1980 Pontiac Lineup and Features Demonstration
Detroit entered the 1980s as a symbol of Americas evident decline in the increasingly global economy. With increased competition from foreign makers, combined with a second energy crisis, sales plummeted from strong levels in the late 70s to record losses by 1982, you can see their about face when it came to marketing and sales strategy. Eventually known as the excitement division, Pontiac had a long road to ho before that claim was to be realized, or at least barely valid. 1980 saw the cusp of what was to become a FWD-centric market, with the first of the X-body cars debuting to much applause, enjoying a long model year beginning in April 1979 helping Phoenix find over 178,000 buyers. This sort of how-to-demonstration video showed how the environment had changed, promoting weight savings for better fuel economy gains with its new compact spare, and consolidating features to accommodate drivers comfort needs , instead of advocating what little distinction Pontiac had from the rest of GM’s heard. Overall Pontiac sold 770,100 vehicles for 1980, down form 907,434 in 1979. With a low point as this (not just Pontiac or GM), we were guaranteed Excitement to come!
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It was interesting seeing this video. I really enjoyed the video. I really like that Bonneville Brougham coupe in the video.
glad you are liking it buddy!
Not all of Pontiac’s 1980 offerings could be considered a low point. The turbo mill put out 210 HP which was a jaw dropping 90 more than The Mustang’s top 120 Hp 255 V8. The Grand Prix SJ and Grand Am coupe were light years better looking and performing cars than the overdone 130 HP 302 equipped T-birds and 120 Hp Miradas. The Bonneville coupe was one of the few in it’s class to offer bucket seats, floor shifter, gauges and a suspension upgrade, the sedan was an attractive roomy, reliable full size and the wagon offered 8 passenger room and 350 cubic inches of available trailer towing power. The X-body line, while roomy and efficient, were the car’s that ruined GM’s reputation in these years and the Monza clone coupe also did little to inject excitement into this line. The fact that the turbo TA’s and pace cars are so highly collectible today speaks volumes.