Another long-established brand, Pontiac started life as a budget brand, offering cars towards the lower stratum of yankee society. Through the 1960s it had transmogrified right into a performance marque, riding the crest of the ‘showroom hot rod’ wave. Areas of that reputation continue to be traded upon, with such machines since the GT0 and Grand Am – and also the brand can also be moving back to the youth market with such models since the Aztek and Vibe.

There’s also relatively mainstream models offered – so that as with all GM products, there’s a degree of platform sharing, allowing economy of scale without harming the Pontiac brand’s values.

It will likely be interesting to determine where General Motors eventually places Pontiac: with Cadillac being moved for the Walt Street Baby Boomer’ generation and Oldsmobile put in mothballs for the foreseeable future, Pontiac has possibility to reinvent itself.