Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Pontiac
2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe GXP - Click above for high-res image gallery
Pontiac has been dead for some time now, at least from a manufacturing point of view. The
Vibe was the
last vehicle to roll of a Pontiac assembly line, marking the end of new car production for the brand in August of 2009. However, the former automaker has been stuttering and mumbling to itself while lying in its death bed. After all, new cars still needed homes and buyers eventually ponied up dough for the keys to the ghostly souls of a marque that once built the king of muscle cars: the GTO. Now, though, the very last new Pontiacs have been sold and the brand is completely, officially, no-doubt-about-it dead.
In an act of
lunacy mercy, retired police officer Ed Dieffenbach drove over 1,100 miles to trade in his
Chevrolet Silverado on one of the last
Pontiac Solstice Coupes left in the country. Driving from Miami to northern Florida, Mr. Dieffenbach helped put an end to the brand's suffering while also putting a somewhat stylish two-door in his driveway. We're sure he'll have years of fun with the Solstice, as long as he doesn't need to use the cup holder... or stow the roof... or look back.
Photos copyright (C)2010 Sam Abuelsamid / AOL
[Source:
The New York Times]
Finally Official: Pontiac is dead originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM
Bob Lutz is now officially into the swing of being retired. The former
General Motors Vice Chairman has been living the life of leisure since the end of April, but the company he helped steer through Chapter 11 took some time to honor the living automotive legend in a number of receptions held yesterday. Lutz took the occasion to hand out a little wisdom to his fellow workers by telling them not to be afraid to be an irritant or point out deficiencies in the company, saying the philosophy worked for him throughout his career.
Lutz received a number of keepsakes during the celebration, including a set of aluminum versions of the cars he helped bring to market while at GM, including the
Chevrolet Volt,
Malibu and the
Pontiac Solstice, as well as a small diecast engine. He spent his time signing autographs and shaking hands between speeches.
Lutz also spoke to the theme of his next book - a tome that he's been working on since walking away from the automaker last month.
The text will focus mainly on the troubles that riddled GM before the meltdown and what the company can do to avoid falling into the same pitfalls in the future. His advice? Don't abandon common sense, and don't try to outthink the industry. It isn't one that requires "a huge intellect."
[Sources:
Detroit Free Press,
The Detroit News | Image: AP Photo/Seth Wenig/Getty]
Self-proclaimed "irritant" Bob Lutz honored by GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 May 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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