On Monday, April 27th, 2009, General Motors officially announced the phasing out of long-running car brand Pontiac. To my moderate surprise, I find myself somewhat saddened by this news. One possibility why I feel this way is that I see myself as a car enthusiast, and another is that, in my 18 years of life thus far, nothing as substantial as the closing of major-car-brand Pontiac has been witnessed by me. Monday marked a big day in history, and in 2010, when GM completes the shutting of Pontiac’s doors, that day as well will make news headlines.
When I was younger, another branch of the auto industry disappeared from US markets… Plymouth. All I remember about Plymouth is that one of our family vehicles was a 1989 Plymouth Voyager, a gold-ish, wood-paneled caravan. It used to be my grandfather’s, and we acquired it when he became unable to drive anymore. The vehicle was like-new and even had plastic-covered seating. Our other family vehicle was a 1984 Plymouth Voyager Turbo. From what I read online, they were great cars. In more recent years, Oldsmobile (operated by Buick) has dropped from the market. I never followed the company and its vehicles much, but from various sources, it seems that perchance the Alero was one of the more solid (and last) of vehicles produced. I remember seeing an official RIP posting on Autoblog some time back in 2008. Lastly, on January 30th, 2008, Isuzu Motors announced the withdrawal of its vehicle sales in the US market. However, despite this news, they will continue to manufacture and sell commercial units, such as flatbed trucks.
Overall, I write this in remembrance of Pontiac. As the auto industry continues in its downward spiral, GM has even announced that the sale of its branches of Saab, Hummer, and Saturn will be determined by the end of 2009. How far will this economy collapse? It’s a shame how people claim that providing a bailout for various American automakers is not the correct decision. It is in my opinion that people must look past tax dollars and “fairness” of such support, and rather understand that the American auto industry is vital symbolism of our country. The end solution to this crisis is obviously unclear, but we must only hope something changes soon, or else the image of American vehicles lies on the wheels of foreign producers.
And… An honorable mention to a brand of vehicle that failed… Daewoo, which just sucked – no excuses. Financial problems, a small vehicle line-up, cheap bang for the buck, and a simply terrible performance when it came to efficiency and safety led to the quick demise of the Korean company. Be warned, China… Be warned.
