GTO discontinued?

[99camaroSS]

Early this month, we reported that GM would not build another GTO after the current generation is discontinued. Today, Automotive News is reporting that the end of the line for the GTO is very near. GM will produce 10,000 to 12,000 more GTOs before dropping the nameplate, according to the report. A Pontiac spokesperson confirmed that the GTO will be discontinued late this year, with the last deliveries to dealers taking place in September.

SOURCE: LEFTLANENEWS.COM

i dont know if this has already been posted, if so please close it

Edited February 21, 2006 by 99camaroSS

[BlkHhr104]

Found a similar article..

CARSCOOP

[Croc]

old news. Currently, there is a plan to bring back a RWD Pontiac that might carry the GTO name as some kind of large Zeta quad coupe, but such plans are very fluid and likely to change.

[Sixty8panther]

Damnit... why does GTO have to die for Camaro to live???? WTF!

I mean at one time we had like two dozen muscle RWD cars/pony cars/personal luxury coupes from GM all at the same time:

Camaro

Nova

Chevelle

Impala SS (Biscayne, Bel Air, Caprice Classic)

Monte Carlo

Firebird/TA

Ventura

LeMans/Tempest/GTO

Grand Prix

Skylark

GS/GSX

Riviera

Cutlass/F85

442

Delta 88

Ninety Eight

Coupe DeVille

...and I'm sure I forgot a couple

[Drew Dowdell]

Damnit... why does GTO have to die for Camaro to live???? WTF!

I mean at one time we had like two dozen muscle RWD cars/pony cars/personal luxury coupes from GM all at the same time:

Camaro

Nova

Chevelle

Impala SS (Biscayne, Bel Air, Caprice Classic)

Monte Carlo

Firebird/TA

Ventura

LeMans/Tempest/GTO

Grand Prix

Skylark

GS/GSX

Riviera

Cutlass/F85

442

Delta 88

Ninety Eight

Coupe DeVille

...and I'm sure I forgot a couple

Well, at one time, we had everything but the Toronado and Eldorado with RWD.

[BlkHhr104]

So there goes the only muscle of Pontiac, if they make that new Impala on the new Camaro platform do you think they will make a new Grand Prix and GTO off of it?

[99camaroSS]

some rumors about a next gen gto/rwd pontiac coupe would be appreciated if anybody has them as i am falling into a state of depression

[caddycruiser]

Damnit... why does GTO have to die for Camaro to live???? WTF!

I mean at one time we had like two dozen muscle RWD cars/pony cars/personal luxury coupes from GM all at the same time:

Camaro

Nova

Chevelle

Impala SS (Biscayne, Bel Air, Caprice Classic)

Monte Carlo

Firebird/TA

Ventura

LeMans/Tempest/GTO

Grand Prix

Skylark

GS/GSX

Riviera

Cutlass/F85

442

Delta 88

Ninety Eight

Coupe DeVille

...and I'm sure I forgot a couple

Well, if there was an actual buying demand...that might help.

Actually, even a little more advertising would help to get that...

[Chicagoland]

Automotive News sent an email to subscribers [me], also.

[NOS2006]

Umm, GTO's been known to end at 2006 for awhile now. The best bet, however, is that it's coming back in '09 or '10 under a complete redesign and redefining GTO.

[z28luvr01]

I think you're onto something, caddycruiser. Pontiac marketing has all but forgotten the GTO, and has failed to recognize the fact that the ones out now are wven better than the ones that were available when they were advertising the car.

My gut feeling (based on no facts whatsoever): There will be another GTO, probably after a brief hiatus. Pontiac's lineup looks too weak without it. After it and the GP go away, we'll be stuck with a 240hp G6 as Pontiac's flagship vehicle. That won't cut it for a performance division.

[NOS2006]

What are you talking about, z28luvr? Of course it will! :rollseyes:

[funkypunnk]

And so the Sun Sets on my beloved Pontiac.

Oh wait, that happened 25 years ago with the firebird and GP barely holding onto the heritage that was Pontiac since.

[Chicagoland]

Contrary to what some young people think, not all pre 1973 RWD cars were 'muscle cars'.

Example: Most big Chevys were not Impala SS's, and had 2 barrel carbed v8's. Same with Chevelles. And no way was the Olds 98 a 'muscle car', either.

A true 'muscle car' is a special edition coupe with engines around 400CI up. Don't change Car History facts.

The Aussie GTO was a Lutz dream car, eager to please the buffs who demanded that GM bring over the Monaro. Now look?

Edited February 21, 2006 by Chicagoland

[ToniCipriani]

I guess what happened to the GTO is that there were just way too many manufacturing complexities that were not taken into consideration.

Would the batch of destroyed GTOs a while ago be expected?

[caddycruiser]

I think you're onto something, caddycruiser. Pontiac marketing has all but forgotten the GTO, and has failed to recognize the fact that the ones out now are wven better than the ones that were available when they were advertising the car.

