#pontiac

The 2010 model lineup for the soon-to-be-terminated Pontiac brand will consist of just one model – the Vibe.

There is hope, be it ever so slight, that the Pontiac G8 may live on even though the brand it’s attached to is most certainly slated for elimination.

It’s not exactly the sort of news worthy of a celebration, but some cautious optimism is certainly appropriate as word comes that the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky might not suffer the same fate as almost every other fun vehicle under the General Motors umbrella.

Late last week we reported that GM was ceasing production of the Cobalt SS Sedan and now the automaker has confirmed several other performance models will get the axe.

Jim Waldron, the owner of a Pontiac dealership in Michigan has revealed that he and a group of investors submitted an offer to buy the scheduled-for-termination Pontiac brand from GM. Waldron made the announcement on ABC’s local WJRT station and said that he expects to hear back from the company this week.

In stark contrast to official statements by General Motors reps (and to a story we ran yesterday) the struggling U.S. automaker does indeed want out of the joint project with Toyota that saw the creation of the Vibe/Matrix.

With news today that the Pontiac brand will in fact be eliminated, General Motors is eager to get working with Toyota to build a new shared platform to replace the Vibe.

As we reported last week, General Motors has indeed made the decision to kill the Pontiac brand. The news comes as a part of a new viability plan (yes… another one) submitted to the federal government today.

As the saying goes, “It’s all over but the crying.” Edmunds is reporting that its source inside General Motors has let slip that the Pontiac brand will officially be eliminated. The announcement is expected to be made next Monday as a part of a more thorough reorganization of the struggling automaker.

When General Motor’s first submitted it’s viability plan to the Obama Administration, Saab, Hummer and Saturn were put on notice, while other brands like Pontiac and GMC (as well as Chevy, Buick and Cadillac) were guaranteed to stay on.

Along with asking for $16.6 billion more in loans from the Federal Treasury, General Motors has made it clear that Saturn, Saab and Hummer will be sold off or eliminated.

Since its introduction in 2004, the G6 family has been a best seller for the Pontiac brand. In the hopes of keeping the car relevant, Pontiac has decided to give it a series of mid-cycle updates. Interestingly, the refresh also comes mid-year, so the updated G6’s will be classified as 2009.5 models.