Pontiac GTO Did GM Screw it up?

Joe, you're right - the Nova was a rebadged Corolla. The only thing worse than that was rebadging a Cavalier as a Cadillac.

 

They all way bring back the name on a stupid car, just to boost sales.

 

"Senator, I knew GTO and you're no GTO"

 

lets see....... they stop making the TRANS AM....... ok stop and think about that. camaro Z28 to be next. and they have the nerve to put THE GTO badge on this POS???? i love the old stuff, see my pics i have posted. I WILL NOT BUY ANY OF THESE NEW CARS YA HEAR ME GM???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i will keep my 70's muscle cars and find a old 308 and be happy. 99% of the stuff made since OBDI AND II came out is untouchable at home. and no i am not going to buy a freaking laptop and reflash the prom just to get it to work. i deal with business jets day in and day out, they are worth all the technology, the cars are not. no wonder all the younger kids are buying rice cars, they are no heros left. hell the FORD mustang is looking REALLY good to this " fbody" GM guy now. they are the only thing left that is even close to bieng american muscle. new corvettes dont count ( i have an old 4 speed vette so dont flame me ). thanks for letting me vent!!!!! this new/old thing they are doing is going to bite them in the butt...... they need to GET IT RIGHT!

 

what they should have done was used the GTO in the movie XXX now that every1 has seen it. They should have used that to model their new car on then it would have sold like hotcakes

 

No doubt about it, GTO is boooooooring

 

Well, my 6 spd. '94 Trans am is at the dealer now for some work, and the salesman says the first six GTOs into the dealership are "SOLD".

Not to me! Reserve "judge"ment until a test drive.
These colored instruments are all the rage in offshore boats!

GM's as lost as last year's Easter eggs!

Hey reaper, you ever seen the Ram Air IV crate engine option in any of your old Birds?

 

It needs more body cladding.

 

I agree with most on the styling. It looks like it would have made a decent looking Grand Am/Cavalier if it was introduced in say, '96 maybe. Big disappointment!

 

Maybe they should just put a big GTO on the front & back of an Asstech LOL

 

I'm really glad they stayed with the original concept design.

 

I think this is probably just initial hype, like the PT Cruiser etc. I'm pretty sure that within a few months, these things will be cluttering up lots everywhere.

It's way too expensive to be an option for the Cavalier-Sunfire crowd, so I don't know where the Pontiac marketing types see this fitting in.

 

The original Goat was an option package on the Lemans/Tempest. A fairly pedestrain/rental car design of its day. Car just ran a bit different w/the big motor. Seems the new GTO is sticking w/same formula. Cool. Though what it wants is the 427 (small block) said to be destined for the next gen Vette. Oh, and an Avis license plate bracket.

 

That's pretty wild - even looks like the orange that Judge GTOs often came in!

Why bother designing something unique when you know the bean counters are going to go with the Cavalier?

 

I dont think going full out retro would last long, but they do plan on redesigning the car in 2 years. Possibly bringing back some more retro cues from gto's past. Cars back then were just more interesting in general, the gto was nothing special but that was just the body style of the time and it looked good to many of us. Also they can only import 18,000 for this year so I highly doubt many will be sitting around the lots for long.

ps. that original GTO concept was produced entirely of foam! even the car on the show circuit.

 

I guess that since we were focused on styling, I forgot about the performance. Apparently it is RWD, with a 5.7L V8 and 6-speed. So even though I still think it looks like a Cavalier, it'll be far more interesting to drive. So I assume they will sell quite well.

But I still maintain that it doesn't look anything like a "GTO" should look.

I'll see it at the Detroit Auto Show on my way to the Ferrari display

 

Yes and 4 wheel independant suspension all around 350 horse 360 torque. So what do you think it should look like though, curious? Just when pontiac is losing the cladding now the car becomes to boring? lol I dont have a stake in pontiac, just my opinion.

 

If I could draw, I would sketch it for you, but as an example, I think that Ford has done a really good job with the new Mustang (whenever it's supposed to come out; 2005? 2006?).

It's clearly modern, but one look at it (especially the grille) and you immediately think back to the glory days of the Mustang and forget about all the horrific versions that we've seen from the 70s onward (even though there were some "ok" versions in the 80s and 90s). Even the most casual, not-into-cars person knows that it's a Mustang.

When the average person looks at the new GTO, they should never think "Hey, is that a Grand Am or a Cavalier?".

 

1) What are you guys smoking?
2) Doesn't GM have a drug-testing policy in effect?
3) Why does the design department keep getting big shipments from Jamaica?


Actually Jim, in all seriousness, you can ask him why they have made their trucks, SUVs and vans look so awful (the grilles) - they really had a good thing going for a while. Why the pathalogical need to "fix" what ain't broken? I would love to know the answer. I'm sure you'll hear the words "focus groups" in there somewhere!

 

Ask him why doesn't GM just bite the bullet and build a car to squarely take on the Accord and Camry? Something that would establish GM as a top level car maker? Why do they feel they have to build a car to the cheapest possible price and compete on that level? As the Accord and Camry show, people will pay up for a quality product.

 

Now the Mustang & the Corvette C6 nailed it on the head, both beautiful awesome cars w some good retro thrown in.

GTO missed the mark by a mile

 

Yeah, ask him about the hydro car. It's my understanding that GM is placing all its bets on this square.

Oh, and while you are at it, ask him if he has ever heard of the company called Lexus. He may have grounds for a lawsuit cause it looks like Lexus just flat out stole the Saturn idea, except those devious SOBs made their cars prettier, more luxurious, better quality, and created an all-around car ownership experience that far exceeds anything ever done before by anybody.

And uh, you might also ask him if he has ever heard the old saying that, "Crack is Wack."

DrTax

 

Jim, be careful what you ask for. The new GTO is not that bad looking in person. It is somewhat bland perhaps, but imagine the result if the crackhead who designed the Esclade had been given this assignment Bada Bing Bling!

Finally, there is no better goat than a 67. Gotta have a G-T-O!

Hmmm, I wonder if a 67 GTO body will fit on this new sucker...

 

Ok, I'll apologize in advance for my awful cynicism but....the answer is that a car like the Accord or Camry doesn't fit in with the great GM concept known as "planned obsolescence". A certain level of build quality would be unacceptable for GM because their ideal customer trades in every 2-3 years. Turning that into 5-7 years would be a disaster in Detroit.

While we're asking GM questions...why was the STS a FWD? Wouldn't it have been a world beater in AWD or RWD?

How about this blast from the past ('86 or so): Remember the Grand National and the GNX? Why can't you overachieve in the engine department like you did back then, and then stick it in a handsome body?

Shouldn't be rocket science!