My gut feeling (based on no facts whatsoever): There will be another GTO, probably after a brief hiatus. Pontiac's lineup looks too weak without it. After it and the GP go away, we'll be stuck with a 240hp G6 as Pontiac's flagship vehicle. That won't cut it for a performance division.

Exactly. It reminds me a lot of the Bonneville, actually, except the car itself is actually outstanding. There were one or two pretty pathetic ads, then....chirp...chirp.....nothing....and most people, except for those who really keep up with the automotive world, don't even know the car exists.

There's been a show running randomly on Speed TV about the GTO, mainly from its first days, and a past marketing person for Pontiac "back in the day" gave a great suggestion for an ad that had the GTO up against a BMW 3-series....too bad no one at Pontiac seemed to car about doing anymore than showing it in a garage beside a Bonneville and Grand Prix (remember that one? )

But, as has been said before, the design is aging, even though we in the US only were around for the second half of its life, and was destined to die anyway.

NOW...if GM could just figure out a way to give that level of body integrity and interior quality to the rest of the cars they make. They want import buyers to seriously consider their cars? That would be a BIG start...

Edited February 21, 2006 by caddycruiser

[Camino LS6]

Let's just suppose that the GTO wasn't a stand alone model anymore and therefore is believed to be gone from the automotive landscape but a new RWD sedan and coupe were coming for Pontiac. Sneaking the GTO back in as the all out performance sub-model of the new coupe would be no big deal now would it? :AH-HA_wink:

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Contrary to what some young people think, not all pre 1973 RWD cars were 'muscle cars'.

Example: Most big Chevys were not Impala SS's, and had 2 barrel carbed v8's. Same with Chevelles. And no way was the Olds 98 a 'muscle car', either.

A true 'muscle car' is a special edition coupe with engines around 400CI up. Don't change Car History facts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, I think displacement had to be over 318 cu. in. or something like that. I know the SS396 edition of the Chevelle and [insert Chevy-Branded Muscle Car Here] were considered muscle cars and still are. Although I think the 396 actually displaced about 402 cu. in.

And, no, the 98 was never a muscle car. Just an American luxury sedan with an 'effing big engine.

[Sixty8panther]

Well, at one time, we had everything but the Toronado and Eldorado with RWD.

Exactly my point.

Chicagoland Posted Today, 04:50 PM

Contrary to what some young people think, not all pre 1973 RWD cars were 'muscle cars'.

Notice in my original post I said muscle cars, pony cars & personal luxury coupes. I never called the Olds 98 a musle car, but a 2door was certainly a personl luxury coupe.

I think & hope (in my heart) that Camino is 100% correct. I've been saying prettty muhc the same thing and I think it's more than possible but probable.

[hyperv6]

The present GTO was going to end no matter what.

Why would GM put a lot of money advetising a car that was selling is so few numbers when money is tight. Pontiac would put the money in the cars they are selling in greater volume like the G6 anf GP.

The present GTO was only a patch in the Pontiac line up by Lutz to buy time and to do it cheap and fast. The present GTO did it's job and if the new Mustang had not arrived when it did the GTO would have been even better recieved.

There are new Pontiacs coming that will hit as well as the new Camaro did. In the end everything will work out.

[BlkHhr104]

Well maybe it will come back into the line-up, GM has killed a legend and brought it back before.

[CaddyXLR-V]

Let's just suppose that the GTO wasn't a stand alone model anymore and therefore is believed to be gone from the automotive landscape but a new RWD sedan and coupe were coming for Pontiac. Sneaking the GTO back in as the all out performance sub-model of the new coupe would be no big deal now would it? :AH-HA_wink:

Thats what I think GM should do. How it is with the GTO now, would be like having a CTS-V, with no base CTS, or a Z06 with no base Corvette. Regardless of how great the cars are, they cant survive on their own.

And if its not a true coupe, dont call it GTO. Call it anything else, even Tempest, but not GTO.

[carman21]

R.I.P. GTO

[ocnblu]

Well, the only Pontiac styling morsel on the whole car was the grille, and later, the hood scoops. Compelling design still sells cars... even with the world's best V8 engine under the hood, and everything it needed to back it up, performance-wise... the styling and compromises in engineering to bring the car to the US in a hurry sort of doomed it.

Thank you, Mr. Lutz for doing something to keep hope alive, seriously. The car did do that.

I am really counting on GM to bring back Pontiac with a vengance, and a clearer focus than we've seen in decades.

Long Live Pontiac!

[Camino LS6]

Well, the only Pontiac styling morsel on the whole car was the grille, and later, the hood scoops.  Compelling design still sells cars... even with the world's best V8 engine under the hood, and everything it needed to back it up, performance-wise... the styling and compromises in engineering to bring the car to the US in a hurry sort of doomed it.

