle such as this. Clearly we’ve approached it with a mindset toward production based on low investment, minimal validation time and flexible manufacturing.”
“Pass It On” marketing campaign
Pontiac showcases its appeal to youthful drivers and those with a passion for driving in its integrated marketing campaign called, “Pontiac Excitement. Pass It On.” Pass It On is about real people experiencing real excitement in a Pontiac. The wide-ranging campaign debuted last fall.
“The ‘Pass It On’ campaign is a very fresh, contemporary way to evolve driving excitement and keep Pontiac relevant in the minds of today’s younger buyers,” said Myers. “It makes a real, emotional connection by showing real people who are creating their own excitement in a Pontiac, rather than having it scripted for them.” The campaign directs consumers to the www.pontiac.com web site, where they can apply to “star” in a Pontiac commercial. To date, 100,000 people have applied.
Vibe made its television debut during the Pontiac Excitement post-game show following Super Bowl XXXVI on February 3, 2002. In the “Pass It On” style, the intro ad showed real “people on the street” getting their first look at the Vibe outside an Austin, Texas, coffeehouse. In subsequent ads, we’ll see people climb into the Vibe and check out its features. Some even find creative uses for Vibe’s two-prong, household-style outlet.
Pontiac is a division of General Motors Corporation . The division markets the Aztek, Bonneville, Firebird, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Montana and Sunfire and brings the all-new Vibe to market in early 2002. The division has also been providing racing excitement since 1958, participating in the NASCAR Winston Cup and NHRA circuits.