GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007!

The latest news on what's happening with the Pontiac Vibe & Toyota Matrix.
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turbotoad
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GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007!

Post by turbotoad »

According to Autonews the Vibe GT and AWD will go out of production after the 2006 model year. Only the base Vibe will be availible in 2007.DETROIT -- Pontiac will discontinue the GT and all-wheel-drive versions of the Vibe wagon after the 2006 model year due to sluggish sales of those models and changes in U.S. emissions standards that would have made them costly to redesign.Pontiac will continue to offer the base-model Vibe for the 2007 model year. It may bring back the GT and awd versions with the next-generation Vibe, a spokesman says....http://www.autonews.com/apps/p...fsect=
ramenboy...
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (turbotoad)

Post by ramenboy... »

hey turbo,we got the same article over here:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=22094
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Toasted7
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (ramenboy...)

Post by Toasted7 »

I want a "next-generation" Vibe!
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ColonelPanic
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (Toasted7)

Post by ColonelPanic »

Quote, originally posted by Toasted7 »I want a "next-generation" Vibe!Maybe yours would start! And if I bought one, it wouldn't suck! 'course I won't buy the next gen one but anyway... lol
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
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Toasted7
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (ColonelPanic)

Post by Toasted7 »

Thanx to your cursed '03 armrest... mine won't start now!
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josholiver1
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Post by josholiver1 »

Next gen:My guess is a Chevy HHR with a pontiac grill like the Nox' and Torrent were.
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ColonelPanic
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (Toasted7)

Post by ColonelPanic »

Quote, originally posted by Toasted7 »Thanx to your cursed '03 armrest... mine won't start now! Nah, your car didn't catch that from mine, it always starts on the first try - it just runs like crap and makes a lot of noise after it starts on the first try.
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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'21 Elantra Limited - 2.0L/IVT
'15 Escape SE - 1.6L EcoBoost (hers)
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rickhow
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (ColonelPanic)

Post by rickhow »

Motor Trend website lists that the Vibe will be all redesigned for 2007 and it will still be a joint effort between Toyota and Pontiac.
Man of Steel
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Post by Man of Steel »

Real disappointment that the AWD Vibewill go away in 07. There is demand for fuel efficient AWD vehicles but as usual, GM finds a way to blow opportunities. Oh well, guess I can always consider an AWD Dodge Caliber or a Subaru Forester.
05 AWD.
Mrizzle05
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Re: (Man of Steel)

Post by Mrizzle05 »

personal choice... but id go with a forester before a caliber!!!
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Mavrik
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Re: (Mrizzle05)

Post by Mavrik »

go with the turbo forester awd XT... they haul very well ^^If it wasn't for the fact I'd rather have an STi... I'd do a Forester Sti conversion.And Alaska sells a lot of AWD Vibes. I see a lot of Vibes up here and most are AWD.
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AKLGT
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Post by AKLGT »

too bad the forester is so boxy looking. not a fan of the body style. the 2.5 FXT hauls for sure! and almost all the vibes up here seem to be AWD. is sad they are getting rid of that line. i can understand the GT since they keep lowering and lowering the HP. no advantage of the GT engine once they switch to the scion one. but atleast they'll be more in tune with the a/m and engine mods crowd. already a ton of support there.
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NascarXprt
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Re: (josholiver1)

Post by NascarXprt »

no it will still be a Toyota/GM joint product.
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Man of Steel
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Re: (trdvibe)

Post by Man of Steel »

Maybe if enough people complain, perhaps they'll bring back AWD in 08.
05 AWD.
drunkenmaxx
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (turbotoad)

Post by drunkenmaxx »

i don't get it. emissions standards? the AWD is a base with crappier exhaust flow. how can that make it get worse emissions? i dunno.i believe the sluggish sales though. i have only seen like 2 GTs in person and 1 AWD besides my own.
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SublimeVibe
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Re: GT and AWD going bye bye in 2007! (drunkenvibe)

Post by SublimeVibe »