Thank you, Mr. Lutz for doing something to keep hope alive, seriously.  The car did do that.

I am really counting on GM to bring back Pontiac with a vengance, and a clearer focus than we've seen in decades.

Long Live Pontiac!

I believe that that's exactly what we are going to get and GTO will be part of it.

[PontiacTechNJ]

too bad we sold the light green 06 we had on the floor today

most of the people in that demographic that would buy them can't afford GTOs anyway , and there is down right hostility to the GTO in some corners , neat cars , priced wrong , too bad , they ran almost a full second quicker than the 64-74 GTOs in the quarter , 13.12 was the fastest I saw , the IRS really killed 60 foot times , almost On par with the 02 WS6 Trans Am at a 12.95 , the only stinking ford that could outrun that was a 124,000 dollar GT

[ocnblu]

Light green?

(rushing over to Pontiac.com to check this out, sounds cool!)

[ocnblu]

Light green? Where?

[Camino LS6]

Light green?  Where?

No such animal- he must be thinking of "Cyclone Grey"

[Robert Hall]

Here's something I saw on another board... I don't know what the original source is.

DETROIT -- General Motors has told Pontiac dealers that it will discontinue the GTO coupe at the end of this model year. GM will make the last deliveries of the vehicle to dealers by the end of September, sources close to Pontiac say.

GM will produce 10,000 to 12,000 more GTOs before dropping the nameplate, one source close to the situation says. Last year, Pontiac sold 11,590 GTOs compared to 2004 when it sold 13,569. That's a 14.6 percent drop.

When Pontiac launched the GTO in 2003, it projected 18,000 annual sales. The vehicle was criticized for bland styling, and some fans of the original GTO complained that it lacked nostalgic styling cues.

"For the remaining life of the car, it simply wasn't worth the engineering expense or effort to re-certify it as an '07 for a very limited run, when we could continue selling them as '06s," says a source close to GM who is familiar with the program.

The GTO is built on a rear-wheel drive architecture from GM's Holden division in Australia. The present model is going out of production as GM constructs the new Zeta RWD architecture, says the source. There is no replacement coupe planned at this time and because of the strong Australian and weak U.S. dollar, the GTO had to be priced thousands over where GM originally wanted it -- in the mid-twenties, the source says. "It never did as much volume as we had hoped," the source says.

The GTO suggested retail price starts at $31,990, including shipping. One GM source says, "the 2005 and 2006 were pretty well sold out, and sales were especially strong in areas of GM weakness, like Southern California. It's a shame it has to go -- for now."

Another source says that GM has indicated that it would like to have another vehicle in that "space" in the future.

[BlkHhr104]

Light green?   

(rushing over to Pontiac.com to check this out, sounds cool!)

Maybe it was a used 04 Bermuda Blue I think it was called, it was a mix of blue and sea-green, not very birght at all but wasnt dark it was a soft color very ugly.

[Robert Hall]

Maybe it was a used 04 Bermuda Blue I think it was called, it was a mix of blue and sea-green, not very birght at all but wasnt dark it was a soft color very ugly.

I've seen one in this color...kind of a pale sea green, similar to an early '90s Mercedes color. It looked odd on the GTO, IMHO.

[Guest flowmotion]

I think you're onto something, caddycruiser. Pontiac marketing has all but forgotten the GTO, and has failed to recognize the fact that the ones out now are wven better than the ones that were available when they were advertising the car.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The only reason the car was called "GTO" was so they could do it on the cheap, with no advertising. They figured by giving a famous name, it would sell by "word of mouth" alone.

Really a gross miscalcuation because "GTO" projected the entirely wrong image for the car. The luxury sport coupe buyers either never heard of it, or dismissed it as muscle car. And the muscle car crowd either couldn't afford it or disliked the non-agressive styling.

I think if they could do it over again, with a different name and some marketing dollars, it could have become the halo car they wanted it to be.

Edited February 22, 2006 by flowmotion

[Robert Hall]

I think if they could do it over again, they'd give it a different name and put some marketing behind it.

'G7'.

[Sixty8panther]

You nailed it as usual Ocnblu!

Thank you, Mr. Lutz for doing something to keep hope alive, seriously.

Withouth the GTO Pontiac's lineup would be about as relevant as Mercurys... which is to say: not very.

[CaddyXLR-V]

Come to think about it, GM is doing a really good job of making Pontiacs less and less appealing to me. Outside of the Solstice(which I still like the Sky more) and the GTO, there is no other Pontiac I would buy. GM needs to start giving Pontiac some better products, and the G5 is not it.

[buyacargetacheck]

The GTO was what it was. GM has done pretty well with it given that it was a rush job. The main reason it's being discontinued is because the Monaro is going out of production:

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/01/gm-hold...monaro-on-ebay/

[Sixty8panther]

The main reason it's being discontinued is because the Monaro is going out of production:

Another depressing fact that has been bothering me about GM.

