Pontiac (automobile)

Pontiac

Company type	Brand (1926–1931)[1] Division (1931–2010)[2]
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1926; 99 years ago (1926)[1]
Founder	General Motors
Defunct	October 31, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-10-31)
Fate	Closed upon General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Area served	Canada, United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Middle East
Key people	Frank Hershey Irving Jacob Reuter Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen John Z. DeLorean
Products	Automobiles
Parent	General Motors (1925–2010)[2]
Website	Official website

Pontiac, formally the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors, was an American automobile brand owned, manufactured, and commercialized by General Motors. It was introduced in 1926 as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles.^[3] Pontiac quickly overtook Oakland in popularity and supplanted its parent entirely by 1933, establishing its position as one of GM's dominant divisions.

Sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by GM, Pontiac came to represent affordable, practical transportation emphasizing performance. The division’s name stems from the Odawa chieftain Pontiac, who led an indigenous uprising from 1763 until 1766 around Detroit, Michigan.

In the hierarchy of GM's five divisions, it slotted above Chevrolet but below Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac. Starting with the 1959 models, marketing was focused on selling the lifestyle that the car's ownership promised rather than the car itself.^[4] By emphasizing its "Wide Track" design, Pontiac billed itself as the "performance division" of General Motors that marketed cars with the "we build excitement" tag line.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Facing financial problems in the late 2000s, and a need to restructure as a prerequisite for a $53 billion government bailout, GM agreed to discontinue the Pontiac brand.^[10] The final Pontiac, a white G6, was assembled on January 4, 2010.^[11] Franchise agreements for Pontiac dealers expired on October 31, 2010, leaving GM to focus on its four remaining North American brands: Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC.^[12]