Whats next for the vibe? whats the future? THANK YOU G6! FOR SAVING PONTIAC!

[josholiver1]

I read in an artical in Motor Trend that the "G6 can sustain the Pontiac name brand for years to come". This gave me a sigh of relief, for a few months i figured Pontiac would have been choped like Oldsmobile was.But what is next for the vibe?Some say that it will be made in 2007, but canceled in 08. Is it planed to be discondinued? If i bought a vehicle that is discontiued like an 06 and they discontinue the vehicle can i still get parts?Is the Sport Package selling well? I hope they dont discontinue that!Will they keep the name and make it look like an HHR rip off?Main thing i wanted to know is whats next?!?

[joatmon]

one reassuring thing is that most of the parts are the same as in a Toyota Matrix, and all the drive train stuff is also the same as in Corollas, so there will be support for most things for a long time regardless of what Pontiac does.Current rumors seem to be that they will drop the GT and AWD models in 2007 model year, and perhaps 2008 will be a redesign of some sort.

[jake75]

Thinking back to the GEO line sold at Chevy dealers that included the Nummi made Geo Prizm [a Corolla twin]. Then the GEO was dropped and it was just the Chevy Prizm. Then it was discontinued because it duplicated the Chevy Cavalier I believe.The Vibe does not seem to duplicate anything currently in the GM line but for some reason GM is not giving the Vibe the sales support via rebates or even inclusion in the recent GM Card special offer I received. That offer bumped my exisiting $650 GM Card earnings balance to $2,000 if I buy a selected GM vehicle by 3-31-06. Even the hot selling Chevy HRR was included - but not the Vibe. And looking at the production numbers this lack of support doesn''t seem to be because Vibes are selling like hotcakes. Maybe GM prefers to sell fewer Vibes at a higher profit per car. Granted, they did roll back the prices of the 2006's to a level not much above the 2003 prices so maybe that's all they can afford to do.

[kostby]

GM can't seem to find it's 'center of gravity' with both hands in regard to marketing the Vibe, and yet the Toyota Matrix is currently one of the top 25 'hottest selling' models, with the 'average' Matrix on the dealer lot just 23 days!Link to Detroit News graphic -->http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps...tle=1Link to full article about GM reviving incentives mid-March to early April -->http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb.../1148

[IMakeVibes]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »Current rumors seem to be that they will drop the GT and AWD models in 2007 model year, and perhaps 2008 will be a redesign of some sort.Exactly right . . . atleast thats the plan.

[1oldbanjo]

My uninformed opinion - based on the few things that I have read here and in the papers - and what I see happening at the dealers is that GM/Pontiac really do not want to sell many Vibes. The agreement made between GM and Toyota to make the Vibe may have seemed like a good idea at the time - but I imagine GM is no longer happy with the deal. GM has their market slipping at a time when Toyota threatens to become the worlds largest auto manufacturer and bump GM out of that position. When I visit the Pontiac dealer where I ordered and bought my Vibe a few months ago I can see literally a hundred models of the of G6, Grand Prix, etc. in the front lot for everyone to see and buy. There are 3 Vibes on the lots and they are located at the far back corner of the lot - you will never see them unless you ask or just keep looking for them. Pontiac wants to sell their own cars rather than sell the joint Pontiac/Toyota project car. I can certainly understand their feelings about losing the market share - and I think their tactics may divert some people away from the Vibe. I do however believe that if GM wants to remain No. 1 they need to build a product that people want and make it reliable. For my lifestyle and driving needs the Vibe was what served my needs best. I wanted good gas mileage, I wanted to be able to haul 4 people around occasionally, I wanted to be able to haul my camping gear and dog occasionally, and I wanted something a little sporty - there was no other GM car that would fill my need/wants.

[josholiver1]

good it will still be here for 07' i hope they dont make a HHR pontiac!

[jake75]

On the other hand, the dealer where I go for service has at least a dozen Vibes and they are in the front row of their new car lot that faces a major highway. Most Vibe owners are among a minority that really don't care for 4 door sedans that seat you in a semi-reclining position. I have not made a direct comparision, but you probably can get a similarly equipped G-6 4-dr sedan for less money than the Vibe and to be frank, it is a nicer looking car by traditional standards. The G-6 gets decent mileage and has a trunk. Bottom line - the market for a VIBE type car is much smaller than the market for a G-6 4 dr sedan.

[ToolGuy]

You bring up some good points...We bought our Vibe based off of looks and utility. On that note GM needs to keep making these types or more joint effort vehicles IMO. Take the HHR, a direct ripoff of my PT Cruiser. I like it yes but come on GM, the PT has been out since 2001 and NOW you think hey lets make one too! Enough of copy cat or follow the leader, be original... Look at all the Vibe/Trix copies after it came out, that is what GM needs to do more of. Now the Saturn Vue Hybrid starting at $23,000 is a good step in the right direction!

[josholiver1]

I wonder if the GM Executives just live and sleep at the head quarters and dont even look outside or take advice from coustomers? Whats the word..hobbits?

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by josholiver1 »I wonder if the GM Executives just live and sleep at the head quarters and dont even look outside or take advice from coustomers? Whats the word..hobbits?hermits

[sylvainber]

my local dealer has usually around 10 vibes on the lot but they are not the most prominently displayed model. The G6 is their main focusa few considerations regarding the vibe:* being that the parts are mostly sourced from toyota and the price point for a base is near what you'd pay for a 'native' gm product, i expect the profit margin on a vibe is less than it would be on a G6* a somewhat boxy hatchback like the vibe (a feature i love about my... it's roominess) is contradicting in part the 'perfomance division' image of the brand. even the GT is commonly reviewed in the press as the wrong perfoemance element (it needs more low end torque, lower revving engine and a lower center of gravity). The vast majority of vibes i see around chicagoland are not driven by hot rodders (looking at the drivers and how they drive)* i think they missed the train with the AWD. with a 2.0L engine, that car could have competed in the awd market. it has all the utility many awd customers typically look foor for a better price than a subie (toyota does have a 2.0L engine in the outgoing RAV4)* branding wise, the vibe being a superb example of 'family friendly, economical car' , it may belong better in the chevy portfolio (that won't happen with the HHR now out... i much prefer the fit, finish and handling of the vibe over the HHR). It is not designed as a performance car (neither is the matrix)* it looks like the vibe was an attempt at doing a 'prizm for pontiac' but it may not be sporty enough to live long (mind you, the chevy prizm only ran around 5 yrs)... joint venture cars typically don't see as many significant iterations. Tool up, produce with only minor modifications for 4-7 yrs and tool down. I would not be surprised if the vibe follows that pattern.* if pontiac gets a souped up (probably mostly in engine power) cobalt with tighter styling, i can see where gm would go for the economies of scale. i can also see how they may use a little smoke and mirrors to try avoiding the appearance of rebadgingsylvain

[josholiver1]

Hermits LOL thats what it was!

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by IMakeVibes »"Current rumors seem to be that they will drop the GT and AWD models in 2007 model year, and perhaps 2008 will be a redesign of some sort." - joatmonExactly right . . . atleast thats the plan. Anyone know if Toyota is also dropping the XRS and AWD Matrix in 2007?