[Robert Hall]

Maybe for '07 they will rename the Grand Prix GXP the GTO. I wouldn't put it past GM..

[Sixty8panther]

Maybe for '07 they will rename the Grand Prix GXP the GTO.    I wouldn't put it past GM..

Them's fighting words! :fcvxplode:

[regfootball]

the GTO lacked moonroof option and the moving of the gas tank made the trunk too small, far too small for anyone who wanted a trunk. it lacked nav and stabilitrak.

i'd still take one if i won the lottery though.....

[PontiacTechNJ]

Light green?   

(rushing over to Pontiac.com to check this out, sounds cool!)

12U cyclone gray metallic - looks like the old Impala SS slate green

[I hope GMRULES again]

RIP. Now get back to work on building 1st class main stream cars that will sell instead of wasting money on niche vehicles like the GTO and SSR.

[Camino LS6]

RIP. Now get back to work on building 1st class main stream cars that will sell instead of wasting money on niche vehicles like the GTO and SSR.

You can't be serious.

[Camino LS6]

the GTO lacked moonroof option and the moving of the gas tank made the trunk too small, far too small for anyone who wanted a trunk.  it lacked nav and stabilitrak.

i'd still take one if i won the lottery though.....

The exact moonroof offered by Holden for the Monaro is available here if you want one.

I have no problem with the size of the trunk - plenty of room for me so far.

[Cadillacfan]

Another depressing fact that has been bothering me about GM. 

Why are you bothered by it? The Monaro is old. The platform dates back to the early 90s. It's going to be replaced with an even better platform.

Now, if you're bothered with the fact that it's not being replaced for another year or so.. I will agree with your statement.

Edited February 22, 2006 by Cadillacfan

[Sixty8panther]

Why are you bothered by it?  The Monaro is old.  The platform dates back to the early 90s.  It's going to be replaced with an even better platform.

Now, if you're bothered with the fact that it's not being replaced for another year or so.. I will agree with your statement.

Yes, it's the "Hiatus" that once again makes it seem as if GM is caught wiht it's pants down. WTF, why don;t they ever plan ahead!?!?

I'd love to own a GTO and I think moonroofs just add unneccessary weight and a potential leakage problem, as far as trunk space... the GTO sure has more than my '68 Camaro or a Mustang of almost any vintage. Muscle cars are not about dead body storage and transport. That's for a Fleetwood of DTS. :wink: Nav? I think it's over rated but if you need it there's plenty of aftermarket ones that inergtare somewhat well in the dashboard.

[99camaroSS]

here is more info from leftlanenews regarding the GTO

In recent weeks, we've written about GM's planned rear-wheel-drive offensive — a plan aimed at competing with the growing number of RWD offerings from other American and Asian automakers. The primary target is, of course, the Chrysler 300C and its siblings, the Dodge Magnum, Charger, Challenger, and Chrysler Imperial. Today, columnist Jim Mateja, writing for the Chicago Tribune, speculates that a new Pontiac GTO may be a part of GM's strategy, despite yesterday's announcement that the company would discontinue the current model. Recently, Motor Trend said there would not be another GTO, but Mateja is more optimistic. Other recent rumors have suggested GM's RWD platform will be used for a new Firebird and Trans AM, as suggested by AutoSpies and AutoExtremist. Edmunds has also speculated that a new Impala will target the 300C directly in 2009. In the end, it's not too clear what will happen, but we can't wait to see!

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

So let's see, this leaves 2007 Pontiac with G5, G6, Grand Prix, Solstice Vibe, and Torrent, almost all of which have some major deficit of one kind or another. I tihnk Pontic needs to bring back the outlandish exterior styling/design cues on some cars. I'm not talking about cladding, but my ideal Pontiac exterior would look something like this: Vibe bodyside moldings, bodyside curvature (see previous Grand Prix), Vibe headlights, Bonneville SLE 2005/GXP rocker panel cove, G6/REV concept prototype-style windows, and the cars should have increased passenger and cargo room, and semi-fastback rooflines. Now, for the engines, there should be no such thing as a Pontiac with a High Value engine. Ditch it now, put in the 3.6-liter DOHC HF V-6 engine into more models, specifically G6 and Torrent (and later Grand Prix or Bonneville). With RAM AIR, give it upwards of 270hp, to meet or beat cars such as Nissan Altima or Murano, or Mazda 6/CX-7, G6 and Torrent's key rivals. And give that new G5 the Piranha badge and supercharged RAM AIR to a top Formula model with 270hp for that 2.4-liter DOHC ECOTEC I-4. Just a few livening suggestions Pontiac needs to start taking if they want to live past 2009.

[Chicagoland]

It is near imposible to do all that in 2-3 years.