Pontiac-GMC Division
Background
The Pontiac Company is an offshoot of General Motors, which specializes in the production of sports cars. The headquarters is located in the city of the same name, Michigan.
The company has a long history dating back to the distant nineteenth century. Edward M. Murphy in 1893 in the city of Pontiac, founded the company “Pontiac Buggy”, which manufactured carriages.
After 14 years, the company changed its name to the Oakland Motor Car Company, as did the focus of its business (car manufacturing). A little later, Oakland joined General Motors.
The company was named Pontiac Motor Division only in 1926. In 1933, the post of CEO of the company is taken by Harry Klinger, who orders the release of updated models with independent suspension and 6-cylinder engines.
As the company developed, its industrial capacity gradually increased. The successful launch of mass production of the Pontiac Silver Streak coupe (“Pontiac Silver Streak”, literally “Silver Flash”) in 1935 made the company seriously think about expanding.
In 1941, the production of the “Torpedo” model starts. Military difficulties forced a temporary curtailment of production, but immediately after the end of the war, the carrier began to operate again.
The middle of the 20th century was marked by the appearance of the Catalina model on sale, and in 1952 (two years later) with the updated automatic transmission Hydromatic. In the same decade, there were models with “Hardtop” bodies (1953). Cars began to be equipped with power steering, and in 1958 they began to produce engines with a mechanical fuel injection system (prototypes).
The second half of the twentieth century
In 1965, the company produced 8 different car lines at the same time.
The company has become adept at making sports cars, the design of the 1967 Pontiac GTO coupe has become traditional for sports cars. Pontiac held the palm of many of the racing events of the time without issue, for which the entire design staff is to thank. In the same year, the production of a new sports model “Firebird”, of the same type as the “Chevrolet Camaro”, starts.
In the 70s, there were successful presentations of the Ventura (1971) and Grand Am (1973) models, which are available in two versions – a sedan and a two-door coupe. And already since 1974, all cars in the company have been equipped with front disc brakes.
The end of the 70s was marked by an energy crisis that led to the emergence of a new series of sports cars with low fuel consumption – Pontiac Fiero (1984).
By the 1980s, the range of models produced had become so large that it included cars from small cars (1.8 L) to large sedans with classic layouts with engines up to 5 hp. The station wagon appeared in 1989 and increased its capacity “Trans Sport”.
In the 90s, special emphasis was placed on the release of new front-wheel drive models such as “Sunfire” (1995) and the second generation of the UPV “Trans Sport”.
Our days.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Pontiac, although losing its managerial independence, was still a very important offshoot of the GM problem. Beloved by many motorists, the Bonneville, Sunfire, Trans Sport, Grand Prix, and Grand Am models were produced and sold successfully. And the Aztek SUV line launched into production was awarded the title of “the most extraordinary” SUV model in the world.
Unfortunately, the company could not withstand the consequences of the financial crisis and therefore closed in 2010 due to bankruptcy.
The Pontiac Vibe is one of the most famous and popular cars co-produced by General Motors and Toyota. The Vibe’s dynamic appearance helped drive the Vibe’s popularity among young people, and the spacious interior attracted older shoppers.
Pontiac atmosphere
The compact hatchback Pontiac Vibe was released in 2003 in Fremont, California, USA. A prototype model was first shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2000.