I can understand sluggish sales in the warmer climates ,but up here in the North I see more AWDthan any other, I have only seen 2 GTs and 2 base models .I have been a real believer in the Vibe and have been asked many a time for my opinion on the Vibe and have always sang its praises .I think the Vibe should be sold only as the GT or AWD cars and just modify the cars engines to run more better (can't spell the other word lol).Just my $.02
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Post by northvibe »

Yeah theres a ton more in duluth now, lots of the prof's here have the AWD trix or vibe. Some students prolly 4 have a base. all the others i see are old old...old people but are awd.
JoeKat
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Re: (northvibe)

Post by JoeKat »

Here in Cincy the base Vibe sells the best. The GT's are real slow movers. My dealership just sold 2 2004 Vibe GT's a month ago. Yes brand new never been titled not even demo'd 2004 Vibe GT's. The sales manager said it was the 6 speed that they couldn't move. I traded my base 03 on a used 03 GT a year ago after the dealer had the GT on their lot 6 months. Ouch. The dealers here quit ordering GT's entirely. Too bad I love my GT and would like to get the wife an AWD in a few years.
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ColonelPanic
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Re: (JoeKat)

Post by ColonelPanic »

I believe it! Even the base Vibes around my neck of the woods sit on the lots rusting for months upon months without any interest. The three or so Vibes they kept on the lot were always base models.The dealer I dealt with had ONE GT in the showroom when I first bought my base. They haven't put one on the lot since they sold that one. I never recall seeing any AWD's at all. There's one guy who works where I do with an AWD, his is about the only one I ever see around here...
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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scherry2
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Re: (ColonelPanic)

Post by scherry2 »

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Even the base Vibes around my neck of the woods sit on the lots rusting for months upon months without any interest. The three or so Vibes they kept on the lot were always base models.Here in Northeast Indiana I see lots of vibes (mostly driven by older people like me) but not alot of GTs. The lots all have 3 or 4 base vibes. If there had been a GT on the lot in '02 when I bought mine I would have got it instead.
Nomad
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Re: (scherry2)

Post by Nomad »

I wonder if the current high gas prices have something to do with it. The dealer near me had a ton of AWD Vibes in stock - and I considered one - but with gas over $3/gallon I decided that the 4 extra MPG would buy me a lot more than the AWD in terms of benefit over the next 10 years. If they could bring AWD closer to the Base in terms of MPG (within 2 MPG) then it would likely take over as the top seller.
Man of Steel
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Post by Man of Steel »

Agree you lose about 3MPG in an AWD Vibe vs a base. Still, it's hardly a gas hog unless you have your foot to the floor all the time. You'd be hard pressed to find an AWD vehicle except perhaps a hybrid Ford Escape that delivers better gas mileage. I'm getting about 30MPG driving mostly highway back and forth to work between 75 and 80mph. Not bad for AWD.
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tangerine
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Post by tangerine »

boo...are they doing the same thing to the Matrix? or even upping the hp on the base vibe? Bleh looks like I have to buy my 1st used car.
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ColonelPanic
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Re: (tangerine)

Post by ColonelPanic »

Well at least you'll have your "pushing 1,000 HP" Nissan to use as backup...Yes, the Matrix will be affected similarily. No change for base horsepower. 126 HP. Toyota was faced with changes of emissions components and it was too costly to redesign so they decided to drop the two models instead.
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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'21 Elantra Limited - 2.0L/IVT
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tangerine
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Post by tangerine »

bleh, they might as well get rid of Pontiac totally, they've ruined the entire line.
04 Fusion Orange Base Vibe auto Now no longer with us thanks to ignorant drivers...
06salsa
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sales/ redesign

Post by 06salsa »

Just my 2 cents. But I just bought mine 04/27/2006 and I kept an eye on the remaining 6 Vibes on the lot and I know they all sold in a matter of 10 days. With the price of gas, the Vibes great gas mileage and versatility, they seem to have no problem getting rid of them. At least in Northern Kentucky. On to the 2007 redesign, I hate buying new cars, it never seems to fail that I buy a car and they redesign or drop it the next year. My last sports car, Dodge Stratus R/T 2004, Last year for them. Damn car manufactures...... Oh, I hope they get some styling clues for the new Matrix/Vibe from the new Camry....That is one sweet looking car.
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