Dumping Pontiac was a mistake. GM should bring it back. | Letters to the Editor

April 27, 2009, was a pretty dark day for me, and many others who called the Midwest home. It was the day that General Motors announced that it was discontinuing the Pontiac brand. I recall the line of people jumping online to pay condolences — even celebrities discussed how they grew up with their parents' Bonnevilles, Catalinas and Grand Prixs. My father, in his life, had six Pontiacs. His first car after moving to the U.S. from then-Czechoslovakia was a 1949 Chieftain coupe. My older brother and I inherited the '73 Catalina as our first car when we both turned 16. I think the record was 11 of us fitting in that car after school one day.

While the demise of Pontiac was based on its lack of profit in the U.S. at the time, the bigger reason for it to receive the axe while Buick survived was Buick’s prominence in China. Having worked in China from 2006 to 2007, I reluctantly saw their point, but not sure I still agreed with it.

GM saw China as a profit center, but may have hurt the brand's luster by slotting it below a newly launched Cadillac in China. That loss of prestige, coupled with a faster growing domestic OEM market, means Buick sales have slipped in China. Meanwhile, Buick’s U.S. sales continue to erode as well.

Going back to 2009, the salt on the wound for me and other Pontiac fans was how GM, under the model management of Bob Lutz, was finally getting the brand right. At the time, my wife and I had a G6 GTP and a Vibe AWD. When we lived in NYC, my black GTP fit perfectly in our Brooklyn garage with all the A6s, 3-Series, and TLs also parked there. And the Vibe could still be the most practical vehicle ever sold in America. In 2011, I bought a 2009 G8 GT, and it’s the best car I’ll ever own. It is the perfect combination of Euro-sedan stylish and Detroit-muscle.

When Pontiac ceased to exist, many brand buyers purchased within GM next. But many went to Nissan, Honda and Acura. I look at Acura as the soulful successor to Pontiac — taking Honda platforms and giving them a step up in sophistication.

If GM can launch a Hummer EV model within the GMC umbrella, what’s stopping it from a limited run of Pontiac EVs that can bring traffic back into Buick dealerships? With the growth of domestic manufacturing in the U.S., having a distinctly American brand with a heritage of performance isn’t such a bad idea. GM has a marquee sedan platform coming in the Cadillac Celestiq. It can make that platform further profitable with a mid-range Bonneville, Grand Prix or GTO.

GM had to listen to the White House when it requested executives to downsize brands in order to receive a company-saving bailout funding from the government. But maybe it's time to listen to its legacy consumers too. Bring back a few Pontiac models under Buick. It’ll be worth the investment.

Eric Planey

Wappingers Falls, New York

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Don't blame UAW for bad automaker decisions

As a retiree of Ford Motor Co., we were very proud of the products we delivered to consumers over the years, and all of my co-workers, members of the UAW, had taken much pride in what we did. When I was first hired in 1996, many of the vehicles we manufactured parts for were "Made in USA." The domestic content of the vehicles we made and purchased were well above 85%.

Before retiring, the last vehicle I purchased from the employer I was proud to be employed by had dropped to 62% domestic content. I see many Detroit Three vehicles with far less than that, and many of the "so-called" foreign vehicles that have much higher domestic vehicle content. The decision to outsource parts and major assemblies was not the UAW's, but management's.

That vehicle I purchased with the least domestic content has had three recalls. I've taken the vehicle back to the dealership, and they have said on all three recalls, the manufacturer, management, cannot provide them with enough parts to satisfy the recall. The vehicle, and my family's safety, is jeopardized, because the parts simply are not available.

While management blames UAW leadership for this strike, I look at Henry Ford's vision to manufacture parts near the assembly operations, controlling costs and quality. This vision has been eradicated by greed, to sustain the numerous vice presidents and the salaries and advertising budgets of these employers.

I am tired of workers and retirees being blamed for recalls, greed and lack of competition, when for decades, we have provided hard work resulting in quality and high productivity. I commend Shawn Fain and the leadership of the UAW for taking a stand for the workers and retirees who have been forgotten in last 20 years.

Andrew Linko

St. Petersburg, Fla.

He doesn't talk about shareholders in the Ford 'family'

When people go to court they expect to be made “whole,” i.e., be returned to the way they were before something was taken away from them (“Bill Ford urges union to end the strike: ‘We can stop this now,’" Detroit Free Press, Oct. 17).

The union merely wants back what they agreed to give up to help the auto industry continue to exist. That isn’t going to happen, but the closer it gets, the more likely the strike will be settled.

Bill Ford talks as if the employees are part of the Ford “family,” but he fails to mention the shareholders who nearly expect every dollar not given to the workers should go into their pockets. There has got to be a better way.

Ken Ross

Dearborn Heights

GOP needs to do its job

Watching and listening to members of the Republican conference in the House of Representatives, I am befuddled by their belief that their constituents do not expect them to work with Democrats to pass legislation that benefits Americans of all parties. That belief is an insult to every voter. We vote for the people who most closely share our views. We want them to represent our interests, knowing that they are in an environment that requires compromise.

The polarization we face can be the political cancer that eventually dismantles this republic. Our form of government – representative democracy – requires the people elected as our representatives to work with others with whom they may not agree. This concept is not a betrayal of the voters that elected them, as one Republican congressman stated. It is the very thing they were sent to do.

Jim Inloes

Hamburg Twp.

Detroit's Scott Benson is standing up to tobacco sellers

I would like to express my gratitude to Detroit City Councilmember Scott Benson for all he is doing to help curb youth access to tobacco.

Earlier this year, Benson joined our youth for Take Back Tobacco National Day of Action, where he pledged to bring a resolution to City Hall urging the Legislature to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products in Michigan.

Not only did he shepherd our resolution successfully, he helped pass a local policy aimed at reducing youth access to hookah tobacco, held community forums to raise awareness about this problem and worked with enforcement officials to hold retailers accountable for repeat violations. Smoking remains the number one cause of preventable death in our state.

Let’s follow the lead of our champion, Benson and stand up to the tobacco industry, protect our kids, hold retailers accountable and reverse this epidemic.

Dr. Karla Mitchell

Detroit

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM, revive Pontiac; UAW isn't to blame; GOP isn't doing job | Letters