Pontiac

Pontiac is an American-based car manufacturer founded in 1926. The company produces a variety of SUVs, mid-level cars and sports cars. Pontiac is owned by parent company General Motors.

End of Pontiac

General Motors outlined its "faster, deeper" reorganization plan in an announcement on April 27, 2009. General Motors announced the end of the Pontiac brand. Pontiac's brand status was changed from mainstream to "niche" or "specialty" in General Motors' viability plan of December 2008.c

Pontiac Timeline

1893: Edward M. Murphy established the Pontiac Buggy Company in Pontiac, Michigan to produce horse-drawn carriages.

1907: An offshoot of Pontiac Buggy, Murphy established the Oakland Motor Car Company.

1909: General Motors acquired half of Oakland Motor Car's stock before Murphy's death, then purchased full

control thereafter.

1926: The new car line of Pontiac was created under Oakland Motor Car Company and the first Pontiac car, a Series 6-27, debited at the New York Auto Show.

1928: The first model change in the Series 6-28 debuted with a cross-flow radiator that became industry standard. The Indian head in silhouette emblem debuted this year as

well.

1929: Pontiac's first convertible is the Series 6-29 debuted.

1930: The Series 6-30B was produced as production fell due to the Depression.

1931: Pontiac's Series 401 was available in two different four-door sedans, two coupes, a two-door sedan and a

convertible.

1933: Pontiac received its own design studio at GM and a massive redesign concluded with a low-priced, eight-cylinder car with the look of more luxury vehicles.

1935: The Fisher Body Pontiac Assembly Plant was finished.

1938: Pontiac pioneered the column-mounted gearshift.

1941: Pontiac gave buyers a wide selection of engines to choose from.

1948: The HydraMatic automatic transmission became an option in Pontiac vehicles.

1950: The Catalina hardtop coupe was introduced and considered the most luxurious Pontiac model to date with leather upholstery and two-tone paint.

1953: Electric power windows and air conditioning became an option, as well as power steering.

1954: The five millionth Pontiac vehicle was produced in June of this year.

1955: Pontiac sold over half a million vehicles this year for the first time in its history.

1956: Pontiac entered its first official race at the

Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, earning a new 24-hour speed record with an average 118 mph over 2,841 miles.

1957: The Pontiac Bonneville was unveiled in February of this year at the Daytona Beach race; it was the first of Pontiac's vehicles to have fuel injection.

1963: Pontiac sold a record 600,000 cars this year.

1964: The LeMans GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato)

premiered with a unique overhead-cam engine.