Few rivalries on earth can claim to be as long-lasting and intense as the one between Ford and General Motors, as those two iconic automakers have been battling it out on the track and in showrooms for over a century to this point. Over that rather long time span, both brands have undergone more than a few changes, including, of course, the addition and deletion of various brands. On the GM side of the coin, one of those defunct brands is Pontiac – which was discontinued more than a decade ago – though a rather cryptic ad on the back page of the latest issue of Car and Driver seems to hint that GM is bringing it back.
This rather interesting new ad was discovered GM Authority, and it’s one that has understandably raised more than few eyebrows since it debuted. “Pontiac fans, it’s been a weird 15 years since we left, hasn’t it?” the ad reads. “Now, we can’t definitely say that Pontiac’s absence influenced the events we all have been through, but c’mon. Caffeine comes out of Four Loko, and now it’s in lemonade? Everything on the road looks like an Aztek now?”
“You need us. America needs us. The future needs us. So Pontiac is back. Our first model is a hybrid. Surprised? Well, it uses a battery and an electric motor to start a 667-hp supercharged 372-cubic-inch V-8. And we think you’re going to want one, because what else are you going to do? You can’t buy a new Dodge Challenger and leave the splitter guards on anymore. Don’t worry, we’ve got you – our new car’s entire front end is a splitter guard.”
“At Pontiac, we”re here to offer a future filled with V-8s, great sounds, gold pinstripes, and window louvers. And if someone shouts ‘Last call,’ we’ll just smuggle in some Coors from Colorado and keep the party going.”
As if the multiple jabs at Dodge present here – coupled with the fact that this purported future Pontiac model will reportedly feature a front end made entirely from a splitter guard – isn’t enough of a clue that this ad may, in fact, not be real, there’s also a disclaimer at the bottom stating “Do you need to be told that this advertisement is fake and not to be taken seriously? Our lawyers think you do.”
While Pontiac would have turned 100 years old in 2026 – making a revival seemingly more realistic – if nothing else, this particular ad seems to be little more than a clever parody, perhaps even on Car and Driver‘s part. After all, the Camaro is gone – at least temporarily – and the Dodge Charger is set to return only in EV form, plus as an inline-six-cylinder powered model, leaving the Ford Mustang as the last V8-powered American muscle car standing. Even though GM has shown that it’s willing to dust off old brands and bring them back – just look at Hummer as proof of that concept – it seems highly unlikely that we’ll one day see Pontiac models populating GM dealer lots like they used to in the old days.
We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
If GM revives Pontiac, I hope it returns as a performance cars brand. If it’s going to be revived to produce more boring SUV’s and crossovers, leave it dead.
100% agree. Sick of SUVs
Yep, bring Pontiac back as the performance brand! V8s and/or V8 hybrids, please.
GM is in trouble with profits, unsold cars & trucks.
Common sense says this is someones spoof.
Let’s see the new Pontiac in person, and then we’ll believe it. Until then, there is nothing to this.
Bring it back as a performance line of vehicles. Have a Jim Wangers Edition GTO or The Judge.
Bring back The Judge
Hope so! Wanna see the T1000 and Astre in America’s future! Maybe even the Asstek.
It literally says the ad is fake on the bottom….
Yes, but then, why is GM spending money on this ad? Bizarre…
They’re not. Car and Driver is famous for elaborate April Fool’s Day jokes. Yes, it’s not the April edition, but it arrived in my mailbox during the month.
Bring them poncho’s back I say. I’ll always remember my 65 GTO and my 68 Firebird, BEST CARS I’ve ever owned and very fast for cars of that age.
20 mil to for feasibility study. Another 50 mil for research and development. One phone call from the board of directors to kill it.
As long as they don’t emulate Chevrolet again, everything will be good. That’s what caused their demise in the first place, too much duplication.
Hot air.