5 pontiacs that you may not know are re -based on other brands – Jalopnik

Many of us have seen similar or even identical cars with different names. This is due to a practice known as rebadging, in which car manufacturers store their logos on models built by other brands and then present to sellers as their own products. Of course, some recovered cars are very similar to the original models, due to lazy rebading exercises that do not introduce sufficient changes between the models. However, other manufacturers make a lot of effort to rework their offer into something very different from the original vehicle.

Many car manufacturers find this practice attractive because it enables them to release new cars without the large costs of designing and engineering of a brand new model from the ground. General Motors has a long history of rebasing, which can be due to the large selection of brands. It is therefore not surprising that Pontiac benefited considerably from that scheme before he was stopped in 2010, because several of his cars were re -classed on Sister GM brands and partner automakers. On that comment we bring you five Pontiac models that are re -based on other brands.

For Pontiac, the Tempest was an important model that not only helped shape autoculture from the 60s, but also one of the most important cars in the history of the brand gave the Pontiac GTO. The original tempest was known for offering striking functions, such as an independent rear -wheel suspension, a transaxle of the coupling tube and an optional Buick V8 engine. Pontiac stopped building the Tempest after the 1970 model year. In 1987, however, the company decided to breathe new life into the nameplate and to reduce some of that old magic in an answer to Japanese import.

Unfortunately, the new model was far away from the original car, because Pontiac chose to easily arouse the compact L-Body Chevrolet Corsica. Both the Corsica and the Rebadged Tempest were built in GM’s factories in New Jersey and Delaware, and Pontiac made little or no effort to distinguish the tempest of the fourth generation of Corsica. Both vehicles seemed very similar to the surface, with the most striking style changes were a separate grid, multicolored upholstery and the Pontiac Badges. The New Life Tempest was never sold in the US, but it was available in Canada from 1987 to 1991, when Pontiac again stopped the Line -Up and replaced by the Grand AM -Sedan.

If an American who lives in the United States, it is reasonable to believe that you may never have heard of the Pontiac Firefly, let alone know it is again. That is because, just like the Pontiac Tempest of 1987-1991, the Firefly is an obscure and often forgotten car that was not sold (at least not under the Pontiac brand). However, it differs from the tempest in the sense that it was designed in Badge from a brand that was not a direct part of the GM family-Suzuki. Yet the two companies were connected because GM had an interest in Suzuki at the time. General Motors also had a partnership agreement with Suzuki to develop and rebad economoboxes, which had problems in those years.

Eventually the deal between the two companies in a joint venture called Cami (Canadian Automotive Manufacturing Inc.), which was founded in 1986. From 1989, Cami became responsible for the production of the Pontiac Firefly Hatchbacks. The original basic model was in this case the Suzuki cult. Apart from the Firefly, GM and Suzuki put several other badges on the cult. These include the Holden Barina, Suzuki Swift and Chevy Sprint – which was renamed the Geo Metro in 1989 and later as the Chevrolet metro. GM also offered a Turbo version, the Pontiac Firefly Turbo, together with an American market quay that is known as the Chevrolet Sprint Turbo – Chevy’s version of a hot hatch.

It is a more recent selection compared to the above models, but the Pontiac G5 is another reclooked car that you will probably forget ever existed. The G5 had a very short production run and did not sell many units. It was introduced in the US as a model from 2007 and sold until 2009 before they were stopped. Although he was available for three model years, Pontiac succeeded in moving just over 70,000 G5S, according to figures from Goodcarbadcar.

Unlike most cars on this list, the G5 was not reused of foreign markets. It was previously based on the first generation Chevrolet Cobalt sold in the US, the reclooked G5 was also offered in Canada and was available in basic or GT decorations. The entry-level model contained a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder engine good for 148 hp and 152 pound-foot torque, while GT models were equipped with a larger 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine that is capable of 173 hp and 163 pound-foot torque. Owners could choose between a standard manual five -speed gearbox and an optional automatic transmission with four gears with both engine.

The Japanese market Isuzu Gemini was a well -designed small car, respected because of its style, comfort, handling and brilliant fuel consumption. In an attempt to drill the success of the Gemini, GM has re-delivered the small car and offered it for sale in the Canadian market as the Pontiac Sunburst in 1985. The same car was sold in the US as the Chevrolet Spectrum (later Geo Spectrum), with Isuzu also the ISUMK.

GM has made only minimal changes to the Gemini, which means that the Pontiac and Chevy models are pretty similar to the original car. The Sunburst was available in Canada from the introduction in 1985 until it was stopped in 1989 – GM finally filled the void with the Passport Optima and Pontiac Le Mans. Despite its many positive points, the Sunburst is a rare face, even on Canadian roads, which increases the chance that this is another that you have probably never heard of.

There are few performance sedans from warm-blooded enthusiasts such as the Pontiac G8 GXP, which we have praised earlier because they are a glorious last sigh for the now destroyed car brush. A lot of praise indeed. But the G8 GXP proved its value as a car with execution and balance. Produced for model years 2008 and 2009, all 1,829 units were a rumbling 6.2-liter LS3 V8.

The engine made 415 hp and equal torque, led to the rear wheels via a standard Tremec TR6060 six-speed gearbox with manual six-speed gearbox or an available Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed gearbox. The zero to 60 sprint lasted 4.7 seconds with both transmission, while the quarter of Mile Run only required 13.3 seconds to complete, per Car and driver. These are impressive figures, even according to modern standards, and they made the GXP understandably popular. But even with his fame, not everyone realizes that the Pontiac G8 GXP, like all G8 versions, was actually a VE-generation Holden Commodore.

After the stopping of the fifth generation Pontiac GTO, Bonneville and Firebird, GM realized that the Pontiac line-up could use a little excitement. The company finally decided that the Holden Commodore was built by its Australian subsidiary, Holden, to fill the void of all three cars. And so the Pontiac G8 was introduced in 2008 as a full-size sedan based on the GM Zeta platform, where the GXP included a selection at the top of the standard G8 Sedan and GT models.