Pontiac's last great automobile, the G8.
General Motors finally appears to be getting its act together, but survival will mean over half of Canadians working for the company will be out of work by next year, from 10,300 in 2008 to 4,400 in 2014. Similarly, GM will shutter nearly half of its 705 dealerships by the end of this year in an effort to bring its product offerings and sales network into line.
Also, Pontiac will join the other dead GM brands like Oldsmobile, Geo and Asuna in 2010, while waiting on word of whether they’ll be accompanied by Hummer, Saab, Saturn and Opel. So long to exciting and relevant products like the G8 sedan, however depending on how negotiations proceed with Toyota, the Vibe may stay on another year.
This is the sort of thing that you theorize should happen over beers with your buddies. To see GM on this course now is perhaps a little frightening.
However, both the U.S. and Canadian federal governments have passed laws ensuring the validity of the new-car warranties from any auto company that goes bankrupt. So if you own – or are thinking of buying – a new GM, and the company goes under or enters a restructuring period, you won’t have to worry about your warranty being null and void.
Also, since virtually every Pontiac is a clone of something else in the GM stable, any current models would be happily serviced at another GM dealer, much like Oldsmobiles are today.
Expect GM to move forward with Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac, with GMC still providing rebadged Chevrolet trucks.