GM Leaves Bankruptcy: Where Do the Brands Stand?

In the tumult of GM’s lightning-quick journey through bankruptcy, you may have lost track of what will happen to all the individual brands. Therefore, here’s a quick and handy guide to where each brand currently stands as the new taxpayer-owned GM emerges from Chapter 11.

Saturn: Purchased by the Penske Automotive Group, which owns NASCAR and IndyCar racing teams, as well as the U.S. distribution arm of the Smart car brand. Saturn’s five models will become the property of Penske but will still be built by GM on a contract basis. According to reports, GM will continue production of the three best-selling Saturn models for the next two years: the Aura, Vue and Outlook. It will discontinue the Sky and Astra. By 2011, GM will stop producing Saturn vehicles, and Penske will have to find a new manufacturer — possibly Renault Samsung Motors of Korea, according to Automotive News.

Saab: Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg led a consortium to purchase the ailing brand from GM. The deal is contingent on $600 million of financing from the European Investment Bank to be guaranteed by Sweden. The deal is supposed to close sometime in the third quarter of this year, but analysts have questioned whether Saab is big enough to survive regardless. It sold only 93,000 cars last year and has been unprofitable for a long time.

GM 72-Hour Sale: 0% for 72 Months

Maybe GM’s math skills got them into the trouble they’re in. Their just announced 72-hour sale starts today and runs through July 6, which is 144 hours by our count. Maybe they wanted to tie the sale name in with the sale terms, namely 0% financing for 72 months on select models for those buyers who qualify.

Included 2009 and 2010 models in the 0% for 72-months term are: Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra regular, extended and crew cab light-duty pickups; Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL SUVs; Chevrolet Impala; and the Pontiac Vibe, G3, G5, G6 and G8.

Other models have separate incentives you can find here.

Reader Review of the Week: 2009 Pontiac Vibe

“Old Smokey” from Fort Worth, Texas, has a name that makes it sound like he owns a rusted-out pickup truck, but in fact he’s a proud owner of a 2009 Pontiac Vibe GT. Old Smokey likes his Vibe quite a bit, from the gas mileage to the power he can coax from the engine. Find out what else tickles Smokey about the Vibe by reading his full review. After you finish that, head over here to post your own review.

2010 Pontiac Lineup: The Vibe and Nothing Else, as of Now

While GM has stated that Pontiac will be around for 2010, the brand apparently won’t have much on sale.

As of now, the only 2010 Pontiac will be the Pontiac Vibe, with a limited run of fleet-only Pontiac G6 sedans. The G6 convertible and coupe are apparently dead for 2010.

According to Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson, there’s no final decision yet on the G3, G5 or G8. Production of the Solstice will end next month, and the Torrent has already been discontinued.

Throughout its history, Pontiac has typically had a generous and diverse lineup of “sporty” sedans, coupes, convertibles and family-haulers. It was that big lineup that helped make Pontiac GM’s third-best-selling brand in 2008, behind Chevrolet and GMC.

We’ll keep you posted on GM’s plans for Pontiac during its final model year.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe GXP

In the wake of General Motors filing for bankruptcy, I would like to take a moment of silence to honor the short life of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP coupe (pause). Now that the moment has passed, I would like to remember the Solstice coupe as one of the prettiest cars I’ve seen come off a General Motors assembly line in the past five years. This little two-door will only be produced in a small run this year, then will disappear forever as Pontiac closes its doors.

As for the design of this coupe, the swooping hatch reminds me of a crossbreed between Corvettes and Porsches of yore, while even the nose harks back a bit to the British two-seaters of yesteryear. If that’s not enough for you to take a second look, the only production model we could find in the flesh to shoot was painted in a racing yellow, which, well, left a lot to be desired. Why can’t more fleet cars be black? I’d even take gunmetal gray ...

I honestly wish I’d had a chance to drive it. But, alas, we will never see the likes of it again. Adieu, little buddy, adieu.

Will Consumers Miss the Old GM? Not Likely

There’s been a lot of talk about “good GM” and “bad GM” and what the closure of Pontiac and sale of Saturn, Saab and Hummer will mean to the new company. We thought we’d recap the impact GM’s restructuring will have on car shoppers.

General Motors remains the largest producer and seller of cars and trucks in the United States, already selling 777,785 vehicles this year, through May.

Nearly one of every five cars purchased in the U.S. comes from GM through the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Saab, Saturn, Hummer and Pontiac brands.

Pontiac will be shut down completely by the end of 2010, with Saab, Saturn and Hummer expected to be sold off.

Those four brands combined have 18 nameplates on sale. Together, those models comprised 2.4% of the new-car market in April. That’s a drop of about 1% from the same time last year (3.6%).

GM Extends Incentives Through Wednesday

As GM winds its way through bankruptcy court, current incentives that were set to expire yesterday have been extended through Wednesday. The company announced late Monday that the court has authorized GM to maintain incentive plans while in the bankruptcy process, which could last up to three months.

We expect new incentives to be released Thursday. If GM's bankruptcy-level incentives follow Chrysler's, we won’t see any major increases in the cash-back amounts offered on new models. In Chrysler's case, many models’ cash-back offers were reduced once the manufacturer went under bankruptcy protection. However, that didn’t stop dealers slated to go out of business from adding their own discounts.

Chevy is offering 0% financing for 72 months on many models to qualified buyers. On the cash-back side, there's $2,500 off the 2009 Chevy Malibu, Chevy Cobalt and Chevy HHR in most regions. If you’re a current GM owner, there are also loyalty offers of up to $1,000 on top of the standard cash-back deals in some regions.

Check GM's consumer sites for Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac and GMC to see detailed offers, or check Cars.com's incentives page for more details. 

GM Plant Closures Signal Product Shift

Now that it’s operating under bankruptcy protection, GM has ramped up the scheduled plant closures it had previously announced. Four assembly plants will be closed this year, impacting current products.

The least surprising closure is the Wilmington, Del., plant that produces the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice roadsters and coupes. It's also the most immediate, shutting down in July of this year. The 2010 Pontiac Solstice coupe just went into production at the plant, and company officials have said only 1,000 will be produced. One is already sold to GM executive Bob Lutz, meaning there are only 999 available.

The other three assembly plants and what they build are listed below.

Recall Alert: 2008-09 Pontiac G8

GM has issued a recall for 35,038 Pontiac G8 vehicles from the 2008-09 model years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall involves the brake pedal position switch, which may have been programmed incorrectly during the manufacturing process.

The brake lamps may be continually lit while driving, so other drivers won’t know when the vehicle is braking. In addition, some models may have an incorrectly programmed tire pressure monitoring system that will not illuminate the warning light when tire pressure drops below certain standards. In a worst-case scenario, the tires could fail while driving.

Dealers will reprogram the brake position sensor and tire pressure monitoring system free of charge. Owners may contact Pontiac at 800-620-7668 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

Cars.com Reviews the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

Now that GM has decided to drop the Pontiac brand, Cars.com’s Mike Hanley gives it a send-off with his review of the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP. With a 415-hp V-8 engine and enough refinement for day-to-day utility, the G8 GXP is going to make Hanley miss Pontiac. Read his full review to find out why this soon-to-be-extinct GM car is such a pleasure.

2009 Pontiac G8 Review