Today.Az » Weird / Interesting » Pontiac shuts down after more than 8 decades of operation: the end of the Muscle Car era?
01 November 2010 [18:44] - Today.Az
General Motors has shut down its historic Pontiac division after more than 8 decades. After facing bankruptcy last year, the company has decided to part ways with the Pontiac brand. Poor management and a shift in drivers' preferences are cited as the reasons for the brand's decline.
The Pontiac brand peaked in the 1960s when its powerful engines and slick body styles awed consumers. For the past few decades, the division's fortunes changed as muscle cars lost favor with the general public. The brand tried to redefine itself with limited success after early models, such as the GTO, became stale.
Does the Pontiac closing mark the end for classic muscle cars that permeated the culture in the mid-20th century? There is a nostalgia associated with these cars, even if the luster and appeal as faded. Images of Pontiac muscle cars are immortalized in classic cinema and ingrained in the minds of Americans of a certain age.
Pontiac shuts down at a time of uncertainty for American car manufacturers. Finances have been tight and companies have had to get leaner to stay competitive. It is anyone's guess where car drivers' tastes will lead them stylistically in the coming decades.
/Business.gather.com/
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