Any word on how the new GTO is selling?

[jfiliss]

This was a pretty big step for GM, and possibly the beginning of many muscle-car/classic comebacks from the company. So I'm a little curious as to how the car is doing sales-wise, unless it is too early to call...

[GTX Playa]

May 27 (Bloomberg) -- Few cars at introduction looked more promising than Pontiac's new GTO. Only a few months later sales of the car seem stuck -- in neutral, or maybe even in reverse.

Aimed at aging baby boomers itching to recapture their youth, the model recalls the 1960s muscle cars and targets a well- defined, albeit narrow niche of those who owned or aspired to own them. No wonder GM and Pontiac are eager to recall the 1960s: It was a halcyon time when they ruled U.S. auto making.

The project's mastermind, GM vice chairman Bob Lutz, is purported to be an auto executive with a special intuition for what makes buyers tick. His mission is to stop the erosion of GM's U.S. market share, which is hovering between 27 percent and 28 percent, down from nearly 29 percent two years ago. Since the beginning of 2004, GM's stock price is down about 20 percent.

Lutz's calculation was that the GTO's storied tradition, fast-acceleration, rear-wheel-drive performance and handling would be enough to sell it. Its bland exterior, a consequence of time and money constraints, wouldn't be a deal-killer, or so Lutz thought.

`Attitude' and `Stuff'

Six months after the GTO's debut, the car -- priced at about $34,000 -- is selling at less than half the projected rate of 16,000 units for the first year. Jim Wangers, a senior analyst at Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc. and a former advertising executive who worked on the original GTO, believes he knows why:

``GM didn't cater to the true hobbyist, who wants more attitude and more stuff under the hood like the old GTO. And there was no serious follow-up advertising once the car hit the market.''

Pontiac dealers sold 650 GTOs in April, down from 719 in March.

Most reviewers give GTO high marks for technical prowess, based on its 350-horsepower engine. Brock Yates, however, ridiculed its looks in Car and Driver magazine, calling it a ``cunningly disguised phone company fleet car.''

The No. 1 automaker in terms of sales is trying to jumpstart sales by assisting in the production of a made-for-TV movie, ``The Last Ride,'' starring Dennis Hopper. GTOs, old and new, figure in the movie's story line.

Should GTO sales fail to perk up soon, watch for GM to pile on cash incentives or low-interest finance and lease rates.

GM Optimistic

GM, for the moment, isn't conceding that the new GTO is floundering. ``We knew in December that places where there is snow would be off to a slow start,'' said Jim Hopson, a spokesman. ``Sales will pick up toward spring and summer.''

The automaker initially promised to send at least one GTO to all 2,700 Pontiac dealers in the U.S. Now it will be shipping more of them to dealers in Southern California, he said, where sales have been strong.

Adapted from decade-old Opel Omega architecture, the GTO is manufactured by GM's Holden subsidiary in Adelaide, Australia. Down Under, its cousin is known as the Holden Monaro and sells well as an unremarkable, everyday coupe.

Rather than take the time to develop a retro-car that might be more appealing to traditionalists, with hood scoops and other flashy styling, Lutz determined to bring the made-over Monaro to market quickly, in 17 months or so.

Success Not A Given

The strategy is to replace GTO in two or three years once General Motors approves its new rear-wheel-drive architecture, code-named Zeta.

No doubt Lutz was hoping to upstage Ford Motor Co.'s redesigned Mustang, another nostalgic throwback to the 1960s that goes on sale toward the end of this summer. Indeed, General Motors recruited Lutz, 72, almost three years ago for the purpose of leading, and speeding up, such initiatives and to inject pizzazz in its vehicle lineup.

Given the scores of new models fighting for the public's attention, the success of any new model can't be a foregone conclusion. Fortunately, GTO represents a drop in the bucket in terms of the 8.5 million vehicles GM builds worldwide.

The project did show that GM is becoming more adept at deploying its worldwide assets and engineering expertise quickly and efficiently. Lutz deserves credit for that, if not for a particularly astute read of the nostalgia market.

The ability to use vast, far-flung assets is increasingly vital as growing markets like China, where GM is investing heavily, evolve into automotive societies and, eventually, significant vehicle exporters.

I hope that helps.

[jfiliss]

Wow, that is worse than I thought it would be. Thanks for the article...

[streetracer1]

ive seen a good amount around here where i live. but around here everyone is rich with some kind of nice car so yea. my work, menards, is having a giveaway for a new GTO . im gonna win!

[Eye Of Apocalypse]

I'm sure sales for the GTO will pick up, surely there are more auto enthusiasts from the GTO Generation still living. I believe Ronnie Purnell (Dennis Hopper) put it in best in The Last Ride by saying "You kids today can't handle a V8" which is true I believe for most of this so-called 'rice burner' generation I'm growing up in.

Yes, there are some import cars I like, there's alot of import cars I like. They outnumber the amount of domestic cars I like to be perfectly honest, however, I prefer domestic cars and why? Muscle, i'll take a V8 over a V6 anyday. You take something like an old GTO and you pump the money into it...say...a hundred grand like some people do into import cars, you're gonna be one bad motherf***er ridin' the streets that's gonna be able to just about take on anything that gets put against it (mind you I said ALMOST anything).

In time, with patience, I do believe that GM will make a comeback in the Automotive Industry. It's a good company that has developed many fine and reliable Cars & Trucks over the years just as they do to this day.

[RedLightning]

Well i think it would sell better with hood scoops and a hood tach, yes a hood tack a functional gimmick, i just love the look of it.

[DeViL]

I got an idea....LOWER THE F***ING COST. It says its supposed to sell for $32,000, which is pricey itself, but these damn dealerships around here are selling them for $38,000. Who the hell in their right mind is going to pay that kind of money for such a bland looking car?

[Eye Of Apocalypse]

Originally Posted by DeViL

I got an idea....LOWER THE F***ING COST. It says its supposed to sell for $32,000, which is pricey itself, but these damn dealerships around here are selling them for $38,000. Who the hell in their right mind is going to pay that kind of money for such a bland looking car?

You gotta be shitting me man, jesus people may as well just save another twelve grand and buy a god damned Cadillac car or an Escalade. That's way too fucking much, especially without kick ass accessories like hood scopes and rear wings. If things remain the way they are, which they probably will, we may see a slight if not huge price drop in the GTO.

[Rod&Custom]

You gotta be shitting me man, jesus people may as well just save another twelve grand and buy a god damned Cadillac car or an Escalade. That's way too fucking much, especially without kick ass accessories like hood scopes and rear wings. If things remain the way they are, which they probably will, we may see a slight if not huge price drop in the GTO.

The new GTO does have a tasteful rear spoiler, and I personally think that a hoodscoop wouldn't fit in well. I see the problem in the grill/front valance, it just isn't aggressive enough. The grille should extend lower and be less close to the look that Pontiac is and has been using with their Grand Am/Prix series cars. I must admit that a subtle hood tach would look pretty nice. At least the hp isn't at all dissapointing. Just my

[No-Townhustla]

God bless america but our cars reliability sucks these cars dont even last five years without fuckin up