r/Chevrolet

This video--yes it uses AI but its one of the better ones, and has a full human narrator--did a "what-if scenario" if Pontiac had survived GM's bankruptcy. Overall, not a bad video, but wanted to point out a few things:

1. Pontiac had ZERO chance of survival. The Obama Administration pretty much forced GM's hand with regards to their bankruptcy: eliminate brands. Barack Obama told Rick Wagoner personally that they weren't getting a bailout unless they dropped Pontiac. Before we get into a political discussion, I should add that this would have happened regardless of who was President at the time.

2. The video suggested that NUMMI would have stayed open. I still think NUMMI would have closed in 2010. In the 1980s it was mutually beneficial because Toyota needed to learn American tendencies due to tariffs importing cars from Japan (and especially pickup trucks that to this day are still subject to the 25% "chicken tax") while GM wanted to learn the "Toyota Way" and implement it in their corporate culture. Of course, in typical GM fashion, GM learned nothing from it while Toyota was able to implement its processes to other American plants and without the UAW. By the time it closed it was clear GM needed Toyota more than Toyota needed GM.

3. BECAUSE this video assumed that NUMMI stays open and doesn't get sold to Elon Musk to build Tesla's, it predicted that the Pontiac Vibe continues to be a Toyota clone of some sort to this day, whether it be the Toyota Matrix or the current Corolla hatchback. If Pontiac had survived I believe the Vibe would have become a Chevy Trax clone by 2013. Maybe take a brief hiatus--build an extended run of 2010 models before NUMMI closes, then skip the 2011 and 2012 model years altogether before bringing back the Vibe as an early 2013 model. They could have also simply moved production to Toyota's plant in Canada where they made the Matrix until the completely-in-house, GM-designed replacement was ready.

Why the Trax? The Vibe and Trax are pretty similar-sized vehicles with similar attributes. And because Pontiac already had an established history with the Vibe and shared dealership showrooms with Buick, it would be the Vibe and not the Buick Encore that is initially sold here. For those who recall, GM initially had no plans to sell the Trax in the US until the unexpected sales success of the Encore prompted them to change their minds. In this scenario, the Trax-based Vibe takes off enough for GM to introduce the Trax and Encore to the US market.

4. Even if Pontiac had survived GM's bankruptcy, it would still eventually be killed off. The culprit? SUVs and crossovers. Again, Pontiac shared showrooms with Buick as well as GMC. Would GM, say, sell three versions of the exact same vehicle in the same showroom? Imagine the Pontiac Torrent, GMC Terrain, and Buick Envision in the same showroom, all as Chevy Equinox clones. Even now with just the Terrain and Envision, you can only justify the Terrain, especially with Chinese tarriffs on the Envision. Hell, I've been seeing a lot of Buick-GMC dealerships now just going down to GMC or, if they also sell Chevrolet or Cadillac, dropping Buick while keeping the rest. Makes me wonder if Buick becomes a China-only brand and is dropped here.

Thoughts?